If you’ve ever been through the discomfort of having your appendix surgically removed, just think: It might have all been for naught. Finnish researchers involved in a new clinical trial report that antibiotics are plenty effective at treating acute appendicitis most of the time.
The term “superbug” refers to bacteria that have become resistant to the antibiotics normally used to get rid of them. Now, a new study suggests that the term is more fitting than scientists previously realized. It turns out that these infectious bacteria stealthily “hibernate” during antibiotic treatment, which further prevents the medications from killing the bugs. [1]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said earlier this year that more than 200 rare “nightmare” antibiotic-resistant genes were found during testing in 2017.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, expressed shock at the findings, saying:
“I was surprised by the numbers we found. Two million Americans get infections from antibiotic resistance, and 23,000 die from those infections each year.”
Each year in the United States, antibiotic side effects send about 70,000 children to emergency rooms, according to a report published in August.
For the study, supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers used nationwide estimates for outpatient antibiotic prescriptions and data from a nationally-representative sample of ER visits to gain a better understanding of antibiotic use in people under 19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 10 ordered that stronger safety warnings be added to a powerful and potentially dangerous class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones.
The new warnings will inform patients about the drugs’ potential to cause dangerous drops in blood sugar and neurological side effects, including delirium and memory problems.
The following drugs are all fluoroquinolone medications. There are more than 60 generic versions of fluoroquinolones.
Robo-crops, yellow cardinals and eugenics law + this day in history w/the assassination of Olof Palme and your song of the day w/Kacey Musgraves on your Morning Monarchy for February 28, 2018.
Olympics outbreaks, epidemic levels and food stamp collectors + this day in history w/Saint Valentine and our song of the day by Shakey Graves on your Morning Monarchy for February 14, 2018.
All your life, you’ve been told to finish a course of antibiotics, even if you’re feeling better. But now that antibiotic resistance has become such a serious problem, some British doctors are questioning whether that advice is doing more harm than good. [1]
In June the World Health Organization (WHO) published a new classification of antibiotics aimed at fighting drug resistance, with penicillin-type drugs recommended as the first line of defense, and others only when absolutely necessary. [1]
One of the largest chicken producers in the United States, Perdue Farms recently released its first-ever chicken welfare report in July 2017. The company says it has taken important steps to follow through on plans it announced a little over a year ago to change the way it raises and slaughters chickens. [1]
