Latest news with #Corynebacterium
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Health Matters newsletter: Explore bacteria's many faces
On good and bad bacteria, the links between climate change and disease, brain health, the evolving Covid-19 situation, and more This week, we go after the ubiquitous microscopic, unicellular living organisms that were among the first life forms to appear on earth - bacteria. We go after them, only in a manner of speaking, because some bacteria have gone after the human race, from time immemorial, inflicting harm, causing disease, death or disability, even as others have silently been termed 'good bacteria'. The world has begun to discover the huge impact that gut microbiota has on different aspects of human health, and new discoveries are revealed regularly with a mixture of awe and joy about peeling away the layers of an organism that is part hero, part villain. There is no doubt that the surge of bacterial infections in Europe and the United States is worrying. This past week, Europe suffers its largest diphtheria outbreak in 70 years. Diphtheria is caused by a toxin-producing bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheriae. In 2022, there was an unusual surge in Corynebacterium diphtheriae in several European countries, particularly among recently arrived migrants, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. That year 362 cases were recorded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Patient samples from 10 countries showed that 98 percent of the cases were in males with an average age of 18. Almost all had recently migrated. There is no doubt that changing global dynamics will have an impact on the cesspool of pathogens and how they behave as well. This calls for a re-orientation to the way we have been looking at things, from a global health perspective. More not-so-good news on this front from America. Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens across 7 states in US. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhoea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalisation. According to the CDC, this particular outbreak was caused by contaminated eggs. Salmonella disease is from a bacteria often found in contaminated foods. Manaswini Vijayakumar wrote about Nanoplastics, and how they can make E. coli infections worse, as per a study. is a group of bacteria that live in your gut, and again, going by the bacteria rule, some strains cause disease - bloody diarrhoea, eroding the lining of the intestine. Again, it comes from eating contaminated food, and unlike other food-borne infections, even ingesting a small portion will lead to disease. In the study, researchers have proved that the presence of nanoplastics actually aggravate infections. E. coli bacteria have a negative charge on their outer membranes. This can attract positively charged nanoplastics and increase the stress on the bacterium, making it produce more toxins, leading to disease. No doubt this is worrisome, given that research has established that micro- and nano-plastics are all pervasive, even in our bloodstream, tissues, and in newborns as well. Their build-up has many toxic effects, including damage to cells and the genetic material inside. In fact the theme of this year's Environment Day (June 5) was controlling plastic pollution. Now, on to the flip side, the good face of the bacteria. Researchers found thermophile bacteria in the Rajgir hot spring lake in Nalanda district of Bihar, one group in the Actinobacteria group, that are known producers of antimicrobial compounds. (Well-known drugs like streptomycin and tetracycline were first discovered as the products of Actinobacteria.) Mohit Nikalje reports on this development. Discovering antibiotic-producing bacteria has become more pressing in the era of antimicrobial resistance. We can't miss pointing to Gayatri Saberwal's article, Using bacteriophages to combat antimicrobial resistance to bring up the tail here. Bacteriophages are 'good viruses' that naturally prey on bacteria. They are all around us, in the water, in the soil, in our gut, on our skin, etc. There are believed to be 10 times as many phages as bacteria on the earth. Phages were beginning to be used against bacterial infections about a century ago, but antibiotics superseded them once they were discovered. Unlike an antibiotic, which may be able to kill many species of bacteria, phages may only kill a few strains of a particular bacterium. Turning our attention to climate change, which hogs the limelight more than ever, in health columns these days. One of the key learnings this week was Dr. Kalpana Balakrishnan's piece explaining how Exposomics facilitates better environmental health published for World Environment Day. The exposome is defined as the measure of all the exposures of an individual in a lifetime and how those exposures relate to health. Traditional environmental health studies include hypothesis-driven methods which have focused on one or a class of environmental exposures at a few time points. These fail to account for the complex interactions of exposures across the lifespan, on human health. Exposomics aims to bridge this gap by understanding how external exposures from physical, chemical, biological and psycho-social environments interact with diet and lifestyle and internal individual characteristics such as genetics, physiology, and epigenetics to create health or disease. In this story, Zubeda Hamid discusses whether air pollution could be a factor for increasing number of cancer cases in India, while this article discusses how Wildfire smoke exposure may shorten lung cancer survival. For those who have not even thought of this, apparently climate change related events might cause a resurgence of leprosy in pockets of the country. Aditya Ansh explains, here. Just a note to sign this segment off: In Delhi, the temperature shoots to 49°C; and an orange alert is issued amid a heatwave. Every year, June 8 is observed as Brain Tumour day, in order to summon attention to the most vital organ of the body: the brain. This week, we had a bunch of articles focussing on the brain and the mind. Dr. Boopesh Pugazhendi wrote that Brain tumours are on the rise in India: and further discussed what the future holds in terms of treatment. Enhanced diagnostic and treatment options have made things better for patients, he argues. Dr. Anurag Saxena wrote on the story of a 12-year-old boy battling multiple seizures, and how it was resolved for him. Athira Elssa Johnson argued that Not all cognitive decline is dementia and not all dementia is Alzheimer's stress clinicians this brain awareness month (June), while here is everything you need to know about Alzheimer's disease. Chapal Mehra and Vashita Madan examined the impact of everyday hustle on mental health of the youth, what with advocates for long hours of work grabbing headlines, from time to time. Siddharth Singhal in Bridging health cover, mental healthcare in India turned the attention to the situation following the passing of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and a subsequent IRDAI directive, when mental health is now covered at par with physical illnesses across health insurance plans in India. Hit the link for more information, in case you want to insure yourself. Dr. Jaideep Mahendra, in a fascinating story, decoded the link between neuropsychiatric disorders and periodontal health. Have you wondered, ever, if When you want to move, does your brain know before you've decided? Then, this article by Reeteka Sud might have a few answers. Hysell V. Oviedo in The Conversation describes how your left and right brain hear language differently. As a follow up to the evolving COVID-19 situation in the country, we had a number of articles this week, including explainers: Bindu Shajan Perappadan reported that the Centre asked States to ensure supply of medical oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators Most cases mild, say officials as COVID-19 tally reaches 6,132 What is the COVID-19 situation in India? As COVID-19 cases register an uptick in India, a look at the vaccine stock position In the In Focus podcast, What do you need to know about the Covid-19 spike in India? An increasing awareness of the importance of diets and food standards is thankfully gaining ground, and naturally, reflects in the content we provide as well. Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan tells you what is the ideal level of Potassium on your plate; Here, we have a story on Experts urging the Centre to implement mandatory warning labels on packaged foods, while Pawan Agarwal focuses on Maintaining India's progress in food safety standards. As part of The Hindu-Naruvi Hospitals partnership, a webinar was held on how Diet is both cause and cure for MASLD, a liver condition. I wrote last week about a worrisome move by the government to wind down the National Polio Surveillance Network centres in India in phases. Experts have stressed that the work is not done yet in polio eradication, given our neighbours still harbour polio cases, and the timing of the tail off exercise could not have come at a worse time. They've called for a reassessment of this plan, which they say might be disastrous in case wild virus strains or vaccine-derived polio strains find their way into the country. We are recording some key advances in the health sector last week, which show promise for patients. For instance, reports projected a new treatment nearly halves the risk of disease progression or death from a less common form of breast cancer that hasn't seen major drug advances in over a decade. In other news, IISc researchers developed a novel nanozyme which prevents excess clotting, while N. Ravi Kumar reported that Dr. Reddy's and Alvotech will co-develop, market biosimilar of Merck's cancer drug Keytruda. In our tailpiece column for the week, we chose Dr. K. Ganapathy's important piece demystifying what a good death is. As doctors get wrapped up in the immediacy of their cases and the emergencies of their patients, even the routine quotidian of treatments and diagnosis, it's important to consider what a good death means, and when to let go. As important as it is to live a good life, it is important to have a good death, he argues. In our explainers section, we have for you: Meenakshy S. on How six years of gender clinics in Tamil Nadu have improved access to healthcare for transpersons Dr. Srinivasan Vijay and Dr. Sathish M.S. explain the science of onco-physiotherapy – the need to embed exercise into cancer care Dr. Venkat P. and Dr. Priya Kapoor take you through the latest advances: How robotic surgeries are offering safer, quicker, more precise care for gynaecological cancers Stress and strokes: the twain do meet Also read: Serena Josephine M. on the changing gender scenario in gynaecology and orthopaedics: Challenging gender norms, one specialty at a time R. Prasad writes that Chewing tobacco increases oral cancer risk by over 19 times in elderly people In Chennai, this government healthcare institution has been serving pregnant women for 145 years Science Quiz | On allergies --- For many more health stories, head to our health page and subscribe to the health newsletter here.
Extra.ie
22-05-2025
- Health
- Extra.ie
I'm a microbiologist, this is the best time of day to shower and here's why
Are you a morning or a night shower person? If you said night, you're wrong, according to a microbiologist. While many would say there's nothing better than getting into a hot shower after a long day at work and 'washing the day away', one expert has said that showering in the morning is the real deal. Speaking on RTE's Drivetime, Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, Dr Primrose Freestone, explained that if you shower in the morning, sweat and 'anything that you've picked up from your bed' overnight will be washed away, making way for a fresh start to the day. Are you a morning or a night shower person? Pic: Shutterstock She said: 'I personally prefer, based on the signs and personal experience, to shower in the morning because anything that you've picked up from your bed, however clean you might be, and any sweating overnight, it's all washed away and you start the next day.' Also in agreement with morning showerers is Immunologist Prof Annie Curtis, noting that skin cells actually shed more during the night, meaning that washing them off in the morning is optimal. Speaking to Drivetime's Cormac Ó hEadhra, she explained: 'Basically, these skin cells, that's basically the food for our bacteria, and when they're well fed, then they can start breaking down our sweat, and that's what gives us the body odour. While many would say there's nothing better than getting into a hot shower after a long day at work and 'washing the day away', one expert has said that showering in the morning is the real deal. Pic: Getty Images 'From a circadian [biological process] point of view, I would be going with the morning shower, because you're sloughing off your skin cells more during the night than you are during the day.' While many people believe that body odour is caused by sweat, that is actually not strictly true. The 'sweaty smell' is caused by bacteria that live on the surface of the skin, which use sweat as a nutrient source. Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, Dr Primrose Freestone, explained that if you shower in the morning, sweat and 'anything that you've picked up from your bed' overnight will be washed away, helping people start the day fresh. Pic: Shutterstock According to the American Society for Microbiology, some common skin bacteria that produce body odour include members of Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus and Cutibacterium genera. Adding to the discussion, Dr Freestone said: 'When you shower in the evening, and it's wonderful, you go into bed nice and fresh, if that makes you nice, you know, sleep well and whatever, that's absolutely great. However, you will still sweat during the night. 'Your bacteria on your skin will still eat that sweat and in the morning, however sort of clean you might have been when you got into bed, you will actually be a little bit on the smelly side and of course, you don't stop shedding skin cells, even if you've just showered. 'So they'll be eaten by the fungi in your bed, especially if you've not washed your sheets often.' She added: 'And of course those ubiquitous house mites, they'll gobble your skin cells up.'
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Your feet are home to billions of bacteria. How often should you wash them?
Some people scrub them every day while others say letting water run over them in the shower is enough. So are you cleaning these important appendages enough? When you jump into the shower and reach for the soap and loofah, it's fair to say that certain body parts probably receive more attention than others. The underarm region no doubt gets the full lather, rinse, repeat treatment. Your feet, by virtue of being located at the end of your body, can be easy to overlook. However, according to some experts, your feet are just as, if not more, deserving of attention. Both the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), for example, advise washing feet daily with soap and water. One reason for this meticulous care is to prevent odour. The soles of the foot contain 600 sweat glands per square centimetre of skin, more than any other region of the body. Although sweat itself doesn't smell, it contains a nutritious broth of salts, glucose, vitamins and amino acids, which serves as an all-you-can-eat buffet for bacteria that live there. And there a lot of bacteria. "The foot – especially between the toes – is quite a moist, humid, and warm environment, so it can be a breeding ground for microbes," says Holly Wilkinson, a lecturer in wound healing at the University of Hull in the UK. This is exacerbated by the fact that most people encase their feet in socks and shoes, trapping the moisture inside. If you zoom in on any square centimetre of human skin you will find between 10,000 to one million bacteria living there. Warm and moist areas of the skin, such as the feet, are considered prime real estate and are home to the greatest numbers of species. Feet are idyllic havens for Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus bacteria, for example. When it comes to fungi, your sweaty feet are considered a utopia to genera including Aspergillus (a pathogen often found in soil),Cryptococcus, Epicoccum, Rhodotorula, Candida (a kind of yeast which naturally lives on the body but can become an opportunistic pathogen), Trichosporon and others. In fact, the human foot contains a greater biodiversity of fungal species than any other body region. This is probably a good reason to clean your feet. In one study, researchers swabbed the soles of 40 volunteers. They found that foot washing had a significant impact on bacteria numbers. People who washed their feet twice a day had around 8,800 bacteria living in each square centimetre of skin. Those who reported washing every other day had over one million bacteria per square centimetre. However just because the soles of your feet are brimming with microbial life, that doesn't mean that they are necessarily smelly or that there is anything to worry about. As always, it's not just the number, but the type of bacteria that's important. Staphylococcus are the key players when it comes to producing the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) responsible for foot odour. Sweat glands on the skin of the feet release a heady mix of electrolytes, amino acids, urea and lactic acid. The Staphylococcus bacteria consider this a veritable feast and, in the process of feeding, convert amino acids into VFAs. The main chemical culprit is isovaleric acid, which has an unpleasant odour which has been described as having a "distinct cheesy/acidic note". The comparison is apt, as many cheeses contain a similar mix of volatile chemicals. In one 2014 study, researchers swabbed the feet of 16 subjects and found that 98.6% of the bacteria present on the soles of the feet were Staphylococci. The levels of VFAs, including the key foot odour compound isovaleric acid, were also significantly increased on the sole of the foot compared to the bridge (top) of the foot. Overall, the study concluded that the intensity of foot malodour was correlated to the total number of Staphylococcus present – another reason to reach for the soap. However, washing your feet isn't just about preventing cheesy foot odour. Many diseases and foot problems can be prevented through good foot hygiene. "Because of the small space between the toes, these areas are particularly at risk for microbial infections," says Joshua Zeichner, associate professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "This can lead to itching, swelling, and a foul smell. As the skin barrier becomes disrupted, this can also increase the risk of microorganisms invading the skin and causing more significant soft tissue infections known as cellulitis," he says. According to Zeichner, the most common problem is the development of athlete's foot, which is a superficial fungal infection of the skin on the feet. The fungi that cause athlete's foot thrive in warm, dark, and moist environments – hence why this condition most commonly affects the spaces in-between the toes. Keep this area clean and dry and you deprive the fungi of their perfect home. This is a good thing, as athlete's foot can cause a series of unpleasant symptoms such as itchiness, a scaly rash, flaky skin and cracking on the soles of your feet and between your toes. Keeping your feet clean could also prevent skin infections, such as those caused by Staphylococcus or Pseudomonas bacteria. While these bacteria exist naturally on your skin, if they get into your bloodstream via a cut then it can lead to a serious infection. Even a minor staph infection can lead to boils – bumps of pus that form under the skin around hair follicles or oil glands. "The feet are more prone to infections because there's quite a lot of biomass of bacteria there, and also if you do have cracks or injuries to your feet, it tends to heal much more slowly than other areas of the body," says Wilkinson. "In a situation like that, there's a greater chance that if you have an injury, pathogens could get into that wound, populate and overgrow." You might also like: While skin infections can still occur if you have good foot hygiene, regularly washing your feet reduces the number of bacteria present. So, if you happen to get a cut, there will be less microbes around to get into the bloodstream. Frequent foot washing is especially important if you suffer from diabetes, a condition that makes people prone to ulcers and skin infections. Research has shown the feet of diabetic patients contains a higher proportion of pathogenic bacteria residing on the skin. "They are there waiting for an opportunity to cause an infection. So, it's really important that people with diabetes are keeping on top of their foot hygiene, because they're at more risk of developing infection because of that," says Wilkinson. To make matters worse, people with diabetes also have an impaired immune response, so if they do get an infection, their body can't fight it off. Diabetes patients are also prone to cuts, wounds, and sores in the feet that don't heal. If these aren't caught early, then toes, feet, or even limbs may need to be amputated. "If you have uncontrolled diabetes, you may have damage to the nerves in your feet, so you can't feel your feet properly," says Wilkinson. "Just the act of washing allows you to properly check your feet for any minor abrasions or dryness that might contribute to having an infection." For that reason, Wilkinson – and charities such as Diabetes UK – recommend that diabetes patients wash their feet every day. But what about everyone else? Some experts argue that for most people, washing the feet every day has little health benefit, and can even raise the risk of skin problems. After all, the skin relies on its community of helpful microbes to perform essential functions. They repel harmful bacteria, produce lipids that keep the skin hydrated and supple, and even help repair wounds. Intensive washing and scrubbing can remove these beneficial species, especially if the water is hot. As a result, skin can become dry, irritated, or itchy. Cracked skin may allow bacteria to breach the usually impenetrable skin barrier, increasing the likelihood of infections. "Overwashing the skin can disrupt the skin barrier, stripping the skin of natural oils, contributing to dryness and inflammation," says Zeichner. This leads to itchy, dry skin and can exacerbate conditions like eczema. "It is also important not to overly scrub or exfoliate the skin on the feet," says Zeichner. "Calluses develop because of daily trauma. But they actually protect the feet from the environment. Removing calluses takes away that protection." There is also a concern that antibacterial soaps could upset the delicate balance of microorganisms on the skin, killing the beneficial species and allowing the emergence of hardier, pathogenic strains that are resistant to antibiotics. Finally, our immune system needs to be challenged to a certain extent by microbes in order to do its job. If we don't come into contact with a steady stream of bacteria and viruses in childhood, then our bodies don't learn how to properly respond to attack. Some experts believe that bathing or showering too frequently could actually be counterproductive for you for this very reason. So that leaves us with the perennial question, how often should we wash our feet? The answer depends to some extent on the individual. "For people with diabetes, it is 100% advised that you wash your feet every day," says Wilkinson. "But if you don't have any underlying conditions, then dermatologists tend to advise that every couple of days is more than enough to maintain good hygiene, without stripping too much of the natural oils on your skin." However, Wilkinson points out that if you're somebody likes to run or work out at the gym, then you will obviously need to wash your feet more regularly than somebody who is less active. It's also not just the frequency of washing that's important either. How you wash and dry your feet also has health implications. "A lot of people think that if you have a shower and you kind of just let the water trickle, that that's washing feet, but it isn't – you need to actually physically wash your feet with soapy water," says Wilkinson. However, according to Dan Baumgardt, a GP and lecturer in neuroscience and physiology at the University of Bristol in the UK, the most important thing he stresses to patients is to make sure you dry your feet properly. "When you've got wetness or dampness in between the toes that's allowed to just remain there in a warm environment, that's when you're prone to developing things like athlete's foot and other fungal infections," says Baumgardt. -- For trusted insights into better health and wellbeing rooted in science, sign up to the Health Fix newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
