Mediplacements

Researchers investigate drug-resistant hospital microbes

Thursday 14th July 2011

Scientists are investigating how hospital microbes have become resistant to the drugs used to those infected with them.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School reported that multi-drug resistant bacteria are now able to fight off the effects of daptomycin - a relatively new antibiotic used to treat such infections.

The recreated the development of resistance in a laboratory setting and found changes in genes that had also been seen in hospital daptomycin resistant strains.

Dr Michael S Gilmore, of the institute, said: "Knowing the changes that correspond with resistance not only tells us what happens in resistant strains, it tells us much about how exactly how the antibiotic works, providing new ideas for better treatment and next generation drugs."

This comes after research published in the British Journal of Surgery revealed that patients have a higher risk of surgical site infection is the operating theatre they were treated in was particularly noisy.

Written by Angela Newbury
 

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