The New York Times reported that while there probably aren’t more ticks, they are appearing one to two months earlier than usual. Because of increased tick activity, New York is already reporting more incidence of Lyme disease than last year at this time.There are reports of increasing incidence of another tick-borne disease called babesiosis.
Babesiosis (pronounced ‘buh-beezee-osis’) is a protozoan disease that is transmitted by the same ticks (Ixodes scapularis, or deer ticks) that transmit Lyme disease. Ticks are the vector, but the organism (Babesia microti and Babesia duncani) that causes babesiosis is a protozoan that can mimic symptoms of malaria. Most individuals infected by this protozoan appear to have few symptoms, but in immunocompromised individuals, this can be a severe, life-threatening infection. Since the ticks can transmit both organisms, we see the incidence of disease occurring in roughly the same areas of the country, predominantly the northeast.
Incidence of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever (RMSF) is also on the rise. The bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii, is transmitted by a different type of tick (genus Dermacentor or dog and wood ticks). A recent report from Tennessee indicates that there have been more than 38 cases so far this year, compared to six from the same time last year (FYI: newspapers are shouting that this is a 500% increase from last year, but again, it is 38 cases).
What to do to protect yourself? These diseases have no vaccine, so the only and best option is to constantly monitor for ticks and to wear insect repellent. For the deer tick, these can masquerade as specks of dirt, so you have to check pretty thoroughly. Dog and wood ticks are generally fairly noticeable. For most ticks associated disease, removing the tick early can prevent transmission. For RMSF, if you remove the tick within 4-10 hours of feeding you can stop transmission of bacteria.
To remove the tick, CAREFULLY, with a tweezers, gently pull until it releases. If you lose the head, that is ok, the bacteria are in the gut and you have removed that. Disinfect the area, put some topical antibiotic on the area, cover with a band aid. You will have a small area of inflammation (you still have a head in your skin, after all), but the main symptoms for Lyme disease: fever with a bulls-eye rash, and for RMSF: a fever with a rash starting on the extremities.
And on the bright side, one of my students pointed out that Brad Paisley tells us that checking for ticks can be fun!
Tags: babesiosis, deer ticks, dog ticks wood ticks, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, tick removal, ticks
Hello everyone! The world of microbiology just keeps getting more and more pertinent! So much to post about, everything from the FDA approving the an existing HIV medication that could PREVENT infection, to outbreaks of whooping cough, pertussis and the measles.
But my favorite new article comes from USA Today, where they discuss how research is showing how beneficial probiotics are for reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Now, the data is in no way complete. They don’t eyt know which bacteria work best, or doses for therapy. They only know that in evaluating 82 earlier studies, probiotics reduced diarrheal disease by 42%!!!
Chalk one up for the good guys!!!
(more on bad guys tomorrow)
Rhinoviruses are one of the primary causes of the common cold. What is the best way of stopping yourself from getting a cold from these viruses?
According to Julie Ackerman’s book on the topic , exactly what we have been telling your for years: wash your hands with soap and water, and to stop touching your face!
Why? Rhinoviruses are naked viruses, which mean that hand sanitizers have very little effect on their ability to infect. A study out in 2010 looked at the differences in individual who were required to use hand sanitizers every three hours. Essentially their rate of infection was the same as individuals who did nothing to prevent infection (in the light of full disclosure, this study WAS funded by the Dial Corporation). This is actually backed up by the CDC which states that the best thing you can do is to physically wash your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers should only be used if soap and water is not available.
There is also a discrepancy in the Dial study from above, in that they state these finding are true for other viruses, but gave no documentation regarding those viruses. Against organisms that have either an envelope (Influenza/Flu viruses) or plasma membranes (all bacteria), hand sanitizers DO work effectively kill these organisms. They just don’t work well to stop naked viruses from infecting.
Secondly, rhinovirus can be transmitted by contacting a contaminated surface (a hand, or fomite) and then touching your eye and having virus flushed into the exact environment it wants to infect (it grows best at the lower temperatures of the sinus and upper respiratory cavity). We touch our face about 200 to 600 times a day (The movie Contagion overstated this for dramatic purposes I think).
Take home message? Your Momma was right. Stop touching your face and wash your hands!
Health officials from Alamance county are giving free TDaP vaccines to individuals during the month of March to combat an outbreak of Whooping cough that has sickened approximately 82 individuals so far. This is because older individuals and children who have already been vaccinated may be needing a booster shot to keep up immunity to these organisms. People who have not received the booster could have low level infections that can be spread to children who are not fully vaccinated (children under the age of 6). Thirty one of the infections have come from close contact with a lab confirmed case , or epi-linked:
“Epi-link” cases refer to pertussis cases in which the disease develops in a person who had been in close contact with someone who had a lab-confirmed case. “Probable” defines a case of pertussis in which the patient has not been in close contact with a lab-confirmed case but has exhibited symptoms for two or more weeks, said Communicable Disease Program Coordinator Ayo White.
Information about these vaccines:
The TDaP vaccine is a trivalent vaccine that not only targets whooping cough (Pertussis), it also prevents diphtheria and tetanus infections (D=diphteria, aP=Pertussis/whooping cough, T=tetanus). This version of the vaccine is used for adolescents and adults as a booster. It is not the same formulation as the DTaP vaccine, which targets the same three bacteria, but has a different formulation and is given five times to children between the ages of two months and six years of age. These different formulations are due to the differences in immune responses between very young children and adolescents and adults.
This is not a mild disease , especially for infants. Over half of children under the age of one who get the infection need to be hospitalized. The cough that follows the infection can last for weeks. In 2010, 10 babies died from whooping cough in California where they saw the largest outbreak of whooping cough in 55 years and almost 6000 people developed the disease during this epidemic.
From the article in the TimesNews.com for Alamance County:
The community-wide Tdap vaccination clinic will be held Friday, March 2, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mebane Arts and Community Center, located at 633 Corregidor Street in Mebane. For more information on pertussis or the Tdap vaccine, call the Alamance County Health Department at 336-227-0101.
This is a warning to all of you out there. Click the following link at your own discretion. This is what an actual unfettered (and very mucousy) sneeze looks like. This is where all the viruses and bacteria that are trapped in your mucous go when you sneeze. This is why YOU MUST COVER YOUR MOUTH when you sneeze. There is a commercial associated with this video, but I feel that the result is worth the ad.
The best way to protect others when you sneeze? Myth Busters covered all this in a lovely episode about sneezing. They tested the 1. into the hand version 2. into the elbow version and 3. into a handkerchief version. Their results? Sneeze into your elbow. Both the hand and the handkerchief had organisms covering their hands as well as the handkerchief used. Completely disgusting. The crook of the arm? Very little spray, very little ability to transfer bacteria to others. The CDC recommends using tissue then discarding into the trash (Mythbusters just used handkerchiefs). Discarding into the trash means no fomite transfer.
However, remember to always wash your hands regardless of how you sneeze.
Thanks to Philip Lawson for the YouTube video!
Twelve people were vaccinated after exposure to a rabid moose. This is the first time I have ever seen the report of a rabid moose. That is a lot of rabid. And this also just goes to show that rabies can infect ANY warm blooded animal.
The report just indicated that a forester and a game specialist saw a moose in distress along the side of a road in Russia. They carted the moose home (did you know the average size of a moose is anywhere from 400 to 1500 pounds-depending on how old and if it is a bull or female moose?) and then proceeded to dissect the moose for information on why it was sick. Then they turned it over to animal control who then told them it had died from rabies.
Everyone was vaccinated, the two original transporters were hospitalized just in case. I am wondering if they ate some….I am not sure what to do about treatment after consumption of a rabid animal.
And I know you are wondering, and yes, vaccinating after exposure to a rabid animal normally gives a completely protective immune response to the virus.
This week I discussed the two norovirus outbreaks on the Princess cruise ships: the Crown Princess and the Ruby Princess. In the linked news articles, it was discussed that the Crown Princess was briefly disinefected (treated for 4 hours) before being loaded up and sent out to sea again with 3000 new passengers. They seemed pretty darned pleased with themselves that the brief intensive cleaning only “slightly delayed departure”.
Today, the report is that the Crown Princess returned to dock on Thursday after another 250 passengers and crew came down with norovirus symptoms. THIS time they are going to decontaminate the ship in a more extensive two day cleaning.
According to CDC and the news reports, the new passengers had to be informed of the previous outbreak before boarding. But really? Take into account the fact that 1.they had arranged their schedules and taken time off 2. they had flown in from whatever far off place to take a cruise and 3. that extensive plans would have to have been made (maybe for months or years for some) in order to take a luxury cruise.
My family is poor. We have discussed taking a cruise but the timing and logistics make it a nightmare. If we went to the trouble to go on a cruise together and were told we could reschedule or go? We would do what the majority of the passengers did and go on board. Only roughly 6% of the passengers and 5% of the crew came down with symptoms. More CDC “cruising tips” on how to stay healthy if there is an outbreak on your cruise:
- Wash your hands!
- Before and after
- eating,
- smoking,
- After
- touching your face,
- going to the bathroom
- When your hands are dirty.
Learn more about handwashing techniques.
- Leave the area if you see someone get sick (vomiting or diarrhea). Report to cruise staff, if not already notified.You could become sick if you ingest contaminated particles that travel through the air.
- Take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest, drink lots of water. Resting helps rebuild your immune system. Drinking water helps prevents dehydration.
- Be considerate of other people’s health.
If you’re ill before taking a cruise, call the cruise line to determine if there are alternative cruising options.
To be fair, the Princess Cruise Line is :
refunding their cruise fare, arranging flights home, including covering change fees if air was not booked through Princess, providing hotel accommodation if necessary, and offering a 25% future cruise credit.”
So, if you weren’t one of the “lucky” 250 out of 3000 passengers, maybe taking the roll of the dice and going on a norocruise was worth a free trip in the future?
Tags: decontamination, diarrhea, Norovirus, Princess Cruise Line, vomiting
Two words. Egg tacos. CNN is reporting more that 700 people attending a political rally in Mexico have come down with symptoms. No specific food item has been identified but one person indicated egg tacos. With the rapidity of the onset of symptoms, I am betting on Staph aureus food poisoning. Symptoms occur in as little as 30 minutes after consumption. However, if it is Salmonella, or Shigella, the infectious dose would have had to been huge in order to see symptoms in so many so quickly.
More as details emerge.
Tags: food poisoning, Mexico, Staph aureus
UNC at Chapel Hill was named by the Princeton Review as the Number 1 “Best Value” public school! This list was based on comparisons of academics as well as cost and financial aid.
We play Dook in basketball tomorrow night, but we have already beaten them where it counts. OK, Dook IS on the list…but not #1!
Tarheels!!!
Ahh, the Princess Cruise Line is having a spot of trouble. Two spots actually. There has been an outbreak of norovirus on both the Ruby Princess and the Crown Princess, with almost 500 passengers and crew becoming ill last weekend. The sad thing is that after a “brief disinfection” period both will be refilled and returned to sea.
The problem is the norovirus is hard to eliminate and easy to transfer. How norovirus is transmitted (from the CDC):
- Eating food or drinking liquids infected with noroviruses
- Touching surfaces or objects infected with noroviruses and then touching own mouth, nose, or eyes
- Having person-to-person contact (with a norovirus-infected person) by
- being present while someone is vomiting
- sharing food or eating from the same utensils
- caring for a sick person
- shaking hands
- Not washing hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.