Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now recognized as a major global public health problem which has been aggravated by the irrational use of antimicrobial agents in human and animal health as well as the presence of these agents in the environment. AMR in animal pathogens makes disease treatments ineffective, increases the …
While modern cephalosporins developed for broad spectrum antibacterial activities have never been pursued for tuberculosis (TB) therapy, we identified first generation cephalosporins having clinically relevant inhibitory concentrations, both alone and in synergistic drug combinations. Common chemical patterns required for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis were identified using structure-activity relationships (SAR) studies. …
A report released Tuesday that grades the policies of big chain restaurants shows that many well known brands, including Burger King and KFC, flunk out when it comes to their policies on eliminating antibiotics in the meat and poultry they serve. The second annual report, compiled by a group of …
A stunning 70 percent of all antibiotics important in human medicine in the U.S. are sold for use in animal agriculture. These lifesaving drugs are fed routinely to animals that are not sick in order to promote growth and prevent diseases that spread easily in crowded, filthy factory farm conditions. …
The new FAO action plan on antimicrobial resistance 2016-2020 , aims to help countries equip their agricultural sectors to respond to growing threat. According to FAO's Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance: "Antimicrobial medicines play a critical role in the treatment of diseases of farm animals and plants. Their use is …
The UN General Assembly will meet on September 13. For the fourth time in its history, the heads of states gathered for the UN General Assembly meeting will discuss a burning global health issue that needs to be addressed on a war footing. The rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR), seen in …
Lucknow: Self medication during dengue has emerged as the biggest reason for hospitalization in the city so far, claim health authorities. Meanwhile, 12 new cases were reported in the city, taking the total number of cases to 136. Addressing reporters here on Monday, principal secretary, health and family welfare, Arun …
Dentists prescribe approximately 10% of antibiotics dispensed in UK community pharmacies. Despite clear clinical guidance, dentists often prescribe antibiotics inappropriately. This cluster-randomised controlled trial used routinely collected National Health Service (NHS) dental prescribing and treatment claim data to compare the impact of individualised audit and feedback (A&F) interventions on dentists’ …
The scientists warned that under-reporting of cases could be fuelling drug resistance — and have implications for patients across the globe. An assessment of nationwide sales of anti-tuberculosis drugs across the private sector suggests there were 2.2 million TB cases in India in 2014 — two to three times higher …
After decades of neglect, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has captured the attention and concern of the public health community and global leaders. In September 2016, a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will discuss how countries can cooperate to preserve global access to effective antimicrobials.
The vast majority of systemic bacterial infections are caused by facultative, often antibiotic-resistant, pathogens colonizing human body surfaces. Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus predisposes to invasive infection, but the mechanisms that permit or interfere with pathogen colonization are largely unknown. Whereas soil microbes are known to compete by production of …
Centre has banned practice; poultry owners say they are recouping losses. Hyderabad: Despite a ban imposed by the Union agriculture ministry on using growth hormones, poultry are being fed the same for commercial exploitation. The severe summer took a huge toll on the birds and many of them died of …
To understand the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment bioreactors, the ARGs in sludge from two full-scale pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs) were investigated and compared with sludge samples from three sewage treatment plants (STPs) using metagenomic approach. The results showed that the ARG …
A Chilean appeals court has ordered the government's Sernapesca fisheries body to disclose the details of antibiotic use by salmon producers operating in the country, court documents showed on Wednesday. Salmon farmers in Chile, the world's second-largest producer of the fish, are using record levels of antibiotics to treat a …
Antibiotics have been considered emerging pollutants due to their continuous input and persistence in the aquatic ecosystem. The present paper addresses the degradation and removal processes applied to a specific class of micropollutants, the antibiotic tetracycline (TETRA). Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide in the presence …
Antibiotics, though remarkably useful, can also cause certain adverse effects. We detected that treatment of adult mice with antibiotics decreases hippocampal neurogenesis and memory retention. Reconstitution with normal gut flora (SPF) did not completely reverse the deficits in neurogenesis unless the mice also had access to a running wheel or …
What are we to do about antibiotic resistance? Last week, another government report repeated stark warnings about the crisis, and offered some suggestions to improve the situation. The UK report, prepared by a panel chaired by the economist Jim O'Neill, naturally focused on financial incentives, including US$1-billion prizes for pharmaceutical …
A new study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, has revealed that feeding cows with antibiotics may increase greenhouse gas emissions from cow dung, burps and farts. Cows feeding on antibiotic tetracycline produce more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, than any other animals not fed with the antibiotic. …
More and more infectious disease treatments fail because the causative pathogens are resistant to the drugs used for treatment. For the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a sexually transmitted bacterium, drug resistance is a particularly big problem: there is only a single antibiotic left that is recommended for treatment. We aimed …
Antibiotics are essential for fighting bacterial infection, but, paradoxically, they can also make the body more prone to infection and diarrhoea by allowing gut pathogens to “breathe”, says a study. Antibiotics benefit pathogen growth by disrupting oxygen levels and fibre processing in the gut, the study said. The findings, published …
The ban, which comes into effect immediately, follows recommendations of an expert committee formed to examine the efficacy of these drug combinations. The Health Ministry has banned 344 fixed drug combinations through a gazette notification issued over the weekend. These include several common cough syrup solutions, analgesics and antibiotic combinations, …
