Bacteria Research: Monitoring chicken flock behaviour could help combat leading cause of food poisoning ♦ Antibiotics pave way for C. diff infections by killing bile acid-altering bacteria

Efficacy of major chlamydia drug confirmed In one of the most tightly controlled trials ever conducted of drugs used to treat sexually transmitted infections, researchers have confirmed that azithromycin remains effective in the treatment of urogenital chlamydia.

Ecologist finds another cause of antibiotic resistance One researcher is concerned that there's more to the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria than the misuse of common medications. A senior research ecologist, this scientist believes environmental contaminants may be partly to blame for the rise in bacterial resistance, and he tested this hypothesis in streams on the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Site

Antibiotics pave way for C. diff infections by killing bile acid-altering bacteria Bile acids, which are altered by bacteria normally living in the large intestine, inhibit the growth of Clostridium difficile, new research indicates. The work sheds light on the ways in which some commonly used antibiotics can promote C. diff infections by killing off the bile acid-altering microbes.

Monitoring chicken flock behaviour could help combat leading cause of food poisoning A new technique that monitors the movement of chickens can be used to predict which flocks are at risk of becoming infected with Campylobacter -- the most common bacterial source of food poisoning in humans in the UK.