Various bacteria
Category archives for Various bacteria
When is MRSA not MRSA?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on June 3, 2011 …when it contains a weird gene conferring methicillin resistance that many tests miss. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a big issue in the past 15 years or so, as it turned up outside of its old haunts (typically hospitals and other medical facilities) and started causing infections–sometimes very serious–in people who haven’t been in…
Bubonic Plague in America
Posted by Tara C. Smith on June 2, 2011 At the new blog Puff the Mutant Dragon, there’s a great pair of posts looking at the history of plague, with a focus on outbreaks that have occurred here in the US. Bubonic Plague in America, Part I: LA Outbreak Bubonic Plague in America, Part II: Undercover Science I’ll also link them in my Black…
The Epidemic: Typhoid at Cornell
Posted by Tara C. Smith on May 30, 2011 In the United States, we tend to take our clean drinking water for granted. Even though there are periodic concerns which bubble up about pharmaceuticals or other chemicals in our water supply, we typically believe–with good reason–that we have little to fear when it comes to contamination from microbes. Our drinking water, while far from…
Staph in food–what does it mean?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 19, 2011 As Maryn McKenna and others have reported, a paper was released on Friday showing a high percentage of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contaminating raw, retail-available meat products. There has been a lot of media coverage of this finding–so what does the study say, and what are its implications? More after the jump.
Margulis does it again
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 11, 2011 We all know of once-respected scientists who ended up going off the deep end, adhering to an unproven idea despite massive evidence to the contrary. Linus Pauling and his advocacy of megadoses of Vitamin C, or Peter Duesberg’s descent into HIV denial. It’s all the more disappointing when the one taking a dive is a…
New paper: Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in a childcare worker
Posted by Tara C. Smith on March 29, 2011 One of the reasons I’ve not been blogging as much over the past 2 years or so is that it’s been just insane in the lab. As I was still living off start-up funds and pilot grants, I didn’t have anyone full-time to take care of everything, so all the work has been done by…
MRSA and pets: should they get tested?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on March 24, 2011 Over at the Worms and Germs blog, Scott Weese has a great post on MRSA testing. He notes the he’s frequently asked by human MRSA patients whether their pet should be tested as well, since several studies have documented transmission of MRSA between humans and their companion animals. His first response is always, “why?” One…
Methicillin-resistant Staph in animals: the conference
Posted by Tara C. Smith on February 24, 2011 It’s been a busy few months. I’ll have some additional announcements (and long-overdue book reviews) coming up soon, but in the meantime, one of my projects is humming along and is to the point where I can provide some detailed information about it. Those of you who follow American Society for Microbiology conference announcements (and…
The importance of gut flora
Posted by Tara C. Smith on July 13, 2010 Blogging from Atlanta at ICEID, the perfect venue to highlight today’s story in the NY Times by Carl Zimmer discussing gut microbes in health and disease–including an introduction focusing on fecal transplants to treat Clostridium difficile infections. If you’re at ICEID, be sure to swing by several posters in both sessions today showing new work…
Potential for common bacteria to cause colorectal cancer
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 27, 2010 Student guest post by Desiré Christensen Colorectal cancer (aka colon cancer) includes cancers of the colon, rectum, and appendix. Colorectal cancer is more common in developed countries (e.g. United States and Japan) compared to developing countries in Africa and Asia. Each year in the United States, there are around 150,000 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed…