Category Archives: Antibiotics

Some Thoughts on the CRE ‘Superbugs’

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

Last week, you might have read about carbapenem-resistant ‘superbugs’ (actually, these are pretty ordinary bacteria except that they’re resistant to just about everything we can throw at them) due to the recent study detailing an outbreak at the NIH. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, KPC, NDM-1, Public Health | 5 Comments

Yes, There Is Money to Be Made in Microbial Sequencing

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

And I’m not the only one who thinks so in light of the recent paper about a KPC outbreak at an NIH hospital. From MSNBC (boldface mine): Hospitals and long-term-care facilities, which also often experience infectious outbreaks, could become significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Genomics, KPC, Public Health

How Not to Isolate E. coli

Posted on June 30, 2012 by

If you’re interested in studying what ‘real’ bacteria do–that is, not the microbiological equivalent of anemic inbred lab rats–you have to isolate them from natural samples. Yogi Berra-esque statements notwithstanding, how you isolate bacteria is critical. Methodological details do matter. … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, E. coli, Microbiology, Viruses | 2 Comments

What’s Wrong With This NY Times Picture? (The Tb Edition)

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

So the NY Times has a good story about the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China; it’s worth checking out. But this picture associated with it made me do a spittake. Can you guess why? That’s right. It’s a system … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Humor, Microbiology, MRSA | 4 Comments

China’s Antibiotic Resistance Crisis

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

With the rise of highly resistant strains that carry a gene known as NDM-1, or New Delhi beta-metallolactamase-1, the misuse of antibiotics in India has received a lot of attemntion. However, China also has an out-of-control antibiotic resistance problem: But … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics

Maybe This Blogging Thing Does Some Good After All

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

Global Communications Headquarters of the Mad Biologist (from here) From the Mad Biologist’s far-flung global network of correspondents, we receive the following: Hey, just a quick thanks – your link to the Scientific American article about putting bee honey on … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Education, Microbiology | 1 Comment

Technobrat Pundit Follies: The Antibiotic Resistance Edition

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

I don’t know Ezra Klein of The Washington Post personally, but he strikes me as a very earnest, smart person, albeit one who is an omniscient gentleman in training (or else hopelessly credulous). So I don’t bear the man any … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, News Media | 2 Comments

FDA Considering Restricting Off-Label Use of Antibiotics

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

This is good news: The overuse of antibiotics “has reached crisis proportions,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, who also attended the meeting. One solution the agency is exploring is a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Public Health

Channeling My Inner Sen. Inhofe: Let’s Just Give Up on Infectious Disease Too, While We’re at It

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

I am so sick of these fucking Republicants, such as Senator James Inhofe: Well actually the Genesis 8:22 that I use in there is that “as long as the earth remains there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Conservatives, Fucking Morons, Get a Pair, Will Ya?, Global Warming | 4 Comments

So How Will the Ag Lobby Explain This?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

A brand spanking new paper in mBio describes how a clone of MRSA (the bacterium methicillin rensitive Staphylococcus aureus), known as ST398, long-associated with agriculture including pigs gained its methicillin and tetracylcine resistance. Surprise! It happened in the agricultural setting. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Evolution, Microbiology, MRSA | 4 Comments