Most common in hospital settings, there has been a worrying increase in the number of superbug infections in healthy people with no previous hospital exposure. Now scientists want to use 'Big Data' in their quest to tackle infections such as MRSA.
Researchers from the University of Bath and Emory University (USA) are hoping that online crowd-funding can help in efforts to develop a new way to identify and treat toxic superbugs, such as MRSA.
Superbugs pose a major problem for public health officials around the world. According to the World Health Organisation in 2011 6.7 million people died from infectious diseases, making them the second biggest killer behind heart disease, at 7 million.
Scientists at Bath and Emory want to use the latest sequencing technologies to build a much clearer picture of how these bacteria cause disease. By using 'Big Data' they plan to create an online database that would enable doctors to make quicker and better decisions about treating such infections.
The infections are caused by micro-organisms that have developed resistance to a range of antibiotics making them incredibly difficult to treat. They are most common in hospital settings, affecting severely ill people. However, there has been a worrying increase in the number of cases of infections among healthy people with no previous hospital exposure.
Meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a range of problems, from abscesses on the skin, to much more significant problems, especially when it gets into deeper tissue. In the lungs, MRSA can cause pneumonia which in itself can be deadly.
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Once in the blood stream, MRSA mortality rates rise up to 40% when the disease can also attack heart tissue causing endocarditis. Recent reports in the USA suggested that infections caused by MRSA caused more deaths than HIV/AIDS.
Current treatments generally involve the prescription of a cocktail of antibiotics, some of which kill the bacteria and others shut off their release of toxins. This approach has led many, including the UK's Chief Medical Officer this March, to highlight concerns about the 'ticking time bomb' of antibiotic resistance.
Explore further: Fewer cases of antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection in the US in 2011
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© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Phys.org network
Most common in hospital settings, there has been a worrying increase in the number of superbug infections in healthy people with no previous hospital exposure. Now scientists want to use 'Big Data' in their quest to tackle infections such as MRSA.
Researchers from the University of Bath and Emory University (USA) are hoping that online crowd-funding can help in efforts to develop a new way to identify and treat toxic superbugs, such as MRSA.
Superbugs pose a major problem for public health officials around the world. According to the World Health Organisation in 2011 6.7 million people died from infectious diseases, making them the second biggest killer behind heart disease, at 7 million.
Scientists at Bath and Emory want to use the latest sequencing technologies to build a much clearer picture of how these bacteria cause disease. By using 'Big Data' they plan to create an online database that would enable doctors to make quicker and better decisions about treating such infections.
The infections are caused by micro-organisms that have developed resistance to a range of antibiotics making them incredibly difficult to treat. They are most common in hospital settings, affecting severely ill people. However, there has been a worrying increase in the number of cases of infections among healthy people with no previous hospital exposure.
Meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a range of problems, from abscesses on the skin, to much more significant problems, especially when it gets into deeper tissue. In the lungs, MRSA can cause pneumonia which in itself can be deadly.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
Once in the blood stream, MRSA mortality rates rise up to 40% when the disease can also attack heart tissue causing endocarditis. Recent reports in the USA suggested that infections caused by MRSA caused more deaths than HIV/AIDS.
Current treatments generally involve the prescription of a cocktail of antibiotics, some of which kill the bacteria and others shut off their release of toxins. This approach has led many, including the UK's Chief Medical Officer this March, to highlight concerns about the 'ticking time bomb' of antibiotic resistance.
Explore further: Fewer cases of antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection in the US in 2011
Medical Xpress on facebook
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Fewer cases of antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection in the US in 2011
Sep 16, 2013
An estimated 30,800 fewer invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections occurred in the United States in 2011 compared to 2005, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine by Raymund Dantes, M.D., ...
MRSA declines are sustained in veterans hospitals nationwide
Oct 29, 2013
Five years after implementing a national initiative to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates in Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, MRSA cases have continued to decline, according to a study ...
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20 hours ago
Recent work from University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis promises to overcome one of the leading public health threats of our time. In a groundbreaking study published Wednesday in the journal ...
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Mar 15, 2013
(Medical Xpress)—The drug-resistant bacteria known as MRSA, once confined to hospitals but now widespread in communities, will likely continue to exist in both settings as separate strains, according to ...
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Oct 26, 2013
Pediatric musculoskeletal Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infections have been evolving over the past decade, with more children diagnosed with the more virulent, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) today ...
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19 minutes ago
The world should aim to have vaccines which reduce malaria cases by 75 percent, and are capable of eliminating malaria, licensed by 2030, according to the updated 2013 Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap, launched today. This ...
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© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Phys.org network
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