An abbreviated version of CDDEP's weekly digest of public health news, focusing on research in the United States.

The National Institutes of Health’s Human Microbiome project has released a new survey of the large and diverse array of bacteria found in a group of nearly 250 healthy adults. [Scientific American]

A new study by the Food and Drug Administration published in Pediatrics shows that the number of antibiotic prescriptions written for minors in the US declined 7% between 2002-2010. [USA Today]

Researchers from three universities surveyed 19 different surfaces in hotels rooms to find which contained the most bacteria. [The Atlantic]

The magazine Consumer Reports has published a new report entitled “Meat on Drugs: The Overuse of Antibiotics in Food Animals and What Supermarkets and Consumers Can Do to Stop It.” The report is part of a larger campaign by the Consumers’ Union called Meat Without Drugs: Stop the Superbugs. [Wired]

A new study in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy reports that repeated exposure to triclosan can inhibit virulence in Staphylococcus aureus. [Infection Control Today]

Amidst reports of the spread of a new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria in Gaza City, the region’s Health Ministry denied the spread. [The Times of Israel]

In an article for Forbes, Dave Chase asserts that healthcare providers that demonstrate the behavior of small town businesses will thrive. [Forbes]

New research in The Journal of Biological Chemistry sheds new light on potential uses of bacteriocins (substances bacteria create to kill other forms of bacteria) as antimicrobial agents. [Futurity]
 

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