antibiotic resistance

Unlike animals, bacteria can readily share genetic information with other bacteria, even those of entirely different species.

When a patient enters a hospital or doctor's office with a cough, difficulty breathing, and chest discomfort/pain - physicians may be able to easily diagnose a lung infection. But, what is causing the infection is a different story.

I have repeatedly written about the vital need to stop one-size-fits-all approaches to complicated medical conditions and health policy as well as how imp

This morning I attended an event organized by the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) at the Harvard Club of New York.

Of the multitude of problems associated with developing new antibiotics, finding a way to provide financial incentives to companies doing the research is especially crucial. This is because antibiotics are not used like other drugs.

Two decades after new antibiotic research came to a screeching halt, we find ourselves in a gigantic mess. Hardly a day goes by without a news story about "superbugs"—multi-drug resistant bacteria, and how difficult it is to kill them.

Antibiotic resistance is an ongoing problem. Strike that - an ongoing crisis. Although the reasons are varied and many, we know that more usage results in more resistance.

When it comes to finding new antibiotics, no place is too weird to look.

In the battle against antibiotic resistance, here's an interesting proposal: salted doorknobs [in hospitals, or elsewhere] could fight super bug infections. Intrigued? So are we. Bummed you didn't think of it first? So are we.

The World Health Organization released their first ever report on the antibiotic resistant bacteria that are of the greatest global concern - the