Infection Control Today Magazine

Carbapenems

Alcohol Handrub Use Associated with Reduction in Carbapenem-Resistant P. aeruginosa Infection

Rodrigo Pires dos Santos, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Infection Control Committee at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and colleagues, sought to evaluate the impact of ertapenem use in Pseudomonas aeruginosa carbapenem resistance, taking into ...More
June 3, 2011
Posted in News, Hand Hygiene
PolyMedix Defensin-Mimetic Antibiotic PMX-30063 is Active Against NDM-1 Drug-Resistant Bacteria

PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that its lead defensin-mimetic antibiotic, PMX-30063, has shown activity in an in vitro ...More
April 28, 2011
Posted in News
Study Shows "Last-Resort" Antibiotics Use on the Rise

A large, multi-year study of antibiotic use in Veterans Health Administration's acute care facilities demonstrates dramatically increased use of carbapenems, a powerful class of antibiotics, over the last five years. These drugs are often considered the last treatment ...More
April 3, 2011
Posted in News
CRKP is Rampant in LA County Patient Population, Researchers Indicate

Researchers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have found high rates of the multi-drug resistant pathogen, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) among the patient population in long-term acute care hospitals compared to general acute care ...More
March 24, 2011
Posted in News
Novel Antibiotic Combinations Fight Resistance Genes

The combination the antibiotic ceftazidime plus the compound NXL104 is active against bacterial pathogens containing genes that confer resistance to multiple carbapenems, according to two papers published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and ...More
January 20, 2011
Posted in News
Guidance for Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli is Released

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has developed "Guidance: Infection Prevention and Control Measures for Healthcare Workers in All Healthcare Settings Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative Bacilli" to provide instruction in the management of patients colonized or ...More
December 6, 2010
Posted in News
NDM-1: An Update

Earlier this year, the medical community began hearing reports of a new "superbug," but in actuality, it was the emergence of a new resistance mechanism in the form of what is now called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1). Encouraging this resistance mechanism is the ...More
December 6, 2010
Posted in News
Researcher Discovers Chemical Additive That May Make Old Antibiotics Viable Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs

A Texas Tech researcher said a recently patented chemical additive could break down the shield of certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The solution: A short chain of nucleic acid, called an aptamer, can effectively stop antibiotic-resistant bacteria from breaking ...More
September 10, 2009
Posted in News
Common Antibiotics May be Best First Treatment for Children with MRSA-related Infections

Penicillin and other antibiotics in the beta-lactam family work as well as other antibiotics to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcuss aureus (MRSA) infections in the skin and soft-tissue of children and may help prevent further resistance to antibiotic treatment, ...More
May 26, 2009
Posted in News