New nano-weapon discovered in use by menacing bacteria

A. baumannii bacteria is a nasty antibiotic-resistant bug that thrives in hospitals, where it takes advantage of weakened immune systems. Researchers have now found the bacteria’s secret weapon and have ideas on how to use it for good.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading New nano-weapon discovered in use by menacing bacteria

Plunging beneath the freezing sea to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Science’s war against the super-small and, sometimes, super-deadly bacteria that have evolved to resist destruction by antibiotics may have just enlisted new, unlikely allies: invertebrate creatures living in the frigid depths of the Arctic Ocean.Conti… Continue reading Plunging beneath the freezing sea to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Spiky stainless steel and copper delivers one-two punch to bacteria

To help combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers have been experimenting for years with drug-free methods to blast disease-causing bugs. A new type of stainless steel does exactly that, in a convenient and affordable way.Continue R… Continue reading Spiky stainless steel and copper delivers one-two punch to bacteria

New antibiotic family kills superbugs in a way they can’t resist

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are poised to become a global health concern in the coming decades. In the race to develop new weapons, scientists from Texas A&M have created a novel family of antibacterial polymers that can kill ‘superbugs’ in a way the… Continue reading New antibiotic family kills superbugs in a way they can’t resist

Antimicrobial textile coating makes superbug-squashing hospital curtains

Hospitals are meant to heal people, but there’s an increasing risk of patients picking up a superbug or two during their stay. Scientists have now developed long-lasting antimicrobial coatings for textiles that could allow things like hospital curtains… Continue reading Antimicrobial textile coating makes superbug-squashing hospital curtains

Experimental type of vaccine could prevent hospital-acquired infections

Hospitals are meant to be places of healing, but patients often pick up new infections there that are potentially dangerous and hard to treat. A new, experimental vaccine given on arrival to hospital could help prevent infections from a range of drug-r… Continue reading Experimental type of vaccine could prevent hospital-acquired infections

Microbial dark matter yields new type of superbug-busting antibiotic

Researchers have derived an antibiotic from microbes living in the sandy soil of North Carolina. Because it works completely differently than others before it, clovibactin might help turn the tide in the battle against superbugs that resist current dru… Continue reading Microbial dark matter yields new type of superbug-busting antibiotic

Novel ‘fast, tenacious’ molecule can KO drug-resistant superbugs

Decades of work has seemingly paid off with scientists developing a potent new synthetic molecule that swiftly knocked out 285 strains of bacteria it was tested on, setting it up as a valuable ally in our fight against a looming superbug infection cris… Continue reading Novel ‘fast, tenacious’ molecule can KO drug-resistant superbugs

“Molecular wedge” renders superbugs vulnerable to antibiotics again

We’re locked in an arms race with bacteria – and worryingly, it looks like we’re losing, as they increasingly develop resistance to our best drugs. Now, scientists at the University of Oklahoma have identified a new class of molecules that disable a ma… Continue reading “Molecular wedge” renders superbugs vulnerable to antibiotics again

New antibiotic trial shows promise against dangerous pneumonia superbug

A new antibiotic combo has proven promising in a clinical trial for treating an often-deadly form of pneumonia. The experimental drug was found to be at least as effective in preventing death as the current standard, but with far milder side effects.Co… Continue reading New antibiotic trial shows promise against dangerous pneumonia superbug