Antibiotics

New research has moved a step closer to harnessing viruses to fight bacterial infection, reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance. A growing number of infections, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis, are developing antibiotic resistance, which means they becoming harder to treat, resulting in higher death rates, longer hospital stays…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Scientists have spotted signs of 'pre-resistance' in bacteria for the first time—signs that particular bacteria are likely to become resistant to antibiotics in the future—in a new study led by UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital researchers. The findings, published in Nature Communications, will allow doctors…

Salmonella survive antibiotic therapy in the white pulp (red) of the spleen. Credit: Biozentrum, University of Basel Antibiotics cure many bacterial infections. However, some patients suffer a relapse. A research group at the University of Basel has now discovered why some bacteria can survive antibiotic therapy. The team uncovered where…

More than 100 pharmaceutical drugs are facing supply chain shortages, according to the FDA.  Drugs currently listed as “in shortage” include antidepressants, antibiotics, heart medicines, cancer-fighting drugs and painkillers, Just the News reports.  “The FDA continues to take steps to monitor the supply chain,” the FDA wrote.  “The Drug Shortage…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against taking excess antibiotics, saying it accelerates the process of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and leads to avoidable deaths. The warning was contained in a statement signed by the agency’s resident media consultant, Olusayo Akintola, and issued…

By Clare Wilson Colonies of MRSA bacteria on blood agar plate Rodolfo Parulan Jr/Getty Images A Netflix-style scheme to fund new antibiotics through a subscription – through which the health service pays drug companies a set annual fee, regardless of how many doses are used – will start next year…

COVID-19 is a major global public health challenge. The pandemic's impacts cut across all sectors. One of the most worrying is its potential impact on antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a situation where bacteria adapt so that they are no longer affected by antibiotic drugs. This adaptation can happen for…

Abuja, 22 November 2021 - The World Health Organization is supporting the Federal Government in raising awareness among health workers and Nigerians on the need for caution on antibiotics use to prevent a future public health emergency.  Across the world, experts have been warning for years that antibiotic resistance could…

The healthy infant gut is an ecosystem much like a healthy ocean, and it's filled with trillions of microscopic bacteria. When environmental factors interfere with the natural balance — just as pollution does in the sea — this impacts the body’s ability to function at its best. Today, U.S. babies’…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and can also be used to treat human infections. However, as with antibiotics, bacteria can readily evolve resistance to phage attack, highlighting a key limitation to the use of phages as therapeutics. Now, researchers from Yale University have shown that…