Word: infectivity
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...coli 0157 is a particularly nasty strain of the E. coli that lives and thrives in our digestive tract. Animals such as cows tolerate 0157 far better than people, and often shed the bacteria in their feces. The bacteria can then infect crops such as lettuce, spinach, onions, or even apples when contaminated manure is used as fertilizer, or when contaminated water is used to irrigate fields. Most recently, E. coli 0157 found in bagged salads packaged by Dole sickened over two dozen people...
...that, unlike strep, are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Antibiotics, used incorrectly, may be more harmful than the disease itself. Contrast strep's success story with the saga of staph. Staph is also a microscopic bacterium, one that lives on our skin and in our noses but can cause infections that vary from the inconsequential to severe. It causes superficial skin lesions such as boils and styes; more serious infections such as pneumonia, mastitis, and urinary tract infections. Even more serious infections can dwell deep in the heart muscle or bones. Staph is also the major cause of hospital-acquired...
Even when that happens, it doesn't necessarily signal an emergency. The skin, after all, is an effective barrier against many kinds of threats. But anytime you get a break in that barrier--even a tiny cut--there's a chance some bacteria will get inside and infect the wound. What makes MRSA germs particularly dangerous is that they excrete a potent toxin that attacks the skin, causing an abscess that's often mistaken for a spider bite. Normally, the body can wall that area off. But if the infection spreads, treatment with antibiotics may be called...
...dispatched a team of investigators to the area, including experts from the organization's headquarters in Geneva, but they have been unable to find any evidence of contaminated poultry in the village that may have triggered the human infections. "If we can't find an external source that explains all seven confirmed cases, then we have to go with the theory that this is human-to-human," says Peter Cordingley, the spokesperson for the WHO's Western Pacific regional headquarters. Human-to-human transmission within a family is believed to have occurred at least twice before, in Thailand and Vietnam...
...Sandman has some advice for journalists covering the bird flu as well: stop focusing so much on birds and other animals that get infected. "The problem with people focusing on bird flu and not a pandemic among humans is that as long as there?s no bird flu in town, they think they?re safe. We really need people to understand that it?s not about the birds. You?re not at any greater risk after a bird is found to be infected and you?re not any safer before an infected bird is found." The key moment will come...