Headlines: August 13, 2010

by Meg Larkin

             In public health news, a mutation that makes bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics is becoming increasingly common in India and Pakistan and has now been found in some patients in Britain and the United States.  Already, the mutation called NDM-1 is being compared to MRSA, a type of antibiotic resistant bacteria that was originally only found in hospitals, but is now sometimes found outside of the medical setting.  According to the New York Times, “Bacteria with the NDM-1 gene are resistant even to the antibiotics called carbapenems, used as a last resort when common antibiotics have failed. The mutation has been found in E. coli and in Klebsiella pneumoniae, a frequent culprit in respiratory and urinary infections.”  In the United States and Britain, NDM-1 has occasionally been found in patients who received medical care in Southeast Asia before returning home.  For now, NDM-1 is one of the antibiotic resistant bacteria being monitored by the CDC.

            In research news, a spinal-fluid test has been found to predict the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease with 100 percent accuracy.  The study, published in the Archives of Neurology, found that by testing spinal fluid for protein levels associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  The Times reported that, “The new study included more than 300 patients in their 70s, 114 with normal memories, 200 with memory problems and 102 with Alzheimer’s disease. Their spinal fluid was analyzed for amyloid beta, a protein fragment that forms plaques in the brain, and for tau, a protein that accumulates in dead and dying nerve cells in the brain.”  One potential barrier to broader use of the test is that spinal fluid must be withdrawn through a spinal tap, which many patients are averse to.  Also, differences in labs performing the tests may lead to differences in the reliability of the results.

            Finally, in regulatory news, the FDA has issued a warning that a GlaxoSmithKline seizure drug can cause a rare inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.  The FDA is working with GlaxoSmithKline to add a warning to Lamictal’s label based on 40 reported cases of aseptic meningitis.  Aseptic meningitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that is usually caused by viruses, toxins, and some medications.  Lamictal is an anti-seizure medication that is also sometimes used to treat bipolar disorder.

Meg Larkin is a law student at Boston University.  Please feel free to email her with any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns.