Staph Infections

Gene detectives on Sunday said they had pinpointed how a hospital superbug arose in North America in the early 2000s and spread to Europe before becoming a source of global concern.

Asian outbreaks of a notorious antibiotic-resistant super-germ are being driven by a gene that helps the bug colonise the nostrils, lungs and skin and evade the immune defences, scientists said on Sunday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Infection poses one of the most serious risks to patients getting a hip or knee replaced, and a major U.S. drugmaker is developing a test to quickly identify the pathogens responsible so doctors can treat problems sooner.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study found that more doctors and nurses washed their hands when video cameras were installed in every room in their unit and the staff was continuously informed about rates of hand-washing compliance.

China's state-run media and web users criticised the government after it ruled that small amounts of a potentially lethal bacterium were permissible in frozen food.

(Reuters) - The privacy curtains that separate care spaces in hospitals and clinics are frequently contaminated with potentially dangerous bacteria, according to a U.S. study.

(Reuters Health) - The privacy curtains that separate care spaces in hospitals and clinics are frequently contaminated with potentially dangerous bacteria, researchers said in Chicago this week.

The emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and efforts by scientists trying to cope with the problem top the agenda at a medical convention under way here this weekend.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who get lots of antibiotics from their doctors are more likely to harbor the MRSA superbug, although it's still rare, a new study of British youngsters has found.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who regularly drink tea or coffee may be less likely to carry the antibiotic-resistant "superbug" MRSA in their nostrils, a new study suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - People who regularly drink tea or coffee may be less likely to be carriers of the "superbug" MRSA, according to a U.S. study.

ZURICH (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co <MRK.N> is to discontinue a major trial of a key vaccine from Intercell <ICEL.VI> designed to protect against serious hospital infections, the Austrian biotech firm said on Wednesday.

An entirely new strain of the drug-resistant MRSA superbug has been found in cows' milk and people in Britain and Denmark, a study published on Friday said.

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have found a new strain of the "superbug" MRSA in milk from cows and in swab samples from humans and say it cannot be detected with standard tests.

An entirely new strain of the drug-resistant MRSA superbug has been found in cow's milk and people in Britain and Denmark, a study published on Friday said.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Researchers in Canada have found bedbugs carrying antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a surprise finding because scientists had thought the pests were not capable of spreading infections.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Researchers in Canada have found bedbugs carrying antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a surprise finding because scientists had thought the pests were not capable of spreading infections.

Could bloodsucking bedbugs get any creepier? Turns out, the answer is yes.

Medical community should pay attention to VA's work fighting infections. Over the past few years, Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country have taken an aggressive approach to combating potentially deadly infections.As The New York Times reported Wednesday, when patients come in, they are screened for infection. Those who test positive for the notorious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, bacterium, which is difficult to treat, are isolated. Anyone working with those patients is required to wear gloves and gowns, and other precautions are taken.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Meat found on grocery store shelves often contains high levels of bacteria, with more than half of the bacteria resistant to multiple types of antibiotics, a study released on Friday said.