Infection Control Today Site Wide Content Feed

Hospitals Profit When Patients Develop Bloodstream Infections

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:53:00 GMT

Johns Hopkins researchers report that hospitals may be reaping enormous income for patients whose hospital stays are complicated by preventable bloodstream infections contracted in their intensive care units. In a small, new study, reported online in the American Journal of Medical Quality, the researchers found that an ICU patient who develops an

Chemists Find New Compounds to Curb Staph Infection

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:41:00 GMT

In an age when microbial pathogens are growing increasingly resistant to the conventional antibiotics used to tamp down infection, a team of Wisconsin scientists has synthesized a potent new class of compounds capable of curbing the bacteria that cause staph infections. Writing online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a group led by

Study Examines Transmissibility of H7N9 Avian Influenza Virus

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:00 GMT

Chinese and U.S. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian model in influenza research, and efficient transmission of influenza virus between ferrets can provide clues as to how

Researchers Suggest Boosting Body's Natural Flu Killers

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

A known difficulty in fighting influenza is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer

New Research Advances Development of Universal Flu Vaccine

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A new approach for immunizing against influenza elicited a more potent immune response and broader protection than the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines when tested in mice and ferrets. The vaccine concept, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), represents an important

Study Finds New Pneumococcal Vaccine Appears to be as Safe as Previously Used Vaccine

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) appears to be as safe as the previous version used prior to 2010, the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved PCV13 for use beginning in 2010 after a series of

Virox Achieves LEED Certification

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Virox Technologies Inc. announces that it has achieved LEED® Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its 46,000-square-foot headquarters which includes the company's corporate offices, research and development laboratory, manufacturing and warehousing facility. Virox is the first chemical manufacturer in Canada

Lehigh Valley Expands Fleet of Superbug-Slaying Robots

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:30:00 GMT

Lehigh Valley Health Network announces the deployment of two additional TRU-D SmartUVCTM devices, adding to its existing arsenal of five 5-foot-5 germ-killing UV disinfection robots. With seven devices taking up residence within the network, LVHN is now deploying the largest fleet of TRU-Ds in the U.S. to proactively combat superbugs and provide

Researchers Discover Why Old Schizophrenia Medicine Works on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a huge problem all over the world: For example, 25 percent to 50

Peer-Referral Programs Can Increase HIV-Testing in Emergency Departments

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that incorporating a peer-referral program for HIV testing into emergency departments can reach new groups of high-risk patients and brings more patients into the hospital for testing. Co-author and assistant professor of emergency medicine Michael Lyons, MD, says public health officials

New Malaria Test Kit Boosts Elimination Efforts Worldwide

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

New Malaria Test Kit Boosts Elimination Efforts Worldwide A new, highly sensitive blood test that quickly detects even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the body could make a dramatic difference in efforts to tackle the disease in the UK and across the world, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. In two

New Test Better Detects Elephantiasis Worm Infection

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A new diagnostic test for a worm infection that can lead to severe enlargement and deformities of the legs and genitals is far more sensitive than the currently used test, according to results of a field study in Liberia, in West Africa, where the infection is endemic. The new test found evidence of the infection – lymphatic filariasis – in many

Targeting High-Risk Neighborhoods May Eliminate Tuberculosis

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Identifying specific neighborhoods that have a high incidence of tuberculosis followed by testing and treating the residents proved to eliminate those communities’ cases of tuberculosis, according to new research published in the American Journal of Public Health. A latent tuberculosis infection, called LTBI, accounts for the development of most

Healthmark Industries Offers New CEU Game

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Healthmark Industries announces the launch of its newest game on Crazy4Clean.com, “Maestra Tempa’s Temperature Challenge.” This new game takes participants on an adventure of learning the importance of temperature monitoring. Maestra Tempa will help participants choose the correct temperature settings for rooms and equipment as well as learn how

Firms Announce Partnership for Surgical Instrument Management

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Best Practice Professionals, Inc., a leading provider of oneSOURCE Document Management Service®, an electronic database that provides immediate access to manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFU) documents, has entered into a partnership with Haldor Advanced Technologies Ltd., the leading provider of RFID enabled surgical instrument visibility

Safe in Common Announces Third Online Conference to Push for Needlestick Safety

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Safe in Common (SIC), the non-profit organization of healthcare safety advocates that is dedicated to eradicating needlestick- and sharps-related injuries, today opened registration for its third online conference in a series of events addressing needlestick and sharps safety. The conference, “The Unfinished Agenda: When Will Healthcare Worker

Researchers are Attacking MRSA With Metals From Antibacterial Clays

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:00 GMT

In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance. Shelley Haydel, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, has a new approach to developing

Leading Explanations for Whooping Cough's Resurgence Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence. Some say the vaccine wears off quicker than public health officials had previously believed. Others suggest that the vaccine protects against illness but does

Prenatal Exposure to Traffic is Associated with Respiratory Infection in Young Children

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study from researchers in Boston. “The connection between in utero and early life cigarette smoke exposure and adverse infant respiratory outcomes is well-established, but

Early Childhood Respiratory Infections May Explain Link Between Analgesics and Asthma

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

A new study conducted by Boston researchers reports that the link between asthma and early childhood use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be driven by underlying respiratory infections that prompt the use of these analgesics, rather than the drugs themselves. The results of the new study will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference.