April 26, 2013
A roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
Responding to the Environmental Working Group s recent report on the presence of antibiotic resistance bacteria in meat, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) writes that the report oversimplifies the NARMS data and provides misleading conclusions. [FDA]
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals fell over 50% between the years 2005-2011, while the rate of community-associated MRSA fell only 5%. [CIDRAP]
FoodNet data, compiled by CDC, shows that the overall rate of foodborne illnesses has remained unchanged since 2006-08. [Supermarket News]
New research published in the journal Pediatrics finds that mandatory gloving policy during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season was associated with significantly lower rates of hospital-acquired infections. [Pediatrics]
An article in Market Watch and a video in the Wall Street Journal explore the problem of bedbug infestations in US hospitals. [Market Watch, WSJ]
Research published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology finds that the number of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in the U.S. have dropped by over 100,000 between the years 1990-2010. [FierceHealthcare]
New research published in PLoS Biology suggests that when two or more synergistic antibiotics are prescribed together, rapid evolution of remaining bacteria can take place, leading to increased resistance. [PLoS Biology, New Scientist]
A new report from the Infectious Diseases Society of America highlights the lack of new antibiotics being made, citing only two new drugs that have been approved since 2010. [Medscape]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed CD3, a battery-operated hand-held device, to identify counterfeit or substandard malaria drugs. [Voice of America]
The New Yorker writes on the history of tuberculosis, including the current threat of drug-resistant strains. [The New Yorker]
Image: women holding bed nets, via Gates Foundation/Flickr
