March 29, 2013
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
An article in the International Science Times overviews the antibiotic resistance problem, and links to CDDEP s ResistanceMap visualization tool. [International Science Times]
In an op-ed for the New York Times, David Kessler, former director of the US Food and Drug Administration, argues for policies to collect more information on antibiotic use in animals. [NY Times]
A new study published in the journal EMBO Molecular Biology uses whole genome sequencing to establish and trace the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from farm animals to humans. [Wired]
Researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University have developed a new malaria drug called ELQ-300 that kills the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in multiple stages of its life cycle. Their research published in the journal Science Translational Medicine shows that the drug has rapidly cured infected mice and killed parasites in mosquitoes. [Scientific American]
According to research published in the journal Nature, scientists have determined the molecular structure of a protein that reduces antibiotic effectiveness and have also identified a peptide that inhibits the protein. [Nature News]
Research, published in the journal Pediatrics, finds that pediatricians in New Jersey and Pennsylvania prescribed 36 percent fewer antibiotics to black children compared to their non-black peers. [The Atlantic]
An article in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reviews “Promising New Assays and Technologies for the Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Diseases.” [Clinical Infectious Diseases]
World Tuberculosis Day was observed on March 24. Below is a roundup of the most interesting TB news:
Science Speaks reviewed the burden of TB, and approaches and challenges to control the disease in India. [Science Speaks]
The Huffington Post wrote on the success of eCompliance, an electronic, biometric tool to ensure that health workers can accurately follow-up with all TB patients. [Huffington Post]
The Financial Times published a special report titled Combating Tuberculosis 2013, which contains several op-eds and reports on the current state of the disease. [Financial Times, Pdf of report]
PLoS Blogs briefly summarized recent research on TB published in their journal. [PLoS Blogs]
The New York Times reported on the emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Australia. [NY Times]
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