Poop transplants work as well as antibiotics to treat a common and deadly cause of diarrhea, and perhaps even better, researchers reported Saturday. Their small and unusual study suggests that doctors should try fecal transplants right off when patients in the hospital get infected with Clostridium difficile, a frequent cause of diarrhea in frail and...
Tag: <span>antibiotics</span>
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Killing bacteria by silencing genes may be alternative to antibiotics
A new approach to killing C. difficile that silences key bacterial genes while sparing other bacteria may provide a new way to treat the most common hospital-acquired bacterial infection in the United States, according to researchers. This photograph depicts Clostridium difficile colonies after 48hrs growth on a blood agar plate; Magnified 4.8X. C. difficile, an anaerobic...
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Antibiotic breakthrough as scientists find class of drug that can kill the MRSA superbug
Brown University researchers discovered two compounds that can kill antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria in mice The discovery comes as over-prescription of antibiotics fuels growing concerns over resistance as a global health problem The new compounds are two of thousands of retinoids and others may treat MRSA too Researchers claim that bacteria are unlikely to become resistant...
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A moveable feast: Antibiotics give C. diff a nutrient-rich environment, no competition
Using a mouse model, researchers from North Carolina State University have found that antibiotic use creates a “banquet” for Clostridium difficile (C. diff), by altering the native gut bacteria that would normally compete with C. diff for nutrients. The findings could lead to the development of probiotics and other strategies for preventing C. diff infection. C. diff is a harmful bacterium that...
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Antibiotics could be key to relieving chronic bladder pain
Women suffering from recurrent cystitis or chronic bladder pain could benefit from a long-term course of antibiotics Antibiotics can successfully help rid a patient of chronic urinary tract infection symptoms. This is the finding of a new clinical study led by Sheela Swamy of University College London in the UK. The study in the International Urogynecology...
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This bulging lump on a 27-year-old man’s handwas triggered by a trip to the dentist and is a sign of a deadly infection (but can you guess the illness?)
The 27-year-old, from Vancouver, Canada, was diagnosed with endocarditis The killer infection can trigger heart failure and strikes one in 30,000 people Doctors believe that the infection actually triggered the bulging blood vessel A man was left with a bulging lump on his hand and a deadly heart infection after a simple trip to the...
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Teaching antibiotics to be more effective killers
IMAGE: ALEXANDER MANKIN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR BIOMOLECULAR SCIENCES IN THE UIC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PROFESSOR OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests bond duration, not bond tightness, may be the most important differentiator between antibiotics that kill bacteria and antibiotics that only stop bacterial growth....
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Tackling the rising sale of unapproved antibiotics in India
Indian government needs to do more to tackle rising sale of unapproved antibiotics, according to an analysis by researchers at Newcastle University and Queen Mary University of London. In India, the sale of antibiotics requiring the tightest control and regulation is rising the fastest, warn the researchers. The correspondence published in The Lancet Global Health highlights serious hurdles for...
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Glowing Molecular Sensor Helps Spot New Useful Antibiotics
Microorganisms are natural factories for all sorts of biomolecules, and some of them produce antibiotics that can be very useful in medical practice. This is not a newly discovered fact, but because each microorganism produces its own set of molecules and the rate of production is not very high, it’s been difficult to use this...
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Antibiotics found to weaken body’s ability to fight off disease
Adding another reason for doctors to avoid the overuse of antibiotics, new research shows that a reduction in the variety of microbes in the gut interferes with the immune system’s ability to fight off disease. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that antibiotic use made neutrophils, a type of immune...