tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84511202024837914642024-03-14T00:46:15.416-07:00Microbes ByteMany microorganisms live in friendly relationships with humans. However, there is a growing number of microbes found to cause ill health or death. This blog focuses on these pathogens, the microbes that "bite"!
Add your news or comments to this important discussion blog.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-71231011218258117532016-09-29T21:26:00.002-07:002016-09-30T03:58:00.878-07:00Discussion on Breastfeeding<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are so many reasons where formula milk is essential. Here are a few: many women do not produce any or enough milk; some women are separated from their baby due to postpartum health issues (mother or baby); many women take essential medication that passes into milk and is unsuitable for their baby; some women are too ill to breast feed or express milk; some women die in childbirth; some babies are immediately taken from their mothers due to rejection (sometimes planned); there might be need for extra fluid or nutrition due to diarrhoea including illnesses such as cholera or typhoid. There are many others.</span><br />
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<b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A REPLY TO MY ORIGINAL POST:</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 12px;"><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>If</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"> you look into breastfeeding and breastfeeding support you'll see that, yes, formula can be vital for many of those points you're making, but in the vast majority this is not true. If it was the human race wouldn't have survived so long.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The biggest obstacle to breastfeeding is lack of support and formula companies pushing their products and misinformation. The statement that many women do not produce enough milk is simply wrong. With support and letting baby nurse whenever it wants to, the vast majority will produce enough milk. In the vast cases breastfeeding friendly medication can be given. And in case of illness, esp where diarrhoea and or vomiting are involved, no better fluid can be given than the mother's breastmilk with all its antibodies and nutrients. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: red;">If the mother cannot nurse for whatever reason, there is also the option of donor milk. Humanmilk4humanbabies is one of those organisations. But many hospitals have their own donor milk bank for premature babies, as there is nothing superior for a little baby, especially if sick and or premature than human milk</span>.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">MY REPLY TO THE REPLY</b></div>
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: if you look into breastfeeding and breastfeeding support you'll see that, yes, formula can be vital for many of those points you're making, but in the vast majority this is not true. If it was the human race wouldn't have survived so long.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: Firstly, I am a great supporter of breast feeding. In normal circumstances it is the best. But, contrary to your reply, many circumstances are not 'normal', whether in the western or developing world and your assumptions seem to be derived from anecdotes rather than empirical evidence. I'll comment on your 'vast majority' comment several times below. I've provided references supporting my points for you to browse at your leisure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The human race wouldn't have been maintained in such a healthy, numerous and long-lived form without countless interventions from the scientific and medical professions. Breast milk does not protect against most pathogens, but luckily we have vaccines, antibiotics and more recent novel antimicrobial treatments such as antibody therapy and affimers.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">n the developing world, there are many issues with breast feeding, including undernourished and dehydrated mothers, and disease transmission, particularly HIV transmission through breast milk (http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/3/07-041673/en/). What would you decide to do, knowing that nutritionally breastfeeding might be best, but that if choosing to breastfeed you would transmit HIV to your baby? The numbers involved are far from trivial. Here are some details: <a href="http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/hiv-and-aids/facts-and-figures"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/hiv-and-aids/facts-and-figures</span></a>. Of course, the HIV issue also applies to the developed world, but the involvement of readily available health care mitigates the issue a little, though it's still a serious problem.</span><br />
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: The biggest obstacle to breastfeeding is lack of support and formula companies pushing their products and misinformation.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: The biggest obstacle to breastfeeding in the western world is lifestyle, and the freedom to choose activities that hamper breastfeeding, especially those related to work. One possible solution, expressing milk for use by, for example, child carers sounds very good, but the logistical problems are great. There is a great deal of scope to improve this, but if mothers prefer to use formula for convenience, that is their right and choice. Likely their children will still grow up fit and healthy and any problems with their dissociation from breastfeeding could be more psychological than physical.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">That there are companies producing and marketing formula does not equal compulsion to purchase and use. You do women a disservice by criticising their choice to use formula. I think there is sufficient information to counter any, as you call it 'misinformation' from formula suppliers. Indeed, mothers are bombarded, if not intimidated, by information suggesting they should breast feed.</span><br />
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: The statement that many women do not produce enough milk is simply wrong. </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: There are many mothers (from the 3.7 billion females in the world an estimated 2 billion are mothers) who have issues leading to poor milk stimulation/production. Some causes:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The baby is not attaching well at the breast.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The baby does not feed often enough. (Nearly all babies need to feed at least 8 to 12 times in 24 hours).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The baby does not feed effectively at the breast.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The mother had breast surgery that is effecting milk supply.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The mother as recently had mastitis.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The mother is taking oral contraceptive pills containing oestrogen.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The mother smokes cigarettes.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Some medications, including over-the-counter and herbal preparations such as cold/flu tablets, may reduce your milk supply.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">There may be reduced or no milk production because of a medical condition. (Although this occurs in less than five per cent of mothers of the 2 billion mothers this cause alone would affect 100 million).</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So your numbers game is not a sufficient argument here, unless 100s of millions of mothers with problems are not a sufficient problem, in your opinion.</span></div>
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: With support and letting baby nurse whenever it wants to, the vast majority will produce enough milk. </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: Your numbers game pops up again here. The same argument relating to numbers, as mentioned above, applies - there are 100's of millions of mothers with poor milk supply. And again, in the west, lifestyle and the freedom to choose activities that are hampered by breastfeeding, especially those related to work, are a factor. From above, nearly all breastfed babies need to feed at least 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. Working mothers, single mothers, ill mothers, fatigued mothers do not all choose to be disturbed to breastfeed. The same points arise as earlier with expressing milk for later use.</span><br />
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: In the vast cases breastfeeding friendly medication can be given.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: It sort of goes against the natural status of breastfeeding if drugs (that are almost all synthetic) are used to stimulate it. As with all medications, side effects are possible, and many have been reported with all such medications currently available. There are so many that I wouldn't be able to discuss them all here. The two most popular drugs, according to medical and lactation experts, are Reglan, which has been found in rare cases to cause an irreversible facial muscle-spasm condition called tardive dyskinesia, which can resemble Tourette’s Syndrome or Parkinson’s disease, and Domperidone, which is not FDA-approved and mostly found via Canadian online pharmacies. One of Reglan’s side effects, according to the FDA, is depression - a condition some new mothers are already at risk of. Take it from me, (I have an MSc in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry), there is no such thing as a 100% safe drug.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, while there is anecdotal evidence that the drugs appear to help some women make more milk, a 2011 report released by the American Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine found no conclusive evidence of “correlation between baseline prolactin levels and rates or milk synthesis or measured volumes of milk production.” The study also found that previous studies on the effectiveness of the drugs in increasing milk supply have “generally been of poor quality,” lacking randomisation and having small sample sizes for testing. “The case for using pharmaceutical galactogogues [substances used to increase lactation] has grown weaker,” the report found. (</span><a href="http://www.bfmed.org/Media/Files/Protocols/Protocol%209%20-%20English%201st%20Rev.%20Jan%202011.pdf" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.bfmed.org/Media/Files/Protocols/Protocol%209%20-%20English%201st%20Rev.%20Jan%202011.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally, if I had to choose, I would select formula anytime over using drugs to stimulate breastmilk.</span><br />
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: And in case of illness, esp where diarrhoea and or vomiting are involved, no better fluid can be given than the mother's breastmilk with all its antibodies and nutrients.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: I have a PhD in microbiology and lectured in the areas for many years. So it would be my pleasure to discuss this matter till the cows come home. (Was that a pun? Almost, but a bad one.) The three major causes of neonatal deaths worldwide are infections (36%, which includes sepsis/pneumonia, tetanus and diarrhoea). In the developing world diarrhoeal disease is a major, if not the major cause of infant death. Acute diarrhoea in babies and young children can be life threatening due to the risks of dehydration. Some of the infectious agents known to cause diarrhoea include:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Viruses – such as calici virus, adenovirus and rotavirus;</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Bacteria – such as E. coli, Campylobacter, V. cholerae, Shigella, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus;</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Parasites – such as Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum and tapeworm.</span></span></li>
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<span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breastmilk does not and cannot abate these conditions. Medical intervention does. Sometimes it is a very simple treatment but saves millions of lives. Babies and young children with diarrhoea need prompt medical attention. Treatment for diarrhoea depends on the cause, but includes:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration;</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oral rehydration drinks to replace lost salts and minerals; </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Intravenous replacement of fluids in severe cases;</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Medications such as antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs;</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anti-diarrhoeal medications;</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Treatment for any underlying condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease.</span></li>
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<span data-offset-key="5kun0-1-0" style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Newborn passive immunity is very temporary (hence the importance of beginning childhood immunisations when the babies are two months old). Breastmilk does contain antibodies, especially in colostrum, but the antibodies are derived from the mother and only provide immunity for some of the conditions that the mother has experienced, such as chickenpox. Antibodies against certain infectious diseases such as whooping cough are not transferrable so the baby cannot depend on maternal antibodies for protection in all cases. Premature babies are particularly vulnerable as their immune systems are not well developed and they are less likely to have benefited from passive protection. Vaccines can be particularly beneficial for premature births. Protection for most of the important killer diseases will not be available to babies from breastmilk. </span></div>
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<i style="color: red; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOU: If the mother cannot nurse for whatever reason, there is also the option of donor milk. Humanmilk4humanbabies is one of those organisations. But many hospitals have their own donor milk bank for premature babies, as there is nothing superior for a little baby, especially if sick and or premature than human milk.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ME: Donor milk networks - a nice idea but unlikely to be widespread or popular enough to make a real impact, aside from the logistics especially in rural areas and the developing world. That the initiative states only 1000s of donors over the 52 countries where it is active suggests a 'hug a tree' type enterprise that might be popular with the middle class Greens. Hopefully it might have an explosive expansion but with Health Canada and the FDA (amongst others) issuing warnings about the potential risks of milksharing it will be an uphill struggle. A study has shown that of 1091 potential donors, 3.3% were infection positive on screening serology, including 6 syphilis, 17 hepatitis B, 3 hepatitis C, 6 HTLV [human T cell lymphotropic virus] and 4 HIV (</span><a href="http://fn.bmj.com/content/95/2/F118.abstract" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;">http://fn.bmj.com/content/95/2/F118.abstract</span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Can the donated </span><span style="font-family: "\22 helvetica\22 " , "\22 arial\22 " , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">milk be </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">tested for HIV and other milk transmissible pathogens economically and rapidly enough? Would you really want to risk using these sources of milk? (</span><a href="http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/PediatricAdvisoryCommittee/UCM235629.pdf" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/PediatricAdvisoryCommittee/UCM235629.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hospital donor milk banks are also a good idea although premature babies are the minority of births. But you might want to look into the statistics as I know you're fond of the numbers game. 😉</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nothing is perfect in this world and certainly not human physiology - we sit on a branch of the evolutionary tree and that tree has no perfection, just an ongoing fight to adapt to changing environments - a fight that will be never ending. In the meantime we have to use our noggins to try and outwit our predatory and parasitic enemies, amongst other trials and tribulations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the best, and keep pushing the cause. Just be aware of the problems. </span></div>
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</span>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-53497578030407658942014-02-18T00:48:00.001-08:002014-06-01T18:33:57.734-07:00Cutting through mucus with the influenza virus neuraminidase<span style="font: 12pt Arial;">Neuraminidase is one of three different viral proteins embedded in the lipid membrane of influenza virus (NA is blue in the illustration at left). This enzyme has a clear and proven role in virus release from cells. NA is also believed to be important during virus entry, by degrading the mucus barrier of the respiratory tract and allowing virus to reach cells. This role is supported by the finding that treatment of mucus-covered human airway epithelial cells with the NA inhibitor Tamiflu substantially suppresses the initiation of infection. Further evidence comes from the recent finding that influenza virus binds to sialic acids in mucus and that NA cleaves these sugars to allow infection.
Virology BLog, 9 Jan 2014 01:54 by Vincent Racaniello
</span>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-51046675674468738322013-06-25T10:37:00.000-07:002013-07-16T09:53:42.414-07:00A feline and human pathogenic fungus joins the new species list<strong>A new species of fungus that causes life-threatening infections in humans and cats has been discovered by a University of Sydney researcher.<br /></strong><br />"This all originated from spotting an unusual fungal infection in three cats I was seeing at the University's cat treatment centre in 2006," said Dr Vanessa Barrs, from the University's Faculty of Veterinary Science, whose findings have just been published in PLOS One.<br /><br />"These cats presented with a tumour-like growth in one of their eye sockets, that had spread there from the nasal cavity. The fungal spores are inhaled and in susceptible cats they establish a life-threatening infection that is very difficult to treat."<br /><br />Six years of investigation followed, including working with some of the world's leading fungal experts at the CBS-KNAW fungal biodiversity centre in The Netherlands.<br /><br />"Finally I was able to confirm this as a completely new species, <em>Aspergillus felis</em>, which can cause virulent disease in humans and cats by infecting their respiratory tract. We were able to demonstrate that this was a new species of fungus on a molecular and reproductive level and in terms of its form.<br />"Similar to the closely related fungus <em>Aspergillus fumigates</em>, this new species of fungus can reproduce both asexually and sexually - and we discovered both phases of the fungus."<br /><br />Since the first sighting of the new species, more than 20 sick domestic cats from around Australia and one cat from the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with the fungus. The fungus appears to infect otherwise healthy cats but in the two humans identified it attacked an already highly compromised immune system. The disease is not passed between humans and cats but its study in cats will not only help their treatment but provide a good model for the study of the disease in people. There is only a 15 percent survival rate of cats with the disease and it has so far proved fatal in humans. To date only one case has been identified in a dog.<br /><br />"We are right at the start of recognising the diseases caused by this fungus in animals and humans. The number of cases may be increasing in frequency or it may just be we are getting better at recognising them," Dr Barrs said.<br /><br />"Fungi like <em>Aspergillus felis</em> can be easily misidentified as the closely related fungus <em>Aspergillus fumigatus</em>, which is a well-studied cause of disease in humans. However, <em>A. felis</em> is intrinsically more resistant to antifungal drugs than <em>A. fumigatus</em> and this has important implications for therapy and prognosis."<br /><br />The next step for Dr Barrs and her team is studying fungi in culture collections throughout Australia to determine the prevalence of <em>A. felis</em> infections in people with previously diagnosed aspergillosis. They will collaborate with researchers at the Westmead Millenium Institute for Medical Research.<br /><br /><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-APxbgT6fOAY/UeV6lOiAM0I/AAAAAAAABxM/h579erHdSk0/18_feline_fungus_2-2013-06-25-18-37.jpg" alt="18_feline_fungus_2-2013-06-25-18-37.jpg" width="500" height="282"><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(Left) A cat with a swollen eye due to a fungal granuloma in its eye socket. (Right) The same cat after being successfully treated. The disease has only a 15 percent survival rate.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(38,38,38);"><strong>Media enquiries:</strong> Verity Leatherdale, 02 9351 4312, 0403 067 342, </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:verity.leatherdale@sydney.edu.au">verity.leatherdale@sydney.edu.au</a></span>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-29360108088101432782013-06-24T09:29:00.001-07:002013-06-24T09:29:51.755-07:00DNA in Human GenomesA new study finds strong evidence that bacteria can transfer genes into human genomes, especially in cancer cells.
By Ed Yong | June 20, 2013 | The Scientist
A team of scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found the strongest evidence yet that bacteria occasionally transfer their genes into human genomes, finding bacterial DNA sequences in about a third of healthy human genomes and in a far greater percentage of cancer cells. The results, published today (20 June) in <em>PLOS Computational Biology</em>, suggest that gene transfer from bacteria to humans is not only possible, but also somehow linked to over-proliferation: either cancer cells are prone to these intrusions or the incoming bacterial genes help to kick-start the transformation from healthy cells into cancerous ones.
“It really does seem that human genome sequence data from somatic cells show signs of LGT events from bacteria, and so do cancer cells,” said <a href="http://phylogenomics.blogspot.co.uk/">Jonathan Eisen</a> from University of California, Davis, who coordinated the peer review of the new study but was not involved in the work. “Wild stuff does happen.”
The trillions of bacteria in our bodies regularly exchange DNA with each other, but the idea that their genes could end up in human DNA has been very controversial. In 2001, the team that sequenced the first human genome claimed to have found 113 cases of such lateral gene transfers (LGT), but their conclusion <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11358996">was later refuted</a>.
This high-profile error “had a chilling effect on the field,” according to <a href="http://medschool.umaryland.edu/FACULTYRESEARCHPROFILE/viewprofile.aspx?id=20308">Julie Dunning Hotopp</a> who led the new study. Although her team has since found several cases of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17761848">LGT between bacteria and invertebrates</a>, “it’s still difficult to convince people that it may be happening in the human genome,” she said.
Rather than looking for bacterial genes that had become permanent parts of the human genome, Dunning Hotopp’s team searched for traces of microbial DNA in somatic cells—the cells of the body that do not form gametes.
Lab members David Riley and Karsten Sieber scanned publicly available data from the 1000 Genomes Project and found more than 7,000 instances of LGT from bacteria, affecting around a third of the people they studied. When they analyzed sequences from the Cancer Genome Atlas, they discovered 691,000 more instances of LGT 99.9 percent of these came from tumor samples rather than normal tissues.
Acute myeloid leukaemia cells were particularly rife with bacterial sequences. A third of the microbial genes came from a genus called <em>Acinetobacter, </em>and had been inserted into the mitochondrial genome.
Stomach cancer cells also contained lots of bacterial DNA, especially from <em>Pseudomonas. </em>Most of this DNA had been inserted into five genes, four of which were already known to be proto-oncogenes that can give rise to cancer, emphasizing a possible link between LGT and cancerous growth. “Finding these integrations in multiple individuals, as well as in the proto-oncogenes, really spoke to how significant this might be,” said Dunning Hotopp.
“We know already that a significant proportion of cancers are due to insertion of genetic material from viruses,” said <a href="http://edanchin.free.fr/">Etienne Danchin</a> from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, who reviewed the paper. “But this is the first time, as far as I know, that HGT from bacteria could be suspected as a cause of cancer.”
However, Dunning Hotopp is very clear that her results tell us nothing about whether the inserted bacterial DNA contributed to causing the cancers, or were just along for the ride. To get at the question of causation, researchers could deliberately add bacterial DNA into the same sites within human cell lines to see if they turn cancerous, she said. But even if the bacterial LGT can initiate over-proliferation, it would be hard to prevent such transfers with antibiotics. “You don’t know when these transfers occur, and you can’t give people antibiotics their entire life,” said Dunning Hotopp. “A vaccine would be nice, but that is assuming these are causative.”
“LGT is incredibly important in evolution but many claims of specific cases of LGT have been seriously flawed,” said Eisen. “I came into this as a serious skeptic. It just seemed so improbable.”
But the team won him over. They ran an extensive set of checks to make sure that these bacterial sequences were not laboratory artifacts and had not come from contaminating microbes.
For example, they showed that LGT was more common in cancer cells than healthy tissue, and two out of ten cancer types were particularly hard hit. If the bacterial integrations were artifacts of the methodology, it should be equally common in any tissue sample. The team also focused on sequences with high coverage—that is, those which had been read many times over. When the team found evidence of LGT, it was consistent across all of these reads. “In the end, the authors addressed every single question that I and the reviewers raised,” said Eisen.
<a href="http://fsmweb.northwestern.edu/faculty/FacultyProfile.cfm?xid=17695">Hank Seifert</a> from Northwestern University, who was not involved in the study, remains cautious. “This paper is very interesting and potentially important,” he said. “However, until the direct analysis of specific tumor cells can be performed to validate that these are real events, this work [is] still speculative.”
But Dunning Hotopp’s team cannot do these validation studies herself. For privacy reasons, they cannot access the original tumor samples that their data came from. “People with access to the samples need to validate that the integrations are correct,” she said.
Danchin agrees that the results need to be validated but said, “I am personally convinced what they have found by screening the different databases is true. I think LGT happens much more frequently than we imagine but, most of the time, is just not detectable.”
D. R. Riley et al., “Bacteria-human somatic cell lateral gene transfer is enriched in cancer samples,” <em>PLOS Computational Biology</em>, tbc, 2013.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-85483548810297410472013-05-18T09:27:00.001-07:002013-05-18T09:28:58.332-07:00Key host–pathogen interactions for designing novel interventions against Helicobacter pylori<p style="text-align: justify">Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium which has exquisitely adapted to survive in the acidic, hostile environment of the stomach. H. pylori is extremely motile and is found in the mucus layer lining the stomach. By penetrating this thick mucus layer, the bacteria can attach to gastric epithelial cells, thus avoiding being ‘washed’ through the stomach. H. pylori infection tends to persist for the life of the host and, with more than half the population of the world being infected, it is not surprising that H. pylori strains have co-evolved with Homo sapiens. For this reason, and due to several cunning adaptations, the bacteria are able to induce low-level inflammation to gain access to the nutrients required for them to grow and survive, but simultaneously evade host immune responses. Importantly, H. pylori is presently the only bacterial species classified as a type 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) and remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Approximately one in five infected individuals develop disease, including either peptic ulcer disease, gastric mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and, in the worst case (approximately 1–2% of infected individuals), gastric adenocarcinoma. Gastric cancer remains the second leading cause of death from malignancy worldwide and, with H. pylori being a major cause, it is clear that H. pylori infection still has a major impact on the global disease burden. Clearly there is a need to develop novel therapies and, ideally, a highly efficacious vaccine, based on a sound understanding of H. pylori and its interplay with the human host. This review will summarize recent findings in the context of host–pathogen interactions and modulation of inflammation as well as highlighting recent advances in vaccine development.</p>
Every, A.L (2013) Key host–pathogen interactions for designing novel interventions against Helicobacter pylori Trends in Microbiology, 21, 253–259.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-9978721384434740382012-06-18T06:41:00.000-07:002012-06-18T06:42:42.892-07:00Don't touch?Next time you enter a new hotel room, you might think twice before touching the light switch or reaching for the remote. Those are two of the top surfaces most likely to be contaminated with bacteria, according to a study aimed at boosting hotel cleaning practices.<br /><br />For more see: <a href="http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/17/12241651-germiest-hot-spots-in-hotels-tv-remote-light-switch-study-finds?chromedomain=testblog">http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/17/12241651-germiest-hot-spots-in-hotels-tv-remote-light-switch-study-finds?chromedomain=testblog</a>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-89201365339665423202012-04-06T18:27:00.000-07:002012-04-06T18:28:27.135-07:00Your Computer Mouse Carries More Germs Than A Toilet SeatThe average computer mouse is three times dirtier than a toilet seat, according to an alarming new study.<br />Researchers blame the results on  workers who eat at their desks, turning work stations into breeding grounds for harmful bugs and germs. And men are far more filthy than their female counterparts - with 40 per cent more bacteria lurking in male mice.Keyboards were the second most grubby item in the office, ahead of phones and chairs.Initial Washroom Hygiene, which carried out the tests, said computer mice also carried twice as many bugs as a toilet flush handle.<br />Researchers swabbed 158 items seized from 40 desks at three office locations and compared the results with data on toilet hygiene, including 28 loo seats, obtained from other buildings. Four-in-10 desks were home to at least one item with very high levels of bacteria and surface contamination which posed a risk to health.<br />Initial Technical manager Peter Barratt said: 'It is now common for office workers to spend their lunch hour eating at their desk - often surfing the web or continuing to type at the same time.<br />'This leaves crumbs and other food residue all over the work station, particularly on mice and keyboards, making them ideal places for bacteria and other microorganisms to survive and multiply.<br />'In addition because they are electrical devices these items aren’t cleaned as regularly or as thoroughly as other parts of the office, or even as the desks themselves.'<br />The mouse isn't the only everyday item found to be filthier than the average toilet seat - research has discovered more bacteria on kitchen work surfaces, steering wheels, restaurant high chairs, shopping trolleys and even lift buttons.<br />–Daily Mail, London<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0,0,0);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuvvIjfl_bgIj7ibbcxQ9Z5W_IXhUGVBDOTwD2o_3-wa4-aqLljrZEz5c7uwlVbo7hLlUdveI_AAcb5EqSJ8uOMqW7nb7C6k746MMq-NvdKHWkH_0FOpITrUpgNrxIj8ruivf8zvx3kw/" alt="mouse-and-toilet-2012-04-7-02-27.jpg" width="460" height="287"></span>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-45796625652130867022012-03-17T19:38:00.001-07:002012-03-17T19:38:41.577-07:00Antibiotic resistance: we must act now says WHO.http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/03march/Pages/antibiotic-resistance-who-strategy.aspxAntonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-69010950036790814742012-03-15T03:07:00.000-07:002012-03-15T03:10:40.415-07:00Staphylococcus aureus might be an intracellular pathogenIncreasing evidence indicates that Staphylococcus aureus might be a facultative intracellular pathogen. In particular, certain subpopulations, called small colony variants (SCVs), seem to be well adapted to the intracellular milieu. When compared to ‘normal’ staphylococcal strains, SCVs show increased uptake by host cells, resistance to intracellular defences and reduced stimulation of host defences. We propose that the ability to form two subpopulations with different phenotypes might allow S. aureus the option for both extra- cellular and intra-cellular survival in the host.<br />Trends in Microbiology 2012 (Article in Press)<br /><br />http://images.cell.com/images/Edimages/chom/TIM_Feb.pdfAntonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-36791068142730350962012-01-08T18:33:00.000-08:002012-01-08T18:36:30.501-08:00Gene could be factor in frequent cold soresPeople who get frequent flare-ups of cold sores may have variations of an obscure gene, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. This is the first gene to be associated with cold sore outbreaks.<br />Cold sores are the lesions caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, a persistent and common virus. The sores usually appear on the lip, around the mouth and sometimes on the nose, chin and fingers. Apart from the distress the sores can cause by their appearance, they can be painful and stick around for two weeks.<br />The sores also are infectious. Once a person has the virus, there’s no cure or way to predict or prevent the cold sores. The virus remains in the body and then unpredictably flares up in an outbreak of sores.  There are medications to relieve the symptoms.<br />Herpes simplex virus type 1 is different from genital herpes, which is herpes simplex virus type 2.<br />When will we see a herpes cure?<br />Researchers from University of Utah and the University of Massachusetts say the gene behind the frequent cold sores is C21orf91. Everyone has the gene, but there are two variations of the C21orf91 that are associated with the greater frequency of the outbreaks.<br />This doesn’t mean that people who have one of these two gene variations will automatically get a slew of cold sores.<br />“Twenty-one percent of the trait is due to genetic factors,” said study author, Dr. John Kriesel who is also a research associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Utah School of Medicine. This means that 79% is due to other factors such as the virus strain and environmental factors.<br />Kriesel and the co-authors reached their findings after analysing data from the gene sequences from 618 study participants - half of whom had cold sore outbreaks.<br />“The hope is if we can figure out what this protein is doing, we’ll find insight,” Kriesel said.  “There are other forms of herpes that are much more serious than cold sores.”<br />Post by: Madison Park - CNNhealth.com Writer/Producer<br /><br /><br /><br />Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-7266712923924410422011-07-01T06:50:00.000-07:002011-07-01T06:56:13.925-07:00Bacterial Friend?<span style="color: rgb(255,255,255);"><strong>Bdellovibrio bacteria act as 'living antibiotic' against important human pathogen</strong></span><br /><br />Scientists have found that a predatory bacterium significantly reduces the number of salmonella bacteria in the guts of live chickens, suggesting that the bacterium has potential to be used as a "living antibiotic."<br /><br />Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that Bdellovibrio reduced the numbers of Salmonella by 90 percent and the birds remained healthy, grew well, and were generally in good condition.<br /><br />Salmonella likes to grow in the guts of poultry and other animals and can cause food poisoning in humans.<br /><br />Dr Laura Hobley said "Bdellovibrio has the potential to be used as a living antibiotic against some major human and animal pathogens, such as E. coli and other so-called Gram-negative bacteria."<br /><br />She continued "We think that Bdellovibrio could be particularly useful as a topical treatment for wounds or foot rots but we wanted to know what might happen if it is ingested - either deliberately as a treatment, or by accident."<br /><br />Previous studies have shown that Bdellovibrio is very effective at invading and killing other bacterial cells in a test tube.<br /><br />And now it looks likely to provide an alternative to antibiotic medicines at a time when bacterial resistance is a significant problem to human and animal health.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255,255,255);">Reference:R. J. Atterbury, L. Hobley, R. Till, C. Lambert, M. J. Capeness, T. R. Lerner, A. K. Fenton, P. Barrow, R. E. Sockett. Studying the effects of orally administered Bdellovibrio on the wellbeing and Salmonella colonization of young chicks.. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2011; DOI: </span><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00426-11">10.1128/AEM.00426-11</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255,255,255);">Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive, BBSRC said "Once we have understood the fundamental nature of an extraordinary organism such as Bdellovibrio, it makes sense that we should look at potential uses for it. The impact of bacterial infections on human and animal health is significant and since antibiotic resistance is a major issue, alternatives from nature may become increasingly important."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(255,255,255);">http://media.eurekalert.org/release_graphics/Bdellovibrio1_27_04_highres.jpg</span>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-546834740396975552011-06-02T16:32:00.000-07:002011-06-02T16:33:29.416-07:00NEW MRSA STRAIN IN MILK<strong>Conventional MRSA is most commonly found in hospitals<br /></strong><p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: rgb(135,135,135);">Friday June 3,2011</span></p><br /><strong>By Dana Gloger<br /></strong><br /><p style="text-align: justify"><strong>BRITISH milk has become infected with the deadly MRSA superbug for the first time. The strain is resistant to antibiotics and cannot be detected by standard tests because its genetic make-up is so unusual.</strong></p><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify">The bug is already infecting humans, with 15 cases in England and 12 in Scotland. Scientists at Cambridge University discovered the bug in cow’s milk while researching an unrelated infection in the animals’ udders.</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify">They found evidence of humans and cows with exactly the same sub-type of the new <strong><a href="http://www.express.co.uk/search/MRSA">MRSA</a></strong> strain, which they said suggested transmission between animals and people. It is thought the bug has been spread by farm workers.</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify">Conventional MRSA is most commonly found in hospitals but the scientists, whose study is published today in medical journal The Lancet, discovered that the DNA of the new strain is different.</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify">This means existing tests cannot pick it up. Scientists are now frantically trying to develop a new testing system. Experts are still attempting to assess the public health risk but have said there is no threat to the safety of milk and dairy products because pasteurising should kill the bug.</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify">Dr Mark Holmes, who led the research, said cases of the new strain were rising. “But we are fairly sure in the last three or four years there haven’t been any deaths attributable to this new MRSA.”</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify">The Soil Association called for an immediate ban on the routine use of antibiotics on animals “even if that means milk has to cost a few pennies more. That would be a very small price to pay for maintaining the efficacy of these life-saving drugs.”</p><br /><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/250483/New-MRSA-superbug-found-in-milkNew-MRSA-superbug-found-in-milk#ixzz1OAGjVKl1">http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/250483/New-MRSA-superbug-found-in-milkNew-MRSA-superbug-found-in-milk#ixzz1OAGjVKl1</a>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-92143858836972451002010-11-16T18:05:00.000-08:002010-11-16T18:07:32.391-08:00The Insanity Virus<h3 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Schizophrenia has long been blamed on bad genes or even bad parents. Wrong, says a growing group of psychiatrists. The real culprit, they claim, is a virus that lives entwined in every person's DNA.</span></h3><div>Link: <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jun/03-the-insanity-virus">The Insanity Virus</a></div>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-32118733809185580902010-10-27T21:44:00.000-07:002010-10-27T21:46:51.486-07:00Bacteria To Blame In Asthma Attacks In ChildrenDoctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre (DPAC) at the University of Copenhagen and Gentofte Hospital have discovered that treatable bacterial infections can also cause asthma attacks. The discovery could revolutionise treatment.<br />The study examined 361 children between the ages of four weeks and three years to determine the presence of viral and bacterial infections during severe asthma attacks. The results conclude that the number of attacks was just as high in children with bacterial respiratory infections as in those with viral infections.<br /><em>Using antibiotics to treat asthma attacks?<br /></em><br />"This indicates that bacteria can exacerbate asthma symptoms even if they aren't infected with a virus," Professor Bisgaard says. "The findings open up an entirely new method for treating severe asthma attacks. We can't treat viral infections, but scientists will now look into whether treatment with antibiotics can help children when they have an asthma attack if they are also suffering from a bacterial infection. Being able to use antibiotics to treat asthma attacks in children would be revolutionary.”<br /><br />The effects of antibiotics in treating asthma attacks will now be examined in large-scale, clinical study by the DPAC.<br />Source: University of Copenhagen<br />Friday, October 08, 2010Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-32388451645666658892010-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:11:30.663-07:00Papillomavirus infection and the link with cancerPapillomaviridae are small non-encapsulated viruses with a double-stranded DNA circular genome of approximately 8 kbp. Papillomavirus (PV) DNA has been recovered from the skin and lesions of many mammalian species. Moreover, PVs or their genetic material have also been found in birds and turtles. Many PVs seem to cause asymptomatic infections and have been recovered from the healthy skin of many mammals. Negative results in certain mammals could reflect inadequacies in experimental techniques or extinction/sorting events in certain host species. Other PVs induce conspicuous infections of the epithelia and give rise to hyperkeratotic lesions, such as plantar and hand warts in humans caused by HPV1, oral warts in dogs caused by CPV1 and horny warts in the cottontail rabbit caused by SfPV1. Infections by particular human PVs, such as HPV6 and HPV11, cause genital warts and are among the most common sexually transmitted infections.<br /><br />Infectious agents can account for 20% of the global cancer burden. Several PVs are recognized by the World Health Organization as human carcinogens, as the link between cancer of the cervix and infection by so-called ‘high-risk’ human PVs (e.g. HPV16 or HPV18) is well established. World estimations in 2004 attribute more than 270,000 deaths to cervical cancer, 85% of them in developing countries (<a href="http://www.who.int/hpvcentre/en/">http://www.who.int/hpvcentre/en/</a>). Globally, PVs account for more than 30% of all infection-associated cancers in humans, as they are also putatively involved in cancers of the penis, vagina, vulva, anus, perianal region and head and neck. The 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine awarded to Harald zur Hausen “for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer” acknowledges the importance of this connection (<a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2008/">http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2008/</a>). Two vaccines using capsid proteins as immunogens from the most clinically relevant human PVs that cause cervical cancer have been recently licensed and seem to offer at least mid-lasting protection (4–6 years). Certain PV-related malignancies could thus become preventable diseases, but projections for 2030 still foresee more than 470,000 deaths and almost 4 million years of life lost due to cervical cancer in the absence of a widespread application of human PV vaccines (<a href="http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/projections/en/index.html">http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/projections/en/index.html</a>).<br /><br />From: The clinical importance of understanding the evolution of papillomaviruses. Ignacio G. Bravo, Silvia de Sanjosé and Marc Gottschling. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0966842X">Trends in Microbiology</a>. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=#TOC#5184#2010#999819989#2453744#FLA#&_cdi=5184&_pubType=J&view=c&_auth=y&_acct=C000010338&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=245344&md5=0fd119833646b9acb8d36fc32f4af5ff">Volume 18, Issue 10</a>, October 2010, Pages 432-438.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-88949467904208911622010-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:002010-08-13T07:35:01.927-07:00NDM-1 Superbug<p>Recently, alarm has been raised over the spread of drug resistance to carbapenem antibiotics among coliforms (<em>E.coli</em> and <em>Klebsiella</em>), due to production of an enzyme named NDM-1 (or New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase).</p><p> </p><p>Carbapenems are a class of beta-lactam antibiotics that have broad spectrum activity and are often reserved for emergency use and 'last resort' treatment. They have a structure that renders them highly resistant to beta-lactamases found in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Resistance to the carbapenems is found throughout India.</p>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-80780174423052266392010-07-07T07:45:00.000-07:002010-07-07T07:47:39.937-07:00Bags for life could have E. coli<p>Tests on shoppers’ bags revealed half contained traces of E.coli, a lethal toxin which killed 26 people in Scotland in 1996 in one of the worlds worst food poisoning outbreaks.</p><p>Scientists also found many were contaminated with salmonella.</p><p>Reusable plastic shopping bags have become increasingly popular in Britain thanks to supermarkets and other retailers giving out millions of free ones to shoppers in the last three years.</p><p>It is estimated that there are "hundreds of millions" of bags for life in use in Britain, according to sources within Wrap, the Government's anti-waste watchdog. Because the vast majority of people do not wash their bags after each shopping trip, they could be putting themselves at risk.</p><p>The tests were undertaken by the University of Arizona, whose researchers stopped a total of 84 shoppers to check the state of their bags.</p><p>The researchers warned the levels of bacteria they found were high enough to cause a wide range of serious health problems and even death.</p><p>Children may be in the greatest danger, they added, as they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of organisms such as E.coli.</p><p>Many of the bags for life are made from jute or woven polypropylene, helping to reduce the amount of so-called "virgin plastic" used in carrier bags by 40 per cent in just the last three years.</p><p>But while they are better for the environment, the new research suggests they could be harmful to health if not cleaned regularly.</p><p>Professor Charles Gerba, who led the study said: “Our findings suggest a serious threat to public health, especially from bacteria such as E.coli, which were detected in half of the bags sampled.</p><p>“Consumers are alarmingly unaware of these risks and the critical need to sanitise their bags on a weekly basis.”</p><p>A poll revealed 97 per cent of shoppers who used eco-friendly bags never washed or bleached them.</p><p>E. coli is a species of bacterium found in the intestines of animals and humans. It is passed on through faeces and can survive in the environment.</p><p>It is usually transferred to humans by ingesting contaminated water, or contaminated food, such as meat, which has not been cooked properly.</p><p>A particularly nasty strain, known as E. coli 0157, can be lethal for children and older people and fewer than 100 of the tiny organisms can cause illness.</p><p>Most cases of E. coli in Britain are caused by children coming into contact with animal faeces. Cases are on the increase according to the Health Protection Agency, which said that there were 25,532 reported cases in 2009, a 7 per cent increase compared with 2008.</p><p>Ten children last year were admitted to hospital after an outbreak at a petting farm in Surrey.</p><p>A spokesman for Wrap said: “Recently there have been concerns in the press that there are health risks from reusing shopping bags in relation to poor hygiene. WRAP recommends that only clean bags in a good state of repair are used and that bags contaminated with food should be cleaned before reusing. Bags that are in poor state of repair should be recycled at carrier bag recycling points.”</p><p>Source: <a href="http://telegraph.co.uk">telegraph.co.uk</a> By <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/harry-wallop/">Harry Wallop</a>, Consumer Affairs Editor Published: 6:03PM BST 30 Jun 2010</p>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-51151352332047349212010-07-02T15:21:00.001-07:002010-07-02T15:28:51.932-07:00Hazardous morning shower<table><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;width: 370px;padding: 0px,0px,0px,0px;border-top: 0px solid rgb(0,0,0);border-right: 0px solid rgb(0,0,0);border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(0,0,0);border-right: 0px solid rgb(0,0,0);margin: 0px,0px,0px,0px;"><p><strong>Daily Bathroom Showers May Deliver Face Full of Pathogens, Says CU-Boulder Study</strong></p><p>While daily bathroom showers provide invigorating relief and a good cleansing for millions of Americans, they also can deliver a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, according to a surprising new University of Colorado at Boulder study.</p><p>The researchers used high-tech instruments and lab methods to analyze roughly 50 showerheads from nine cities in seven states that included New York City, Chicago and Denver. They concluded about 30 percent of the devices harbored significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, a pathogen linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems but which can occasionally infect healthy people, said CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor Norman Pace, lead study author.</p><p>It’s not surprising to find pathogens in municipal waters, said Pace. But the CU-Boulder researchers found that some M. avium and related pathogens were clumped together in slimy “biofilms” that clung to the inside of showerheads at more than 100 times the “background” levels of municipal water. “If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy,” he said.</p><p>The study appeared in the Sept. 14 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authors of the study included CU-Boulder researchers Leah Feazel, Laura Baumgartner, Kristen Peterson and Daniel Frank and University Colorado Denver pediatrics department Associate Professor Kirk Harris. The study is part of a larger effort by Pace and his colleagues to assess the microbiology of indoor environments and was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.</p><p>Research at National Jewish Hospital in Denver indicates that increases in pulmonary infections in the United States in recent decades from so-called “non-tuberculosis” mycobacteria species like M. avium may be linked to people taking more showers and fewer baths, said Pace. Water spurting from showerheads can distribute pathogen-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, he said.</p><p>Symptoms of pulmonary disease caused by M. avium can include tiredness, a persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath, weakness and “generally feeling bad,” said Pace. Immune-compromised people like pregnant women, the elderly and those who are fighting off other diseases are more prone to experience such symptoms, said Pace, a professor in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department.</p><p>The CU-Boulder researchers sampled showerheads in homes, apartment buildings and public places in New York, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee and North Dakota.</p><p>Although scientists have tried cell culturing to test for showerhead pathogens, the technique is unable to detect 99.9 percent of bacteria species present in any given environment, said Pace. A molecular genetics technique developed by Pace in the 1990s allowed researchers to swab samples directly from the showerheads, isolate DNA, amplify it using the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, and determine the sequences of genes present in order to pinpoint particular pathogen types.</p><p>“There have been some precedents for concern regarding pathogens and showerheads,” said Pace. “But until this study we did not know just how much concern.”</p><p>During the early stages of the study, the CU team tested showerheads from smaller towns and cities, many of which were using well water rather than municipal water. “We were starting to conclude that pathogen levels we detected in the showerheads were pretty boring,” said Feazel, first author on the study. “Then we worked up the New York data and saw a lot of M. avium. It completely reinvigorated the study.”</p><p>In addition to the showerhead swabbing technique, Feazel took several individual showerheads, broke them into tiny pieces, coated them with gold, used a fluorescent dye to stain the surfaces and used a scanning electron microscope to look at the surfaces in detail. “Once we started analyzing the big metropolitan data, it suddenly became a huge story to us,” said Feazel, who began working in Pace’s lab as an undergraduate.</p><p>In Denver, one showerhead in the study with high loads of the pathogen Mycobacterium gordonae was cleaned with a bleach solution in an attempt to eradicate it, said Pace. Tests on the showerhead several months later showed the bleach treatment ironically caused a three-fold increase in M. gordonae, indicating a general resistance of mycobacteria species to chlorine.</p><p>Previous studies by Pace and his group found massive enrichments of M. avium in “soap scum” commonly found on vinyl shower curtains and floating above the water surface of warm therapy pools. A 2006 therapy pool study led by Pace and CU-Boulder Professor Mark Hernandez showed high levels of M. avium in the indoor pool environment were linked to a pneumonia-like pulmonary condition in pool attendants known as “lifeguard lung,” leading the CU team into the showerhead study, said Pace.</p><p>Additional studies under way by Pace’s team include analyses of air in New York subways, hospital waiting rooms, office buildings and homeless shelters. Indoor air typically has about 1 million bacteria per cubic meter and municipal tap water has rough 10 million bacteria per cubic meter, said Pace.</p><p>So is it dangerous to take showers? “Probably not, if your immune system is not compromised in some way,” said Pace. “But it’s like anything else -- there is a risk associated with it.” Pace said since plastic showerheads appear to “load up” with more pathogen-enriched biofilms, metal showerheads may be a good alternative.</p><p>“There are lessons to be learned here in terms of how we handle and monitor water,” said Pace. “Water monitoring in this country is frankly archaic. The tools now exist to monitor it far more accurately and far less expensively that what is routinely being done today.”</p><p>In 2001 the National Academy of Sciences awarded Pace the Selman Waxman Award -- considered the nation’s highest award in microbiology -- for pioneering the molecular genetic techniques he now uses to rapidly detect, identify and classify microbe species using nucleic acid technology without the need for lab cultivation. That same year he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” for his work.</p><p>A video news release on the showerhead and pathogen study is available at: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1859735479?bctid=40087152001</p><p><strong>Contact</strong></p><p>Norman Pace, 303-735-1864</p><p><a href="mailto:Norman.Pace@colorado.edu">Norman.Pace@colorado.edu</a></p><p>Jim Scott, 303-492-3114</p><p><a href="mailto:Jim.Scott@colorado.edu">Jim.Scott@colorado.edu</a></p></td></tr></table>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-82645437239337285712010-06-14T05:02:00.000-07:002010-06-14T05:07:14.392-07:00Legionella Risk in Windscreen Water<p><strong>Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires' Disease in England and Wales, the Health Protection Agency says.</strong></p><p>Stagnant, warm water is a breeding ground for the Legionella bacterium, which when inhaled causes pneumonia. Yet adding screenwash kills the bacteria and could save lives, the Agency advised. The finding came after researchers spotted that professional drivers are five times more likely to be infected.</p><p>Legionnaires' disease is fairly rare. Most cases are sporadic and a source of the infection is not found. The number of cases vary from year to year, but in 2009 there were 345 in England and Wales - although some infections were caught overseas. It mainly affects the over 50s and is generally more common in men. Early symptoms feel similar to flu with muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever. It is fatal in around 10-15% of patients.</p><p><strong>Driving</strong></p><p>To work out why people who spend a long time driving were at higher risk of infection, the research team in the south-west branch of the HPA carried out a questionnaire of people infected. They found that those most at risk were those who drove or travelled in a van, those who drove through industrial areas, and those who spent a lot of time in the car or who often had the car window open. <span style="font-size: 10pt; background-color: rgb(240,240,240);"></span>In all they found that the biggest risk was associated with not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper water, the European Journal of Epidemiology reports.</p><p>In a pilot study carried out by the HPA, traces of Legionella were found in one in five cars that did not have screenwash, but in no cars that did. Dr Isabel Oliver, regional director of the HPA South West, said more research was needed but people may want to check they have screenwash in their cars as they usually contain agents which would stop the growth of bacteria. "It does not spread from person to person but is present in water environments and is breathed in when it gets into the air in fine particles or mist."</p><p>Professor Hugh Pennington, an expert in bacteriology, said the advice to add screenwash was very sound - especially as it would also lead to a cleaner windscreen. "This is a bug which lives in the environment and will take advantage of warm water systems that are not cleaned out. "Legionnaires' is rare but it kills people and it's an extremely unpleasant disease. "If you can prevent it with something this simple then it's a no brainer really."</p><p>By Emma Wilkinson, Health reporter, BBC News, <span style="font-size: 10pt;">13 June 2010</span></p>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-22499488064981732312010-05-20T23:09:00.000-07:002010-05-20T23:25:07.313-07:00Microbes on and in the human bodyA major initiative by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to sequence 900 genomes of microorganisms that live on the surfaces and orifices of the human body has established standardized protocols and methods for such large-scale reference sequencing. By combining previously accumulated data with new data, Nelson et al. present an initial analysis of 178 gbacterial genomes. The sampling so far barely scratches the surface of the microbial diversity found on humans, but the work provides an important baseline for future analyses.<br />http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/328/5981/994<br />Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-89178539411518098552010-02-25T12:15:00.000-08:002010-02-25T12:17:32.569-08:00LEGIONELLA, SPRINGTIME AND POTTING SOILB de Jong ()<span style="vertical-align: super;">1</span>, P Zucs<span style="vertical-align: super;">1</span><br /><ol style="list-style-type: decimal"><li>European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Stockholm, Sweden</li></ol><span style="color: rgb(83,83,83);"><strong>Citation: de Jong B, Zucs P. Legionella, springtime and potting soils. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(8):pii=19497. Available online: </strong></span><a href="http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19497">http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19497</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(83,83,83);"><strong>Date of submission: 25 February 2010<br /></strong></span><br />Legionnaires’ disease has been named after the outbreak in Philadelphia 1976 when a mysterious pneumonia affected a large number of members of the American Legion, a United States military veterans association, which held a gathering at a hotel [1]. Legionella, the bacterium causing the disease was identified several months after this outbreak for the first time. Today we know that there are about 50 different species of Legionella and that not all of them seem to be pathogenic to humans. The vast majority of reported cases are infected with L. pneumophila by inhalation of aerosols (water droplets) containing the bacteria, which is the route of infection for most Legionella cases. This is also described in an article by Joseph and Ricketts in this issue [2]. 

However, in some instances cases are infected by other Legionella species. A second paper in this issue describes a possible association between handling potting soil and infection with L. longbeachae [3]. As pointed out by the Scottish authors, this has long been well known and documented in Australia and New Zealand. In a soil survey performed in 1989 to 1990 in Australia, 33 (73%) of 45 potting soil samples tested positive for Legionella; 26 (79%) of the 33 contained L. longbeachae [4].<br />On their homepage, the Auckland Regional Public Health Service as well as the other public health services in Australia and New Zealand offers the following advice on how to minimise the risk of contracting legionellosis [5]:<br /><ul style="list-style-type: disc"><li>Take care when dealing with compost, potting mix and any form of soil or dirt. Read the warning labels on commercially available bags of compost and potting mix.</li><li>To minimise risk, avoid stirring up dust, avoid inhaling dust, dampen the soil/compost before use, wear a dust mask that fits tightly over nose and mouth.</li></ul>As the Scottish paper indicates, these recommendations may nowadays also be valid in Europe. Cases of L. longbeachae infections often appear as single cases and it could prove difficult to find a link with a commercial potting soil.<br />According to Steele et al., potting soils are made from different products [4].  In Australia, they tend to consist of composted waste products such as sawdust and hammer milled bark while in Europe peat moss is a major component. It is indicated that the use of different products emanating from wood could facilitate the occurrence of different Legionella bacteria in potting soil. In some parts of Europe, potting soils have bark soil as a component. However, studies from Switzerland have shown that Legionella spp. could also be present in potting soil containing peat moss [6].<br />Spring will soon come, and with the milder temperatures and increasing amounts of sunlight, gardeners all over Europe will start planting seeds and growing flowers and vegetables. These activities may involve contact with different potting soils and their dust, possibly giving rise to Legionnaires’ disease. In this light of spring, cases should not only be questioned about their travel history and contact with aerosols but also if they have had any contact with potting soils or done any gardening.  

Clinicians seeing patients with atypical pneumonia should be aware that the Legionella urinary antigen test is only valid for detection of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 and therefore other samples should be collected from the patient and submitted to the laboratory in order to be able to identify the causative agent.<br />In order to be able to estimate how many cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Europe are attributable to potting soil, more clinical samples and samples from incriminated potting soils should be cultured. Besides gaining new insight into the epidemiology of this serious disease, the source of each infection could be traced, thus reducing the risk of subsequent cases occurring.<br /><br /><strong>References</strong><br /><ol style="list-style-type: decimal"><br /><li>Fraser DW, Tsai TR, Orenstein W, Parkin WE, Beecham HJ, Sharrar RG, et al. Legionnaires’ disease: description of an epidemic of pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1977;297(22):1189-97.</li><br /><li>Joseph CA, Ricketts KD, on behalf of the European Working Group for Legionella Infections. Legionnaires’ disease in Europe 2007–2008. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(8):pii=19493. Available from: <a href="http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19493">http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19493</a></li><br /><li>Pravinkumar SJ, Edwards G, Lindsay D, Redmond S, Stirling J, House R, et al. A cluster of Legionnaires’ disease caused by Legionella longbeachae linked to potting compost in Scotland, 2008-2009. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(8):pii=19496. Available from: <a href="http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19496">http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19496</a></li><br /><li>Steele TW, Moore CV, Sangster N. Distribution of Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 and other Legionella in potting soils in Australia. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990;56(10):2984-8.</li><br /><li>Fact Sheet – Legionellosis. New Zealand: Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS). Available from: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.arphs.govt.nz/notifiable/downloads/legionellosis.pdf">www.arphs.govt.nz/notifiable/downloads/legionellosis.pdf</a></span></li><br /><li>Casati S, Giora-Martinoni A, Gaia V. Commercial potting soils as an alternative infections source of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species in Switerland. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2009;15(6):571-5.</li></ol>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-15781551816958875352010-01-06T11:24:00.001-08:002010-01-06T11:24:40.545-08:00Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter Infection Triples in U.S. HospitalsCases of a type of drug-resistant bacteria especially common among Iraqi war veterans have tripled in U.S. hospitals, researchers reported on Wednesday.<br />They found a 300% increase in cases of Acinetobacter that are resistant to imipenem.<br />"The findings are troubling because they suggest this bacteria is becoming resistant to nearly everything in our arsenal," said Ramanan Laxminarayan of Resources for the Future, a think-tank examining the issue.<br />He and his colleagues reported on drug-resistant Acinetobacter in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Their data came from 300 hospitals around the United States.<br />"There is a lot of attention on MRSA, but less on infections caused by bacteria like Acinetobacter for which there are fewer drugs in the development pipeline," Laxminarayan said.<br />Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 2009.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-13653600335998275262009-12-11T05:39:00.000-08:002009-12-11T05:42:50.368-08:0026 deaths for every 100,000 cases of swine flu
<strong>(Research: Mortality from pandemic A/H1N1 2009 influenza in England: public health surveillance study)<br /></strong>
<a href="http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b5213">http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b5213</a><br /><br />New data, published today on bmj.com, reveal that there were 26 deaths out of every 100,000 cases of swine flu in England (a fatality rate of 0.026%). The authors conclude that “the first influenza pandemic of the 21 st century is considerably less lethal than was feared in advance.” However, they emphasise that this is not a justification for public health inaction when death, serious illness and admission to hospital can be prevented.<br /><br /><strong>This paper will be published on bmj.com at 15:00 hrs UK time, Thursday 10 December, to coincide with the Department of Health’s weekly H1N1 update, hosted by the Chief Medical Officer for England , Sir Liam Donaldson.</strong><br /><br />After the pandemic was announced, from June 2009 the Department of Health in England compelled all primary care trusts and acute hospitals to collate data on individuals who were believed to have died from swine flu. Today’s study is the first analysis of this material and includes all known deaths in England from swine flu up until 8 November 2009. The research, which was carried out by Sir Liam Donaldson’s research team, reveals that two thirds of the patients who died (66.7%) from swine flu would now be eligible for vaccination. The authors say that this demonstrates the importance of getting high risk groups vaccinated. Donaldson and his team also argue that there is a case for extending the vaccination programme to the wider population given that a substantial minority (38%) of deaths occurred in non-high risk groups.<br /><br />While the over 65’s had less chance of contracting swine flu, the study reveals that this group were more likely to die from the disease if they developed it. The authors argue that perhaps older people were less likely to become infected with swine flu because they had already been exposed to similar strains and that “without this previous exposure, the pandemic might have caused many more deaths in this age group.” The researchers say their fatality rate estimate compares well with the other three 20th century influenza pandemics – the rate for the 1918 Spanish flu was 2-3% and subsequent pandemics (1957-8 and 1967-8) had rates of around 0.2%.<br /><br />Donaldson argues that “improvements in nutritional status, housing and health care availability might explain some of the apparent decrease in case fatality from one pandemic to the next” and that “since the most recent pandemic there have been major advances in intensive care medicine.” The authors conclude that “many more patients may have died in England without the ready availability of critical care support, including mechanical ventilation.”<br /><br /><strong>Contacts:</strong><br />Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England, Department of Health, Richmond House, London, UK 
Tel (via Kate Pike or Peter Graham): +44 (0)20 7210 5703
Out of hours: +44 (0)7050 073 581 (DH duty press officer)Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-18976766945688804482009-11-28T10:36:00.000-08:002009-11-28T10:39:03.365-08:00Chikungunya fever: an old disease re-emergesThe new era of globalization and environmental change has witnessed the arrival of many new and re-emerging diseases which create new challenges for policy makers and researchers working on infectious diseases. Massive urbanization has facilitated the spread of contagious diseases in human populations due to faster travel over greater distances and worldwide trade. Although more affluent countries are better-equipped to manage the spread and treatment of infectious diseases, it has become increasingly clear that they still face major challenges when dealing with diseases whose boundaries have been expanding due to warmer and wetter weather. A good example of such an abrupt increase in the incidence of disease are infections caused by arboviruses, whose expansion to new geographic areas has been facilitated by the establishment of new vectors. The Chikungunya outbreaks in late 2005 represent a fine example of how a virus originally from Africa and mosquitoes originally from Asia can meet in the Indian Ocean and contribute to re-emergence of a disease, and then spread to other parts of the world.<br /><table><br /><tr><br /><td style="width: 543px;padding: 1px,1px,3px,1px;border-top: 0px solid rgb(-0,-0,0);border-right: 0px solid rgb(-0,-0,0);border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(-0,-0,0);border-right: 0px solid rgb(-0,-0,0);margin: 0px,0px,0px,0px;">Chikungunya fever - Re-emergence of an old disease. Lisa F.P. Ng, David M. Ojcius. Microbes and Infection, Volume 11, Issues 14-15, December 2009, Pages 1163-1164<br /></td></tr></table>Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451120202483791464.post-10752043189885388802009-11-26T10:04:00.000-08:002009-11-26T10:07:06.545-08:00Lipid Factors From Common Bacteria Could Trigger Multiple SclerosisCurrent research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, “Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity,” appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.<br /><br />Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United States. Patients with multiple sclerosis have a variety of neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, difficulty in moving, and difficulty in speech.<br /><br />Porphyromas gingivalis, a common oral bacterium in humans, produces a unique type of lipid, phosphorylated dihydroceramides (DHCs), which enhance inflammatory responses. These lipids are also likely produced by bacteria found in other parts of the body including the gastrointestinal tract. To determine if these lipids accentuate immune-mediated damage in autoimmune disease, researchers led by Robert B. Clark and Frank C. Nichols of the University of Connecticut Health Center administered phosphorylated DHCs in a mouse model of MS. The severity of disease was significantly enhanced by the addition of these lipids in a manner that was dependent on activation of the immune system. These data suggest that phosphorylated DHCs from bacteria commonly found in humans may trigger or increase the severity of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.<br /><br />The authors state that “while it is clear that the immune system in most individuals has the potential to attack self-tissues, the “tipping” factors that initiate and propagate autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis in only a subset of individuals remain unknown. Overall, [their] results represent the first description that phosphorylated DHCs derived from common human bacteria are capable of enhancing autoimmune disease.” Thus, these lipids may function as “tipping” factors, playing a previously unrecognized role in initiating or exacerbating human autoimmune diseases. In future studies, Dr. Clark and colleagues plan to characterize the effects of phosphorylated DHCs on specific cells of the immune system and to identify how and where these lipids are deposited in tissues throughout the body. In addition to the role of these lipids in triggering and worsening MS, the authors believe that phosphorylated DHCs may have the potential to serve both as new markers of MS disease activity and as new targets for therapeutic intervention.<br /><br /> Nichols FC, Housley W, O’Conor C, Manning T, Wu S, Clark RB: Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity. Am J Pathol 175: 2430-2438.This work was supported by grants from the National MS Society (RG4070-A-6) (RBC) and the Patterson Trust Foundation (FN). There is a provisional patent application pending for the use of bacterial phosphorylated dihydroceramides. This application pertains to Dr. Frank Nichols and Dr. Robert B. Clark.Antonio Morettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624418594516761246noreply@blogger.com0