Bacterial Infections

Your phone may carry bacteria found in human, animal faecal matter: Study

The results showed that 50 per cent of smartphone screens carried bacteria P. aeruginosa, commonly found in cockroach faeces

Don't use antibiotics in Covid till bacterial infection suspected: Govt

Antibiotics should not be used in Covid cases unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection, according to a revised guideline for the treatment of adult coronavirus patients issued by the Centre. The revised guidelines, issued on Sunday amid an uptick in coronavirus cases, stated that drugs such as Lopinavir-ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, Azithromycin and Doxycycline should not be used for the treatment of adult COVID-19 patients in India. The AIIMS/ICMR-COVID-19 National Task Force met on January 5 to revise the clinical guidance protocol. It has also advised doctors not to use convalescent plasma therapy. "Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. Possibility of co-infection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered," the guidelines said. Additionally, in moderate or severe diseases at high risk of progression, Remdesivir may be considered for up to five days. It

Researchers show new ways of tracking spread of infectious diseases

In previous work, Luis M. Rocha's group at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC) found a way to simplify networks by extracting their backbones

Regulators halt eye products' production at Global Pharma Healthcare site

Firm under US FDA scanner for bacterial contamination of its eye drops

Covid infection reshapes immune status depending on gender: Study

Scientists have found that the baseline immune statuses in men previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 was altered in ways that changed the response to an exposure different from SARS-CoV-2. The team of researchers systematically analyzed immune responses of healthy people who had been given the flu vaccine. From that data, they then compared the responses between those who had never been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and those who experienced mild cases but recovered. The team led by John Tsang, an immunobiologist from Yale University, US, found that immune systems of men who had recovered from mild cases of COVID-19 responded more robustly to flu vaccines than women who had had mild cases or men and women who had never been infected. "This was a total surprise," said Tsang. "Women usually mount a stronger overall immune response to pathogens and vaccines, but are also more likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases," said Tsang. The long-term effects of ...

Five bacteria types claimed 680,000 lives in India in 2019: Lancet study

Five bacteria types -- E. coli, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and A. baumanii -- caused nearly 6.8 lakh deaths in India in 2019, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. The analysis found that common bacterial infections were the second-leading cause of death in 2019, and were linked to one in eight deaths globally. There were 7.7 million (77 lakh) deaths in 2019 associated with 33 common bacterial infections, with five bacteria alone connected to more than half of all deaths, the researchers said. The deadliest bacterial pathogens and types of infection varied by location and age, they said. In India, five bacteria -- E. coli, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and A. baumanii -- were found to be the deadliest, causing 6,78,846 (nearly 6.8 lakh) deaths in 2019 alone, the researchers found. E. Coli was the most deadly pathogen, claiming 1,57,082 (1.57 lakh) lives in India in 2019, according to the study. Globally, bacterial infections were second only

Lupin ties up with global agencies to support tuberculosis treatment

Drug firm Lupin on Friday said it has tied up with Unitaid, The Aurum Institute, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and other global procurement agencies to support tuberculosis prevention treatment initiative to be rolled out to 138 countries. As per the agreement, the Mumbai-based firm will introduce two new formulations, a fixed-dose combination of Rifapentine + Isoniazid and Rifapentine 300 mg standalone tablets, at an affordable price in various regions, including many low-and middle-income countries with a large burden of tuberculosis (TB). "We are committed to enhancing the global access to affordable and high-quality drugs and APIs for the treatment of tuberculosis... "Through this, we will further reinforce our long legacy to provide shorter, more patient-friendly treatment options to prevent TB," Lupin Managing Director Nilesh Gupta said in a statement. Lupin is a leading player in the cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and respiratory segments.

Is asymptomatic monkeypox case as infectious? Here's what experts say

The Union health ministry issued the 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' and stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets

More than 1.2 mn people died from drug-resistant infections in 2019: Study

Drug-resistant bacteria and other microbes are rising due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, say health officials.

Black fungus: 106,300 vials of Amphotericin-B allocated to states, UTs

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers DV Sadananda Gowda on Monday said that 1,06,300 vials of black fungus drugs Amphotericin B have been allocated to states, union territories and to the Central Institutions."Ensuring significant availability of Liposomal #Amphotericin B, additional 106300 vials of the drug have been allocated across all the States/UTs and Central Institutions today," Sadananda Gowda said in a tweet.The Minister said that a total of 53,000 vials of Conventional Amphotericin B have also been allocated to all the states, UTs and Central Institutions today."A total of 53,000 vials of Conventional #Amphotericin B have also been allocated to all the States/UTs & Central Institutions today. The allocation of #ConventionalAmphotericin B is being made to ensure its smooth supply and timely treatment of patients," he said in another tweet.He further said that additional 9,400 vials of Liposomal Amphotericin B and 4,680 vials of Conventional Amphotericin B have ..

56% of Covid-19 patients with secondary infection die: ICMR study

Many patients needed potent antibiotics as they had superbugs and couldn't be treated with regular ones.

Decoded: Why are black, white and yellow fungal infections on the rise now?

What are these infections, why are their cases rising and how does one protect against them?

Excessive antibiotics use in Covid-19 cases adds 'fuel to fire' in India

Doctors battling to save lives amid a dearth of effective treatments are turning to the medicines they have on hand.

Colour coding of fungal infections could be misleading: AIIMS chief

AIIMS director Randeep Guleria on Monday said it is better to identify mucormycosis by its name rather than by the colour as labelling the same fungus with names of different colors can create confusion. Addressing a press conference by the Union health ministry, he clarified that no definite link of mucormycosis has been seen with oxygen therapy. Many patients taking treatment at home, who were not on oxygen therapy, have also been found to get infected with mucormycosis. So there is no definite link between oxygen therapy and catching the infection, he said. Guleria underlined that it is better not to use the term black fungus' while talking about mucormycosis, as it leads to a lot of avoidable confusion. "Labelling the same fungus with names of different colors can create confusion. Mucormycosis is not a communicable disease, unlike COVID-19. About 90-95 per cent of patients getting infected with mucormycosis are found to have been either diabetic and/or taking steroids. This ..

Know your infection: How antibiotic remedy can have adverse health effects

Many severe infections are a result of mixed infections, with bacteria and viruses

Take a 15-minute test to identify drug-resistant bacterial infections

Test costs less than one dollar and can be carried out using equipment already owned by hospitals