Many articles describe the rise of superbugs - bacteria that are resistant to antibiotic drugs - as inevitable. But society has the knowledge to stop the spread of these microbes.
Drips and other medical devices were potential sources of infection. But no-one expected to find hospital-acquired pneumonia and urinary tract infections.
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Monica Slavin, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; Arjun Rajkhowa, The University of Melbourne; Karin Thursky, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity e Megan Crane, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Candida auris is a fungus which breeds most commonly in health-care settings. It’s cause for concern because it’s hard to detect, and is resistant to many anti-fungal drugs.
Antibiotic resistance is common in bacteria where there’s a large human population and poor sanitation. For the first time however, it’s been found in the remote Arctic.
Antibiotic-resistant germs can thrive in the presence of these drugs.
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Our bodies have a set of defenses that are finely tuned for killing invading microbes. With rising cases of drug-resistant bacteria, maybe boosting our natural defenses is the best medicine.
Superbugs used to pose the greatest risk to people with compromised immune systems and those who had surgery. But their sexual transmission means antibiotic resistance can spread much more widely.
Australia does not have a national system that collects data on hospital acquired infections. But new research has shed light on how many do occur each year across the country.
Antibiotics Staphylex, used to treat the infection Golden Staph.
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Unless we do something about about antibiotic pollution in the world’s waterways, the next trip you take to the coast for a seafood dinner just might be your last.
Woman resisting pills. Via Shutterstock.
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Antibiotic resistance is a major health threat that causes almost 700,000 deaths a year, and its toll is expected to grow. Here are some things you can do to offer your own resistance.
According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistance is now at crisis point.
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The US Centers for Disease Control has reported a woman in her 70s has died of overwhelming sepsis caused by a bacterium that was resistant to all available antibiotics.