Bacteriophages, a class of viruses that only attack bacteria, have been controversial ever since their discovery by a brash, young, self-taught researcher named Felix d’Herelle nearly a century ago. In the 1920s and ’30s, before the advent of antibiotics, doctors using phage therapy reported near miraculous cures for infections, even at the critical stage. The treatments, however, didn’t work in every case, and after the discovery of much more reliable antibiotics, starting with penicillin in the 1940s, phage therapy was ushered off the medical stage in the United States and Western ... Read More
Among Antibiotics, Resistance Knows No Bounds
September 15, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment
Since penicillin was isolated from a fungus in 1929, mankind's stockpile of antibiotics has expanded to include a diversity of life-saving compounds. However, from streptomycin in the 1940s to synthetics such as ciprofloxacin in the late 1980s, they are losing their effectiveness. While the idea that we are losing some potent antibiotic weapons is widely known, that's not the same as it being widely understood, says Jo Handelsman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor of microbiology at Yale University. She cautions that what researchers know and what the public knows are not the ... Read More
Flu Vaccine Inoculates Against Antibiotic Overuse
September 8, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
Researchers in Canada have hurled a stone at two relatively large birds: annual outbreaks of influenza and increasing proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Their question: Would providing an opportunity for universal flu immunization result in a decrease in antibiotic use, even though antibiotics don't work on influenza? The answer is a resounding yes. Results of the 10-year study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases show that after universal flu vaccinations in Ontario, there was a 64 percent decline in antibiotic prescriptions. A larger study shows a 39 percent drop in ... Read More
