Staphylococcus aureus News and Research

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Staphylococcus aureus is a spherical bacterium (coccus) which on microscopic examination appears in pairs, short chains, or bunched, grape-like clusters. These organisms are Gram-positive. Some strains are capable of producing a highly heat-stable protein toxin that causes illness in humans.

Scientists report new approach to restore penicillin's combat effectiveness against bacterial infections

Penicillin, one of the scientific marvels of the 20th century, is currently losing a lot of battles it once won against bacterial infections. But scientists at the University of South Carolina have just reported a new approach to restoring its combat effectiveness, even against so-called "superbugs."

16 Apr 2014

Daylight Medical releases SKY 6Xi disinfection technology for mobile devices

Daylight Medical, manufacturer and provider of innovative medical products, is pleased to announce its rollout of SKY 6Xi, disinfection technology for mobile devices. SKY 6Xi uses high intensity (254 nanometer wavelength) ultraviolet light in the "C" spectrum (UVC) at close proximity to thoroughly disinfect a mobile device. The unique power of SKY reduces the risk that Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are transmitted to patients while improving safety for healthcare workers.

15 Apr 2014

Scientists discover promising agents to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In the fight against "superbugs," scientists have discovered a class of agents that can make some of the most notorious strains vulnerable to the same antibiotics that they once handily shrugged off. The report on the promising agents called metallopolymers appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

10 Apr 2014

Study provides insights into why alcohol has negative effect on wound healing

People who are injured while binge drinking are much slower to heal from wounds suffered in car accidents, shootings, fires, etc.

9 Apr 2014

Expert guidance highlights strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections

New expert guidance highlights strategies for implementing and prioritizing efforts to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in hospitals.

9 Apr 2014

Antimicrobial agent in personal care products boosts colonization of bacteria inside human noses

An antimicrobial agent found in common household soaps, shampoos and toothpastes may be finding its way inside human noses where it promotes the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and could predispose some people to infection.

8 Apr 2014

Trimethoprim is more effective against streptococci than expected, says research

The focus of his team was also on samples, in which the bacteria failed to respond to the agent. They discovered two types of resistance. "Spontaneous mutations can occur in the gene for dihydrofolate reductase rendering trimethoprim no longer able to attack the changed enzyme, which means it becomes ineffective," Nitsche-Schmitz explained.

20 Mar 2014

Honey helps fight antibiotic resistance, says study

Honey, that delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, researchers said here today.

17 Mar 2014

TFDA approves TaiGen's Taigexyn NDA for treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia

TaiGen Biotechnology Company, Limited today announced that the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration has approved the new drug application (NDA) of Taigexyn (nemonoxacin) oral formulation (500 mg) for the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP). With this NDA approval, Taiwan is the first region to grant marketing approval to Taigexyn.

13 Mar 2014

Food picked up just few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria

Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to the findings of research carried out at Aston University's School of Life and Health Sciences.

11 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Health care and prisoners; hospitalized patients' surrogates; suicides in the army

As a group, jail-involved individuals, which we define here as people with a history of arrest and jail admission in the recent past, carry a heavy illness burden, with high rates of infectious and chronic disease as well as mental illness and substance use.

10 Mar 2014

Inconsistent definition and management of deadly pathogens could contribute to spread of infections

Infection control practices for detecting and treating patients infected with emerging multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) vary significantly between hospitals.

10 Mar 2014

Berkeley Lab scientists explore bacteria-resistant materials as a line of defense against Staph infection

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common source of infections that occur after surgeries involving prosthetic joints and artificial heart valves. The grape-shaped microorganism adheres to medical equipment, and if it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious and even life-threatening illness called a Staph infection. The recent discovery of drug-resistant strains of S. aureus makes matters even worse.

5 Mar 2014

Deficient hygiene routines make it difficult to eradicate multi-resistant bacterium

A previously unknown multi-resistant bacterium has been sticking around at a Swedish University Hospital for ten years.

3 Mar 2014

Research findings may help combat MRSA

A research team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., is the first to decipher the 3-D structure of a protein that confers antibiotic resistance from one of the most worrisome disease agents: a strain of bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can cause skin and other infections. The Vanderbilt team's findings may be an important step in combatting the MRSA public health threat over the next 5 to 10 years.

17 Feb 2014

NIAID awards Soligenix SBIR grant to further develop SGX943 for treatment of melioidosis

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat serious inflammatory diseases where there remains an unmet medical need, as well as developing several biodefense vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded Soligenix a Small Business Innovation Research grant to support further preclinical development of SGX943 as a treatment for melioidosis.

14 Feb 2014

Two new mechanisms open alternative approaches to antibiotics development

The first mechanism disrupts the arrangement of amino acids required for the cohesion of the protease subunits. As a result the protease breaks into two parts. The second acts directly on the core of the active center.

14 Feb 2014

New noninvasive chemical probe detects common species of staph bacteria in the body

Chances are you won't know you've got a staph infection until the test results come in, days after the symptoms first appear. But what if your physician could identify the infection much more quickly and without having to take a biopsy and ship it off for analysis?

From Integrated DNA Technologies 3 Feb 2014

Scientists start clinical trial of EDP-788 oral antibiotic to treat MRSA infections

Scientists have begun the first human clinical trial of EDP-788, an investigational oral antibiotic intended to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.

27 Jan 2014

Research roundup: Patient safety measure results 'disappointing'

Patient safety poses serious challenges to the health care system in the United States. Since 2001, nationwide efforts have focused on reducing in-hospital adverse events.

25 Jan 2014