News tagged with antimicrobials
Antibiotic resistant bacteria proliferate in agricultural soils
Infectious diseases kill roughly 13 million people worldwide, annually, a toll that continues to rise, aided and abetted by resistance genes. Now a study, published in the March Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy finds ...
Mar 20, 2012 |
4 / 5 (8) |
0
|
Australian mammals take on antibiotic-resistant bugs
The Australian wallaby and platypus could turn out to be key weapons in fighting the growing health threat of multidrug-resistant bacteria, a team involving University of Sydney researchers has discovered.
Sep 02, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
1
|
New technology makes textiles permanently germ-free; targets health care-associated infections
A University of Georgia researcher has invented a new technology that can inexpensively render medical linens and clothing, face masks, paper towels -- and yes, even diapers, intimate apparel and athletic wear, including ...
Jul 05, 2011 |
3.9 / 5 (11) |
15
|
How microbes take out the trash
(PhysOrg.com) -- The molecular machinery bacteria use to rid themselves of toxic substances including antimicrobial drugs has been studied in detail by a UA-led team of researchers. A better understanding ...
May 10, 2011 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
|
Proteins from male insects affect female behavior
(PhysOrg.com) -- For insects, as for humans, mating can involve complicated interactions between males and females, with each partner engaging in rituals or behaviors that influence the other.
Feb 23, 2011 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Nanoparticle gives antimicrobial ability to fight Listeria longer
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Purdue University research team developed a nanoparticle that can hold and release an antimicrobial agent as needed for extending the shelf life of foods susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Dec 07, 2010 |
3 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Understanding nitric oxide toxicity
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at MIT, the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), and the University of California at Davis have succeeded in characterizing the dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) ...
Dec 07, 2010 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Unlocking bacteria's survival aid
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have worked out how to control a protective mechanism found in many bacteria that helps them grow and stay alive.
Dec 03, 2010 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Myth of a germ-free world: A closer look at antimicrobial products
Killing microorganisms has become a national obsession. A pair of antimicrobial compounds known as triclosan and triclocarban are lately the weapons of choice in our war of attrition against the microbial ...
Nov 09, 2010 |
5 / 5 (18) |
3
|
Cockroach brains could be rich stores of new antibiotics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cockroaches could be more of a health benefit than a health hazard according to scientists from The University of Nottingham.
Sep 06, 2010 |
4.6 / 5 (25) |
2
|
Vitamin D: Not just for bones, says San Francisco VA physician
It is well-known that vitamin D is essential for strong and healthy bones. However, in an article in the online "In Press" section of "Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism," a San Francisco VA Medical Center physician reviews ...
Jun 15, 2010 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
1
|
New microneedle antimicrobial techniques may foster medical tech innovation
A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has developed two new approaches for incorporating antimicrobial properties into microneedles - vanishingly thin needles that hold great promise ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
May 19, 2010 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Hungry immune guardians are snappier
German researchers have discovered an elementary mechanism which regulates vital immune functions in healthy people. In situations of hunger which mean stress for the body's cells, the body releases more antimicrobial ...
Jan 20, 2010 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Disinfectants may promote growth of superbugs
Using disinfectants could cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics as well as the disinfectant itself, according to research published in the January issue of Microbiology. The findings could have important implic ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Dec 27, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
1
Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive
A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research ...
Nov 23, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (8) |
3
Antimicrobial
An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans, as well as destroying viruses. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes (microbicidal) or prevent the growth of microbes (microbistatic). Disinfectants are antimicrobial substances used on non-living objects.
The history of antimicrobials begins with the observations of Pasteur and Joubert, who discovered that one type of bacteria could prevent the growth of another. They did not know at that time that the reason one bacterium failed to grow was that the other bacterium was producing an antibiotic. Technically, antibiotics are only those substances that are produced by one microorganism that kill, or prevent the growth, of another microorganism. Of course, in today's common usage, the term antibiotic is used to refer to almost any drug that cures a bacterial infection. Antimicrobials include not just antibiotics, but synthetically formed compounds as well.
The discovery of antimicrobials like penicillin and tetracycline paved the way for better health for millions around the world. Before 1941, the year penicillin was discovered, no true cure for gonorrhea, strep throat, or pneumonia existed. Patients with infected wounds often had to have a wounded limb removed, or face death from infection. Now, most of these infections can be cured easily with a short course of antimicrobials.
However, the future effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy is somewhat in doubt. Microorganisms, especially bacteria, are becoming resistant to more and more antimicrobial agents. Bacteria found in hospitals appear to be especially resilient, and are causing increasing difficulty for the sickest patients–those in the hospital. Currently, bacterial resistance is combated by the discovery of new drugs. However, microorganisms are becoming resistant more quickly than new drugs are being made available; thus, future research in antimicrobial therapy may focus on finding how to overcome resistance to antimicrobials, or how to treat infections with alternative means, such as species-specific phages.
For more information about Antimicrobial, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
