April 19, 2013
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
A new report analyzing data collected by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System shows a substantial increase in the amount of meat contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [NYT, NPR]
A new study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds that hospitals profit from postsurgical complications under the current payment system. [NYT]
Research published in the journal Pediatrics shows that introducing new electronic and educational tools as part of a quality improvement program helped cut back inappropriate antibiotic prescribing at a children s hospital. [Reuters]
Pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains, from land animals are infecting and killing sea mammals and pose a threat to humans too. [Scientific American – article, commentary]
An article in The New York Times discusses the possibility of reintroducing pre-penicillin therapies to treat infections as antibiotics become less effective. [NYT]
A Health Affairs article reviewing the problem of fake and substandard drugs in the battle against tuberculosis urges for a global treaty on fake and substandard medicines. [Health Affairs]
A new broad-range antibiotic called Epimerox has prevented anthrax and MRSA infections in mice during lab tests, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One. [Healthline]
Implementing and carefully supervising a standardized three-step cleaning process to disinfect hospital rooms of Clostridium difficile significantly reduced the amount of the bacteria, according to a new study in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. [NYT]
A paper in The Lancet suggests that new approaches that respond effectively to the changing patterns of infection in low transmission areas are necessary to eliminate malaria. [BBC]
Four new papers released as part of The Lancet Series on Childhood Pneumonia and Diarrhoea are available online.
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