There has been a breakthrough in the fight against the deadly Hendra virus following the development of a treatment which shows great potential to save the lives of people who become infected with the virus. First identified in Brisbane and isolated by CSIRO scientists in 1994, Hendra virus, which spreads from flying foxes, has regularly infected horses in Australia. Of the 12 equine outbreaks, four have led to human infection, with four of the seven known human cases being fatal, the most recent of these in September 2009. Human infection results from close contact with the blood and/or mucus of infected horses.
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000642
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Mouthy Bacteria
Recent research suggests that the human mouth contains as many as 19,000 bacterial phylotypes.
J Dent Res 2008. 87, 1016–20.
J Dent Res 2008. 87, 1016–20.
Monday, 16 November 2009
A few snippets about tuberculosis
Individuals are assumed to have contracted and died from Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection as long ago as 15,000 years. The oldest fossil records are from Africa. In 1882, Robert Koch, who discovered the tubercle bacillus, estimated that one in seven deaths in Berlin was caused by tuberculosis. Today, about one-third of the world's population is infected with M. tuberculosis. Eight million people develop the disease each year. Of these, approximately 2 million die annually, with most of the deaths occurring in developing countries.
The story of tuberculosis, also called the “white plague,” is the story of the first modern day clinical trial. Selman Waksman was the first to discover that streptomycin was effective against M. tuberculosis; he subsequently won a Nobel Prize in medicine for this work. The history of tuberculosis is also the history of sanatoriums, where tuberculosis patients went to “take the cure” before anti-tuberculous therapy was available. These special hospitals allowed M. tuberculosis patients to breathe fresh, clean air; eat nutritious foods; and rest. The introduction of isoniazid in 1954 finally led to the closing of sanatoriums.
The story of tuberculosis, also called the “white plague,” is the story of the first modern day clinical trial. Selman Waksman was the first to discover that streptomycin was effective against M. tuberculosis; he subsequently won a Nobel Prize in medicine for this work. The history of tuberculosis is also the history of sanatoriums, where tuberculosis patients went to “take the cure” before anti-tuberculous therapy was available. These special hospitals allowed M. tuberculosis patients to breathe fresh, clean air; eat nutritious foods; and rest. The introduction of isoniazid in 1954 finally led to the closing of sanatoriums.
| Infectious Diseases and Famous People Who Succumbed to Them Clinical Microbiology Newsletter, Volume 31, Issue 22, 15 November 2009, Pages 169-172 Alice S. Weissfeld |
Staphylococcus aureus transmitted from paper currency
Infection with Staphylococcus aureus was initially considered a major problem in hospitals, but over the last few decades the incidence of community-acquired infection has also increased. Paper currency has recently been identified as another mode of spread by which community-acquired S. aureus infection may be transmitted, since paper currency is frequently transferred from one person to another.
| Detection of virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from paper currency International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 13, Issue 6, November 2009, Pages e450-e455 J. Dinesh Kumar, Yogesh K. Negi, Abhishek Gaur, Deepshikha Khanna |
Cigarette Smoke May Impair Lungs Natural Defense Against Harmful Pathogen
Exposure to cigarette smoke may impair the ability of immune cells to clear bacterial infections from the lungs, specifically nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI), a pathogen often associated with respiratory infections and the progression of respiratory diseases.
P. Marti-Lliteras, V. Regueiro, P. Morey, D.W. Hood, C. Saus, J. Sauleda, A.G.N. Agusti, J.A. Bengoechea, J. Garmendia. 2009. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae clearance by alveolar macrophages is impaired by exposure to cigarette smoke. Infection and Immunity, 77. 10: 4232-4242.)
P. Marti-Lliteras, V. Regueiro, P. Morey, D.W. Hood, C. Saus, J. Sauleda, A.G.N. Agusti, J.A. Bengoechea, J. Garmendia. 2009. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae clearance by alveolar macrophages is impaired by exposure to cigarette smoke. Infection and Immunity, 77. 10: 4232-4242.)
Pumpkin Skin Antibiotic
The skin of that pumpkin you carve into a Jack-o'-Lantern to scare away ghosts and goblins on Halloween contains a substance that could put a scare into microbes that cause millions of cases of yeast infections in adults and infants each year.
http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf902005g
http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf902005g
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Frigid Antarctica Loaded with Viruses | LiveScience
Frigid Antarctica Loaded with Viruses | LiveScience: A lake in Antarctica was found to harbor a surprising variety of viruses. Here, an image of the Spanish, non-permanent camp in Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica). Credit: Science/AAAS.
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Antarctica's icy lakes are home to a surprisingly diverse community of viruses, including some that were previously unidentified, a new study finds.
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