The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first ever list of drug-resistant bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed 2 days ago. The list is divided into 3 priority categories: “critical”, “high” and “medium”, based on a series of criteria that included (and I quote ad verbatim) “how deadly the infections they cause are; […]
An interesting X-ray. The patient, who is in the later part of the 8th decade of life, but otherwise walking independently at home, had a hip implant following an accident 6 years ago. Had recurrent left hip pain with multiple hospitalisations. Questions: What is the likely diagnosis and how should this elderly patient be managed? [Updated […]
Another piece of work that has taken much effort and a long time to get published (now out in Scientific Reports), but certainly one that expanded my own understanding of how diverse techniques can contribute to our knowledge of infectious diseases. This work – looking at the distribution of reported cases of resident (defined locally […]
Covered multiple times in multiple versions elsewhere, but a recent chat with a classmate (who has to write about this topic in Chinese) made me consider attempting my own version. What are the common myths I have encountered about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance? Antibiotics cure all infections Another version is that they work against colds […]
Operation Asha is a non-profit NGO founded in 2005 by two Indian nationals – Dr Shelly Batra and Mr Sandeep Ahuja – with the primary aim of bringing “TB treatment to disadvantaged communities”. Its headquarters are in India, although the NGO also operates in Cambodia and USA (the latter mainly fundraising and research). I was […]
We are organizing an essay and a video contest for students of Singapore schools (including polytechnics but excluding universities). The essay contest is open to students between 13 and 20 years of age. No entry fee is required, and any essay format (i.e. fiction, scientific communication, poetry, etc) is welcome. The essays should be submitted […]
This issue came up as part of a discussion on improving antibiotic prescription – the discussion triggered (strangely enough) by the lack of mention in this week’s Straits Times article on inappropriate antibiotic prescription. It is an interesting topic for discussion and understanding, but I would like to stress that the issues go far beyond […]
I was involved (extremely) peripherally in some work on chromosomal resistance islands in Acinetobacter baumannii by Prof Ruth Hall’s team at the University of Sydney, and part of that work has just been published. Basically, the team was investigating a 16S ribosomal RNA methyltransferase gene armA that conveys resistance to a broad array of aminoglycosides (including gentamicin […]
Like most other infectious disease physicians and microbiologists, I have been following the evolving global Mycobacterium chimaera outbreak with interest. I knew nothing about M. chimaera (or that it even existed) until last year. It is an interesting organism – a slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM – a “catchall classification” that includes all mycobacteria other than those belonging to the Mycobacterium […]
MIPHIDIC 