Infection Control Today Magazine

Pathogens

Infection by pathogenic organisms and multidrug-resistant organisms are responsible for causing significant morbidity and mortality in the healthcare setting. Pathogens are transmitted via fomites and reservoirs, including the hands of healthcare workers, medical equipment and devices and other animate and inanimate objects that play a role in cross-contamination.

University Partner Company is Designing New Pathogen ID Device

A company hatched as a partnership between The University of Alabama in Huntsville and chemical engineering professor Dr. Krishnan Chittur is in the design phase for a device that can provide physicians one-hour pathogen testing capabilities. ...More
4 weeks ago
Posted in News
Scientists Sequence Genome of Pathogen Responsible for Pneumocystis Pneumonia

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii, an advancement that could help identify new targets for drugs to treat and prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia, a common and often deadly infection in immunocompromised patients. The study was published ...More
December 26, 2012
Posted in News
CDC Disease Sleuths Discover New Human Pathogen

A report on the discovery of a new human pathogen, named “Heartland virus” was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the paper, authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Heartland Regional Medical Center describe the ...More
August 30, 2012
Posted in News
Antibiotic Residues in Sausage Meat May Promote Pathogen Survival

Antibiotic residues in uncured pepperoni or salami meat are potent enough to weaken helpful bacteria that processors add to acidify the sausage to make it safe for consumption, according to a study to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American ...More
August 28, 2012
Posted in News
VRSA Strains Gain Resistance by Coexisting With Other Pathogens

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are leading causes of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, and clonal cluster 5 (CC5) is the predominant lineage responsible for these infections. Since 2002, there have been 12 cases of ...More
August 28, 2012
Posted in News
Researchers Discover Way to Tame Antibiotic Resistant Superbugs

Rather than trying to kill bacteria outright with drugs, Université de Montréal researchers have discovered a way to disarm bacteria that may allow the body's own defense mechanisms to destroy them. "To understand this strategy one could imagine harmful bacteria being like ...More
August 23, 2012
Posted in News
Emerging Gastrointestinal Pathogen Linked With Human Fecal Contamination

A gastrointestinal pathogen associated with fecal contamination was present in 97 of 129 water samples taken from four beaches on the Lake Erie coast of Ohio according to research published in the August issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Substantial numbers ...More
August 23, 2012
Posted in News
CDC Recognizes Two States Making Progress in the Fight Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report and updated recommendations that detail how states and healthcare facilities should deal with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), deadly pathogens that cause healthcare-associated ...More
June 26, 2012
Posted in News, Hand Hygiene
Census of Microbes in Healthy Humans is Reported

Trillions of microbes inhabit the human body, occupying virtually every nook and cranny. And most of the time, this relationship is a friendly one, with microbes helping to digest food, strengthen the immune system and ward off dangerous pathogens. But despite their ...More
June 13, 2012
Posted in News
Most Problematic Hospital Organisms: ICT Poll Results

ICT announces the result of an online poll asking about the most problematic hospital organisms. ...More
June 12, 2012
Posted in Blog