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:

1. CNN Health: Disinfectants could give rise to antibiotic resistant superbugs
2. Los Angeles Times: Study bolsters concerns that disinfectants create superbugs
3. BBC News: Disinfectants ‘train’ superbugs to resist antibiotics
4. MSNBC: Disinfectants cause some bacteria to thrive

 In the last week of 2009, the first case of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis in the United States appeared in Florida.  According to the Associated Press, this XXDR form of TB is so rare that only a handful of other people in the world are thought to have it.

 The Associated Press also did an article on Norway’s response to antibiotic resistance.  “Twenty-five years ago, Norwegians were also losing their lives to this bacteria. But Norway's public health system fought back with an aggressive program that made it the most infection-free country in the world. A key part of that program was cutting back severely on the use of antibiotics.”  

A new study out of Canada found that sharing hospital rooms increases your chances of getting c- difficile significantly.  In fact, they found that for every additional roommate, the risk of infection increases by 10 percent. 

A few more stories to note from the past few weeks are listed here: 

1. Associated Press: New Strains of Old Diseases Prove Antibiotic Proof (Video)
2. Global Post: The Chinese government’s antibiotics crackdown
3. UK Guardian: Scientists develop cheap, quick test for bug deadlier than MRSA
4. Superbug: One surgical infection with MRSA: $61,000
5. Infection Control Today: Drug-Resistant UTIs Spreading Worldwide
6. Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: Pomegranates and MRSA