Tag Archives: superbug

Sex tourism and the horror superbug

Public Health England, a British Government’s health agency, just reported a case of a heterosexual man infected with ‘Neisseria gonorrhoeae’. The superbug is resistant to both the antibiotics azithromycin and ceftriaxone. This is worldwide the first case of multi-drug-resistant Gonorrhoeae. (more…)

Read More

The War on Microbes

The outbreak of a new foodborne bacterial strain wreaking havoc in Germany is a reminder of the fast-changing nature of microbes and the dangers they pose to society. UA researchers are developing innovative strategies to fight emerging germs threatening the food and health-care industry.

The most recent outbreak of foodborne illness in Germany, which so far has infected more than 4,000 people and killed 36, serves as a reminder of the power microbes hold over humanity, in spite of scientific, medical and technological advances. (more…)

Read More

‘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…)

Read More