...Summary of the research question and outcome (148 Words) My research project topic was inspired by my aspiration to work in the medical field. Literature reviews indicated the upcoming threat of antimicrobial resistance, knowing that bacterial infections are a significant risk factor in surgical procedures, I centred my topic around the effect of antimicrobial resistance on the efficacy of surgical procedures. My outcome was written in the form of a report detailing the results of research. It first considers background information regarding antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance such as, what they are and how they work. The key findings of my research were that, 38.7% to 50.9% of pathogens which cause surgical site infections are resistant to standard prophylactic drugs, that these...
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...diseases they cure and treat. Four out of every five Americans have used one type of antibiotic to treat common infections such as strep throat and even life threatening infections such as pneumonia (CBS/AP 2013). Bacterial infections that were previously incurable are now things of the past and “superbugs” that have risen from different strains of antimicrobial resistant bacteria are becoming threats of the future. Antibiotics have saved and helped the lives of millions worldwide, however, the commonly abused drugs are becoming a threat to the natural world. Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by microorganisms which destroy or prevent the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms (McGrew 22). In 1928, Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist, accidentally unearthed...
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...pneumonia refers to any infection of the lung. Pneumococcal pneumonia is the term that is used to describe pneumonia that is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcal pneumonia not only affects the lungs but other parts of the body such as upper respiratory tract, middle ear, or the nervous system causing pneumococcal meningitis. Pneumococcal meningitis has a high fatality rate when compared to the other infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The means of transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae is via respiratory droplet from the mouth or nose of an infected person or a carrier. Penicillin became available in the 1940’s which changed radically the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia which was based on watchful waiting. Despite this major development pneumonia still posed a major clinical problem today because of the resistance the organism developed against anti -microbial agents.Penicillin resistance is caused by a mosaic mutation of penicillin binding Protein (PBP) genes due to interspecies recombination of homologous genes. It is also recognized that a penicillin resistant pneumococcal in most cases is resistant to other antibiotics such as macrolide, tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, chloramphenicol and clindamycin.Antimicrobial resistance have limit the choice of treatment for many pneumonococcal diseased because of resistance these organism have built up against a number of antibiotice.For instance penicillin is said to be resistant to a list of...
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...Tern antimicrobial agent, technically refer to both synthetic and natural compounds but frequently antibiotic is used to refer to both. "An antibiotic is a substance which is produced by one type of micro-organism which kills or stops the growth of another" (Indge, 2003) Antibiotics have many beneficial effects and their use has much contributed to antibiotic problem Antibiotics have saved billions of lives since 1940’s as they are almost harmless for humans as biochemical reactions that are targeted by antibiotics in bacteria are different to that in animals. However antibiotics has played significant role in destroying bacteria but in 1960’s it was founded that bacteria is seeking ways to fight against antibiotic action. Some diseases were being caused by newly arisen bacterial strains such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aurous simply known as MRSA., that were difficult to be treated as they no longer respond to antibiotic. Arise of these strains of bacteria caused a lot of panic and controversy that is known as antibiotic...
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... Assignment title Antimicrobials Student Number 1464986 Word Count 2470 The article will initially cover conventional antibiotics and how their abuse led to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Alternative antimicrobials will be reviewed by taking into consideration their mechanisms of action and how they can represent a viable option to address the issue of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial Background ------------------------------------------------- Figure 1: Structure of penicillin and β-lactam ring (Adapted from LNLS, 2013) ------------------------------------------------- Figure 1: Structure of penicillin and β-lactam ring (Adapted from LNLS, 2013) Antimicrobials are substances that kill or suppress microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses (EPA, 2014). The first evidence of antimicrobials dates back to the Egyptians who used mouldy bread to treat surface infections (Wainwright, 1989). At the beginning of the 20th century, Paul Ehrlich synthesized the first antimicrobial agent known as Salvarsan, a drug used for treating syphilis (Aminov, 2010). Successively Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by noticing that the growth of Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited in presence of the mold produced by Penicillium fungi. This led to the conclusion that microorganisms produce substances to limit the growth of other competing microorganisms (Amrls, 2014). From that moment onwards, new types of antimicrobial agents were developed...
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...l of m e dic i n e Clinical Practice Caren G. Solomon, M.D., M.P.H., Editor Urinary Tract Infections in Older Men Anthony J. Schaeffer, M.D., and Lindsay E. Nicolle, M.D. This Journal feature begins with a case vignette highlighting a common clinical problem. Evidence supporting various strategies is then presented, followed by a review of formal guidelines, when they exist. The article ends with the authors’ clinical recommendations. From the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago (A.J.S.); and the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada (L.E.N.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Schaeffer at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Tarry Bldg. 16-703, Chicago, IL 60611, or at jschaeffer@ a northwestern.edu. N Engl J Med 2016;374:562-71. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMcp1503950 Copyright © 2016 Massachusetts Medical Society. An audio version of this article is available at NEJM.org 562 A 79-year-old community-dwelling man presents with urinary frequency, dysuria, and fever. Culture reveals extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Escherichia coli. He had a similar infection several months ago, with the same organism isolated, and he had a response to nitrofurantoin treatment. How would you further evaluate and manage this case? U The Cl inic a l Probl em rinary tract infection in men without indwelling catheters is uncommon among men younger than 60 years of age, but the incidence ...
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...has shown that patola indeed has active chemicals in aqueous extract and one of these is tannin; the naturally occurring plant polyphenols that serve as a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections. Gram-positive cocci are common isolates in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Although most are members of the indigenous microbial biota, some species are causative agents of serious infectious diseases. Consequently, as stated by Mahon, Lehaman and Manuselis (2010) for the vast majority of clinical laboratory situations, coagulase-positive isolates from human sources are considered to be S. aureus. Its infections are contagious and can be transmitted from person to person, and the illnesses related to this bacteria can range from mild and requiring no treatment, to severe and potentially fatal. Anyone can acquire a Staphylococcus aureus infection, especially the newborn infants, breastfeeding women, and people with chronic conditions. Also, it is an alarming fact that both community-associated and hospital-acquired infections with Staphylococcus aureus have increased in the past 20 years. Staphylococcus aureus infections are usually treated with antibiotics, but Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, is a type of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and other drugs in the same...
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...Laboratory diagnosis of respiratory infections In our laboratory, we offer tests for the diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infections-pharyngitis, sinusitis, ocular and ear infections, and lower tract infections including pneumonia and bronchitis. Today we will focus on the diagnosis of common bacterial causes of pharyngitis and lower respiratory tract infections. Dr Miller will cover mycobacterial, fungal, and viral causes of lower respiratory tract infections with a special emphasis on the use of molecular methods to detect these organisms. Upper respiratory tract infections Pharyngitis- Group A streptococci is the most important bacterial cause of pharyngitis. Although pharyngitis is typically a self-limited disease, the diagnosis of group A streptococci may be attempted. The reasons may be to prevent the overuse of antimicrobials to treat pharyngitis (GAS negative patients are not treated) and to prevent ping-ponging of GAS in family with susceptible children. 1. GAS diagnostic strategy- Rapid Antigen Detection Test (RADT)- can be used in adults; test has high specificity (99%+) but sensitivity ranging from 80-90% (dependent upon test used and quality of specimen collection). Antigen positive patients would be treated but antigen negative patients would not. a. What about back-up culture- pro-can detect other agents of pharyngitis including Group C and G strep which is a common cause of bacterial pharyngitis as well as Arcanobacterium. ...
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...treatment of diseases which is one of the areas that is gaining grounds and acceptability world-wide (p.1). According to the World Health Organization, medicinal plants would be the best source to acquire different effective drugs and, therefore, those plants should undergo investigation to have a better understanding of their properties, safety and efficacy (Rajeh et al., 2010; Nascimiento et al., 2000). There are some published reports describing the antimicrobial activity of various crude plant extracts (Igoli et al., 2005; Alzoreky et al., 2003). It is estimated that there are about 2.5 million species of higher plants and the majority of these have not yet been examined for their pharmacological activities (Ram et al., 2003). In relation with the applications of herbal plants, weed, which is a plant that grows out of place and is competitive, persistent and pernicious (James et al., 1991), have been a part of civilization and many ancient documents speak of humans battling weeds in the crops they grow and also found to be resistant to most of the microbial disease that made us interested to know the potency behind (Ibrahim et al., 2012). Furthermore, according to Ibrahim et al. (2012), there is increasing documentation to strengthen the hypothesis that weeds are relatively high in bioactive secondary compounds and...
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...the last several years, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has presented a more serious and diverse problem across the world. Although it was not a big concern in the United States until the early 1990s, CRE is becoming more dangerous as the days go by due to susceptibility (Gupta, Limbago, Patel, & Kallen, 2011). CRE is a group of multiple bacterium that is very difficult to treat due to the high resistance to several antibiotics, which has earned them the name “Killer bacteria” or “Nightmare bacteria” (Bradford, 2015). This is what led to the Carbapenem-resistant gram negative bacteria study for both inside and outside of the health care facilities, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli (E. coli), in an attempt to understand why CRE is antibiotic resistant, and to test if there was any way to slow the infection down, prevent it, and ultimately...
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...causing variety of hospital as well as community acquired infections in humans within all age groups. S. aureus can cause superficial skin infections and life-compromising diseases such as endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, myocarditis, respiratory tract, sepsis and soft tissue, and blood stream infections (Henrique et al. 2009, Chakraborty et al. 2011). It is also one of the major causative agents of surgical wound infections (Chigbu et al. 2003). After discovery of penicillin, it was the first choice of drug to treat staphylococcal infections, but in 1944 S. aureus became resistant to penicillin by producing penicillinase enzyme (Frank et...
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...Re Effect of Antimicrobials | | Abstract For centuries, microbes have taken countless lives of both the young and old. Due to the lack of knowledge of microorganisms and the scarcity of equipment and tools to research them, there was little knowledge as to how these microbes had such detrimental effects on the human body. Since they are unseen to the human eye, no one knew as to where they were located, how they grew or even what they looked like. It was not until the 1600’s when Antony van Leeuwenhoek made the first microscopes and discovered these small creatures. As time went by, microbiology grew with each scientist who discovered a little more about these microbes. Slowly, more and more scientist were gaining more knowledge as to how to control the pandemic outbreaks that were happening across the country. At first, diseases were controlled by vaccines; but in 1923 Alexander Flemming had discovered a natural resource that inhibited bacterial growth. Mold that had grown in a dish opened the door to antibiotics. Since then, microbes have been fought off by using natural resources. In the past, antibiotics were successful in eliminating diseases by affecting the causative agent in various different ways. Some ways that antibiotics kill bacteria is by releasing chemicals that hinder DNA synthesis, disrupting metabolic activities of the bacterium cell which in turn does not allow the bacterium to reproduce but instead kills it. However, because bacteria have been...
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...Chapter I Background of the Study The twentieth century has witnessed tremendous advances in the understanding of infectious diseases, but many problems remain. Skin diseases are a common threat to humans that could be prevented by antibiotic treatment. Carbuncle, a skin disorder, is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that may occur as a commensal and may affect other tissues when normal barriers have been breached. Researchers around the globe developed antibiotics, such as penicillin and glycopeptides that could kill or slow down the growth of S. aureus bacteria. By 1950, it was reported that 40% of the hospital S. aureus isolates were penicillin and glycopeptide resistant; and recently, this has risen to 80%. Microciona prolifera, or red sponge, contains substances with antibiotic capacity that could kill or slow down the growth of a strain of S. aureus bacteria suggesting possibilities for creating novel drugs to treat the infectious skin disease. This study aims to determine the most efficient antibiotic solution of ectyonin extract from Microciona prolifera against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Statement of the Problem General Problem This study aims to compare which of the different solutions of Ectyonin extract from Microciona prolifera is the most effective in inhibiting the growth of the bacteria. Specific Problem Specifically it aims to answer the following questions: 1. Which of the four solutions...
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...Attributable Hospital Cost and Length of Stay Associated with Health Care-Associated Infections Caused by Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria Patrick D. Mauldin, Cassandra D. Salgado, Ida Solhøj Hansen, Darshana T. Durup and John A. Bosso Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2010, 54(1):109. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01041-09. Published Ahead of Print 19 October 2009. Downloaded from http://aac.asm.org/ on January 1, 2012 by guest Updated information and services can be found at: http://aac.asm.org/content/54/1/109 These include: REFERENCES This article cites 43 articles, 12 of which can be accessed free at: http://aac.asm.org/content/54/1/109#ref-list-1 Receive: RSS Feeds, eTOCs, free email alerts (when new articles cite this article), more» CONTENT ALERTS Information about commercial reprint orders: http://aac.asm.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtml To subscribe to to another ASM Journal go to: http://journals.asm.org/site/subscriptions/ ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY, Jan. 2010, p. 109–115 0066-4804/10/$12.00 doi:10.1128/AAC.01041-09 Copyright © 2010, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 54, No. 1 Attributable Hospital Cost and Length of Stay Associated with Health Care-Associated Infections Caused by Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria Patrick D. Mauldin,1,2 Cassandra D. Salgado,3 Ida Solhøj Hansen,1 Darshana T. Durup,1 and John A. Bosso1,3* Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy...
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...against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus specie. Indigenous plants possess the ability to produce phytochemicals which they use to protect themselves against insect infection and environmental harsh conditions. Currently, the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance is the greatest challenge on the treatment of bacterial infection in Zimbabwe (Weinstein R.A, 1998). In Zimbabwe vanocomycim, meropenem, imipenem are antibiotics which are being used against methicillin resistant S.aureus specie and are considered very expensive because they are not manufactured in Zimbabwe. Combretum molle is an indigenous plant which produces phytochemicals which possess the ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria and have several biological activities like antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial activities. These phytochemicals can be used in rotation with the conventional drugs since they possess a different structure which is new to the bacteria. Using phytochemicals as antibacterial agents from Combretum molle plant can be of great advantage since it is readily available in Zimbabwe thereby cutting cost of importing and they do not cause undesirable toxic effects because they are natural. 1.1 Problem statement Currently, the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance is the greatest challenge on the treatment of bacterial infection in Zimbabwe especially the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus specie. The number of bacteria that are resistant toward these synthetic...
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