Antibiotic treatments are losing effectiveness against a range of common bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella and Acinetobacter, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization last October. For the microbe that gives rise to tuberculosis, a team of researchers from Penn State and The University of Minnesota Medical School found that a potential solution may be chemically … Read more
Australian researchers have developed a powerful new way to target deadly, drug-resistant bacteria by designing antibodies that recognize a sugar found only on bacterial cells – an advance that could underpin a new generation of immunotherapies for multidrug resistant hospital-acquired infections. Published in Nature Chemical Biology, the research shows that a laboratory-made antibody can clear … Read more
Despite common beliefs, new research shows that how often and how long mothers breastfeed has almost no impact on milk microbiome diversity. Study: The human milk microbiome is minimally associated with breastfeeding practices. Image credit: comzeal images/Shutterstock.com A recent paper in the journal Scientific Reports explored associations between human milk bacteria and breastfeeding attributes. Introduction Breast milk is … Read more
WHO. Antimicrobial resistance. 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance. Mancuso G, Midiri A, Gerace E, Biondo C. Bacterial antibiotic resistance: the most critical pathogens. Pathogens. 2021;10(10): 1310. CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Catherine Nonyelum S, Amaka Marian A, Ukamaka Chinelo O. Acinetobacter baumannii: epidemiology, clinical manifestations and associated infections. In: Karyne R, Salvatore Giovanni DS, editors. The rise … Read more
A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ that causes severe disease has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital – posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals. Analyzing 10 years’ worth of data, scientists discovered that most Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infections at the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, belonged to Global … Read more
We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such ‘healthcare-associated infections’ (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets. In the EU alone, HAIs add up to more than 3.5 million cases per year, resulting in 2.5 million … Read more