Below are 13 recent stories on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, starting with the most recent.
1. Antibiotic resistance may be a growing global health concern, but nearly half of Americans have never even heard of the pressing problem. Read more.
2. Although active tuberculosis only develops in about one in 10 cases, some estimates suggest that the bacteria lie dormant in up to one-third of the world's population. With concerns over antibiotic resistance growing, new plans of attack are valuable tools to keep infection-causing bacteria guessing. Read more.
3. Not only can overuse of common antibiotics contribute to the growing level of antibiotic resistance, it can also have a significant effect on childhood development. Read more.
4. Following the realization that certain antibiotics were being prescribed for prolonged periods of time, and some for non-infection purposes, staff at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, N.Y., launched a pilot program to try to curb the unnecessary prescription and usage of antibiotics. Read more.
5. New research suggests hospitals treating children with community-acquired pneumonia are doing a better job of using antibiotics that are less commonly associated with antibiotic resistance. Read more.
6. Professional and psychosocial factors can significantly influence a physician's antibiotic prescribing habits in the inpatient setting. Read more.
7. Implanting antibiotic-laced sponges into the chest can prevent sternal wound infections following surgery. Read more.
8. Washington rallied specialists across the nation to address the growing concern of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infections. Johns Hopkins infectious disease researcher and associate professor of medicine Sara Cosgrove, MD, is one such expert. Read more.
9. Azithromycin — a common antibiotic sold commercially as Zithromax Z-Pak — can effectively kill several multidrug-resistant bacteria, according to a new study. Read more.
10. In a White House memorandum, President Barack Obama encouraged federal agencies to use meat and poultry raised with fewer antibiotics in their cafeterias. Read more.
11. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology announced a new advocacy agenda to promote antibiotic stewardship following the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship. Read more.
12. St. Louis-based Ascension Health, Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare System, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente all have programs to combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in healthcare settings. Read more.
13. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the antibiotic meropenem for treating children less than 3 months old for abdominal infections. Read more.