Green Tea Aids Antibiotics in Defeating Superbug Infections
Posted on March 31, 2008
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A simple beverage enjoyed by people in many cultures throughout the world may make antibiotic medications three times more effective against dangerous superbugs like MRSA and Clostridium Difficile. Egyptian pharmacy researchers recently found that drinking green tea bolsters the antibacterial impact of many types of antibiotics, enhancing their ability to kill even virulent bacteria studied.
Researchers analyzed the combined effects of green tea and antibiotics on 28 different infectious microorganisms, according to a Society for General Microbiology press release. The green tea increased the antibacterial effect of antibiotic medicines in every case said Alexandria University researcher Dr. Mervat Kassem. In addition to improving the efficacy of antibiotics, green tea also seemed to reduce the drug resistance of bacteria.
Some drug-resistant microorganisms even became susceptible to the very antibiotics they evolved to evade. Green tea rendered 20 percent of antibiotic-resistant bacteria susceptible to one of the cephalosporin antibiotics they usually resist.
Dr. Kassem intends to continue researching natural products that may help fight off drug resistant bacterial infections. The next superbug treatment could even be sitting in your pantry or spice rack. His future research will study active compounds in herbs such as thyme and marjoram.
The research on green tea will be presented on Monday, March 31, 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting in Edinburgh in a session entitled Influence of green tea on the antimicrobial activity of some antibiotics against multiresistant clinical isolates.
Tallahassee Staph Outbreak Possibly Caused By Contaminated Medicine
Posted on March 28, 2008
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At least 14 staph infections have been linked to a pain management clinic in Tallahassee, Florida. Patients who were treated at the Pain Insitute of North Florida between March 10 and March 21, 2008 are considered to be at risk.
Officials with the Leon County Health Department are actively investigating the unusually high number of staph infections. A Health Department representative told the Tallahassee Democrat that investigators are looking into the possibility that the Pain Institute may have received a contaminated batch of medicine, but the source of the staph bacteria has yet to be determined. There is no evidence that the clinic is to blame for the outbreak.
Patients began calling the Pain Institute of North Florida on March 14 with what seemed like viral symptoms. Cultures revealed that they had contracted staph infections, probably on or around March 12. The infections were not the drug resistant variety of staph known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and can be treated with antibiotics.
The owner of the Pain Institute, Dr. George Arcos, informed County health officials of the apparent staph outbreak, and asked them to investigate. Patients of the Pain Institute of North Florida who visited the clinic between March 10 and March 21, 2008 have been notified, and Dr. Arcos has suspended pain procedures at the clinic while the investigation is being conducted. Patients who underwent treatment during that period who have not received a phone call should contact the Leon County Health Department at 850-606-8161.
Community-Acquired Pneumonia Caused by Staph More Common Than Thought
Posted on March 20, 2008
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Community-acquired pneumonia caused by staph bacteria may occur more frequently than previously thought, according to study results released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study gathered data from three pediatric hospitals in the Atlanta area during the 2006-2007 flu season.
The seven month study identified 53 cases of community-acquired pneumonia, or CAP, caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. This number is higher than expected based on anecdotal evidence and case studies. Lead researcher Alexander Kallen noted that case studies “tend to highlight the severest of cases and may present a biased picture.”
While CAP caused by staph may be more common than thought, the incidence of fatality may actually be lower than case studies suggested. Previously believed to be between 30% and 50%, the CDC study indicates a case-fatality rate of approximately 13%.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, was responsible for just under half of the staph-related cases of CAP. The researchers discovered that nearly 40% of the pediatric patients with CAP caused by MRSA were given antibiotics that did not cover the resistant strain of staph. Medical professionals may not recognize MRSA as a significant cause of pneumonia during flu season, Alexander Kallen said.
Researchers indicated that further study is necessary to expand upon these preliminary results and build a more complete picture of this disease. The full findings of the study were presented on March 19 at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Cholesterol Lowering Drug May Render Staph Bacteria Harmless
Posted on February 23, 2008
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In their efforts to develop new treatments for drug-resistant staph infections, scientists have obtained positive results using a cholesterol lowering drug that never made it to market. Researchers believe that cholesterol reducing compounds known as squalene synthase inhibitors may work on staph infections, including methicillin resistant staph, by rendering the bacteria vulnerable to the body’s natural immune system defenses.
The research supported by the National Institutes of Health revealed that squalene synthase inhibitors act as a sort of Kryptonite to Staphylococcus aureus bacteria by removing their natural defense: staphyloxanthin, a carotenoid pigment that gives staph a golden hue. S. aureus bacteria that lack that pigment have inhibited ability to fight off the human immune response, resulting in decreased virulence.
In studies, the squalene sythase inhibitor BPH-652 interfered with the enzyme responsible for producing the staphyloxanthin pigment. The resulting colorless staph bacteria were significantly weakened. Lab mice injected with S. aureus bacteria that also received BPH-652 exhibited a 98% reduction in bacterial counts.
Researchers are testing hundreds of additional compounds to determine if any are more effective in stripping staph bacteria of their color and virulence. The research is still in a very early stage – too early for human trials – but pigment reduction appears to be a promising area for further investigation.
The complete study results were reported in the article “A Cholesterol Biosynthesis Inhibitor Blocks Staphylococcus aureus Virulence” published in Science Express, the online edition of Science magazine.
MRSA Infection Kills Western Washington University Student Chris Feden
Posted on February 23, 2008
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A Western Washington University student succumbed to pneumonia this week after being diagnosed with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. 20-year-old Chris Feden of Tenino, Washington died at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham after a week long illness that began with flu-like symptoms.
The Western Washington University junior was brought to the school clinic by his roommate on February 14, 2008. He was later admitted to St. Joseph Hospital, but the aggressive MRSA infection had spread to his respiratory system and did not respond to massive doses of antibiotics, the Associated Press reported. Feden died on February 20.
Whatcom County health officials believe that this is an isolated case of MRSA, and not part of a larger staph infection outbreak. Western Washington University has posted a MRSA information bulletin to educate the community about CA-MRSA, the community-acquired form of the infection.
Staph Contamination Prompts Cheese Recall
Posted on January 31, 2008
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High levels of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria have been discovered in cheese from Grassy Meadows dairy of Howe, Indiana during routine inspections. Consumers in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio are being advised by Indiana state officials to avoid consumption of Grassy Meadows cheese purchased before Wednesday, January 30, 2008.
The contaminated cheeses were made from raw milk, and were sold in several retail health food stores in Indiana, as well as directly from the Grassy Meadows dairy. The recalled cheeses were sold in blocks or wedges, and include the following:
• Colby (lots 210317 and 19177)
• Jalapeno natural cheese (lots 2617, 21017 and 11017)
• “Homemade” cheese (lots 19267 and 19227)
• Monterey Jack (lots 18207 and 2937)
• Garlic pepper cheese (lot 19147)
No illnesses related to the contaminated cheese have been reported.
Products should be returned to the place of purchase.
Researchers Expect Virulent New MRSA Strains to Emerge
Posted on January 21, 2008
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Researchers studying community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also called CA-MRSA, have traced its genetic origins to a single bacterial strain, and expect new forms of the extraordinarily resilient bacteria to evolve.
Comparative genome sequencing methods were used by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) scientists to study the evolution of the USA300 group of CA-MRSA strains. Results showed that of 10 geographically diverse patient samples of USA300, the so-called “epidemic strain,” eight were virtually indistinguishable and two were more distantly related.
Researchers also noted that extremely small genetic differences found in evolving strains had a dramatic impact on drug-resistance and potential lethality in humans.
The study was led by Frank R. DeLeo, Ph.D., at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana. “We anticipate that new USA300 derivatives will emerge within the next several years and that these strains will have a wide range of disease-causing potential,” said Dr. DeLeo, who noted the “extraordinary transmissibility and fitness” of the USA300 group of MRSA strains.
Dr. DeLeo and his colleagues hope this research will lead to the development of new diagnostic tests that can quickly identify individual strains of CA-MRSA.
The NIAID study will appear online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Staph Strain More Virulent Than MRSA Infecting Gay Men
Posted on January 15, 2008
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As schools, prisons, and hospitals around the country struggle to prevent the spread of the superbug known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a virulent newer strain is making inroads into gay communities in San Francisco, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles.
More drug-resistant than the MRSA seen in schools and gyms, infections caused by this type of staph can be very serious, and even lethal when not treated appropriately. Like other staph infections, it spreads through casual contact, including sports and sexual activity. It often presents as an abscess or cellulitis in the buttocks, genitals, or perineum.
Gay male residents of San Francisco were 13 times more likely to have the infection than other residents of the city, according to a study published by the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday. In Boston, up to half of gay men with staph infections are afflicted with the more drug-resistant strain, the study reported. Multidrug-resistant MRSA is also more prevalent in people with HIV.
This new variant of MRSA is so resistant to treatment by antibiotics that precious few options are available to medical practitioners. It is resistant to clindamycin, tetracycline, and mupirocin, as well as methicillin. It also causes more virulent infections that grow and spread rapidly.
The paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicated that multidrug-resistant MRSA likely spread through sexual contact among the infected gay men that were studied. Spread of the multi-resistant staph among gay men was particularly associated with high risk behavior such as drug use and sex with multiple partners.
Researchers expressed a high degree of concern over the potential epidemic once multidrug-resistant MRSA spreads throughout the general population, cautioning that prevention is key. According to medical professionals, the best defenses against all types of staph infections are good hygiene and hand washing practices.
Another concern raised by the study is that multidrug-resistant MRSA may stigmatize gay men in much the same way that HIV/AIDS did in the 1980s. However, this pernicious superbug is not confined to gay males. For example, an 81-year-old woman in New York City was diagnosed with the infection, according to NPR’s All Things Considered program.
The full study, “Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone USA300 in Men Who Have Sex with Men,” is currently available on the Annals of Internal Medicine Web site.
MRSA Blamed for Death of Pennsylvania Youth Caseworker
Posted on January 11, 2008
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An Erie County, Pennsylvania woman diagnosed with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) died Thursday morning. Cheri Lyons, 32, was admitted to Millcreek Community Hospital eight days earlier, and learned Saturday that she had the virulent staph infection.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook told the Erie Times-News that hospital administrators believed Cheri Lyons succumbed to cancer, and may have had MRSA as well. That information was not confirmed by the Millcreek Community Hospital.
Lyons was employed with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth as a caseworker, the Erie Times-News reported. She had worked there for about a month.
County officials learned of Lyons’ MRSA diagnosis on Monday, and took steps to disinfect her work areas, track down the people she came into contact with, and educate her clients and coworkers about the contagious disease.
Light Therapy Brightens Future of MRSA Treatment
Posted on January 9, 2008
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Overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the increased prevalence of drug-resistant superbugs. But what if medical professionals didn’t have to rely on antibiotics to treat virulent bacterial infections?
Light therapy may be the answer.
Current research in the area of photomedicine is poised to have a huge impact on how doctors respond to serious drug-resistant staph infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. While antibiotics don’t always have the desired results, light therapy for MRSA-infected wounds is showing great promise, according to researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Therapeutic light is not new in the treatment of human ailments. Light therapy devices are successful at providing joint and muscle pain relief, and photodynamic therapies for cancer and dermatological conditions are currently under evaluation.
The light therapy wound treatments being studied at the Wellman Center could help reduce the high mortality rate of MRSA by providing faster cures without side effects. Estimates by the Centers for Disease Control indicate that MRSA kills more people than AIDS in the United States each year.
In animal tests performed by Wellman Center researchers, a deeply penetrating light focused on a wound colonized with MRSA was able to kill the bacteria in just 15 minutes. Treatment with antibiotic medicines takes days to weeks.
Light therapy for MRSA is also good news for patients concerned about the many side effects associated with traditional antibiotics. When focused on an infected wound, the light initiates chemical processes that are harmful to the bacteria, not the patient.
Wellman Center researchers will study the use of light therapy to treat MRSA infections in human populations next.
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