E. Coli Infections

Microbe of the Month: ESBL-Producing Organisms

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms are an increasing challenge for healthcare practitioners fighting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Klebsiella oxytoca are the most common ESBL-producing ...More
April 1, 2008
Posted in Articles
Providing Safe Surgical Instruments: Factors to Consider

There are many steps involved with the preparation of sterile surgical instruments. All of these steps must be performed correctly to ensure a safe product for the patient. When shortcuts are taken, a failure in the process can result. Moreover, this failure may not be ...More
April 1, 2008
Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization
New Technique Will Speed the Development of Vaccines

A team of Washington State University scientists has devised a method that could lead to the development of vaccines against some of the most troubling infectious diseases we face—diseases that have so far been difficult or impossible to vaccinate against. The new method ...More
March 25, 2008
Posted in News
Bacteria Beware: MIT Student Invents Knock-out Punch for Antibiotic Resistance

MIT graduate student and synthetic biologist Timothy Lu has won the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventing processes to combat bacterial infections by enhancing the effectiveness of antibiotics. MIT graduate student and synthetic biologist Timothy Lu is passionate ...More
March 7, 2008
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization
Microbe of the Month: Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)

Enterococci bacteria grabbed the attention of public health officials in the 1980s because of its ability to survive in humans, as well as for its capability of sharing those survival tricks with other bacteria. While enterococci are not as familiar as staphylococcus ...More
March 1, 2008
Posted in Articles, Hand Hygiene
Researchers Find Possible Target to Treat Deadly Bloodstream Infections

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a possible target to treat bloodstream bacterial infections. Most bacterial pathogens can invade the bloodstream, which can lead to severe sepsis, a syndrome that kills about 215,000 of the 750,000 people ...More
February 29, 2008
Posted in News