Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest MRSA / Drug Resistance News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/mrsa-superbug/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171822.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171822.php Antibiotic resistance is increasing throughout the world because of excessive use, Agence France-Press reports. The news service writes, "Experts at the 2nd annual European antibiotics awareness day held by the Stockholm-based European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) said new, hyper-resistant bacteria were emerging, threatening the pillars of global health. MRSA / Drug Resistance Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171820.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171820.php Experts at an American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting this week said that resistance to the best available drug to treat malaria "is more widespread in Southeast Asia than previously reported," Science News/Wired Science reports. Researchers have been monitoring Tropical Diseases Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171576.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171576.php A new chemical compound that mimics the body's ability to fight bacteria could help target hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA and C.difficile. The compound, which could be added to detergents or used as a coating for hospital equipment, is able to trap and release the gas nitric oxide - which is also produced by our own immune systems to kill bugs. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171254.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171254.php New antibiotics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other pesky bacteria. Andrei Osterman and collaborators have used comparisons of bacterial genomes to identify new targets for antibiotics and produced first-generation chemical inhibitors of a class of bacterial enzymes, called NadDs (nicotinate mononucleotide adenylyltransferases). Described in a recent article in Chemistry & Biology (Cell Press), the team, led by Dr. MRSA / Drug Resistance Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171014.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171014.php Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow. Just as some drugs work better together, however, other pairings are counter-productive. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170587.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170587.php Commenting on the latest report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections in Hospitals in England, Dr Peter Carter of the RCN said: "This report rightly praises the hard work and dedication of healthcare staff who have made significant progress in tackling MRSA and C. difficile. The leadership and innovation of nurses has been crucial in delivering reduced infection rates and improving the quality of care for all patients. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170529.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170529.php Fears of contracting the H1N1 virus this flu season have people steering clear of strangers with coughs and scolding friends who don't sneeze into their crooked elbows. With everyone trying to stay germ free, hand sanitizer has become a popular means of protection. But although a quick pump from a Purell dispenser is the most convenient form of hand cleaning, is it the best? Not necessarily, according to Saint Joseph's University medical microbiology expert Michael McCann, Ph.D. Swine Flu Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170421.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170421.php Dana Filoti of the University of New Hampshire will present thin films of silver and copper she has developed that can kill bacteria and may one day help to cut down on hospital infections. The antimicrobial properties of silver and copper have been known for centuries -- last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially registered copper alloys, allowing them to be marketed with the label "kills 99.9% of bacteria within two hours. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170259.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170259.php Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that it has received a second grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund conferences on infectious disease in its "Keystone Symposia Global Health Series." In 2006, the Colorado, USA-based nonprofit organization received its first three-year grant; the funding for that ended with the October 20-25, 2009 conference on "Overcoming the Crisis of TB and AIDS" in Arusha, Tanzania. The new grant provides $2. HIV / AIDS Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170243.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170243.php Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide. During a summit held this week in Washington, D.C. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170035.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170035.php Just one extra cleaner on a hospital ward can save lives and money, according to new research sponsored by UNISON, the UK's largest public service union. The detailed study found that one extra cleaner, using targeted cleaning methods, had a "measurable effect on the clinical environment," cutting the number of patients who contracted MRSA and saving the hospital an estimated £30,000 - £70,000. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169581.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169581.php Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system. P. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169470.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169470.php A strain of MRSA that causes bloodstream infections is five times more lethal than other strains and has shown to have some resistance to the potent antibiotic drug vancomycin used to treat MRSA, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. The study found that 50 percent of the patients infected with the strain died within 30 days compared to 11 percent of patients infected with other MRSA strains. MRSA / Drug Resistance Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168197.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168197.php Deborah Friberg, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina, has been named the recipient of the first annual Healthcare Administrator Award, presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The award recognizes a healthcare facility's executive team member who has demonstrated significant support for infection prevention and control throughout their facility. MRSA / Drug Resistance Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168234.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168234.php As NHS hospitals face an even tougher winter than usual managing the rise in demand for beds alongside the second wave of swine flu, an influential group of doctors, scientists and patient representatives has called for the early discharge of appropriate MRSA patients to prevent a rise in MRSA infection rates. MRSA / Drug Resistance Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167836.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167836.php Drugs made using unusual metals could form an effective treatment against colon and ovarian cancer, including cancerous cells that have developed immunity to other drugs, according to research at the University of Warwick and the University of Leeds. Colorectal Cancer Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167705.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167705.php TheraDoc®, the leading provider of clinical decision support technology in healthcare, announced that it has started beta testing of a new computerized patient surveillance tool that will help hospitals monitor and manage screening programs for MRSA / Drug Resistance Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167637.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167637.php The perception that antibiotic resistance is primarily the undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse is a view that is simplistic and inaccurate, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Microbiology. The reasons behind the spread of resistance are much more complex, including appropriate antibiotic use, lack of proper sanitation and hygiene, and even the environment. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167678.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167678.php NanoBio Corporation today announced compelling preclinical data for NB-401, a nebulized nanoemulsion-based agent that kills highly drug-resistant strains of bacteria commonly found in cystic fibrosis patients. Currently there are limited treatment options available that effectively address these resistant bacteria. The study results are being presented today at the 2009 Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Minneapolis, Minn. Cystic Fibrosis Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167524.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167524.php Agence France-Presse examines the ongoing fight to control the spread of tuberculosis in South Africa. "The World Health Organisation estimates almost one percent or 461,000 South Africans develop TB annually, with government figures showing that the disease was the country's leading natural cause of death in 2006," the news service writes. Tuberculosis Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167330.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167330.php While studying an HIV protein that plays an essential role in AIDS progression, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered compounds that show promise as novel treatments for the disease. HIV drug discovery efforts have met with little success in finding compounds that interact with an important HIV virulence factor, called Nef, because it lacks biochemical activity that can be directly measured, explained Thomas E. Smithgall, Ph.D., William S. HIV / AIDS Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167221.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167221.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded $5 million to an interdisciplinary group of Harvard researchers to launch the "Harvard-wide Program on Antibiotic Resistance." Headed by Michael S. Gilmore, Ph.D. MRSA / Drug Resistance Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167088.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167088.php In a study presented at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), researchers used a mobile, automated UV device to decontaminate hospital rooms at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Ohio and analyzed its ability to remove troublesome bacteria, including C. difficile spores. The device, known as Tru-D, uses reflected UVC germicidal energy to decontaminate air and surfaces, including those in primary shadows. MRSA / Drug Resistance Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166952.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166952.php Mandatory MRSA screening for all patients admitted to English hospitals is unethical and should be reconsidered, says Dr Michael Millar in an editorial published on http://www.BMJ.com. Testing all patients for MRSA began in April 2009 but Dr Millar, a microbiologist from Barts and The London NHS Trust, questions the validity of consent for screening when the levels of risk is not adequately explained to patients. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166816.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166816.php An editorial published on bmj.com today reports that mandatory MRSA screening for all patients admitted to English hospitals is unethical and should be reconsidered. Since April 2009, all patients are tested for MRSA. Dr Millar, a microbiologist from Barts and The London NHS Trust, questions the validity of consent for screening when the levels of risk are not sufficiently explained to patients. He argues that consent is not genuine. MRSA / Drug Resistance