Michelle Fiddler,
Liverpool Echo
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS trust will become one of the first in the country to use equipment with timing devices to warn staff when keyboards need cleaning.
Research into killer hospital bugs such as MRSA has found they can be spread by staff using dirty computer equipment.
The new keyboards will be used for all computers in ward areas.
Diane Wake, director of infection prevention and control, said: “The keyboards will be an additional safety measure to ensure a clean and secure, health care environment.
“These innovative products will be a great help to staff in our hospitals in the battle against infections.
“We are committed to doing everything we can no matter how small, innovative or unique it may be.”
The keyboards are completely flat, making them easier to clean, and they have hidden sensors so a red light flashes when surfaces have not been cleaned thoroughly enough.
Ms Wake said: “Good, but basic, routine clinical practices will secure victory against infections. Doing simple things well, and doing them all the time, is the guaranteed recipe for success.
“With the increasing computerisation of the NHS, the keyboards will ensure that bugs are less likely to spread when doctors and nurses move between computers and patients.
“Plus, the keyboards will be a steady reminder to keep things as clean as can be.”
The keyboards were thought up at University College London Hospitals. Research by microbiologists suggests that bacteria levels on keyboards fall by 70% if they are cleaned every 12 hours.
Keyboard covers last for two to three months. They can be a haven for bacteria as they are often difficult to clean.
michellefiddler@liverpool echo.co.uk
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
"Superbug" — what you need to know about MRSA
By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times health reporter
The head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls MRSA the "cockroach of bacteria." It's omnipresent, tough and adaptable.
This fall, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus suddenly went from a festering public-health issue to the top of the national news on word that it's worse than previously thought.
Many people — and many media outlets — started seeing it as a much bigger menace than a simple roach.
It became "the superbug," and the tales of its incredible power have featured people fighting for their lives after getting what they thought was a simple little "spider bite."
But what is MRSA, anyway? How afraid should you really be?
Last month, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that in 2005, some 94,000 people were infected by the most serious form of MRSA infections, and one in five died.
Since then, public-health officials have been singing out of both sides of their mouths.
On one hand, they want to reassure people: Like many germs, MRSA is common. Many of us carry it around on our skin and in our noses, and it lives on surfaces from athletic gear to fabric. Outside the hospital, it's not hard to avoid, but if you get it, you'll likely just get a treatable skin infection.
On the other hand, the public-health gurus want to sound an alarm. They warn that MRSA is a symptom of a larger danger: the great number of germs worldwide becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
"The prospect that effective antibiotics may not be available to treat seriously ill patients in the near future is real," says Dr. Jeff Duchin, communicable-diseases chief for Public Health — Seattle & King County.
So what do you really need to know and do?
Q: What is MRSA?
A: Germs, also known as bacteria, have been around forever. Staphylococcus aureus, also called "staph," was first identified in 1880 by a Scottish surgeon poking around in pus oozing from hospital patients. After antibiotics were discovered in 1928, staph was largely beaten back. But S. aureus evolved to survive the oldest type of antibiotics, called the penicillin-methicillin class. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was first identified in 1968.
Q: Why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?
A: Actually, the problem isn't new. Although most people don't get serious infections, staph has always been a "bad bug," says Duchin.
MRSA is even badder. Researchers are discovering that MRSA is surprisingly widespread and becoming tougher. It's a classic lesson in Darwinian evolution: As the weaker germs are killed by antibiotics, the strongest, most resistant ones survive and multiply, particularly when antibiotics are used improperly.
In 2000, a new strain of MRSA "took off like wildfire," according to Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, a MRSA tracker at the Everett Clinic. Before, most MRSA infections were caused by a strain mostly contracted in hospitals. This new, "community acquired" strain can be even more virulent, potentially causing severe illnesses even in healthy people.
Q: What does MRSA do?
A: Most of the time, community-acquired MRSA (sometimes shortened to CA-MRSA) causes skin and soft-tissue infections that can be treated with other readily available antibiotics. But if not properly treated, the bug can work its way into the body and is tough to get out.
The vast majority of serious, "invasive" MRSA infections and deaths occur in hospitalized patients who are suffering from other serious diseases, have lowered immunity or have recently undergone surgery.
Q: How is it spread?
A: MRSA likes to travel. Not by air, but by hand, towel, clothes, bedding and gym equipment.
Unlike the flu virus, MRSA isn't caught by breathing it in — there has to be actual skin-to-germ contact. The CDC says high-risk groups include children, athletes, military recruits, prisoners and other population groups who live in crowded or impoverished living conditions.
Q: So MRSA is inevitable?
A: No, because there are easy ways of avoiding it. Alcohol-based hand cleaner works. So does good, old-fashioned hand-washing.
And so does a bit of courage.
According to Duchin, not all health-care providers are religious about washing their hands according to guidelines. In the hospital, that means before and after seeing you. So you need to ask them: "Did you wash your hands?"
Don't be afraid of insulting them. "There are only two acceptable answers: 'Thank you for reminding me,' and 'I just did it, but thank you for asking,' " says Marcia Patrick, infection-control director for MultiCare Health System in King and Pierce counties.
Q: What else can I do?
A: Besides frequent hand-cleaning, the best defenses are avoiding skin-to-skin contact with other people's skin infections and learning how to care for wounds, Duchin says. And get a flu shot, he says, because MRSA-caused pneumonia can follow the flu.
The CDC also recommends:
• Showering immediately after exercise.
• Avoiding sharing items such as towels and razors.
• Using a barrier such as a towel or clothing between your skin and shared exercise equipment.
• Ensuring that surfaces are cleaned regularly at the public places you often go.
Any surfaces known to be contaminated by any type of staph, including MRSA, should be disinfected, but generally "extraordinary disinfection measures" or closures of schools or workplaces aren't necessary, Duchin says.
Q: Should I worry about cuts and scrapes?
A: Not any more than you already should: Keep them clean and covered. Watch for what Duchin calls the cardinal signs of infection: redness, warmth, swelling and pain, or a fever. If you have a bump or boil, surrounded by a lot of redness, don't assume it's a "spider bite." It probably isn't. Think MRSA, and make sure your doctor does, too.
Q: What about my kids?
A: "All kids are getting scratches and scrapes all the time, and the vast majority aren't getting infected" when kept clean and covered, Duchin says. "The world is full of bugs; that's why we have immune systems and vaccines."
But consider asking your day-care center, school or gym to install alcohol-gel dispensers and posters on what they are for, suggests medical writer Naida Grunden, who has written about a Pennsylvania hospital's successful efforts to reduce MRSA.
Q: If I'm going into the hospital, should I get a MRSA test?
A: There are different views on whether this simple test — a nose swab, basically — is worthwhile. Grunden says yes. "Could save your life," she says. But neither Duchin nor the CDC recommends that step because the germs are so common and it's not clear why some people get sick and others don't.
Q: OK, I'm careful. Can I quit worrying?
A: "It's important to understand the real threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but it's not necessary to panic," says Duchin.
Even so, don't be lulled into a false sense of security, he warns, or MRSA and other germs could soon outstrip our ability to kill them.
Seattle Times health reporter
The head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls MRSA the "cockroach of bacteria." It's omnipresent, tough and adaptable.
This fall, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus suddenly went from a festering public-health issue to the top of the national news on word that it's worse than previously thought.
Many people — and many media outlets — started seeing it as a much bigger menace than a simple roach.
It became "the superbug," and the tales of its incredible power have featured people fighting for their lives after getting what they thought was a simple little "spider bite."
But what is MRSA, anyway? How afraid should you really be?
Last month, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that in 2005, some 94,000 people were infected by the most serious form of MRSA infections, and one in five died.
Since then, public-health officials have been singing out of both sides of their mouths.
On one hand, they want to reassure people: Like many germs, MRSA is common. Many of us carry it around on our skin and in our noses, and it lives on surfaces from athletic gear to fabric. Outside the hospital, it's not hard to avoid, but if you get it, you'll likely just get a treatable skin infection.
On the other hand, the public-health gurus want to sound an alarm. They warn that MRSA is a symptom of a larger danger: the great number of germs worldwide becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
"The prospect that effective antibiotics may not be available to treat seriously ill patients in the near future is real," says Dr. Jeff Duchin, communicable-diseases chief for Public Health — Seattle & King County.
So what do you really need to know and do?
Q: What is MRSA?
A: Germs, also known as bacteria, have been around forever. Staphylococcus aureus, also called "staph," was first identified in 1880 by a Scottish surgeon poking around in pus oozing from hospital patients. After antibiotics were discovered in 1928, staph was largely beaten back. But S. aureus evolved to survive the oldest type of antibiotics, called the penicillin-methicillin class. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was first identified in 1968.
Q: Why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?
A: Actually, the problem isn't new. Although most people don't get serious infections, staph has always been a "bad bug," says Duchin.
MRSA is even badder. Researchers are discovering that MRSA is surprisingly widespread and becoming tougher. It's a classic lesson in Darwinian evolution: As the weaker germs are killed by antibiotics, the strongest, most resistant ones survive and multiply, particularly when antibiotics are used improperly.
In 2000, a new strain of MRSA "took off like wildfire," according to Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, a MRSA tracker at the Everett Clinic. Before, most MRSA infections were caused by a strain mostly contracted in hospitals. This new, "community acquired" strain can be even more virulent, potentially causing severe illnesses even in healthy people.
Q: What does MRSA do?
A: Most of the time, community-acquired MRSA (sometimes shortened to CA-MRSA) causes skin and soft-tissue infections that can be treated with other readily available antibiotics. But if not properly treated, the bug can work its way into the body and is tough to get out.
The vast majority of serious, "invasive" MRSA infections and deaths occur in hospitalized patients who are suffering from other serious diseases, have lowered immunity or have recently undergone surgery.
Q: How is it spread?
A: MRSA likes to travel. Not by air, but by hand, towel, clothes, bedding and gym equipment.
Unlike the flu virus, MRSA isn't caught by breathing it in — there has to be actual skin-to-germ contact. The CDC says high-risk groups include children, athletes, military recruits, prisoners and other population groups who live in crowded or impoverished living conditions.
Q: So MRSA is inevitable?
A: No, because there are easy ways of avoiding it. Alcohol-based hand cleaner works. So does good, old-fashioned hand-washing.
And so does a bit of courage.
According to Duchin, not all health-care providers are religious about washing their hands according to guidelines. In the hospital, that means before and after seeing you. So you need to ask them: "Did you wash your hands?"
Don't be afraid of insulting them. "There are only two acceptable answers: 'Thank you for reminding me,' and 'I just did it, but thank you for asking,' " says Marcia Patrick, infection-control director for MultiCare Health System in King and Pierce counties.
Q: What else can I do?
A: Besides frequent hand-cleaning, the best defenses are avoiding skin-to-skin contact with other people's skin infections and learning how to care for wounds, Duchin says. And get a flu shot, he says, because MRSA-caused pneumonia can follow the flu.
The CDC also recommends:
• Showering immediately after exercise.
• Avoiding sharing items such as towels and razors.
• Using a barrier such as a towel or clothing between your skin and shared exercise equipment.
• Ensuring that surfaces are cleaned regularly at the public places you often go.
Any surfaces known to be contaminated by any type of staph, including MRSA, should be disinfected, but generally "extraordinary disinfection measures" or closures of schools or workplaces aren't necessary, Duchin says.
Q: Should I worry about cuts and scrapes?
A: Not any more than you already should: Keep them clean and covered. Watch for what Duchin calls the cardinal signs of infection: redness, warmth, swelling and pain, or a fever. If you have a bump or boil, surrounded by a lot of redness, don't assume it's a "spider bite." It probably isn't. Think MRSA, and make sure your doctor does, too.
Q: What about my kids?
A: "All kids are getting scratches and scrapes all the time, and the vast majority aren't getting infected" when kept clean and covered, Duchin says. "The world is full of bugs; that's why we have immune systems and vaccines."
But consider asking your day-care center, school or gym to install alcohol-gel dispensers and posters on what they are for, suggests medical writer Naida Grunden, who has written about a Pennsylvania hospital's successful efforts to reduce MRSA.
Q: If I'm going into the hospital, should I get a MRSA test?
A: There are different views on whether this simple test — a nose swab, basically — is worthwhile. Grunden says yes. "Could save your life," she says. But neither Duchin nor the CDC recommends that step because the germs are so common and it's not clear why some people get sick and others don't.
Q: OK, I'm careful. Can I quit worrying?
A: "It's important to understand the real threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but it's not necessary to panic," says Duchin.
Even so, don't be lulled into a false sense of security, he warns, or MRSA and other germs could soon outstrip our ability to kill them.
MRSA in the NEWS
Estimates based on a US-wide extrapolation of data collected from a number of hospital sites and recently published by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) in JAMA (Klevens, R.M., et al., Invasive Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in the United States. JAMA, 2007. 298(15): p. 1763-1771) put the number of annual MRSA associated fatalities at more than 18,000. This makes MRSA infections a burden comparable to the one caused by AIDS.
The involvement of the CDC gave the report a semi-official character and massive media attention in the US. The increased public concern bears the danger of scientifically unfounded hyperactivity and even panic reactions. Besides the widely publicized school closures there have been reports of discrimination against suspected MRSA patients by employers, co-workers, and even family members.
Outside the US and the UK the issue is less prominent. However, media prominence does not correlate with the severity of the problem. In a report by the DGKH (German society for hospital hygiene) “Krank im Krankenhaus” PDF published in cooperation with Alliance Health Insurance, the number of MRSA associated fatalities was estimated at up to 50'000 (in a sample population of about 450 million).
This corresponds to a significantly higher prevalence compared to the 18'000 for the US (a population of about 300 million). Although the report was mentioned in a number of news articles there was no obvious effect on public opinion or politics.
However, there is reason to believe that the serious concerns surrounding MRSA will eventually be contained. There are number of promising treatments on the way. More importantly since MRSA is a problem of hygiene rather than therapy on a larger scale, hospitals are rapidly changing their practices. Much has been learned and continues to be learned form virtually MRSA free zones such as the Netherlands. In addition low-cost, reliable, and efficient methods for mass screening such as BCM® MRSA ELF® are made available.
One should not forget that the human costs resulting from other hygiene related microbial pandemics are much greater. One example is Shigella spp. which according to WHO estimates kills 1.6 million people every year. As in the case of MRSA such tragedy could be almost entirely prevented if proper practice and low-cost robust methods of screening were implemented.
The involvement of the CDC gave the report a semi-official character and massive media attention in the US. The increased public concern bears the danger of scientifically unfounded hyperactivity and even panic reactions. Besides the widely publicized school closures there have been reports of discrimination against suspected MRSA patients by employers, co-workers, and even family members.
Outside the US and the UK the issue is less prominent. However, media prominence does not correlate with the severity of the problem. In a report by the DGKH (German society for hospital hygiene) “Krank im Krankenhaus” PDF published in cooperation with Alliance Health Insurance, the number of MRSA associated fatalities was estimated at up to 50'000 (in a sample population of about 450 million).
This corresponds to a significantly higher prevalence compared to the 18'000 for the US (a population of about 300 million). Although the report was mentioned in a number of news articles there was no obvious effect on public opinion or politics.
However, there is reason to believe that the serious concerns surrounding MRSA will eventually be contained. There are number of promising treatments on the way. More importantly since MRSA is a problem of hygiene rather than therapy on a larger scale, hospitals are rapidly changing their practices. Much has been learned and continues to be learned form virtually MRSA free zones such as the Netherlands. In addition low-cost, reliable, and efficient methods for mass screening such as BCM® MRSA ELF® are made available.
One should not forget that the human costs resulting from other hygiene related microbial pandemics are much greater. One example is Shigella spp. which according to WHO estimates kills 1.6 million people every year. As in the case of MRSA such tragedy could be almost entirely prevented if proper practice and low-cost robust methods of screening were implemented.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
New Technlogy to Prevent Disease Transmission in Dental Water
Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC Launches New Web Site Featuring the AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System to Prevent Disease Transmission in Dental Water
NEWS RELEASE
ELMWOOD, Wis., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers, microbiologists, dental professionals and organizations have known for decades about potential risks and concerns of disease transmission caused by dental water containing high levels of bacteria and biofilm. As health professionals became more aware of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis/respiratory infections, hepatitis, bacterial endocarditis, legionnaires disease and pseudomonas-related diseases in immune-compromised patients, more CDC recommendations were issued and are now referred to as standard precautions. Still with all these precautions and the ability to measure the bacterial levels, lethal drug-resistant strains continue to spread around the country and are frequently reported in national news. A few months ago a hepatitis B transmission between two patients in one dental office was reported (The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2007; 195:1311- 1314). The route of transmission is still under investigation.
In order to reduce patient risk of disease transmission due to shared dental water, the CDC issued guidelines in December 2003 (see http://www.aquasept.com/, go to The Library, Links and Downloads page and review pages 28, 29, 30, and 46 of the PDF version of the CDC Guidelines). These guidelines specify the use of sterile irrigation fluids during any invasive procedure where tissue penetration is likely to occur. To comply with CDC Guideline, the dental professional can install an AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System. This system provides for the sterile delivery of irrigation fluids through a sterilized container, sterilized fluid delivery line and the sterilized dental handpiece. This allows the dental professional to provide each patient with separate, sterile dental water and practice the best possible dental water infection control standards for the benefit of the patient and all associates in the dental office.
There is a potential time bomb lurking in current dental office water systems. The current design of all built-in water systems is the bi-directional flow of fluid. While the largest portion of fluid is expelled out the end of the handpiece, friction causes a "passive retraction" of microscopic particles from the patient's mouth, through the dental instrument, up the water line and into the water reservoir. (See the "Biofilm" section of http://www.aquasept.com/). The continued use of the same water line and water reservoir among a group of patients results in cross contamination of the dental water among patients. The AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System prevents and protects patients from such cross contamination.
To quote a prominent dental professional with years of private practice and dental university experience: "In the 21st Century, the danger of infectious disease is heightened because of 1) the emergence of more dangerous microbes that defy medical treatment and can lead to a fatality, 2) a rise in patients who are immuno-compromised due to other conditions, and are therefore much more susceptible to disease with fatal consequences and 3) a rise in antibiotic-resistant strains." Robert Hasel, D.D.S.
Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC is a division of Genesis Industries, Inc. founded in June 1985 and is located in Elmwood, WI, about an hour east of the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro area.
For information on the AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System, please contact Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC at 715-639-2042, 1-800-523-8185 or email info@aquasept.com. For additional information visit http://www.aquasept.com/. Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC
CONTACT: John Dykstra, Sales and Marketing of Genesis Dental
Technologies, +1-715-639-2042, fax, +1-715-639-9205, johnd@aquasept.com
Web site: http://www.aquasept.com/
NEWS RELEASE
ELMWOOD, Wis., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers, microbiologists, dental professionals and organizations have known for decades about potential risks and concerns of disease transmission caused by dental water containing high levels of bacteria and biofilm. As health professionals became more aware of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis/respiratory infections, hepatitis, bacterial endocarditis, legionnaires disease and pseudomonas-related diseases in immune-compromised patients, more CDC recommendations were issued and are now referred to as standard precautions. Still with all these precautions and the ability to measure the bacterial levels, lethal drug-resistant strains continue to spread around the country and are frequently reported in national news. A few months ago a hepatitis B transmission between two patients in one dental office was reported (The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2007; 195:1311- 1314). The route of transmission is still under investigation.
In order to reduce patient risk of disease transmission due to shared dental water, the CDC issued guidelines in December 2003 (see http://www.aquasept.com/, go to The Library, Links and Downloads page and review pages 28, 29, 30, and 46 of the PDF version of the CDC Guidelines). These guidelines specify the use of sterile irrigation fluids during any invasive procedure where tissue penetration is likely to occur. To comply with CDC Guideline, the dental professional can install an AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System. This system provides for the sterile delivery of irrigation fluids through a sterilized container, sterilized fluid delivery line and the sterilized dental handpiece. This allows the dental professional to provide each patient with separate, sterile dental water and practice the best possible dental water infection control standards for the benefit of the patient and all associates in the dental office.
There is a potential time bomb lurking in current dental office water systems. The current design of all built-in water systems is the bi-directional flow of fluid. While the largest portion of fluid is expelled out the end of the handpiece, friction causes a "passive retraction" of microscopic particles from the patient's mouth, through the dental instrument, up the water line and into the water reservoir. (See the "Biofilm" section of http://www.aquasept.com/). The continued use of the same water line and water reservoir among a group of patients results in cross contamination of the dental water among patients. The AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System prevents and protects patients from such cross contamination.
To quote a prominent dental professional with years of private practice and dental university experience: "In the 21st Century, the danger of infectious disease is heightened because of 1) the emergence of more dangerous microbes that defy medical treatment and can lead to a fatality, 2) a rise in patients who are immuno-compromised due to other conditions, and are therefore much more susceptible to disease with fatal consequences and 3) a rise in antibiotic-resistant strains." Robert Hasel, D.D.S.
Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC is a division of Genesis Industries, Inc. founded in June 1985 and is located in Elmwood, WI, about an hour east of the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro area.
For information on the AquaSept(TM) Independent Water Delivery System, please contact Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC at 715-639-2042, 1-800-523-8185 or email info@aquasept.com. For additional information visit http://www.aquasept.com/. Genesis Dental Technologies, LLC
CONTACT: John Dykstra, Sales and Marketing of Genesis Dental
Technologies, +1-715-639-2042, fax, +1-715-639-9205, johnd@aquasept.com
Web site: http://www.aquasept.com/
Anacor's boron-based drug stops the rot
25/06/2007 - An unusual drug that contains a crucial boron atom can effectively treat fungal infections, and could also prove invaluable in the effort to counter antibacterial drug resistance.
Scientists from the young US pharma firm Anacor developed AN2690, the first in a new class of antibiotics that contain a crucial boron atom. Together with a team from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) outstation in Grenoble, France, the researchers have now discovered exactly how the drug works.
"We have discovered a new compound that has the potential to treat common chronic nail infections caused by fungi [onychomycosis]," said Dickon Alley, a researcher at Anacor Pharmaceuticals.
"Now that we know how AN2690 works, the same approach could be adapted to target other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with editing sites and also other pathogenic microbes," said Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL.
"We are now working towards finding related antibacterial compounds that could help counter the problem of antibiotic resistance."
Alley explained that the compound kills fungi by blocking their ability to make proteins. It does this by blocking an enzyme called leucyl-tRNA synthetase, which is involved in translation, one of the last steps in the process of turning a gene's DNA code into a protein.
The process begins when the cell makes an RNA version of the gene's code, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Ribosomes, the cell's protein synthesis machinery, then translate the mRNA into protein by stitching together the amino acids in the order specified by the message. This requires the help of molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which link the mRNA to the correct amino acid.
Leucyl-tRNA synthetase is one of a group of enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that attach the correct amino acid to each tRNA. Some of these enzymes have two main functional parts, or active sites: a site that links the amino acid to the tRNA, and a separate editing site that proofreads this process and removes wrongly added amino acids.
To find out how exactly AN2690 blocks leucyl-tRNA synthetase Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL Grenoble, and his team generated crystals of the enzyme bound to tRNA in the presence of AN2690.
They then used X-rays to examine the structure of the complex. Cusack and his colleagues found that AN2690 sticks in the editing site of the enzyme where it makes a very strong bond to the end of the tRNA, trapping it on the enzyme.
This stops the enzyme working and thus blocks protein synthesis, killing the fungal cell. The mechanism crucially depends on a boron atom that is part of AN2690, which is needed to link the compound to the tRNA.
According to Anacor, it is the first time that scientists have described such a mechanism, suggesting boron containing compounds as a promising new class of drug candidates. The drug itself is currently in Phase II trials.
The pharma industry in general is watching this approach keenly. In February, Schering-Plough paid over $575m ($40m upfront) to gain the exclusive global rights to AN2690 from Anacor. Historically, several other pharma companies have also shown an interest in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors.
Curiously, as far back as 1999, AstraZeneca (then plain Zeneca), had a patent issued for an assay to identify potential drugs aimed at this target. However, whether this technology bared any fruit is unclear.
In June 2006, AZ announced that its "genomic approach to anti-bacterials is yielding its first candidates". The company was referring to AZD1279, a bactericidal antibiotic from a new chemical class, which has showed good in vitro activity against resistant organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae. AZ said at the time that the drug would enter Phase I clinical trials for respiratory infections in 2006.
The target for this drug was never disclosed however, and a spokesperson for AZ told DrugResearcher.com that the drug has now been scrapped, although she couldn't say why this decision had been taken.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals is, or at least was, interested in this target as well, having penned an academic article called 'Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases as targets for new anti-infectives' in a 1999 edition of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal. However, again, there is no mention of this target on their website and the company was unable to confirm whether this target was still being investigated.
Why Anacor's drug seems to be enjoying success where others have failed is not known. However, it is good news for onychomycosis sufferers, the patients AN2690 aims to treat initially. It affects approximately 7 to 10 per cent of the US population, including 48 percent of those over age 70. More than 90 percent of those cases are caused by two specific fungi: Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. However, current treatments are limited, according to Anacor.
Existing topical treatments only succeed in 12 per cent of cases, despite sales accounting for $300m (€223m). Whereas systemic treatments are more effective (in around half of all cases), they have known toxicity. Novartis' Lamisil (terbinafine) generated sales of $978m in 2006 but the same drug has, in rare cases caused liver failure. These have resulted in the need for a transplant and even death, although the relationship between the liver problems and the drug is "uncertain", according to the drug's approved label, as the patients' involved had serious pre-existing liver conditions.
Scientists from the young US pharma firm Anacor developed AN2690, the first in a new class of antibiotics that contain a crucial boron atom. Together with a team from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) outstation in Grenoble, France, the researchers have now discovered exactly how the drug works.
"We have discovered a new compound that has the potential to treat common chronic nail infections caused by fungi [onychomycosis]," said Dickon Alley, a researcher at Anacor Pharmaceuticals.
"Now that we know how AN2690 works, the same approach could be adapted to target other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with editing sites and also other pathogenic microbes," said Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL.
"We are now working towards finding related antibacterial compounds that could help counter the problem of antibiotic resistance."
Alley explained that the compound kills fungi by blocking their ability to make proteins. It does this by blocking an enzyme called leucyl-tRNA synthetase, which is involved in translation, one of the last steps in the process of turning a gene's DNA code into a protein.
The process begins when the cell makes an RNA version of the gene's code, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Ribosomes, the cell's protein synthesis machinery, then translate the mRNA into protein by stitching together the amino acids in the order specified by the message. This requires the help of molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which link the mRNA to the correct amino acid.
Leucyl-tRNA synthetase is one of a group of enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that attach the correct amino acid to each tRNA. Some of these enzymes have two main functional parts, or active sites: a site that links the amino acid to the tRNA, and a separate editing site that proofreads this process and removes wrongly added amino acids.
To find out how exactly AN2690 blocks leucyl-tRNA synthetase Stephen Cusack, Head of EMBL Grenoble, and his team generated crystals of the enzyme bound to tRNA in the presence of AN2690.
They then used X-rays to examine the structure of the complex. Cusack and his colleagues found that AN2690 sticks in the editing site of the enzyme where it makes a very strong bond to the end of the tRNA, trapping it on the enzyme.
This stops the enzyme working and thus blocks protein synthesis, killing the fungal cell. The mechanism crucially depends on a boron atom that is part of AN2690, which is needed to link the compound to the tRNA.
According to Anacor, it is the first time that scientists have described such a mechanism, suggesting boron containing compounds as a promising new class of drug candidates. The drug itself is currently in Phase II trials.
The pharma industry in general is watching this approach keenly. In February, Schering-Plough paid over $575m ($40m upfront) to gain the exclusive global rights to AN2690 from Anacor. Historically, several other pharma companies have also shown an interest in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors.
Curiously, as far back as 1999, AstraZeneca (then plain Zeneca), had a patent issued for an assay to identify potential drugs aimed at this target. However, whether this technology bared any fruit is unclear.
In June 2006, AZ announced that its "genomic approach to anti-bacterials is yielding its first candidates". The company was referring to AZD1279, a bactericidal antibiotic from a new chemical class, which has showed good in vitro activity against resistant organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae. AZ said at the time that the drug would enter Phase I clinical trials for respiratory infections in 2006.
The target for this drug was never disclosed however, and a spokesperson for AZ told DrugResearcher.com that the drug has now been scrapped, although she couldn't say why this decision had been taken.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals is, or at least was, interested in this target as well, having penned an academic article called 'Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases as targets for new anti-infectives' in a 1999 edition of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal. However, again, there is no mention of this target on their website and the company was unable to confirm whether this target was still being investigated.
Why Anacor's drug seems to be enjoying success where others have failed is not known. However, it is good news for onychomycosis sufferers, the patients AN2690 aims to treat initially. It affects approximately 7 to 10 per cent of the US population, including 48 percent of those over age 70. More than 90 percent of those cases are caused by two specific fungi: Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. However, current treatments are limited, according to Anacor.
Existing topical treatments only succeed in 12 per cent of cases, despite sales accounting for $300m (€223m). Whereas systemic treatments are more effective (in around half of all cases), they have known toxicity. Novartis' Lamisil (terbinafine) generated sales of $978m in 2006 but the same drug has, in rare cases caused liver failure. These have resulted in the need for a transplant and even death, although the relationship between the liver problems and the drug is "uncertain", according to the drug's approved label, as the patients' involved had serious pre-existing liver conditions.
MRSA test call for farm animals
All farm animals should be tested for a form of the superbug MRSA, an organic group has urged the government.
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
The Soil Association says the bug is widespread in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, from where some of the meat eaten in the UK is imported.
In the Netherlands, 39% of pigs tested positive for the bug which can be passed to humans.
And 13% of calves also tested positive for the bug, which is different to the strain found in hospitals.
Poultry meat
The studies found that 50% of farmers were also positive, some of whom have been resistant to antibiotics.
The Soil Association blamed the use of antibiotics in farming for the problem.
No MRSA has been found in British farm animals but poultry meat and pork is imported from infected countries.
The Food Standards Agency says people will not catch the bug from meat if it is prepared hygienically and cooked properly.
Source:- BBC News
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Bird flu cases in southern Germany show highly pathogenic H5N1 variant
25 Jun 2007 bbj.hu
At least some of the cases of bird flu discovered this weekend near the southern city of Nuremberg involve a highly pathogenic variety of the H5N1 strain, Germany's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said Sunday.
All seven of the birds — five swans, one duck and one goose found dead on Friday and Saturday — had the H5N1 strain, and further tests were still ongoing to determine if they were infected with the highly pathogenic variety. The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds - two swans and a goose - found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus – Reuters reports.
It is the first bird flu discovered in Germany this year, and the first report of wild birds infected this year within the European Union. The H5N1 strain has, however, been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission said.
Thirteen EU nations were hit by bird flu last year — Austria, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and France. Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes. The H5N1 strain has decimated poultry stocks since 2003 and killed at least 191 people worldwide, most of them directly infected by sick birds in Asia. Experts fear, however, that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between people. (iht.com)
At least some of the cases of bird flu discovered this weekend near the southern city of Nuremberg involve a highly pathogenic variety of the H5N1 strain, Germany's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said Sunday.
All seven of the birds — five swans, one duck and one goose found dead on Friday and Saturday — had the H5N1 strain, and further tests were still ongoing to determine if they were infected with the highly pathogenic variety. The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds - two swans and a goose - found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus – Reuters reports.
It is the first bird flu discovered in Germany this year, and the first report of wild birds infected this year within the European Union. The H5N1 strain has, however, been found in poultry farms in three other EU countries this year: Hungary, Britain and the Czech Republic, the European Commission said.
Thirteen EU nations were hit by bird flu last year — Austria, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and France. Bird flu is believed to spread along bird migration routes. The H5N1 strain has decimated poultry stocks since 2003 and killed at least 191 people worldwide, most of them directly infected by sick birds in Asia. Experts fear, however, that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between people. (iht.com)
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