Word: streptococcus
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Harvard physician has developed a vaccine that could prevent thousands of babies each year from acquiring Group B streptococcus, a potentially deadly infection...
...arrival of the real-life thriller The Hot Zone on the best-seller list, plus outbreaks of cholera, tuberculosis, Legionnaire's disease, hantavirus, plague and -- yes -- the flesh-eating version of streptococcus bacteria, have driven home a frightening truth: the war against infectious diseases is nowhere near over. In fact, because of drug-resistant bacteria and newly emerging viruses, medical science actually seems to be losing ground...
...notorious flare-up in Gloucestershire, England, of what the press dubbed flesh-eating bacteria alerted people to the dangers of streptococcus-A infections. The common bacteria that cause strep throat generally produce no lasting harm if properly treated, but certain virulent strains can turn lethal. Strep-A infections claim thousands of lives each year in the U.S. and Europe alone...
...very difficult for a bacterium to develop a shield that offers universal protection. Diphtheria and tetanus can be prevented by vaccines if they are used properly. A vaccine against the pneumococcus bacterium has recently come out of the lab as well, and scientists expect to test one that targets streptococcus A within a year...
...short answer, say doctors: no way. While the streptococcus bacterium is very common -- it causes the strep throat that everyone catches sooner or later -- the publicized cases involve a deadly variant of the germ that is rare. Up to 15,000 people come down with invasive Group A strep every year, and perhaps 3,000 die. The infection is easily treatable, though, if caught early. Moreover, the microbe has been around for years, and no one thinks it will suddenly cause a pandemic...