Written by Angela Kelly
Antibiotic-resistant Toxigenic C. diff Found in US-grown Lettuce
Lettuce grown in California, Arkansas, and Louisiana were purchased from retail stores and tested for Clostridium difficile (C. diff). Toxigenic C. diff strains were isolated from 13.8% of the samples; the isolated virulent strains were resistant to metronidazole, vancomycin, and erythromycin. Two lettuce samples grown in Louisiana tested positive for the hyper-virulent strain of C. diff Nap1/ribotype027. Toxigenic C. diff is often found in meat products, but this report shows “the highest prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile in US retail lettuce” to date and “could lead to public health concerns.”
Immuron Enrolls First Patients in IMM-529 Clinical Study
Immuron Limited is an Australia-based microbiome biopharmaceutical company, which has just announced the enrollment of the first patients in a clinical study of the new drug IMM-529. Sixty confirmed patients will be participating in the first human trial, which will be taking place in Israel. IMM-529’s mechanism of action is described as neutralizing C. diff B toxins and has the ability to bind to both vegetative C. diff and C. diff spores, thus preventing relapsing C. diff infections.
WHO Warns Antibiotic Resistance is Growing at an Alarming Rate
New study of 22 high- and low-income countries show that many serious bacterial infections are becoming antibiotic resistant at an alarming rate. The World Health Organization surveyed 500,000 people with suspected bacterial infections between March 2016 and July 2017. Antibiotic resistance was at “65–even up to 82–percent” in E. coli, Staph, Pneumonia and Salmonella infections. WHO is encouraging all countries to set up surveillance programs to track drug resistance to counter “one of the biggest threats to global public health.”
The FDA Approves First Liquid Vancomycin Solution
The FDA has approved a liquid solution of Vancomycin, Firvanq, for the treatment fo C. diff diarrhea. Until now, Vancomycin was a relatively expensive drug, and to reduce cost many patients would choose to have a specialty pharmacy compound liquid vancomycin. Now with the April 2018 launch of an oral liquid formulation of Vancomycin, access and affordability of this drug will be greatly increased.
Read more from Angela Kelly at www.gutsymother.com.