Below are 10 stories on antibiotics and drug resistance recently covered by Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality, starting with the most recent.
1. Light-activated nanoparticles able to target, dispatch antibiotic-resistant superbugs
Quantum dots, a form of light-activated nanoparticle 20,000 times smaller than a human hair, can be engineered to fight bacteria and kill infected cells, according to research published in Nature Materials.
2. CDC, American College of Physicians issue new guidelines on antibiotic prescription
Addressing physician mishandling of antibiotic testing and prescription is a key focus of new clinical guidelines issued by the CDC and ACP.
3. How urine culture ordering practices impact antimicrobial use: 3 study findings
Hospitals may be able to boost antimicrobial stewardship and reduce the number of patients who start antimicrobial therapy by changing their urine culture ordering practices, according to a study published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
4. Serving antibiotic-free meet proves difficult for some hospitals
Hospitals across the nation have responded to scientists' urging to drop meat that comes from antibiotic-fed animals from their menus, but it hasn't always been smooth sailing.
5. NIH commits $5M to fund research projects on antibiotic alternatives
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, set aside roughly $5 million for 24 research projects seeking alternatives to traditional antibiotic treatments.
6. Naturally occurring food preservatives kill cancer, antibiotic-resistant bugs
A study out of Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan found nisin — a food preservative naturally occurring in dairy products — may help combat cancer and antibiotic-resistant bugs like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
7. 'We must take action now' and 4 other thoughts on antibiotic resistance from Dr. Tom Frieden
This round-up features five recent thoughts from Thomas Frieden, MD, director of the CDC, on what may be "the single most important infectious disease threat of our time."
8. Research highlights how antibiotics enable C. diff infections
When patients are administered antibiotics that kill off healthy microbes in the gut, it can lay the groundwork for an environment hospitable to Clostridium difficile infections.
9. Gene rendering superbugs resistant to antibiotics found in Canada
MCR-1, a gene popping up in dangerous bacteria around the world that can make it resistant to even last-resort antibiotics, was found in Canada in January. The gene first grabbed headlines in November when it was found in China, then in December when it turned up in Denmark.
10. First-line antibiotics could make MRSA infections worse
Lab research published in JAMA asserts that beta-lactam antibiotic treatment is not only ineffective against MRSA infections, it could make them worse.