The number of patients killed by multiple drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is rising every year as antibiotics are losing their effectiveness. Phages - which were used before the advent of antibiotics and then forgotten in the Western world for almost a century - are rapidly becoming one of the most promising alternatives to antibiotics.
Hand hygiene can save lives. What is second nature for medical staff today could one day also become a habit for patients and their relatives – because clean, germ-free hands can prevent nosocomial infections. Researchers in the US have examined the hands of intensive care patients for relevant pathogens. Among the pathogens detected, several multi-resistant organisms were identified.
An international team of researchers pre-published evidence which shows for the first time that two alcohol-based hand disinfectants recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – as well as the active ingredients ethanol and 2-propanol alone – are effective against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The experts are creating security for healthcare systems worldwide, because their experiments show that alcohol-based hand disinfection is an effective infection protection measure against COVID-19.
They communicate with each other, rotate in groups and hunt in packs. This description sounds like large predators such as lions or wolves but it's actually referring to 2020's microbe of the year: the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. This annual 'award' is selected by the Association for Germany's General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM), with about 3,500 member microbiologists.
With their keen sense of smell, scent detection dogs are hunting down the bacterium Clostridioides difficile in hospitals. But how accurate are four-legged infection prevention and diagnostics? Recent studies investigate how well canines perform.
“Deck the halls with rows of trolleys” is just one headline of many reports with the same conclusion: Emergency departments world-wide are busiest over long holidays. Anecdotally, the theories as to why include over-indulgences, crowded celebrations leading to germ-sharing or the merger of cold weather and the flu season. As another major holiday period approaches, both medical practitioners and patients should think about prevention: What is it they can do to avoid, or lessen the effects of, holiday-time illnesses? What are effective measures for infection control at Christmas? Here are our four ideas for the holiday season:
As the use of digitalisation increases, collecting and analysing big data sets can greatly contribute to improving patient safety. Mathematical models can be of great value for estimating how effective hygiene measures are in reducing infection risk. A recent study estimates the effect of combined infection control interventions on virus concentration on the hands of medical staff.
The second out of three wild poliovirus strains has been eradicated. This was officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on World Polio Day on 24 October. Since efforts to exterminate polio began in 1988, incidence has fallen by 99 per cent. According to WHO, today 18 million people can walk who would otherwise be paralysed.
Sink design may be an underestimated factor regarding the incidence of bacterial infections, particularly in clinical settings. A new UK study sheds light on how bacteria in hospital sinks can grow and spread. The findings also highlight the importance of hygiene measures and awareness amongst medical professionals.
The bacterium Clostridioides difficile, the pathogen that most often causes antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, has genetically specialised in hospital survival. According to a recent study by Nature Genetics, a strain that forms resistant spores is spreading among in-patient settings.
