PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Antibiotics: Change route of delivery to mitigate resistance

2013-06-27
(Press-News.org) New research suggests that the rapid rise of antibiotic resistance correlates with oral ingestion of antibiotics, raising the possibility that other routes of administration could reduce the spread of resistance. The manuscript appears online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

"For more than 40 years, a few doses of penicillin were enough to take care of deadly bacterial infections," says Hua Wang of the Ohio State University, Columbus, a researcher on the study. But since the 1980s, antibiotic resistance has been spreading rapidly, disabling once-powerful agents, leaving increasing numbers of patients to suffer, and even to die.

In earlier research, the investigators found a large cache of antibiotic resistance genes carried by nonpathogenic bacteria in many ready-to-consume food items. They also reported rapid development of resistant bacteria in infants who had not been exposed to antibiotics, shortly after birth, suggesting the gastrointestinal tract played a critical role in spreading resistance.

In the new research, the researchers inoculated lab mice with either Enterococcus species or Escherichia coli carrying specific resistance genes. The mice were then given tetracycline or ampicillin antibiotics, either orally, or via injection. Oral administration of antibiotics resulted in rapid rise of resistance genes as measured in the mice' feces. Resistance spread much less, and more slowly when the mice received antibiotics via injection.

The researchers also found that antibiotic resistance genes were not detectable in mice that had not been inoculated with bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes, regardless of the route of antibiotic administration.

The human death toll from resistance, Wang says, is much higher than the 90,000 figure provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The difference is due to the fact that bacterial infection is often the direct cause of death in many patients with chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and cancer.

Besides resistance, recent work has shown that the use of oral antibiotics can reduce the diversity of the gut flora. Abnormalities of the gut flora are associated with multiple non-infectious diseases, including several autoimmune diseases and type II diabetes, according to Jeremy Nicholson of Imperial College, London, UK. Thus, alternatives to oral administration could likely mitigate these kinds of problems, as well.

Convenient alternatives to oral antibiotics might include transdermal administration via a patch, or other devices, says Wang.

Wang suggests that it should not be surprising that oral administration would abet the spread of resistance genes, since this route, unlike injection, directly exposes the humongous population of gastrointestinal bacteria to antibiotics. The resulting resistant microbes then get transmitted to the environment via the feces. From there, bacteria containing resistance genes once again gain entry to the food supply, via livestock, or via produce that has been exposed to manure from industrial livestock, as well as contaminated waste and soil, in a vicious cycle.

"Revealing this key risk factor is exciting because we have options other than oral administration, including convenient ones, for giving antibiotics," says Wang.

###

A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0613c. The paper is scheduled to be formally published in the August 2013 Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Helping many people boosts social standing more than helping many times

2013-06-27
A business may build a better reputation as a good corporate citizen by donating $100,000 to ten charities, as opposed to $1million to one charity, suggested University of Missouri anthropologist Shane Macfarlan. Contrary to earlier assumptions in theoretical biology, Macfarlan's research found that helping a greater number of people builds a positive reputation more than helping a few people many times. The results of this research can offer guidance to businesses and politicians on how to improve their public images. "Good reputations are good business. For example, ...

MBL researchers find zinc's crucial pathway to the brain

2013-06-27
WOODS HOLE, Mass.– A new study helps explain how parts of the brain maintain their delicate balance of zinc, an element required in minute but crucial doses, particularly during embryonic development. The study, led at the MBL by Dr. Mark Messerli in collaboration with scientists from the University of California, Davis, shows that neural cells require zinc uptake through a membrane transporter referred to as ZIP12.. If that route is closed, neuronal sprouting and growth are significantly impaired and is fatal for a developing embryo. Their discovery was published in ...

Nurse practitioners can boost quality of care for older patients with chronic conditions

2013-06-27
U.S. residents today are living longer than previous generations, thanks to improved public health and medical treatment. But they're also living longer with chronic geriatric health conditions like dementia, urinary incontinence, depression and debilitating falls, which often require complex medical care. Doctors spend significant time and resources treating individuals with chronic conditions, and the average family physician can become severely overtaxed managing care for such patients. The picture becomes even worse with chronic geriatric conditions. Several ...

People with a disability more likely to be obese, have chronic illnesses

2013-06-27
HOUSTON – (June 26, 2013) – Adults with a disability are more likely to be obese or extremely obese than those without a disability according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health, which is part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). There are approximately 54 million Americans living with a disability and according to the latest research, nearly 42 percent of American adults with a disability were reported as obese and 9 percent as extremely obese. Participants were identified as having a disability ...

Feature stops apps from stealing phone users' passwords

2013-06-27
DURHAM, N.C. -- Imagine downloading a NetFlix app to your phone so that you can watch movies on the go. You would expect the app to request your account's username and password the first time it runs. Most apps do. But, not all apps are what they appear to be. They can steal log-in and password information. In 2011, researchers at North Carolina State University discovered a convincing imitation of the real Netflix app that forwarded users' login details to an untrusted server. And, in June, the security firm F-Secure discovered a malicious, fake version of the popular ...

How to boost Hispanics' participation in clinical trials? Relate to them, Moffitt study shows

2013-06-27
Hispanic cancer patients rarely participate in clinical trials, but researchers want to tailor a Spanish DVD to help change this. To create a relevant educational tool, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers investigated why awareness of and participation in trials are so low in this population. Using focus groups with 36 Spanish-speaking cancer survivors from Tampa and Puerto Rico, researchers found that a language barrier, as well as a cultural idea that only doctors, not patients, guide treatment decisions, may help account for low participation rates. Looking for ways ...

Easily forgotten, digital assets are an important part of estate planning

2013-06-27
Easily forgotten, digital assets are an important part of estate planning Article provided by Louis Pacella Law Offices Visit us at http://www.athomeplanning.com/ As you create a will or engage in estate planning, when you think of property that you need to distribute, you may think of your home, personal effects and other real estate. However, as technological advances have changed the world, many people neglect to address important electronic assets. These types of assets are collectively known as digital assets. They include property such as digital photos, ...

Tampa shooting suspect charged with hate crimes

2013-06-27
Tampa shooting suspect charged with hate crimes Article provided by Jaime J. Garcia Attorney at Law Visit us at http://www.jaimegarcialaw.com Most people in Florida understand that robbing, assaulting or otherwise harming another person is a serious crime that can carry significant penalties. However, not everyone realizes that the penalties for these crimes can be even higher if prosecutors can show that perpetrator was motivated by prejudice against a class of people to which the victim belongs. These offenses are called "hate crimes." An example ...

Workers' compensation in Illinois

2013-06-27
Workers' compensation in Illinois Article provided by Short & Smith PC Visit us at http://www.shortandsmith.com The Chicago Tribune recently reported sad news, the tragic death of a worker at a construction site. Incidents like this are a reminder of the importance of workplace safety precautions and the need for workers' compensation coverage. Accident under investigation The construction accident happened at Northwestern University, where a Schaumburg construction company is under contract to build a $108 million structure to house the school of music. ...

Seeking custody of a grandchild in Texas

2013-06-27
Seeking custody of a grandchild in Texas Article provided by Connolly & Shireman, L.L.P. Visit us at http://www.connollyshireman.com It is a longstanding principle under both federal and Texas state law that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions about the care and custody of their children. Part of this includes the right to make decisions about which family members get to spend time with the child. As such, grandparents have no automatic rights to custody of their grandchildren, or even to visit with them occasionally. However, in situations ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction

Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor

How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease

UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis

XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion

Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors

Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture

Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer

Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support

T cells take aim at Chikungunya virus

Gantangqing site in southwest China yields 300,000-year-old wooden tools

Forests can’t keep up: Adaptation will lag behind climate change

Sturgeon reintroduction initiative yields promising first-year survival rate

Study: Babies’ poor vision may help organize visual brain pathways

Research reveals Arctic region was permafrost-free when global temperatures were 4.5˚ C higher than today

Novel insights into chromophobe renal cell carcinoma biology and potential therapeutic strategies

A breakthrough in motor safety: AI-powered warning system enhances capability to uncover hidden winding faults

Research teases apart competing transcription organization models

Connect or reject: Extensive rewiring builds binocular vision in the brain

Benefits and risks: informal use of antibiotics to prevent sexually transmitted infections on the rise in key populations in the Netherlands

New molecular tool sheds light on how cancer cells repair telomeres

First large-scale stem cell bank enables worldwide studies on genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease

[Press-News.org] Antibiotics: Change route of delivery to mitigate resistance