Tag: infection
Towards precision medicine for sepsis patients
Over the last decade it has become clear that the immunological response and clinical course in sepsis patients is too complex to simply regard it as hyperinflammation-induced organ failure. In contrast to the previous belief... read more
Cholera bacteria infect more effectively with a simple twist of shape
The bacteria that cause the life-threatening disease cholera may initiate infection by coordinating a wave of mass shapeshifting that allows them to more effectively penetrate the intestines of their unwitting victims, according... read more
Germ-zapping robots put to the test to combat hospital-acquired infections
The $2 million effort supported by the NIH's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the first of its kind to study no-touch room disinfection. Michigan researchers will look at the ability of high intensity ultraviolet... read more
Best Conditions for Legionella Growth
Researchers have identified the optimal conditions for the growth of Legionella which causes a very serious, often deadly, type of pneumonia, Legionnaires' disease. Inspired by a number of large Legionnaires' outbreaks,... read more
FDA Recommendation: Reduce Max Storage Limit of RBCs
A group of researchers are asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce maximum storage limit for red blood cells from 6 weeks to 5 weeks, as long as there are sufficient blood supplies available. The researchers... read more
Catheter safeguards at hospitals reduce infections and save money
U.S. hospitals are reducing bloodstream infections related to catheters by implementing rigorous safeguards that also save millions of healthcare dollars each year, according to research led by Cedars-Sinai.... read more
Recognize Sepsis as Separate Cause of Illness and Death
Sepsis should be recognized as a separate cause of illness and death around the world. This focus would help efforts to prevent sepsis by improving hygiene, nutrition and vaccination rates and also lead to timely treatment,... read more
Sepsis Algorithm a Deadly Marker
An attempt by a Phoenix, AZ, hospital to develop a marker for deadly sepsis instead found that the algorithm identified patients at an increased risk of dying. Increasingly, algorithms govern daily life, playing an important... read more
Co-infection is Frequent in Patients Hospitalized with Influenza
According to a recent article published online in Intensive Care Medicine, co-infection occurs commonly in patients with influenza-related infections that require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Influenza infection causes... read more
Is platelet transfusion associated with hospital-acquired infections in critically ill patients?
After adjustment for confounders, including patient severity and other blood components, platelet transfusion was independently associated with ICU-acquired infection. Further research aiming to better understand this association... read more
Disruption of the microbiota across multiple body sites in critically ill children
Microbiota in critically ill children differs sharply from the microbiota of healthy children and adults. Acknowledgement of dysbiosis associated with critical illness could provide opportunities to modulate the microbiota... read more
Waging War Against CABSIs
Catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs) are on the decline, according to the 2016 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report. The report, published by the CDC, showed that between 2008... read more
Antibiotic Resistance just became more complex
Bacteria that are susceptible to antibiotics can survive when enough resistant cells around them are expressing an antibiotic-deactivating factor. This new take on how the microbial context can compromise antibiotic therapy.... read more
New Blood Draw Protocol can reduce risks for pediatric patients
Researchers report that implementing a checklist-style set of procedures appears to cut almost in half the number of potentially unnecessary blood culture draws in critically ill children without endangering doctors'... read more
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance happens when bugs, like bacteria, fungi or viruses, change, or evolve, when they’re exposed to drugs, like antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals. Bugs that develop antimicrobial resistance are... read more
Epstein-Barr risk increased by Immune Molecule Deficiency
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, have found a genetic immune disorder causing increased risk and poor control of Epstein-Barr virus and EBV-associated... read more
Outsourced Hospital Cleaning linked to MRSA
Analysis of English NHS hospitals suggests that employing private as opposed to in-house cleaners is a false economy. While it may reduce costs, it could also raise risk of infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus... read more
Think Sepsis and Act Fast
New attention to sepsis including revised definitions, updated guidelines, and new CMS reporting requirements aims to save lives through prevention and prompt and effective management of infections. CDC released a new Vital... read more
Blood culture decision algorithm tied to PICU admissions
A standardized approach to blood cultures in the pediatric ICU successfully reduced collections from central venous catheters, investigators at a single center reported, with no subsequent uptick in adverse events.... read more
Bacteriophages may harbor antibiotic resistance genes
Scientists at the Catalan Institute for Water Research have carried out a comprehensive analysis of several viromes from different habitats to explore whether bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) harbor antibiotic... read more
Mild electric e-scaffold disrupts bacterial biofilms
Researchers at Washington State University (Spokane, WA, USA) used an e-scaffold made out of conductive carbon fabric and a mild electrical current to produce a low, constant concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, an effective... read more
Non-antibiotic treatments for bacterial diseases in an antibiotic resistance era
The progressive spread of antibiotic resistance genes is forcing us to reconsider our treatment options against some bacterial pathogens. Treating bacterial infections will likely become more challenging in the future. We... read more
