May 04, 2012
A round-up of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
A study in Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease finds a sharp rise in penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in teaching hospitals in China.
Shelley Hearne, managing director of the Pew Health Group, urges vigilance in the fight to contain antibiotic resistance.
Research in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy suggests that garlic is 100 times more effective in combating Campylobacter jejuni than two kinds of antibiotics. Campylobacter bacteria is a common cause of foodborne illness.
A study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy asks, are seagulls responsible for spreading drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the U.S.?
The Indian Express reports on doctors seeking alternative treatments for patients with extensive or totally drug resistant TB.
Saudi Arabia announces its participation in a hand hygiene campaign.
A study in the American Journal of Infection Control finds evidence to suggest that changes in CMS reimbursement are leading to a greater emphasis on hospital infection control in the United States. In 2008, CMS stopped reimbursing hospitals for a number of HAIs. The article notes that it does not assess whether this increased focus has led to public health gains.
Want to reduce hospital infections? Buy more soap. The Guardian reports on a BMJ analysis that a UK hand hygiene campaign has coincided with significant decreases in MRSA and C. difficile infections.
Researchers find a fivefold increase in E. coli resistance to ciprofloxacin, the most commonly prescribed drug for urinary tract infections in the U.S., over the first decade of the 21st century. Resistance to Bactrim, the second most commonly prescribed antibiotic, was also found to have increased over the time period. The study is in the Journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Infection Control.
Maryn McKenna chronicles the emergence of cephalosporin-resistant Gonorrhea for Scientific American.
In Biomicrofluidics, researchers outline a new way to remove sepsis-causing bacteria from the bloodstream.
Want to receive the weekly digest in your inbox? Enter your email address in the “receive updates” box.
//
Image credit: Flickr: Charalampos Konstantinidis
