May 03, 2013
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
CDDEP and Extending the Cure released a new animated video on the threat of antibiotic resistance. The video calls for action on the part of patients, doctors, parents and consumers to curb unnecessary use of antibiotics in order to preserve their effectiveness for future generations. [CDDEP]
Citing a CDDEP study, a news article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) discusses the rise of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in hospitals, calling for a more coordinated response. [JAMA, HAI Controversies]
A Financial Times report discusses the two opposing perspectives regarding continuation of the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) and the possibility of AMFm successors. [FT]
In response to the growing problem of healthcare-associated infections, hospitals in the US have amped up their infection control efforts and introduced robots that emit ultraviolet rays or hydrogen peroxide vapors to maintain sterile facilities. [USA Today]
A research review published in The Cochrane Library finds that programs to reduce antibiotic use in hospitals often work well and lead to better clinical outcomes. [The Chicago Tribune]
In a letter to the editor in The New York Times, Rep. Louise Slaughter, a sponsor of The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, responds to an earlier letter by the FDA s Bernadette Dunham, calling for stronger actions from the FDA. [NYT]
University of Buffalo researchers report that a protein found in human breast milk can cause dangerous resistant bacteria to become susceptible to antibiotics again. [PLoS ONE]
A recent report released by Consumer Reports Magazine found through lab analysis of 257 samples of ground turkey sold in supermarkets that 90% of the samples contained at least one of the five major bacteria tested, with almost all bacteria exhibiting drug resistance. [Consumer Reports, Fox News, LA Times]
Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine concludes that the use of the antibiotic azithromycin does not lead to increased risk of cardiovascular death among general population in a cohort study involving Danish adults. [NEJM]
In a study published in Nature Genetics, scientists have isolated 3 sub-species of malaria parasite in Western Cambodia exhibiting resistance to artemisinin, the major component of frontline malaria drugs. [Nature Genetics, BBC]
NPR highlighted efforts by a nonprofit in Tanzania to train African rats to detect TB by sniffing the patients sputum, with current success rate of 32%, compared to 30-40% success rate of microscopy tests. [NPR]
Need a refresher on the history of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance? Read this excellent 2010 paper from Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. [MMBR]
Image via stevevoght/Flickr
