July 13, 2012
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
Forbes blogs about new CDDEP research linking antibiotic prescribing patterns to seasonal increases in drug resistance. [Forbes]
A Washington Post editorial outlines the issue of antibiotic resistance and calls for more action on the drug development side. [WaPo]
Consumer Reports has rated 1,159 hospitals across 44 US States for safety, and published a new report ranking them. [Consumer Reports]
A study published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal finds that risk for death due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increases independently with older age, residence in a nursing home, severe bacteremia, and organ impairment. [Emerging Infectious Diseases]
A multitude of news sources are covering a new report from the Food and Environment Reporting Network and ABC that links drug resistant bladder infections with antibiotic overuse in poultry. [ABC; The Atlantic; Wired]
In more positive poultry news, a naturally-occurring antibacterial substance found in chickens could potentially be used to fight infectious diseases, and possibly cancer, according to research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Futurity]
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links two recent Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks with the improper use of drug vials. [NPR]
A peptide found in scorpion venom may have the potential to treat MRSA and other drug resistant infections, according to a new study in PLoS ONE. [Wired]
Fidaxomicin, a new drug to treat Clostridium difficile infections, has been approved in Scotland. [UKPA]
Two new studies in Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine find that up to eight percent of malaria drugs approved by regulators, including the World Health Organization, contain incorrect doses of artemisinin and might increase drug resistance. [AFP]
Engineers from Tufts University have found a way to stabilize vaccines and antibiotics without refrigeration using silk protein matrices. [Medical News Today]
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