The Times of India

Individually, lankacidin and lankamycin, two antibiotics produced naturally by the microbe streptomyces, are marginally effective in warding off pathogens.

However, when used together, the two antibiotics were much more successful in inhibiting growth of dangerous pathogens such as MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and possibly others, says lead researcher Alexander Mankin, professor and associate director of the UIC Centre for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.

"What we found most amazing is that the two antibiotics appeared to help each other in stopping pathogens from making new proteins and in inhibiting bacterial growth," said Mankin. Lankacidin and lankamycin act upon the ribosomes, the protein-synthesizing factories of the cell.

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I came across this article and thought it had good information to share.

Sun-Times Media

For the most part, the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks of contracting an infectious illness (like staph or MRSA) in the gym. However, there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of falling victim to germs in the gym, including:

* wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.


* cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.


* avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.


* keep open sores covered with a bandage and make sure they stay clean in order to avoid passing on germs to others.


* never share personal items such as towels, clothing, swimwear combs, soap, shampoo or shaving gear with anyone else.


* wear sandals when walking in the shower or sauna, to avoid catching athlete's foot. Also thoroughly wash and dry your feet and use antifungal powder in your shoes.


* always use clothing or a towel as a barrier between your skin and shared equipment, such as weight-training machines, wrestling or yoga mats and sauna and locker room benches.


* use disinfectants on frequently touched surfaces in the gym. Germs can also be spread when a person touches an infected surface.


* insist that the gym have antiseptic wipes readily available to be used to clean equipment before and after each use.


* ask how high-touch areas and equipment are being cleaned, how often and what type of cleanser is being used.


* if the gym provides towels, know if the gym washes and dries them in temperatures high enough to kill germs. Normal "hot" washing and drying cycles are adequate.

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Want to win a Tec Labs cooler bag? In the spirit of the season we are playing a little holiday trivia. Check out our questions and enter the giveaway!



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This past weekend Team Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic traveled to the 250
mile Gold Rush Adventure Race with the intent on winning this
notoriously hard fall race put on by Adrian Crane and Mark Richardson..

The gun went off at 7:30 am Thursday morning with 12 of the best teams
from the West Coast competing and started with a paddling section where the team
finished strongly and came out with a 2 minute lead. The race continued
on with a long biking leg into a trekking leg, and many optional
checkpoints of which the team was the only team to clear them all.

Finally, after 2 1/2 days of racing, with the finish line almost in
site, the team had finally dropped all the competitors, and settled into a
comfortable almost 5 hour lead, and came off their bikes and headed out
on a trekking leg to get more optional checkpoints. Team Tecnu
Extreme/StaphAseptic was clicking on all cylinders and pulling away
from the rest of the field. Whats even more impressive is that we are
a four person team, and the two nearest teams were both 3 person teams
who should have been able to move faster throughout the race course but
couldn't match this teams drive through the course. This team was rock
solid. What remained between the team and a sure victory was the
remainder of a short trek, hopping back aboard their bikes for a mostly
easy mt. bike. ride, an easy 22 mile paddle on Don Pedro Reservoir, and
then a 2 mile run to the finish line. There was a dark zone at the
waters edge, but the team was going to get there and be able to get a
rest, and get a time credit for sitting waiting for the paddling
section to open back up at 5 am, and that would only make their lead
over the rest of the field that much bigger, and so all was fantastic.
And then the adventure racing Gods decided to be cruel, and in a matter
of seconds, the race was over.

Running along a technical trail with shallow footholds, and sharp
rocks, Glenn Rogers was leading the charge when he stumbled, tripped, and went down.
When he fell he lacerated his finger, almost cutting it off, breaking it, and exposing the
tendons. With serious concern over loss of the finger, the team
reacted quickly to get him out of the back-country. The team was
forced to hit the 911 button on the teams SPOT tracking device which
sent out an emergency call to the police and fire department and race
staff. Kyle Peter and Leslie Reuter ran out of the back-country to
help flag down the emergency vehicles while Charlie Kharsa stayed with
Glenn to make sure that he didn't go into shock. Eventually Glenn and
Charlie hiked out to the incoming emergency vehicles, who then took
them to the hospital so that he could get patched up. So, here's the
silver lining. Glenn is okay, got patched up, and will live to race
another day. With safety as the first motto on the teams bylaws, we
knew that when it happened, getting Glenn the help he needed totally
overshadowed winning an adventure race. Were we bummed to have to pull
out of a race we were almost assuredly going to win? Absolutely! But
it is hard to bike and paddle with only one hand. But it is the pursuit
of a perfect race and controlling all the variables that
keeps us coming back to this incredibly hard sport we love so much. And
the team got to go eat burritos and have a well earned meal with the
assistance crew and Greg the camera guy who was following us throughout
the race, so all was not lost. : ) So....looking ahead to 2010. Look
for us January 15-17th in Georgia as we look to take the first points
of the year at the Checkpoint Tracker series. We will be racing against
Granite AR who just won the USARA Nationals, and also NUUN/Feed the
Machine, so the competition will be fierce, but we are confident in the
teams ability to challenge for the title. Stay safe and sane.

See you there!

Earring Doug Judson-Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic Adventure Racing Team
Captain

Jared Hanley, member of Team Tecnu Extreme, recaps his experience competing in the 2009 Primal Quest.  Read about it on his 2009 Primal Quest blog.

http://pq2009.blogspot.com/

Tecnu Extreme /StAphaseptic continues to crush the competition at the always arduous 250 mile Gold Rush adventure race in Northern, California put on by Mark Richardson and Adrian Crane. Currently well into the lead with a 2 1/2 hour lead over the rest of the field, Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic is out on an optional trekking leg picking up time bonuses that will further cement their lead, before heading back onto their bikes as they paddle to the Don Pedro reservoir. There the team will paddle through the night on a 20 mile paddle, and the race will finish with a mile run to the finish line tomorrow early morning in what looks like a very convincing win to finalize a VERY strong 2009 racing campaign. Running in second 2 1/2 hours behind Tecnu Extreme is NorCal AR which is a 3 person co-ed team. Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic is a 4 person co-ed team from Northern Cali and Wa. We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters for their continued friendships and partnerships, and for helping this team become a force to be reckoned with in the adventure racing community in North America. We cannot wait to see you all again for a fun 2010.

Cheers,

Earring Doug Judson-Team Captain of Tecnu extreme/StaphAseptic adventure racing
www.espritdecorpadventureracing.com

Team Tecnu Extreme / StaphAseptic will be competing in the California Gold Rush Adventure Race on November 4th. This is the team's final race for 2009.

"Gold Rush 4 day - 'The Mother Lode'. This is the biggest of them all! Multi day adventure racing will return to the West Coast. See the best of the California Sierras in an internationally contested event."

For more information about the event, visit http://www.goldrushar.com

CHICAGO, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chicago-based MRSA Survivors Network calls for action and is pushing international health organizations, the Centers for Disease Control, governments and state health departments to declare MRSA an epidemic and pandemic. "Immediate action must be taken to save lives as MRSA sweeps across the globe," states founder Jeanine Thomas.

MRSA Survivors Network has been drawing attention to the MRSA epidemic by launching World MRSA Day, Oct. 2nd, and the inaugural event was held at Loyola University Chicago. "It was an amazing and a transformational event for all of those who attended. The impact will change the course of this disease," states Thomas.

MRSA Survivors Network initiated in the U.S. Senate, senate resolution 301, designating Oct. 2nd World MRSA Day and October MRSA Awareness Month; it passed on Oct. 5th.

Activists in the U.S. and the UK are holding candlelight vigils and events throughout the month of October, World MRSA Awareness Month.

Jeanine Thomas was the first patient advocate to raise the alarm about MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections in the U.S. She became critically ill and nearly died from MRSA sepsis and C. Difficile after ankle surgery. She has combined forces with Derek Butler from MRSA Action UK and they work together to raise global awareness for antimicrobial resistance.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control should immediately insert screening and isolation for MRSA into their first tier of recommendations in the HICPAC CDC Guideline for controlling MDRO's and strongly recommend them. "This would save so many lives," states Thomas.

Health organizations must be truthful and forthcoming to the public and declare MRSA at epidemic levels around the world and stop the secrecy that has surrounded MRSA for decades. Hand hygiene alone has been a failed approach for decades in controlling infections and a comprehensive proactive approach that includes active detection and isolation must be implemented.

MRSA Survivors Network and fellow activists understand working together can change the course of this disease and other healthcare-acquired infections. "It is time to join together in a global effort and in global unity to change the impact that this preventable disease has on families who have been shattered by the tragic loss of life and disabling infections," states founder Jeanine Thomas.

2009 Sponsors: 3M, StaphAseptic, Cepheid, Pfizer, Clorox, Abbott Molecular and bioMerieux.

Downloadable posters can be found at www.worldmrsaday.org. Contact MRSA Survivors Network at: info@mrsasurvivors.org or 630 325-4354.

SOURCE MRSA Survivors Network