Superbugs

Treatments for Urinary Infections Leave Bacteria Bald, Happy and Vulnerable

Bacteria that cause many urinary tract infections are normally coated in fine hairlike structures known as pili (top), but researchers have been developing new drugs that leave the bacteria bald and incapable of causing infections (bottom). The schematic in the center (not ...More
December 21, 2006
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Compounds in Cranberry Juice Show Promise as Alternatives to Antibiotics for Treating a Host of Human Illnesses

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Compounds in cranberry juice have the ability to change E. coli bacteria, a class of microorganisms responsible for a host of human illnesses (everything from kidney infections to gastroenteritis to tooth decay), in ways that render them unable to ...More
September 11, 2006
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
iKEY Announces New Line of Infection-Control Keyboards to Protect Patients

AUSTIN, Texas -- Keyboard manufacturer iKEY says it believes healthcare professionals should be confident that the treatment they provide isn't making patients sicker. In response, iKEY has developed the FL Series of cleanable medical keyboards and mouse that are designed ...More
June 27, 2006
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
New Approach to Defeating Gram-Negative Bugs

Ronald Woodard’s team set out looking for a way to kill a stubborn type of bacteria and they succeeded — but not in the way he expected. “We didn’t get there the way we thought we’d get there, but in the end, we were right,” says Woodard, chair of medicinal chemistry at the ...More
May 1, 2006
Posted in Articles
New Approach to Defeating Gram-Negative Bugs

Ronald Woodard's team set out looking for a way to kill a stubborn type of bacteria and they succeeded---but not in the way he expected. "We didn't get there the way we thought we'd get there, but in the end, we were right," said Woodard, chair of medicinal chemistry at the ...More
March 13, 2006
Posted in News
Up-and-Coming Bugs: Evaluating the Latest Infectious Trends

Up-and-Coming Bugs: Evaluating the Latest Infectious Trends By Kris Ellis As all infection control practitioners (ICPs) know, the world of dangerous microorganisms is in a state of constant evolution and flux. New threats must be closely monitored along with those that are ...More
January 1, 2006
Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
Working the Bugs Out of Infection Control

Working the Bugs Out of Infection Control Using Integrated Pest Management to Reduce Risk of Vectorborne Disease By Zia Siddiqi, PhD, BCE The last thing any healthcare professional wants is for patients with weakened immune systems to be exposed to disease-causing agents ...More
October 1, 2005
Posted in Articles
Reducing Antibiotic Use Lowers Rates of Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Fewer antibiotic prescriptions lead to fewer superbugs. That's the take-home message behind a new study in the Oct. 15, 2005 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online. The study found that reducing antibiotic use for pediatric respiratory tract infections ...More
September 1, 2005
Posted in News
Unusual Antibiotics Show Promise Against Deadly Superbugs

An unusual type of antibiotic being developed by chemists at Notre Dame University shows promise in defeating deadly superbugs -- highly drug-resistant staph bacteria that are an increasing source of hospital-based infections. The novel antibiotics, which could some day ...More
August 29, 2005
Posted in News
Cranberry Usage Common for Urinary Tract Infections

New research suggests that while it’s fairly common for parents to give their children cranberry products to treat or prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), they usually do not discuss the treatment with their pediatrician. The study, by researchers at Brenner Children’s ...More
July 19, 2005
Posted in News