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

A poster at The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual conference reports an 82% reduction in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) incidence in a Canadian geriatric care facility after the introduction of disposable cloths containing chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), which were used on a daily basis over a 33-month period to disinfect patients’ skin. [via EurekaAlert]

In a study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that over half of family members of children with staph infections harbor Staphylococcus aureus themselves, with 21 percent carrying methicillin-resistant strains. [via ScienceDaily]

The Agricultural Research Service discusses a variety of alternatives to antibiotic treatments that are currently in development in the field of animal health. [via Food Safety News]

Maryn McKenna of the blog Superbug writes an informative piece in SELF magazine about “The Dangerous Superbugs Hiding in Your Dinner.” [via SELF]

New research discovers that prisoners at two New York State prisons are using antibiotic ointments as lip balm, hair gels and shaving cream. [via MSNBC]

A new letter-grade ranking system evaluates US hospitals based on their patient safety records. The results show that more than 40% of California hospitals received a grade of C or lower. [via NPR]

NPR’s “All Things Considered” discusses the increasing demand for antibiotic-free meat. [via NPR]

A strongly worded Huffington Post op-ed critiques potential shortcomings of the newly-passed Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) act, which extends monopoly protections for new antibiotics. [via Huffington Post]

A team of biologists at the University of California, San Diego has engineered an algae that could potentially produce proteins to make a viable, inexpensive malaria vaccine. [via San Diego Biotechnology Connection]

Image of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algae via wolfgraebel/Flickr