MRSA Transmission in Intensive Care Units: Genomic Analysis of Patients, Their Environments, and Healthcare Workers
Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) —and now USA300 MRSA—is a significant intensive care unit (ICU) pathogen; healthcare worker (HCW) contamination may lead to patient cross-transmission. Methods From September 2015 to February 2016, to study the spread of MRSA, we enrolled HCWs in 4 adult ICUs caring for patients on MRSA contact precautions. Samples were collected from patient body sites and high-touch surfaces in patient rooms. HCW hands, gloves, and personal protective equipment were sampled pre/post-patient encounter. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to compare isolates from patients...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - June 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Effect of ablution on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonisation in healthcare workers
Healthcare workers (HCWs) with MRSA nasal colonisation pose a serious threat of passing on the infection to patients. A cross sectional study was designed to investigate the effect of ablution on MRSA nasal colonisation and was conducted at the Department of Pathology, King Edward Medical University. A total of 220 nasal swab samples, 110 from ablution performing HCWs and 110 from non-ablution performing HCWs were processed for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus and sensitivity testing for Cefoxitin. In the ablution performing group, 11(10%) HCW were harbouring Staphylococcus aureus in their nose, while in non-abl...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - June 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Evaluation of the timing of MRSA PCR nasal screening: How long can a negative assay be used to rule out MRSA-positive respiratory cultures? "
Conclusion We report high NPVs for up to 2 weeks between specimen collections, which allows clinicians to use a negative MRSA PCR nasal screen assay to rule out MRSA pneumonia, potentially leading to decreased exposure to MRSA-active antibiotics. (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - June 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
More research funding needed to avoid drug-resistant pandemic, warns report
Smaller firms are developing most antibiotics targeting superbugs but often at risk of bankruptcySmall drugmakers and biotech firms that are developing the bulk of new antibiotics need far more financial support, according to a new report, which warned that without these life-saving medicines there could be a pandemic of drug-resistant infections, worse than Covid-19.The Access to Medicine Foundation, an Amsterdam-based non-profit group, said small and medium-sized firms, which account for three-quarters of all late-stage antibiotics in development, struggle to secure enough funding and are often at risk of bankruptcy, pot...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - June 10, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Julia Kollewe Tags: Pharmaceuticals industry Infectious diseases Antibiotics MRSA and superbugs Drugs Medical research Microbiology Business Society Coronavirus Health Science Source Type: news
Susceptibility to chlorhexidine and mupirocin among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates from a teaching hospital, Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo
Despite the widespread use of chlorhexidine (CHX) to prevent infection, data regarding the in vitro action of CHX against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are limited. Clinical isolates from Hospital das Clinicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, identified during 2002/2003 and 2012/2013 were studied to describe the susceptibility to CHX and mupirocin, molecular characteristics, and virulence profile of MRSA. Susceptibility test to Mupirocin was performed by the disk diffusion method and to CHX by the agar dilution technique. PCR for virulence genes, mecA gene and Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) types w...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - May 13, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Daptomycin Plus Fosfomycin Versus Daptomycin Alone for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Endocarditis: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Clinical Infectious Diseases
Conclusions Daptomycin plus fosfomycin provided 12% higher rate of treatment success than daptomycin alone, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. This antibiotic combination preven ted microbiological failure and complicated bacteremia, but it was more often associated with adverse events. (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - May 13, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Microneedle patch delivers antibiotics locally in the skin
(Karolinska Institutet) MRSA skin infections are often treated with intravenous injection of antibiotics, which can cause significant side effects and promote the development of resistant bacterial strains. To solve these problems, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are developing a microneedle patch that delivers antibiotics directly into the affected skin area. New results published in Advanced Materials Technologies show that the microneedle patch effectively reduces MRSA bacteria in the skin. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - May 10, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
A Systematic Review on the Efficacy of Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide as a Non-Contact Decontamination System for Pathogens Associated with the Dental Environment
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2021,18(9), 4748;https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094748Received: 27 January 2021 / Revised: 30 March 2021 / Accepted: 25 April 2021 / Published: 29 April 2021AbstractAerosol generation and a wide range of pathogens originating from the oral cavity of the patient contaminate various surfaces of the dental clinic. The aim was to determine the efficacy of vaporized hydrogen peroxide fogging on pathogens related to the dental environment and its possible application in dentistry. PICOS statement (Population, Intervention, Comparison/Control, Outcome and Study design statement) was used in the...
Source: Dental Technology Blog - May 5, 2021 Category: Dentistry Source Type: news
Matt Hancock warns modern medicine may cease to exist without if superbugs are not tackled
Drug-resistant diseases such as MRSA already kill 700,000 people around the world each year - including 800 in Britain. But experts fear this could surge to 10million by 2050 without action. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - April 29, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Unintended consequences of infection prevention and control measures during COVID-19 pandemic, American Journal of Infection Control
The impact of a multimodal infection control strategy originally designed for containment of COVID-19 on the rates of other hospital-acquired-infections (HAIs) was evaluated over a 7-month period across the largest healthcare system in Singapore. • During the COVID-19 pandemic, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisition rates declined significantly, together with central-line-associated-bloodstream infection rates; likely due to increased compliance with standard precautions. • Enhanced infection control measures resulted in the unintended positive consequences of containing health care-associated respirat...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - April 15, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
MRSA Colonization Linked to Increased Mortality Risk in Adults
WEDNESDAY, April 14, 2021 -- Among middle-aged and older community-dwelling adults, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization is associated with increased mortality risk, according to a research letter published in the... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)
Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News - April 14, 2021 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Why the Healthcare Association of New York State is partnering with Vyv
Vyv makes non-ultraviolet LEDs that kill microbes — including bacteria such as MRSA, salmonella, E. coli and C. diff. — that grow on surfaces. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines - April 13, 2021 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Justin Dawes Source Type: news
Healthcare-associated infections
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacterial infections that commonly occur as a direct result of healthcare interventions (such as medical or surgical treatment), or from being in contact with a healthcare setting. They are the most well-known healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). HCAIs pose a serious risk to patients, staff and visitors, can incur high costs for the NHS, and can cause significant morbidity to those infected. The emergence of new infections also poses a risk to patients and staff, as highlighted by the transmis...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - March 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Silent MRSA carriers have twice the mortality rate of adults without the bacteria
(University of Florida) More than 3 million people in the U.S. carry MRSA, the staph strain that is hard to treat and resistant to many antibiotics. Unless MRSA carriers develop an infection or are tested for the bacteria, they may not even know they carry it, yet they are at significant risk for premature death. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - March 26, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
A sense for the unseen: Novel DNA sensor can rapidly detect antibiotic-resistant pathogens
(University of Fukui) The persistent overuse of antibiotics has led to the evolution of antibiotic resistant pathogens, or " superbugs, " which can cause severe life-threatening infections that must be diagnosed and treated early on. However, antibiotic sensitivity assays used to detect resistance rely on cell culture that can take several days. Overcoming this limitation, researchers have now designed a novel self-driven DNA nanosensor that can rapidly detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a lethal superbug, with high sensitivity and specificity. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - March 22, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
