It is a figure that is significantly higher than previously thought: Around 33,000 Europeans die every year as a result of bacterial infections. The main reason is that antibiotics are no longer effective against many of these infections. Even last-line antibiotics are no longer able to cure almost 40 percent of all infections investigated in a recent study.
Researchers from Vienna and Belfast have found out how the immune system slows down the growth of the multi-resistant germ Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results could lead to new therapeutic options for treating infections.
The global spread of multi-resistant bacteria, particularly gram-negative bacteria, is a risk for patients. When this type of germ is detected in a hospital, the traditional strategy of “screening, isolation and eradication” usually takes effect. But does evidence prove that this method really is the most effective? A team of researchers asked themselves this question and came to astonishing conclusions.
A newly discovered antibody could be used to treat several bacteria simultaneously - including hospital germs that are resistant to many antibiotics. This has been reported by a recent study.
A newly discovered class of lipopeptide antibiotics fights multi-resistant bacteria. Scientists at the TU Berlin are working on translating their findings into new drugs.
Consistent hand hygiene reduces the monthly mortality rate in nursing homes, particularly during influenza peaks. The use of antibiotics also declines. These are the findings in a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
For hygienic hand disinfection, residual substances in alcoholic hand disinfectants are no longer recommended. This advisory has been in effect since the KRINKO guideline “Hand Hygiene in Health Care Facilities" was published in autumn 2016. The benefit of residual active ingredients for surgical hand disinfection was still unclear at the time of publication of the directive. A recent study has now closed this gap.
