http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. With the increasing availability of sophisticated technologies to rapidly diagnose and treat infectious diseases, the duties and the role of clinical laboratory microbiologists, who traditionally perform these tests, could see significant changes in the next few years. That is one of the conclusions of a series of reports published in a special supplement to the September 2011 Journal of Clinical Microbiology. http://phys.org/news234714537.html Biology Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:29:12 EST news234714537 New guidelines, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) outline steps to eliminate bloodstream infections in patients with intravenous catheters, which are among the most deadly and costly healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). http://phys.org/news220881333.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:56:08 EST news220881333 A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found a significant increase in the occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in the summer and autumn months. The increase was more pronounced in the pediatric population than in adults. The study is now published online in advance of print in PloS ONE. http://phys.org/news220184508.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:22:19 EST news220184508 Each year patients in the U.S. get more than a million infections while in the hospital being treated for something else. The best way to prevent infection is to practice proper hand hygiene, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://phys.org/news219594803.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:33:50 EST news219594803 Community gym surfaces do not appear to be reservoirs for MRSA transmission, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC – the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. http://phys.org/news218370774.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:33:09 EST news218370774 As many as 70% of certain cases of healthcare-acquired infections may be preventable with current evidence-based strategies according to a new study by Craig A. Umscheid, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Evidence-based Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Healthcare-acquired infections are infections that occur during a hospitalization and that are not present prior to hospital admission. http://phys.org/news217256201.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:56:54 EST news217256201 A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found a reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) when using two percent chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) cloths for daily bathing instead of soap and water. The study found a 64 percent decrease in the risk of acquiring an infection from either methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). The study is published online in advance of print in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. http://phys.org/news216990197.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:03:32 EST news216990197 New research provides the first detailed genetic picture of an evolutionary war between Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria and the vaccines and antibiotics used against it over recent decades. Large-scale genome sequencing reveals patterns of adaptation and the spread of a drug-resistant lineage of the S. pneumoniae bacteria. http://phys.org/news215360205.html Biology Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:17:22 EST news215360205 Screening patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) produces cost savings for the whole hospital, according to a study that used a statistical simulation model published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. http://phys.org/news215345457.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:11:31 EST news215345457 When methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is carried in the nose (nares), it is a risk factor for an invasive infection, including a surgical site infection. Some studies have found that the heavier the carriage of MRSA in the nose, the greater the risk of transmission to others and the greater risk of infection to the patient. Few studies to date have assessed the differences in quantity of MRSA at different body sites. A new study from Rhode Island Hospital now sheds light on both the quantity of MRSA at different body sites and the relationship between the quantities at different sites. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. http://phys.org/news213452356.html Biology Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:23:27 EST news213452356 (AP) -- This is no ordinary intensive care unit: Every doctor, nurse, friend or loved one must cover their clothes with a bright yellow gown and don purple gloves before entering a patient's room so some scary germs don't hitch a ride in or out. http://phys.org/news210873228.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:10:02 EST news210873228 Elderly women are at high risk for inappropriate urinary catheter utilization in emergency departments, according to a new study in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). http://phys.org/news207849580.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:02 EST news207849580 A new study looking at how hospitals identify pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSI) found significant inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop them. http://phys.org/news205756290.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:00:01 EST news205756290 A new study looking at how hospitals account for the number of pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) found substantial inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop these infections. http://phys.org/news204546082.html Medicine & Health Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:40:03 EST news204546082 Not drying your hands thoroughly after washing them, could increase the spread of bacteria and rubbing your hands whilst using a conventional electric hand dryer could be a contributing factor. Frequently people give up drying their hands and wipe them on their clothes instead, but hand-hygiene is a key part of infection control and drying hands after washing is a very important part of the process. http://phys.org/news203077430.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:24:05 EST news203077430 New research shows that individuals with mild H1N1 infection may go undetected using standard diagnostic criteria, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, (APIC). The study concludes that coughing or other respiratory symptoms are more accurate in determining influenza infection than presence of a fever. http://phys.org/news199622135.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:01 EST news199622135 Rapid identification and aggressive infection control measures allowed a Dallas hospital to stop the spread of Acinetobacter baumannii, a type of bacteria that has become increasingly prevalent in healthcare facilities and is resistant to most antibiotics. The findings were presented today at the 37th Annual Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). http://phys.org/news198203273.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:50:01 EST news198203273 An assessment of nearly 70 ambulatory surgical centers in three states found that lapses in infection control were common, including for practices such as hand hygiene, injection and medication safety and equipment reprocessing, according to a study in the June 9 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news195239350.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:00:10 EST news195239350 Keyboards located in triage and registration areas were found to be more contaminated with bacteria than those in other areas of the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, according to a new study conducted by the hospital. http://phys.org/news194765017.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:50:01 EST news194765017 Fear of the H1N1 virus appears to be the driving factor behind the adoption of preventive behaviors, according to a study published in the June issue of AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, (APIC). Researchers studying the public response during the recent H1N1 outbreak in Hong Kong concluded that fear about the pandemic prompted residents to frequently wash hands and wear face-masks. http://phys.org/news194179190.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 May 2010 11:40:18 EST news194179190 Misunderstandings about proper use of antibiotics have the potential to spread widely through social networks such as Twitter, according to a report in the April issue of AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC). Researchers from Columbia University and MixedInk (New York, NY) studied the health information content of Twitter updates mentioning antibiotics to determine how people are sharing information and assess the proliferation of misinformation. The investigation explored evidence of misunderstanding or misuse of antibiotics. http://phys.org/news189183357.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:20:01 EST news189183357 A joint panel of experts from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) today released online new clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adults. The guidelines, to be published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, update recommendations regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and infection control and environmental management of this disease. http://phys.org/news188457471.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:50:01 EST news188457471 Researchers evaluating France's national infection control program for healthcare facilities found significant decreases in the rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) since 2004. The drop in HAIs, including MRSA and surgical site infections, could be attributed to important changes in the national infection control system. France's national, regional and local coordinating centers have been reorganized to help facilities throughout the country comply and conform with mandatory public reporting requirements and key program objectives. The findings were presented today at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections. http://phys.org/news188119267.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:20:05 EST news188119267 Bathing trauma patients daily using cloths containing the antiseptic chlorhexidine may be associated with a decreased rate of colonization and infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other difficult-to-treat bacteria, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Surgery. http://phys.org/news187893072.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:31:28 EST news187893072 One quarter of Ontario hospitals surveyed in a Queen's University-led study do not have an influenza pandemic plan and few plans that do exist have been tested. In addition, key players were not involved in developing the plans, and funding for pandemic preparedness was inadequate. http://phys.org/news185039809.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:57:10 EST news185039809 Staying in a multi-bed hospital room dramatically increases the risk of acquiring a serious infectious disease, Queen's University researchers have discovered. http://phys.org/news181908531.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:09:41 EST news181908531 Despite a 100-fold increase in H1N1 influenza cases in the Seattle area during spring 2009, an aggressive infection control program to protect immunocompromised cancer patients and thorough screening measures resulted in no corresponding increase in H1N1 cases among the total patient population at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, according to a new study by researchers and physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the SCCA. http://phys.org/news180202694.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:49:02 EST news180202694 A wireless digital 'plaster' that can monitor vital signs continuously and remotely is being tried out with patients and healthy volunteers at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, in a new clinical trial run by Imperial College London researchers. http://phys.org/news176396422.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:10:03 EST news176396422 Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have for the first time identified the genetic mechanisms involved in the formation and survival of L-form bacteria. Their findings are described in a study published October 6 in the journal PLoS ONE. http://phys.org/news174651011.html Biology Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:11:09 EST news174651011 Patients continue to enter home healthcare ''sicker and quicker," often with complex health problems that may require extensive nursing care. This increases the risk of needlestick injuries in home healthcare nurses. While very few studies have focused on the risks of home healthcare, it is the fastest growing healthcare sector in the U.S. In a recent study, led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the rate of needlestick-type injuries was 7.6 per 100 nurses. http://phys.org/news174140058.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:20:03 EST news174140058