A new class of antibiotics which target vital proteins in life-threatening bacteria could be the latest weapon in the fight against hospital superbugs.
Scientists in Switzerland have hailed the discovery as a breakthrough in the battle against multi-drug resistant bacteria, adding that the development of a new class of antibiotics is an event “that probably happens about every 20 years.”
The antibiotics, developed by Swiss biotech firm Polyphor and the University of Zurich, work by targeting key proteins in “gram negative” bacteria which are used in the creation of the outer cell membrane. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 19th, 2010
Cattle producers are trying to educate Congress about the use of antibiotics in the beef industry.
Michael Apley, a Kansas State University veterinary clinical pharmacologist, recently went to Washington, D.C., with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) representatives to address the issue.
They met with Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, to discuss H.R. 1549, Slaughter’s bill to ban the use of antibiotics in livestock. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 18th, 2010
Just a few months after winning the 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry, Yale University’s Thomas Steitz isn’t resting on his laurels.
Yale and the New Haven company Steitz founded, Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, on Tuesday announced a discovery they say could lead to better treatment of stubborn tuberculosis cases and other drug-resistant infections.
Steitz and his colleagues, in a paper published this week in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, described how two components of antibiotics used to treat TB bind to the parts of the cell that form proteins. The idea is to use these structures to make new, advanced antibiotics. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 17th, 2010
A recent article in the News-Leader documented the saga of a young wrestler who developed a serious infection with a resistant Staphylococcal Aureus bacterium (MRSA). The article mentioned the usual advice about careful hand washing and good hygiene, and briefly included advice from an infectious disease specialist about not using unnecessary antibiotics and finishing those you have been prescribed. The statement then was made that there was hope there would soon be new and stronger antibiotics to combat these resistant organisms. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 15th, 2010
According to experts, up to 70% of the antibiotics in this country are going to livestock. It has raised concerns that widespread use of antibiotics on U.S. farms is making the drugs less effective for treating humans. One local school district is serving anti-biotic free meat.
Pizza is the top pick this Tuesday at Ford Elementary in Laurens School District 55; but chicken nuggets fly off the counter too. In this Upstate school district, they are aware of the growing waistlines of young Americans, and they are making an effort to trim fat where they can. According to Wanda Knight, Director of Child Nutrition Services for the District, “I don’t know that the parents really understand what goes into the school meals, with whole wheat products, whole grain products, reduced fat cheeses…“ Laurens 55 is also one a handful of the districts in the State to serve Coleman’s hot dogs, an antibiotic-free meat. That means the animals are vegetarian fed and not given anti-biotics, hormones or preservatives. Knight says, “We thought it was a healthier choice for the children, and we like to offer that as much as we can.”
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Posted: February 10th, 2010