Tag Archives: methicillin-resistant

Testing Water for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an important concern for disease prevention in the future. UA doctoral candidate Victoria Obergh is testing Tucson-area wastewater systems to find out where these bacteria can be found.

In the lab, Victoria Obergh transfers bacterial DNA samples into a tray. A graduate student in the University of Arizona’s Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Obergh works with the samples under a sterile hood sporting an ultraviolet light to kill any unwanted DNA. (more…)

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OhioHealth and IBM Scientists Join Forces to Prevent Infections in Hospitals

Wireless technology and real-time Big Data analytics boost hand hygiene 20%

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. & COLUMBUS, OH. – 10 Jan 2014: OhioHealth andIBM today announced a collaboration to aid in the prevention of  infections using a first-of-a-kind network of wireless sensors and real-time Big Data analytics that measure hand-washing practices.  OhioHealth will use the technology to provide hospital administrators with real-time data that can be used to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs) like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, which affect 1 in every 20 patients in U.S. healthcare facilities.

Already, the pilot project in Columbus has achieved more than 90 percent compliance with hand-washing standards – a 20 percent jump over its previous practices and well above the 50 percent national compliance level. (more…)

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‘Chemical Compounds in Trees Can Fight Deadly Staph Infections in Humans’

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Most people would never suspect that a “trash tree,” one with little economic value and often removed by farmers due to its ability to destroy farmland, could be the key to fighting a deadly bacterium. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found an antibiotic in the Eastern Red Cedar tree that is effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a “superbug” that is resistant to most medications.

“I wanted to find a use for a tree species that is considered a nuisance,” said Chung-Ho Lin, research assistant professor in the MU Center for Agroforestry at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “This discovery could help people fight the bacteria as well as give farmers another cash crop.” (more…)

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