Not much is known about efforts to address antimicrobial resistance—an issue that a new Global Research and Development Hub will tackle. First conceptualized in 2017, the hub—based in and funded by Germany—consists of a 5-person team initially focused on creating a…
“Antimicrobial resistance is a more immediate threat to human health than climate change,” writes epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee, and it’s worsening with overuse of antibiotics and a lack of alternatives. Phage therapy—using bacteriophages, or viruses that only attack…
A new report details a waterborne multidrug-resistant bacterium, Sphingomonas koreensis, that can creep through plumbing via slime or cling to life in sink parts. Moreover, the organism that caused pneumonia and blood, skin and urinary tract infections in 12…
Gaza has become a central breeding ground for superbugs that are sweeping modern conflict zones, threatening health security worldwide with infections that know no border. The scourge is beginning to resemble the days before penicillin saved millions from death and…
Global antibiotic use among children varies widely among countries, but with no clear divide between high- and low-income nations. Yesterday, The Lancet Infectious Diseases published the first attempt to estimate antibiotic use by under-5s at the country level. Beyond…
Manufacturing antibiotics is tricky: They’re as pricey to make as any other drug but, unlike meds for cancer or chronic illnesses, they’re curative. That means limited doses are required for success. Their profitability is also curbed by antibiotic resistance that forces…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis’s ability to develop resistance to antibiotics has long been a threat to global health. Matthew Wipperman, PhD, MSc, a research scientist in the Immunology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues recently published a…
New bacteria strains with greater tolerance to alcohol-based hand sanitizers could spell trouble for hospitals.
To combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, we need a new slate of drugs. Several entities are committed to fostering the research into antimicrobial resistance. With so many cooks in the kitchen, the WHO has a leading role to play in coordinating R&D…
Of the ~200 countries that pledged in 2015 to address the sweeping overuse of antibiotics, only about half have developed national action plans, Reuters reported.
