Pestilence

New drug reduces risk of 'superbug' re-infection by 40 percent - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A newly approved drug may help in the battle against Clostridium difficile -- a potentially fatal 'superbug' gut infection that has become a scourge in U.S. hospitals. In two clinical trials, researchers found that the drug, called bezlotoxumab, marketed as Zinplava, cut the risk of a recurrent C. difficile infection by almost 40 percent. [...] C. difficile sickened almost half a million Americans in 2011, according to the most recent numbers from the CDC. An estimated 29,000 of those patients died within a month. Most infections happen in the hospital, the CDC says."

Antibiotic overuse behind 'superbug' outbreak in U.K. hospitals - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Researchers analyzed hospital data related to the outbreak of Clostridium difficile, a "superbug" gut infection. The investigators concluded that reducing the use of fluoroquinolones -- antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and levofloxacin (Levaquin) -- curbed the outbreak. "