 |
|
UTSA biology researchers demystify elusive war zone bacterium
August 17, 2009Acinetobacter baumannii causes mortality rates as high as 75 percent in Middle East
San Antonio - Tao Weitao, a researcher in the College of Sciences' Department of Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio is making great strides in a project that was funded one year ago by the San Antonio Area Foundation. The professor in the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases is researching Acinetobacter baumannii, a soil-dwelling bacterium that threatens the health of military personnel in the Middle East and can also infect their family members once the soldiers have returned home following battle.
The symptoms of Acinetobacter infections are mild to severe and present in a variety of ways, but are mostly found in immunocompromised individuals. Signs may include urinary tract infections and respiratory infections post-surgery, pneumonia following health care treatment, bacteria in the blood, deep wound infections, bone and bone marrow infections, or skin and soft-tissue infection.
A year ago, very little was known about A. baumannii. Treatment of infected individuals was exceedingly difficult, because the bacterium was able to develop multi-drug resistance. Treatment was also impaired by the bacterium's ability to form biofilms: highly-resistant communities of bacteria which serve as a breeding ground for microorganisms infecting an individual.
In the last year, however, Weitao's collaborative research team has isolated proteins they believe help the bacterium form its biofilm. As the biologists continue their research, they hope to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which each protein helps A. baumannii propagate its deadly infections. Such an understanding will help develop effective therapeutic strategies to disrupt biofilm formation and diminish the risk of antimicrobial resistance emergence.
The San Antonio Area Foundation awarded funding to Weitao, in part, because San Antonio has such strong ties to the military.
"San Antonio has a proud history as a military city," said Retired Air Force Colonel Clarence R. "Reggie" Williams, president / CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation. "The San Antonio Area Foundation is equally proud to partner with area donors in funding new medical research efforts impacting our military personnel and their families. Through innovative research and advancement, The University of Texas at San Antonio has successfully addressed many of the military community's most challenging health care needs. We're proud to support their efforts to 'make better lives' for everyone."
"Acinetobacter baumannii is an extremely threatening microbe that researchers desperately need to better understand," said Weitao. "Ultimately, we hope our research leads us to pathways we can target for the development of therapeutic or preventative strategies, that is effective antibiotics or vaccines, to keep the infection rate low."
University of Texas at San Antonio
A year ago, very little was known about A. baumannii. Treatment of infected individuals was exceedingly difficult, because the bacterium was able to develop multi-drug resistance. Treatment was also impaired by the bacterium's ability to form biofilms: highly-resistant communities of bacteria which serve as a breeding ground for microorganisms infecting an individual.
In the last year, however, Weitao's collaborative research team has isolated proteins they believe help the bacterium form its biofilm. As the biologists continue their research, they hope to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which each protein helps A. baumannii propagate its deadly infections. Such an understanding will help develop effective therapeutic strategies to disrupt biofilm formation and diminish the risk of antimicrobial resistance emergence.
The San Antonio Area Foundation awarded funding to Weitao, in part, because San Antonio has such strong ties to the military.
"San Antonio has a proud history as a military city," said Retired Air Force Colonel Clarence R. "Reggie" Williams, president / CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation. "The San Antonio Area Foundation is equally proud to partner with area donors in funding new medical research efforts impacting our military personnel and their families. Through innovative research and advancement, The University of Texas at San Antonio has successfully addressed many of the military community's most challenging health care needs. We're proud to support their efforts to 'make better lives' for everyone."
"Acinetobacter baumannii is an extremely threatening microbe that researchers desperately need to better understand," said Weitao. "Ultimately, we hope our research leads us to pathways we can target for the development of therapeutic or preventative strategies, that is effective antibiotics or vaccines, to keep the infection rate low."
University of Texas at San Antonio
Acinetobacter Current Events and Acinetobacter News RSSCigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health
Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.
BUSM researchers find gram-negative rods in two Philippine neonatal intensive care units
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found a high frequency of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative rods (GNRs) in two of the largest neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the city of Manila, Philippines.
Bacteria create aquatic superbugs in waste treatment plants
For bacteria in wastewater treatment plants, the stars align perfectly to create a hedonistic mating ground for antibiotic-resistant superbugs eventually discharged into streams and lakes.
Superbug risk to war wounded
Soldiers who survive severe injuries on battlefields such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan can be at risk from developing infections of their wounds with multidrug resistant bacteria.
New twist on old medical technology may prevent amputations
Old technologies, bone cement and a well known antibiotic, may effectively fight an emerging infection in soldiers with compound bone fractures, according to a study published online today in the Journal of Orthopedic Research.
Researchers downplay MRSA screening as effective infection control intervention
Three Virginia Commonwealth University epidemiologists are downplaying the value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA, arguing that proven, hospital-wide infection control practices can prevent more of the potentially fatal infections.
Confronting the challenge of antimicrobial resistance
Drug resistance is making many diseases increasingly difficult--and sometimes impossible--to treat, according to Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Fast way of spotting multidrug resistant bacteria could help stop outbreaks in hospitals
A type of bacterium widely found on our skin and in the environment has now become a major threat in hospitals where it can cause serious infections, such as pneumonia in severely ill patients.
New way to target and kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria found
Putting bacteria on birth control could stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes, and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a way to do just that.
Soldiers acquired drug-resistant infections in field hospitals
An outbreak of drug-resistant wound infections among soldiers in Iraq likely came from the hospitals where they were treated, not the battlefield.
More Acinetobacter Current Events and Acinetobacter News Articles
 |
Acinetobacter: Microbiology, Epidemiology, Infections, Management by E. Bergogne-Berezin (Author), Marie-Laure Joly-Guillou (Author), Kevin J. Towner (Author) Acinetobacter details the clinical aspects of this bacterium responsible for many infections in hospitalized patients. This reference explains the importance of these organisms, both from the patient's viewpoint and the economic perspective, and provides clinicians with the knowledge they need to control these bacteria. |
 |
Acinetobacter: Biology and Pathogenesis (Infectious Agents and Pathogenesis) by Eugénie Bergogne-Bérézin (Editor), Herman Friedman (Editor), Mauro Bendinelli (Editor) There is currently increasing interest concerning the biology and disease caused by Acinetobacter species. Such interest, however, developed relatively slowly because of the necessity to clarify the confusing taxonomy of these organisms. Much work was needed to identify various species as members of this genus, to recognize their epidemiologic profile, their pathogenic role and their increasing importance as multi-antibiotic resistant organisms. In recent years improvement of genetic approaches, recognition of plasmids, integrons and chromosomal sources of resistance mechanisms aroused interest on the role of Acinetobacters in disease by many microbiologists and clinicians, especially internists and infectious disease specialists. In this regard, physicians are frequently confronted with... |
|
Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter infection mortality rate and length of hospitalization.(RESEARCH): An article from: Emerging Infectious Diseases by Rebecca H. Sunenshine (Author), Marc-Oliver Wright (Author), Lisa L. Maragakis (Author), Anthony D. Harris (Author), Xiaoyan Song (Author), Joan Hebden (Author), Sara E. Cosgrove (Author), Ashley Anderson (Author), Jennifer Carnell (Author), Daniel B. Jernigan (Author), David G. Kleinbaum (Author), Trish M. Perl (Author), Harold C. Standiford (Author), Arjun Srinivasan (Author) This digital document is an article from Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 5285 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter infection mortality rate and length of hospitalization.(RESEARCH) Author: Rebecca H. Sunenshine Publication: Emerging Infectious Diseases (Magazine/Journal) Date: January 1, 2007 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Page: 97(7) Distributed by Thomson... | |
 |
The Biology of Acinetobacter: Taxonomy, Clinical Importance, Molecular Biology, Physiology, Industrial Relevance (F.E.M.S. Symposium Series) by K.J. Towner (Editor), E. Bergogne-Bérézin (Editor), C.A. Fewson (Editor) |
 |
Acinetobacter, Molecular Microbiology by Ulrike Gerischer (Editor) |
|
Serological Chacterization of Poly-and Monoclonal Antibodies Against O-polysaccharides of Acinetobacter Lipopolysaccharides (Berichte Aus Der Medizin) by Ralph Pantophlet (Author) | |
 |
Acinetobacter: Webster's Timeline History, 1959 - 2007 by Icon Group International (Author) Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Acinetobacter," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Acinetobacter in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Acinetobacter when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social... |
|
Moving up the charts: drug-resistant bug invades military, civilian hospitals.(This Week)(Acinetobacter baumannii ): An article from: Science News by Brian Vastag (Author) This digital document is an article from Science News, published by Thomson Gale on October 13, 2007. The length of the article is 504 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Moving up the charts: drug-resistant bug invades military, civilian hospitals.(This Week)(Acinetobacter baumannii ) Author: Brian Vastag Publication: Science News (Magazine/Journal) Date: October 13, 2007 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 172 Issue: 15 Page: 228(2) Distributed by Thomson... | |
|
Extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.(LETTERS)(Report): An article from: Emerging Infectious Diseases by Yohei Doi (Author), Shahid Husain (Author), Brian A. Potoski (Author), Kenneth R. McCurry (Author), David L. Paterson (Author) This digital document is an article from Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases on June 1, 2009. The length of the article is 1054 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.(LETTERS)(Report) Author: Yohei Doi Publication: Emerging Infectious Diseases (Magazine/Journal) Date: June 1, 2009 Publisher: U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases Volume: 15 Issue: 6 Page: 980(3) Article Type: Report Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage... | |
|
Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter extremity infections in soldiers.(RESEARCH): An article from: Emerging Infectious Diseases by Kepler A. Davis (Author), Kimberly A. Moran (Author), C. Kenneth McAllister (Author), Paula J. Gray (Author) This digital document is an article from Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases on August 1, 2005. The length of the article is 5159 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter extremity infections in soldiers.(RESEARCH) Author: Kepler A. Davis Publication: Emerging Infectious Diseases (Magazine/Journal) Date: August 1, 2005 Publisher: U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases Volume: 11 Issue: 8 Page: 1218(7) Distributed by Thomson... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |