Search Tag: antibiotic resistance

ICU Management

Bacteria-communicate-to-help-each-other-resist-antibiotics

2013 09 Jul

New research from Western University unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria such as Burkholderia cenocepacia (B. cenocepacia) to resist antibiotic treatment. B. cenocepacia is an environmental bacterium that causes devastating infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) or with compromised immune systems. Dr. Miguel...Read more

ICU Management

Internet-based-training-could-help-in-the-fight-against-antibiotic-resistance

2013 01 Aug

Antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections could be significantly lowered using internet-based training for clinicians, new research has shown. In a study, led by the University of Southampton and published in The Lancet today (Wednesday 31 July), an internet-based training programme has shown to reduce antibiotics prescribing...Read more

ICU Management

Scientists-uncover-how-superbug-fights-off-antibiotic

2013 04 Sep

 Investigators working to stem the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have taken a major step in their efforts to develop new treatments. Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) report they have identified a novel mechanism that a particular superbug uses to fend off a key front-line antibiotic called...Read more

ICU Management

Researchers-uncover-keys-to-antibiotic-resistance-in-mrsa

2013 06 Oct

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is shown in the background (in gray). This figure depicts domains and key ligands of the penicillin binding protein 2a — a key resistance enzyme. The red molecule on the right is ceftaroline, a drug recently approved by the FDA. (Credit: University of Notre Dame) University of Notre Dame researchers...Read more

Executive Health Management

International-collaboration-boosts-research-on-antibiotic-resistance

2013 14 Nov

A four-year project entitled ‘TAILORED-Treatment’ is aimed at establishing a successful strategy to enhance the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment, lowering any potential therapy side-effects and limiting the rise of antimicrobial resistance in patients. Coordinated by the Netherland’s Erasmus MC, Rotterdam it is funded with € 6.000.000 by the...Read more

Executive Health Management

New-treatment-discovery-leads-to-mrsa-infection-cure

2013 15 Nov

According to a pioneering study recently published in the journal ‘Nature’, the work of University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis has led to a promising new approach in the treatment for and elimination of the methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.  This powerful antibiotic-resistant bacterium, dubbed the "superbug",...Read more

Executive Health Management

Ecdc-findings-carbapenem-resistant-infections-still-increasing-across-europe

2013 19 Nov

The European Centre has released the latest EU figures on antibiotic resistance for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), documenting an remarkable rise carbapenem-resistant infections. As a significant last-line class of antibiotics, carbapenems are used in the treatment of healthcare-associated infections.  The report highlights an above...Read more

Executive Health Management

Stubborn-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-behaviour-revealed

2013 31 Dec

Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem have successfully been able to reveal the mechanism that allows some bacteria to avoid treatment with antibiotics.  This breakthrough could lead to new methods to control this type of bacteria.   It is known that bacteria are able to achieve resistance to antibiotics via mutation, however there...Read more

Executive Health Management

Chemists-uncover-new-class-of-antibiotics

2014 12 Mar

According to research findings described in an article entitled "Discovery of a New Class of Non-beta-lactam Inhibitors of Penicillin-Binding Proteins with Gram-Positive Antibacterial Activity", and published in the the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a team of University of Notre Dame researchers have discovered a new class of antibiotics...Read more

Executive Health Management

Frost-sullivan-next-generation-therapeutics-to-conquer-infectious-diseases

2014 26 Mar

Resistance to current drugs spurs treatment innovation in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, chlamydia and gonorrhoea Currently, the prescribed antivirals for some infections, such as the frequently occurring respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are limited in their regular use and efficiency, due to having a variable response,...Read more

ICU Management

Banishing-bacterial-biofilms

2014 27 May

With antibiotic resistance a major issue globally, research in Canada may lead to an effective alternative in tackling bacteria.  The research team, led by Professor Bob Hancock, of the University of British Columbia's Department of Microbiology and Immunology,  identified a small molecule that prevents bacteria from forming into biofilms, which...Read more

Executive Health Management

Pneumonp-a-who-collaborative-research-program

2014 11 Jul

Antibiotic resistance poses a serious worldwide threat to the treatment of infections such as pneumonia. A collaborative European research project is responding to the plea by the World Health Organization (WHO) for innovative solutions to control the crisis. The PneumoNP project will combine new antibiotics with inhalable nanocarriers for a more...Read more

ICU Management

Topical-antibiotics-no-impact-on-icu-patient-outcomes

2014 01 Oct

Prophylactic antibiotics applied areas in the mouth, throat and digestive tract were associated with low levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and no differences in patient survival and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, according to researchers from the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands. Data show that some antibiotic regimens,...Read more

ICU Management

Vancomycin-still-useful-for-staph-infections

2014 11 Oct

A new study published in JAMA has determined that vancomycin, an antibiotic that came out more than 50 years ago, remains effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections. The study's authors said doctors should continue to use the drug even as newer antibiotics can now be bought in the market. Staphylococcus aureus is amongst...Read more

Executive Health Management

Biomarker-tests-reduce-unnecessary-antibiotic-prescriptions

2014 07 Nov

On-the-spot tests for bacterial infections, which only take about three minutes to process, may help to reduce excessive use of antibiotics. Researchers in Denmark performed a systematic review showing that doctors who tested for the presence of bacterial infections were prescribing fewer antibiotics. Their findings are published online in The Cochrane...Read more

Pharmacy Management

Widespread-public-misconception-about-antibiotics

2014 24 Nov

According to a new survey by Public Health England (PHE), nearly 40 percent of people are unnecessarily taking antibiotics for coughs or runny noses while 90 percent are unaware that drug-resistant bacteria can spread from person to person. These findings were released to mark the European Antibiotics Awareness Day on 18 November. The survey calls...Read more

Lab Management

New-method-detects-antibiotic-resistance-fast

2014 27 Nov

A new method developed by Swedish researchers can rapidly identify which bacteria are causing an infection and detect whether they are resistant or sensitive to antibiotics. Results of the study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology . "Clinical use of the method would mean that the right antibiotic treatment could be started...Read more

ICU Management

New-software-predicts-superbugs-countermoves-to-new-drugs

2015 05 Jan

In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, new drugs are urgently needed, but so are ways to maximise the effective lifespan of these drugs. Researchers at Duke University in the U.S. have developed open-source software that can predict a constantly-evolving infectious bacterium's counter-moves to a new drug before the drug is tested on patients....Read more

Pharmacy Management

New-antibiotic-teixobactin-could-be-a-game-changer

2015 10 Jan

A novel method for growing bacteria has finally yielded a promising new antibiotic which could be a major breakthrough ending a decades-long drought in antibiotic discovery. The last new class of antibiotics was discovered nearly three decades ago. During this time, microbes have become more and more resistant. However, a new study published...Read more

ICU Management

Study-protocol-increases-appropriate-antibiotic-use

2015 19 Jan

According to a retrospective study, an antibiotic protocol that determined antibiotic use based on risk for health care-associated infections significantly increased appropriate prescription of antibiotics in a paediatric ICU. The study has been published online in Annals of the American Thoracic Society .   Researchers evaluated patients with an...Read more

ICU Management

Biomarker-predicts-burn-patients-risk-of-infection

2015 11 Feb

A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-led study has shown that a set of characteristics, including differences in gene expression, may indicate which patients recovering from severe burns are at greatest risk for repeat infections. The finding is published online in Annals of Surgery . "Our approach is the first to enable the prediction of repeat...Read more

Executive Health Management

Pressure-to-prescribe-more-antibiotics-ordered-where-physicians-compete-with-clinics

2015 25 Feb

Wealthier areas of the US have more antibiotic prescriptions written per capita, where there is greater competition among care providers, according to new research from Johns Hopkins. Patients in such areas may be more able and likely to shop for physicians who are willing to write a prescription. As a result, doctors’ offices compete with retail medical...Read more

ICU Management

Personalised-treatment-for-cancer-patients-with-pneumonia

2015 14 Apr

A study by researchers from D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) in Brazil has analysed the factors associated with severe pneumonia in hospitalised cancer patients and suggests that more personalised treatment protocols can reduce mortality in these patients. The findings are published online in PLoS ONE . It is widely believed that the...Read more

Executive Health Management

Hospitals-not-making-enough-effort-to-prevent-c-difficile-infections

2015 29 Apr

According to a survey of a national random sample of hospitals, nearly half of American hospitals aren't taking the steps required to prevent a gut infection that kills nearly 30,000 people annually and sickens hundreds of thousands more. The survey was conducted by a team from the University of Michigan Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare...Read more

Executive Health Management

New-chip-allows-optimal-antibiotic-selection

2015 31 May

Researchers at the University of Toronto have designed a diagnostic chip that can help reduce testing time for antibiotic resistance from days to one hour. This can enable doctors to select the right antibiotic from the very beginning. The work has been published in the journal Lab on a Chip. Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue. According to...Read more

Executive Health Management

Microbiome-disruption-ups-sepsis-risk-in-hospitalised-patients

2015 04 Jun

A new University of Michigan and VA study shows that older adults are three times more likely to develop sepsis — a body-wide catastrophic response to infection — in the first three months after leaving a hospital than at any other time. Notably, the risk of sepsis is 70 percent higher for those who received care that is likely to alter the balance...Read more

Executive Health Management

Stop-it-trial-shows-antibiotic-use-can-be-reduced

2015 12 Jun

According to researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and 22 other institutions, the duration of antibiotic treatment for complicated abdominal infections can be cut by half and still remain effective. This could play an important role in preventing the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The research team looked at...Read more

ICU Management

New-antibiotics-group-shows-promise-against-staph-mrsa

2015 15 Sep

Virginia Tech researchers say a new group of antibiotics shows potential in fighting the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and the antibiotic-resistant strains commonly known as MRSA. The discovery, published in Medicinal Chemistry Communications , shows that the new antibiotics are unlike contemporary antibiotics because they contain iridium,...Read more

ICU Management

Multidrug-resistant-gram-negative-bacteria-in-hospitals-new-guidelines

2015 24 Nov

New guidelines on the prevention and control of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in hospitals have been published by the Journal of Hospital Infection . These guidelines are accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK. Gram-negative bacteria (MDRGNB) include common types such as E. coli that are present...Read more

ICU Management

European-congress-of-clinical-microbiology-and-infectious-diseases-2015-antibiotics

2015 07 Dec

The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases , the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is the most attended infectious disease conference worldwide. This year, more than 10,000 clinicians and scientists attended the congress to present and share the latest research...Read more