On February 22, Extending the Cure published a study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine that found that two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone. The study has recieved significant media attention.
This week's economist focuses on New Dangers for the World Economy and offers a fascinating article on drug-resistant bacteria. A study by Norwegian researchers looked at how animals, that are not given antibiotics, acquire resistant bacteria.
This week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study revealing a promising new treatment for C. diff that would reduce the frequency of relapses among C. diff patients. A few different versions of the media coverage of the story are here:
Time Magazine (and other media outlets) wrote this week about taking weight into account when prescribing medications. A study released this week finds that, though it is not common practice, weight absolutely should be a factor in antibiotic prescription. We have written about this on this blog as well.
This week, Dutch researchers released a study finding that MRSA is often spread by patients moving from one hospital to another. They determined that more stringent screening processes can significantly limit the spread of the antibiotic-resistant disease. The New York Times put together
On December 23, Extending the Cure released a new study on the rise in drug resistance to Acinetobacter in U.S. Hospitals. This blog posted about the study when it came out, but here is a sample of the media coverage for your information as well:
Over the past few weeks, the media has been buzzing about a new study finding that household disinfectants can “boost the resistance of some bacteria to life-saving antibiotics.” A small sample of the coverage is listed here:
An analysis of data from 300 hospitals nationwide shows a more than 300 percent increase in the proportion of resistant Acinetobacter cases from 1999 to 2006. ETC researchers found that hospitals nationwide are battling a surge of Acinetobacter infections resistant to imipenem, an antibiotic considered the last-line treatment for this dangerous superbug. Acinetobacter often attacks very sick hospital patients and the surge in resistant infections illustrates the growing public health threat posed by antibiotic resistance.
This week, Superbug posted an interesting Q&A with Dr. Brad Spellberg, associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, on his new book, The Rising Plauge. In the interview, he says, “You can’t stop the spread of the resistance itself. It is inevitable.”