Word: mycobacteria
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Shower stalls are particularly suspect. Some doctors believe that mycobacteria from the pipes are becoming aerosolized in water spray. The more enclosed a shower stall, the greater the buildup of germ-infested spray. (A variant of the illness--sometimes called hot-tub lung--occurs when people develop an allergic reaction to the mycobacteria in indoor hot tubs.) Making matters worse, says Dr. Michael Iseman of National Jewish, "we have changed the way we treat our water." Since the 1970s, the temperature of most hot-water heaters has been reduced to 120[degrees] to save energy and prevent scalding--perfect conditions...
Physicians don't know much about this mysterious illness. Like TB, it is triggered by a group of germs called mycobacteria. Unlike TB, it is not contagious, though it seems to thrive in hot, humid states in the U.S. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by health authorities in Florida found that hospitals in the region discharged far more patients with non-TB mycobacterial (or, as doctors call it, NTM) infections than with TB. And once you have NTM, it's tough to get rid of. "It takes three times as long to treat as conventional TB and relapses are common...
...reported cases is the result of better diagnoses or of some as yet undiscovered change in the bug or the environment it grows in. "That's what keeps me awake at night," says Dr. Gwen Huitt, a pulmonologist at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. "These mycobacteria are everywhere." They thrive in what scientists call biofilms--pond scum and the slime inside faucets and showerheads...
Things seem to be getting worse. Several doctors report that more and more of their NTM patients are infected with so-called rapid growers--mycobacteria that are particularly destructive and hard to treat. No one knows...
...Leprosy, caused by a germ (Mycobacteria. leprae) resembling that of tuberculosis, attacks the skin and peripheral nerves. The first symptom is loss of sensation in the skin. Reddish spots develop, then nodules (lumps), particularly on the face. In late stages the disease may rot away the nose, ears, hands, feet...
| 1 |