Antibiotic resistance threatens to “undo a century of medical progress”: 5 essential reads: Who hasn’t been prescribed antibiotics by a doctor – for a chest infection or perhaps a sore throat? It’s terrifying to think that these infections can become life threatening if the antibiotic drugs needed to treat them stop working. This is known …
Antifungal resistance is not getting nearly as much attention as antibiotic resistance – yet the risks to global health are just as serious: TopMicrobialStock/Shutterstock Fungi are known for causing superficial infections of the nails, skin and hair, but they can also cause systemic infections that can have much more serious health implications. Indeed, over 6.5 …
Antibiotic use on Kenya’s dairy farms is putting consumers and animals at risk: Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They’re sometimes used as “quick fixes”, to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste management, routine vaccination or provision of clean drinking water. Animal husbandry now accounts for about two thirds …
New antibiotic zosurabalpin shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria – an expert explains how it works: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is classified as a priority 1 critical pathogen by the World Health Organization Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Researchers have identified an entirely new class of antibiotic that can kill bacteria that are resistant to most current drugs. Zosurabalpin is highly …
Antibiotic resistance causes more deaths than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. What Africa is doing to fight this silent epidemic: Each year antimicrobial resistance – the ability of microbes to survive agents designed to kill them – claims more lives than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Africa bears the brunt of this development, which thrives on inequality …
Antibiotic resistance: microbiologists turn to new technologies in the hunt for solutions – podcast: Testing for antimicrobial resistance in the lab. AnaLysiSStudiO via Shutterstock The rise of drug-resistant infections is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs were estimated to kill 1.27 million people in 2019, and the …
Air pollution linked with global rise in antibiotic resistance: Air pollution is linked with many health problems. Saurav022/ Shutterstock Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to global health. In 2019, it caused over 1.27 million deaths worldwide – and it’s projected that antimicrobial resistance (which includes bacterial resistance to antibiotics) may contribute to ten million …
UK approves ‘poo transplant’ to treat antibiotic resistant superbugs: So-called “poo transplants” have reached an important milestone with the publication of a new UK guideline that recognises their effectiveness at treating some persistent gut infections. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) published its recommendation this week saying that the treatment, called faecal …
Antibiotic use in Uganda is high: action is needed: Shutterstock Even before the COVID crisis, excessive use and misuse of lifesaving antibiotics had contributed to the emergence of resistant strains of disease-causing organisms. This has rendered many of the most powerful treatments in modern medicine ineffective. It’s estimated that drug-resistant infections caused more than 1.2 …
Long-term antibiotic use by middle-aged women may affect cognitive function – new study: People may need to take long-term antibiotics for a range of conditions. fizkes/ Shutterstock Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world. They’re used to treat many different bacterial infections. While most people may only be on a …
Fungus in Nigeria’s industrial waste produces a promising antibiotic compound: Waste products from factories like this could hold the key to more novel antibiotic discoveries. Stefan Heunis/AFP via Getty Images Antibiotics are life-saving drugs produced primarily by microorganisms which have been found in a variety of environments. From penicillin discovered on mouldy old laboratory plates …
Why nurse prescribers are crucial in the fight against antibiotic resistance: SolarSeven/Shutterstock In October 2020, the World Health Organisation declared antimicrobial (or antibiotic) resistance (AMR) as one of the greatest threats to global health. While that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, the organisation’s latest report reveals significant reductions in the consumption of …
How our immune system helps us fight antibiotic resistance: Christoph Burgstedt/ Shutterstock While our immune system and antibiotics both do a great job of helping us fight life-threatening infections, the emergence of antibiotic resistance is quickly making it more difficult to cure common infections that were once easily treated. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria evolve …
Bacteria ‘shuffle’ their genetics around to develop antibiotic resistance on demand: To stop antibiotic resistance, scientists need to know how bacteria become resistant. Jarun Ontakrai/ Shutterstock Antibiotic resistance – the ability of harmful bacteria to survive treatment by antibiotics – is a growing threat. It is making it harder to treat life-threatening infections, including tuberculosis, …
South Africa in the news: Global battle against antibiotic resistance requires tailored solutions: The global battle against antibiotic resistance can only succeed if local contexts are taken into account. This was the main finding of a study on antibiotic resistance in African and Asian countries …: “South Africa” – BingNews EU approves J&J vaccine but …
Antibiotic resistance: how drug misuse in livestock farming is a problem for human health: Shutterstock Rearing animals for food takes time and requires hard work to maintain their health and well-being. Just as in humans, farm animals sometimes get sick and require drugs to treat infections. But organisms that cause infections are becoming increasingly resistant …
Antibiotic resistance: cheap diagnostic test could be a saviour: Michael Moloney/Shutterstock With the world’s attention focused on combating COVID-19, it is easy to forget the other significant threat to public health and the global economy – the rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet the problem has not disappeared. Indeed, the pandemic is probably accelerating …
Why Africa needs more antibiotic trials involving children: GettyImages The baby was presented to us in the arms of a wide-eyed young mother, and wrapped in brightly coloured chitenje cloth. The newborn was breathing quickly, her nostrils were flaring, she was grunting and we could see the muscles around her small rib cage being sucked …