Bacteria being used to fight hospital-acquired infections

Hospitals in Ireland are starting to use bacteria and viruses found in the gut to tackle what scientists describe as the “coming plague of antimicrobial resistance.”

Principal investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland in University College Cork, Colin Hill, said faecal transplants are being used to cure very difficult to treat hospital-acquired infections.

Also, patients are increasingly taking probiotics following a course of antibiotics to prevent subsequent infection.