Receiving an initial antibiotic prescription for a viral acute respiratory infection — the type of infection that doesn’t respond to antibiotics — increases the likelihood that a patient or their spouse will seek care for future such infections and will receive subsequent antibiotic prescriptions, according to the findings of a study from Harvard Medical School… Read More »
A new antimicrobial-resistance gene, VCC-1, a ß-lactamase gene, has been discovered in benign close relatives of virulent Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera. Now, a team of Canadian researchers has found a way to block the VCC-1 enzyme, which disables that resistance gene. The research is published February 19th in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal… Read More »
New research from The University of Queensland has found non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals can significantly promote the spread of antibiotic resistance via bacterial mating. A study led by Dr Jianhua Guo from UQ’s Advanced Water Management Centre said while antibiotics were known to promote antibiotic resistance, it wasn’t known if non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals could also increase bacterial conjugation. “Bacterial conjugation is the… Read More »