RE: New drug to counter hospital infections

[Guest guest]

Lottie,

I found this article to be very interesting.  I was diagnosed with pseudomonas

in my ear, in December .

My regular doctor just thought it was an ear infection and put me on

antibiotics.  Before I even finished the 10 day supply, I knew something wasn't

right, so I made an appointment with an ear/nose/throat doctor, who diagnosed me

properly. he took a culture to confirm his suspicions.   Instead of putting me

on more antibiotics, his treatment suggestion was to use equal parts of white

vinegar and regular rubbing alcohol.  1-2 drops in the ear, three times a day. 

Within 2 days, I noticed a huge difference.  I went back in 4 days, and my ear

was all cleared up.

Good old fashioned medicine.

________________________________

From: Lottie Duthu <lotajam@...>

CML < >

Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2009 1:18:46 PM

Subject: [ ] New drug to counter hospital infections

Dear Group,

This article was especially interesting for me because I have been diagnosed

with pseudomonas many times in my sinuses and treated with antibiotics. It is

rare to have it in your sinuses, it is usually found in your intestinal track.

After reading the entire article, I felt especially lucky to have survived so

many attacks. It is good to know that science has a better handle on how to

exterminate it and what makes it grow and have a life of its own. We tend to

concentrate on a few staph germs like MRSA, but there are many more out there,

just waiting to latch on to the person with a very low immune system. How many

times have you heard that people don't die of leukemia, but of infections, so be

on alert and read the entire article, Lottie

ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2009) - Lack of an adequate amount of the mineral

phosphate can turn a common bacterium into a killer, according to research to be

published in the April 14, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National

Academies of Science. The findings could lead to new drugs that would disarm the

increasingly antibiotic-resistan t pathogen rather than attempting to kill it.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most serious hospital-acquired pathogens. A

common cause of lung infections, it is also found in the intestinal tract of 20

percent of all Americans and 50 percent of hospitalized patients in the United

States. It is one of the hundreds of bacteria that colonize the human intestinal

tract, usually causing no apparent harm. It might even be beneficial to its

host. Once the host is weakened by an illness, surgical procedure or

immunosuppressive drugs, however, P. aeruginosa can cause infection,

inflammation, sepsis and death. " It's almost as if the bacterium sense when to

strike, " said Alverdy, corresponding author of the study and professor of

surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center. " That should come as no

surprise since the bacteria are smart, having been around for 2 billion years. "

Bacteria seek phosphate as an important nutrient, Alverdy explained. And rather

than try to look for it in the blood steam of critically ill patients, where

they would encounter armies of antibiotics and disease-fighting white blood

cells, they find it inside organ tissues. This process damages and sometimes

even kills their host.

Experiments with mice showed that the harm caused when P. aeruginosa becomes

activated to express lethal toxins inside the intestinal tract can be mitigated

by providing excess phosphate. The research findings could lead to a

pharmaceutical product that would restore healthy phosphate levels in the

intestines of such stressed and compromised patients, Alverdy said.

" Antibiotics attempt to kill harmful bacteria, but in the process they often

kill beneficial bacteria, " said Olga Zaborina, an associate professor at the

University of Chicago's Department of Surgery and another key researcher in this

study. " A more sensible approach to fighting infectious diseases may be to try

to understand the circumstances that provoke a microbe to cause harm in the

first place and then find ways to pacify them without destroying them. "

Containment on a case-by-case basis might be a more effective and longer-lasting

strategy than a scorched earth policy, Alverdy said. Midway Pharmaceuticals,

which Alverdy founded in 2005, is developing a pipeline of non-antibiotic

compounds that contain or disarm specific bacteria.

Appreciation of the subtle mechanisms in pathogens that colonize the intestinal

tract of critically ill patients has important implications for the design of

phosphate-based compounds that might prevent P. aeruginosa and other pathogens

from turning lethal, the researchers concluded.

Despite the use of powerful antibiotics, P. aeruginosa remains a leading cause

of sickness and death among hospitalized patients who have undergone surgery or

have reduced immunity. If the bacterium attacks critical body organs such as the

lungs, urinary tract and kidneys, it is likely to be fatal. P. aeruginosa

thrives on moist surfaces, so it is often found on catheters, causing

cross-hospital infections. It is also implicated in a common form of dermatitis

associated with poor hygiene and inadequate maintenance of hot tubs.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Chicago Medical Center, via

EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Much more of this article can be found at this

website:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408145546.htm

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

You will laugh at this - I have been cleaning my dogs ears (Labradors) with

this solution for over 25 years! Beats any expensive vet treatment.

Regards,

from Down Under

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Lomsdalen

Sent: Friday, 10 April 2009 7:47 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] New drug to counter hospital infections

Lottie,

I found this article to be very interesting. I was diagnosed with

pseudomonas in my ear, in December .

My regular doctor just thought it was an ear infection and put me on

antibiotics. Before I even finished the 10 day supply, I knew something

wasn't right, so I made an appointment with an ear/nose/throat doctor, who

diagnosed me properly. he took a culture to confirm his suspicions.

Instead of putting me on more antibiotics, his treatment suggestion was to

use equal parts of white vinegar and regular rubbing alcohol. 1-2 drops in

the ear, three times a day. Within 2 days, I noticed a huge difference. I

went back in 4 days, and my ear was all cleared up.

Good old fashioned medicine.

________________________________

From: Lottie Duthu <lotajam@... <mailto:lotajam%40comcast.net> >

CML < <mailto:%40> >

Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2009 1:18:46 PM

Subject: [ ] New drug to counter hospital infections

Dear Group,

This article was especially interesting for me because I have been diagnosed

with pseudomonas many times in my sinuses and treated with antibiotics. It

is rare to have it in your sinuses, it is usually found in your intestinal

track. After reading the entire article, I felt especially lucky to have

survived so many attacks. It is good to know that science has a better

handle on how to exterminate it and what makes it grow and have a life of

its own. We tend to concentrate on a few staph germs like MRSA, but there

are many more out there, just waiting to latch on to the person with a very

low immune system. How many times have you heard that people don't die of

leukemia, but of infections, so be on alert and read the entire article,

Lottie

ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2009) - Lack of an adequate amount of the mineral

phosphate can turn a common bacterium into a killer, according to research

to be published in the April 14, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the

National Academies of Science. The findings could lead to new drugs that

would disarm the increasingly antibiotic-resistan t pathogen rather than

attempting to kill it.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most serious hospital-acquired

pathogens. A common cause of lung infections, it is also found in the

intestinal tract of 20 percent of all Americans and 50 percent of

hospitalized patients in the United States. It is one of the hundreds of

bacteria that colonize the human intestinal tract, usually causing no

apparent harm. It might even be beneficial to its host. Once the host is

weakened by an illness, surgical procedure or immunosuppressive drugs,

however, P. aeruginosa can cause infection, inflammation, sepsis and death.

" It's almost as if the bacterium sense when to strike, " said Alverdy,

corresponding author of the study and professor of surgery at the University

of Chicago Medical Center. " That should come as no surprise since the

bacteria are smart, having been around for 2 billion years. "

Bacteria seek phosphate as an important nutrient, Alverdy explained. And

rather than try to look for it in the blood steam of critically ill

patients, where they would encounter armies of antibiotics and

disease-fighting white blood cells, they find it inside organ tissues. This

process damages and sometimes even kills their host.

Experiments with mice showed that the harm caused when P. aeruginosa becomes

activated to express lethal toxins inside the intestinal tract can be

mitigated by providing excess phosphate. The research findings could lead to

a pharmaceutical product that would restore healthy phosphate levels in the

intestines of such stressed and compromised patients, Alverdy said.

" Antibiotics attempt to kill harmful bacteria, but in the process they often

kill beneficial bacteria, " said Olga Zaborina, an associate professor at the

University of Chicago's Department of Surgery and another key researcher in

this study. " A more sensible approach to fighting infectious diseases may be

to try to understand the circumstances that provoke a microbe to cause harm

in the first place and then find ways to pacify them without destroying

them. "

Containment on a case-by-case basis might be a more effective and

longer-lasting strategy than a scorched earth policy, Alverdy said. Midway

Pharmaceuticals, which Alverdy founded in 2005, is developing a pipeline of

non-antibiotic compounds that contain or disarm specific bacteria.

Appreciation of the subtle mechanisms in pathogens that colonize the

intestinal tract of critically ill patients has important implications for

the design of phosphate-based compounds that might prevent P. aeruginosa and

other pathogens from turning lethal, the researchers concluded.

Despite the use of powerful antibiotics, P. aeruginosa remains a leading

cause of sickness and death among hospitalized patients who have undergone

surgery or have reduced immunity. If the bacterium attacks critical body

organs such as the lungs, urinary tract and kidneys, it is likely to be

fatal. P. aeruginosa thrives on moist surfaces, so it is often found on

catheters, causing cross-hospital infections. It is also implicated in a

common form of dermatitis associated with poor hygiene and inadequate

maintenance of hot tubs.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Chicago Medical Center, via

EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Much more of this article can be found at

this website:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408145546.htm