Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest MRSA / Drug Resistance News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/mrsa-superbug/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125557.php A coalition of public health officials and health care providers is urging physicians to "get smart" about when it's helpful - and when it's harmful - to prescribe antibiotics. Despite previous efforts to educate physicians and the public, patients are still too often given antibiotics for viral infections, including the flu, chest colds, runny noses, coughs, and most sore throats. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125431.php Spreading the word, not the germ, about the dangers of a potentially fatal superbug is the goal of Students Fight MRSA, a new educational campaign launched in the Philadelphia region through a joint partnership of Independence Blue Cross, The Health Care Improvement Foundation, and The Franklin Institute. MRSA / Drug Resistance Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125367.php The Healthcare Commission yesterday (Monday) announced that Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust has made necessary improvements in infection control. It said the trust is now compliant with the requirements of an improvement notice, issued on 18 June 2008, which required immediate changes to infection control practices. MRSA / Drug Resistance Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125192.php As HIV spreads beyond high-risk groups into China's general population, drug-resistant strains of the virus also are appearing in parts of the country, Chen Zhiwei of the AIDS Institute in Hong Kong said recently, Reuters reports. HIV / AIDS Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125245.php This week Nature Nanotechnology journal (October 12th) reveals how scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL are using a novel nanomechanical approach to investigate the workings of vancomycin, one of the few antibiotics that can be used to combat increasingly resistant infections such as MRSA. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125030.php The American Hospital Association, the Joint Commission and leading epidemiological societies on Wednesday issued a set of guidelines for preventing six potentially lethal hospital-contracted infections, the MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125103.php Get Smart Colorado, based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, this week launched a public "call to action" campaign to educate the public about appropriate use and proper disposal of antibiotics to prevent antibiotic resistance. The campaign consists of English and Spanish information cards containing guidance about the proper use and disposal of antibiotics that are being displayed throughout the month of October at Colorado Safeway pharmacy counters. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125078.php Scientists have gained insight into the complex mechanisms that control bacterial pathogenesis and, as a result, have developed new theories about how independent mechanisms may have become intertwined during evolution. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124472.php Community-acquired Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection occurred in a significant proportion of people with no recent exposure to antibiotics, with 53% having no exposure in the 45 days preceding hospitalization and 46% having no exposure in the preceding 90 days, according to a new study published in CMAJ. While C. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124417.php Chemicals used in the environment to kill bacteria could be making them stronger, according to a paper published in the October issue of the journal Microbiology. Low levels of these chemicals, called biocides, can make the potentially lethal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus remove toxic chemicals from the cell even more efficiently, potentially making it resistant to being killed by some antibiotics. Biocides are used in disinfectants and antiseptics to kill microbes. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124312.php On October 3rd representatives from the roundtable summit, "A Leadership Strategy for the Prevention of Line Sepsis," released a policy statement outlining strategies for patients and healthcare professionals to reduce the incidence of line sepsis, a potentially fatal hospital-acquired infection that affects approximately 250,000 patients each year in the U.S. alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124026.php For the second year in a row, students and athletes across the country are being hit by antibiotic resistant staph infections known as MRSA. In just over a week, two high school football players have died from the superbug. The highly contagious infections are most commonly contracted through a break in the skin; such as a scrape or abrasion. MRSA / Drug Resistance Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123982.php The University of Limerick has secured a EUR5M technology research contract aimed at significantly reducing MRSA infection rates in hospitals across the world. The trans-European project team plans to use nanotechnology to develop MRSA-resistant textiles such as hospital gowns and beddings, which can kill bacteria and be self-sterilising. MRSA / Drug Resistance Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123822.php Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Xpert(TM) MRSA/SA Blood Culture (BC) test, which runs on the GeneXpert(R) System, for the detection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA, typically methicillin susceptible) in blood culture bottles showing gram-positive cocci -- in less than one hour. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123807.php The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded nearly $3 million for a contract to help reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) by spreading the knowledge gained from a previous AHRQ-funded project. The Health Research & Educational Trust, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association, has been selected to coordinate the new 3-year project, which is part of an AHRQ initiative to reduce health care-associated infections. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123778.php Janssen-Cilag Ltd today announced the launch of its new carbapenem antibiotic, Doribax™, for the treatment of complicated intra abdominal infections, as well as nosocomial pneumonia and ventilator associated pneumonia in adult patients. Doripenem is a broad-spectrum, I.V. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123618.php Following reports of outbreaks of a drug-resistant staph in schools and other community settings, Pennsylvania Deputy Health Secretary Michael Huff said there are measures that people can take to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the bacteria. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a form of staph that is resistant to certain antibiotic treatments like methicillin. MRSA / Drug Resistance Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123446.php Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Xpert(TM) MRSA/SA Skin and Soft Tissue Infection (SSTI) test, which runs on the GeneXpert(R) System, for the rapid detection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA, typically Methicillin-sensitive) in skin and soft tissue infections. MRSA / Drug Resistance Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123448.php Baxter Healthcare Corporation announced that it received 510(k) clearance for expanded labeling for the first antimicrobial needleless intravenous (IV) connector, V-Link Luer-activated device (LAD) with VitalShield protective coating. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123204.php TyRx, Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of convergent drug-device medical products, announced today the launch of AIGISRX(TM) ICD, an anti-bacterial envelope developed to help stabilize the implanted device and which also contains anti-microbial agents that help provide protection against surgical site infections (SSI) associated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123142.php Peter Rothschild, M.D., Radiologist and MRI expert with input of infection control experts from the Joint Commission, has released an 11 step checklist for use in preventing Superbug infections in MRI. Recently published on AuntMinnie.com, in the ground braking paper titled "Preventing Infection in MRI: Best Practices for Infection Control in and Around MRI Suites. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122995.php HBV infection may lead to acute liver disease, chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Over 350 million people worldwide are estimated to be infected chronically by HBV and are therefore at risk of liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma. The principal treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) involves the use of interferon alpha (IFN-a) or nucleoside analogs. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122996.php Wyeth's innovative antibiotic, Tygacil (tigecycline), developed to treat a range of superbugs, has been commended at the 2008 UK Prix Galien. The Prix Galien is the pharmaceutical industry's premier award and is designed to recognise pharmaceutical innovation and the resulting health benefits it produces. MRSA / Drug Resistance Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122926.php The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority supports 'Clean Hands Week', September 21-27, 2008. The Authority has received thousands of reports including deaths related to infections that may have been prevented by following proper hand washing protocols. Reports received by the Authority include infections related to Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122829.php The most popular treatment for H pylori is triple therapy but resistance to Clarithromycin is reducing its effectiveness. Courses using four drugs have been known to be more successful but are used less popular because of their side-effects. While, what is the best way for treating H pylori-related diseases. A research article to be published on 28 June 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Prof. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses