AMA Awards 2008 - MJA/Wyeth Research Award
The 13th edition of the prestigious The Medical Journal of Australia/Wyeth Australia Award for the best original research published in the MJA during 2007 has been won by Ms Karen Manley and her colleagues at Austin Health, Melbourne: Dr Margaret Fraenkel, Mr Barrie Mayall and Professor David Power.
Their study, Probiotic treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: a randomised control trial, was published in the 7 May 2007 issue.
It investigated whether or not probiotic treatment might reduce bowel contamination with vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) in a double blind randomised placebo-controlled trial, in which the treatment group received 100 mL daily of yoghurt containing lacto bacillus GG and the control group pasteurised yoghurt.
The investigators found a complete clearance of gastrointestinal carriage of VRE in renal patients, demonstrating that commercial yoghurt containing probiotic lacto bacillus GG was an effective vehicle for eliminating bowel contamination by VRE.
AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, congratulated the investigators on their initiative, which, she said, was indeed deserving of the Award.
CONTACT: Kylie Butler 0417 652 488
Kylie Walker 0405 229 152