Vancomycin, an antibiotic reserved for severe bacterial infections, is available as an oral capsule (Vancocin®) and an intravenous (IV) formulation. When taken orally, vancomycin remains localized within the intestinal tract until eliminated...
Vancomycin IV is an injectable antibiotic used for bacterial infections resistant to several other antibiotics. It is administered as a liquid through a vein, into the body, at a slow, controlled rate. Vancomycin IV is associated with some common...
Drugs sometimes have side effects that linger for days or weeks after discontinuation. Vancomycin, a potent antibiotic, has long-term side effects that persist and may require medical or drug intervention for resolution; some effects may be...
Vancomycin is an antibiotic treatment used primarily to treat colitis after you undergo a milder round of antibiotic treatment. It belongs to a family of antibiotics known as glycopeptide antibiotics because it targets bacteria in the intestines....
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) refers to a type of bacterial infection that cannot be treated with certain antibiotics, according to MedlinePlus. MRSA can be acquired within a health-care facility or within your community. MRSA...
As of 2010, a handful of antibiotics such as vancomycin, linezolid, rifampin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim are still effective in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. While serious inflections can be treated with intravenous...
Bacteria are tiny organisms that can infiltrate the body and create a wide variety of infections. The Merck Manual, an online collection of medical information, says bacteria are normally present in the body. In fact, large amounts are found in...
Clostridium difficile, also known as C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium which often causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. C. difficile is highly contagious in people with a compromised immune system and commonly occurs in people who...
You may have seen the 2007 headlines that claimed that Methicillan Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus killed more people than AIDS. While it is true that there are some strains of staphylococcus bacteria that have become resistant to drugs, most...
The National Institute of Biotechnology Information considers Streptococcus agalactiae to be the leading cause of brain and blood infections in newborns. Neonates and infants acquire these infections while passing through the birth canal or when...
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a strain of staph bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics normally used to treat common staph infections. MRSA occurs most commonly in people who are treated in hospitals or...
Necrotizing fasciitis refers to a condition in which bacteria infiltrates the skin, muscles and other underlying tissue. MedlinePlus states that symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis include a small, red or painful bump on the skin which eventually...
Staphylococcus aureus is part of the normal flora of the skin and the nose of many healthy people. It's usually responsible for minor skin infections. But occasionally, certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus may invade the lungs, bones,...
Staph infections are caused by Staphylococcus bacteria, and the most common form is Staphylococcus aureus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 30 percent of healthy persons carry these germs in their nose. They can also be...
Enterococcus species of bacterial are the most common cause of hospital acquired urinary tract infections. People with an abnormal urinary tract or long-term indwelling catheters often get these UTIs. Antibiotics are the first line of defense...
Staphylococci--commonly called staph--cause a variety of human infections, including boils, skin infections (cellulitis), food poisoning, pneumonia, bone and blood stream infections and toxic shock syndrome. One species of staphylococci called...
Clostridium difficile disease, also referred to as C. difficile, is a spore-forming bacillus that causes mild to severe gastrointestinal infection; symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and, in severe cases, colitis. According to the Centers...
Cellulitis refers to a skin infection that has spread through the dermis layer and into the tissues under the skin. The infection usually contains common skin bacteria such as staphylococcus or streptococcus. Cellulitis occurs at sites of skin...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports group B Streptococcus is the leading cause of septicemia and meningitis in newborns. Septicemia is an infection of the bloodstream, and meningitis is an infection of the lining of...
Staphylococcus and streptococcus are spherical bacteria that can cause mild to severe infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. While staph skin infections are common, this bacterium can also invade the bloodstream, urinary tract,...
Staph infections are caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria. This germ is commonly found on skin and in the nose, but most times it does not cause any problems. However, staph infections can travel below the skin and cause infections in the urinary...
Staphylococci is group of gram-positive aerobic bacteria that are localized on the skin and nasal passages of about 20 to 30 percent of healthy adults. Staphylococci bacteria becomes pathogenic when it has systemic access to our organs and...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) refers to a strain of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to a certain class of antibiotics known as beta-lactams. Penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems belong to this...
Clostridium difficile infection, or CDI, causes approximately one-third of the cases of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and nursing homes in the United States. The infection frequently strikes after someone receives an antibiotic that disrupts...
The strain of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) evolved resistance to the antibiotic methicillin. MRSA can cause serious infections in otherwise healthy people because there are few...
Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases in humans. Infections can affect the skin, lungs, heart, bones and blood. Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment against staph infections; oral antibiotics...
Antibiotics can kill bacteria by interfering with their normal intracellular functions (RNA, DNA and protein synthesis) or by weakening the bacteria's cellular structure, causing the cell to break open or lyse. Unlike animal cells, bacterial...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also called MRSA, is an infection caused by a strain of staph bacteria that has become resistant to certain antibiotics usually prescribed to treat that infection. Patients most often acquire MRSA...
The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is widely prevalent in the environment, and can cause skin infections such as abscesses in susceptible individuals. It is spread by direct contact with infected patients or with the approximately 25 percent of...