With no new classes of antibiotics for decades and resistance to all antimicrobial drugs on the rise, an urgent search is under way to develop innovative new biological alternatives, explains Craig Billington of ESR The growing concern around the world about the emergence of bacterial strains showing resistance to all classes of antibiotics, highlights the … Read more
Siouxsie Wiles explains why she’s using crowdfunding to bankroll her lab’s effort in response to the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance The crisis is real: we are running out of medicines to treat many of the microbes that cause disease in humans and animals. The crisis will affect us here in New Zealand and the … Read more
One of the single biggest health issues facing the planet, antimicrobial resistance, is being tackled by vets in this country. NZ Veterinary Association head Mark Ward explains the steps being taken to severely curtail the use of antibiotics on pets and farm animals. The World Health Organisation has named Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) one of the greatest … Read more
At least 10 people in NZ’s biggest city have reportedly been hospitalised with typhoid, and health officials say we can expect more cases. Siouxsie Wiles explains what typhoid is and the ‘super-shedder’ scenario Typhoid is an infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi, usually abbreviated to Salmonella Typhi or S. Typhi. Humans are this bacteria’s only known host. The bacteria can … Read more
With antibiotics’ power on the wane, infectious diseases are increasingly hard to combat. And it is much more than just a third world problem, writes Siouxsie Wiles Every week they gather. In church halls and bowling clubs, community centres and rest homes. U3A. Probus. Lions. Rotary. Zonta. Groups of people, often retired, meeting to hear … Read more