Antibiotic resistance is a global problem, threatening both human and animal health. A recent study shows that antibiotic resistance has spread into wildlife populations in Chobe National Park, a spectacular park located along the Chobe River in Botswana. In this region, humans and wildlife live in close proximity and significant antimicrobial resistance occurs in human populations. In a study published in the …
Researchers at Inserm/Strasbourg University have developed an antimicrobial film for implants. One of the biggest problems with implants is that they can provide ideal breeding grounds for pathogens, causing inflammation in the surrounding tissue and subsequent rejection of the implant. Often, this is avoided by prescribing patients antibiotics or coating implants in them, which of course have …
A recent news article from Times of India discusses the dire effects of antibiotic overuse on public health in India. Although we always discuss this problem in terms of what we see in the US, it’s important to realize that antibiotic resistance is a problem everywhere. According to the article, the top three antibiotic using …
top content starts This is, I believe, very good news: Martin J. Blaser, MD, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the human microbiome — and he proved it last year with the publication of his critically acclaimed, best-selling book, “Missing Microbes,” which helped lay audiences better understand the microbiome’s often complex make-up and …
A new open access paper in Frontiers in Microbiology looked at the microbial communities found on buildings of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. I’m currently travelling, so I only have time to post the abstract here. One Hundred Years by The Cure, a song about war and destruction, seemed a good choice for this post. …
I was clicking around news stories and found this Huffington Post article called “How Much Bacteria is In Your Burger?” Here’s what they report: “…every sample of ground beef collected by researchers from supermarkets around the country contained enterococcus and/or nontoxin-producing E. coli, which indicate fecal contamination. In other words, all the beef had poop …
Meeting: Antibiotic Use in Food-producing Animals September 30, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jefferson Auditorium 14th and Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20201. From Web Site: August 21, 2015 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today its third progress report highlighting its recent actions to promote the judicious use of antimicrobials …
In response to studies showing that antibiotic resistance can spread through the food supply, the FDA has made some recent policy decisions about the use of antibiotics in livestock rearing. A public meeting will be held by the FDA on September 30, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Auditorium, 14th and Independence …
As many of you know, parts of Yosemite national Park closed this passed week because of several cases of the plague. For most, the plague comes with the stigma of being an extremely deadly disease. But for others, the plague spells out a quite fascinating story of infectious disease. Secretions by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis …
I did not find a lot of recent papers on indoor microbiology, but quite a couple on the microbiology of drinking and wastewater, and some on ballast, pharmacy, and oil-platform water. Since this blog is all about water, I am playing The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon in the background. Free with registration: Acute Gastrointestinal Illness Risks …