Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo

Scary new form of MRSA found in dairy herds

(NEWSER) - A new strain of the drug-resistant "superbug" MRSA has been found in British cows, and it appears to be spreading to people. The strain, identified in cows' milk by researchers studying udder infections, is genetically very different from the dozens of other strains of superbug identified, reports the BBC . Pasteurization kills the bug so milk drinkers shouldn't worry, the researchers say, but farm workers could be at risk of becoming carriers of the infection and could conceivably pass it on to others. More»

Hint: Florida's not the place to be during flu season

(NEWSER) - Think spring is around the corner and the end to sneezing and sick ickyness is in sight? Think again, because there's lots of flu left to pass around. The Daily Beast runs down the 20 sickest cities, as broken down by health ranking, vaccination coverage, influenza deaths, and how much flu activity remains between now and May.

1. Dayton, Ohio—140 deaths per 100,000 people of influenza or pneumonia
2. Tampa—about 5% of its flu activity remains

Drug is successfully tested on humans for the first time

(NEWSER) - Soon, you may be able to forget about getting a flu shot each year—because just one jab could cover you for all strains of the illness. Oxford University scientists tested a universal flu vaccine on humans for the first time, and found it to be successful, the Guardian reports. The vaccine works by targeting proteins inside the virus—which are common across the known strains—rather than those on the external part of the virus, which often mutate and require new formulas of the flu shot to be created each year. More»

Wavelengths cause chemical reaction, researchers find

(NEWSER) - Scientists have shed light on a new way to kill hospital superbugs like MRSA: literally shed light on them. A set of wavelengths called HINS-light acts by stimulating molecules in the bacteria, causing them to create chemicals that kill the germs. In trials, the process appears far more effective than “cleaning and disinfection,” the Daily Mail reports. More»

Pests could be valuable new source of antibiotics

(NEWSER) - Scientists believe they've finally found a use for cockroaches. The brains and nervous systems of cockroaches and locusts hold molecules that can kill off up to 90% of MRSA and E. Coli bacteria without damaging human tissue, Bloomberg reports. Researchers believe the insects could be key to developing next-generation antibiotics to deal with emerging drug-resistant "superbugs" like Acinetobacter. More»