Below are 11 recent stories on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, starting with the most recent.
1. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Chicago developed a second-generation antibiotic that may combat common drug-resistant bacterial infections. Read more.
2. Diagnostic errors can lead to increased risk of incorrect antibiotic use, which ultimately can threaten patient outcomes and increase overall antibiotic resistance, according to a recent study. Read more.
3. Researchers at the University of California in Merced and American University in Washington, D.C., have developed a method of cycling antibiotics that may help reverse bacterial resistance. Read more.
4. Bill Frist, MD, a former senator from Tennessee and a heart and lung transplant physician, penned an opinion piece for The Hill addressing antibiotic resistance and what the U.S. should do about the growing problem. Read more.
5. Few countries actually have a response plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance, according to a report released by the World Health Organization. Read more.
6. For women undergoing elective gynecological surgeries that require the placement of a catheter, research has found cranberry capsules may lower the risk of urinary tract infections by 50 percent, similar to the reduction rates patients experienced when they took antibiotics as a preventative measure. Read more.
7. Duke University researchers in Durham, N.C., may have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria's Achilles' heel in the form of a time frame when bacteria are most vulnerable to treatment. Read more.
8. The U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed to fund a project at the University in Minnesota in Minneapolis examining ways to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria by monitoring drug resistance in poultry. Read more.
9. One study found hospitals vary dramatically in how often and for how long they administer antibiotics to babies, which may lead to risky overuse in some facilities. Read more.
10. Scientists discovered microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance in a tribe of Yanomami Amerindians who live deep in the Amazon jungles, despite their complete isolation from modern society. Read more.
11. Laboratory experiments performed by researchers at McGill University in Montreal found a concentrated maple syrup extract makes antibiotics more effective against disease-causing bacteria. Read more.