Latest news with #DivisionofInfectiousDiseases
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
As antibiotic resistance grows, study showing how superbugs kill others offers hope
Daria Van Tyne did not expect to see changes in a population of bacteria taken from her hospital in Pennsylvania, in the United States. Advertisement Her hunch was wrong, but the results of her recent study point to a potential solution for antibiotic resistance. Bacteria are ancient organisms that have learned advanced evolutionary behaviours over billions of years. The particular strain Van Tyne was studying, Enterococcus faecium, exists in the guts of humans and many animals and is hard to kill. Results of a recent study overseen by Daria Van Tyne point to a potential solution for antibiotic resistance. Photo: 'As a researcher, I'm very interested in how the bacteria that make people sick in the hospital are evolving and changing over time,' says Van Tyne, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Division of Infectious Diseases. Advertisement She is the senior author of a recent paper, published in the medical journal Nature Microbiology, which found three new strains of drug-resistant Enterococcus faecium, some with the capacity to completely wipe out their neighbours.
USA Today
07-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Foodborne botulism is a rare, life-threatening condition. These are the signs to look for.
Foodborne botulism is a potentially deadly condition that's caused by eating food contaminated with botulinum toxin, a potent toxin that attacks the body's nervous system. The disease is incredibly rare; in 2019, there were 21 reported cases of foodborne botulism across the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Botulism is treatable, but it's important to catch it early. As botulinum toxin moves through your body, it can lead to muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, death. Knowing the signs of botulism can be life-saving. Here's everything experts need you to know. What is Clostridium botulinum? Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that produces botulinum toxin, the neurotoxin that causes botulism, says Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Clostridium botulinum can be found throughout nature, often on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Luckily, exposure to Clostridia rarely makes you sick. It's only under certain conditions that bacteria like Clostridium botulinum, and occasionally Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii, are able to grow spores that make botulism toxin. These bacteria thrive in the absence of air, and tend to germinate in environments that have low acidity, sugar and salt, per the CDC. Where is Clostridium botulinum most commonly found? Self-canned and self-preserved foods are particularly susceptible to Clostridia growth, says Shonna McBride, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology, and expert of clostridium, at the Emory University School of Medicine. If the spores of Clostridium botulinum are living on your fruits, vegetables or whatever else you intend to preserve, and you haven't sufficiently sterilized your canning equipment, you leave the door open for the bacteria to produce the toxin, explains McBride. These days, incidences of foodborne botulism linked to commercially-canned goods have become extremely rare, Kuritzkes says. This is largely because food processing plants have routine inspections that check cleanliness and sterility standards. You can't see, smell or taste botulism toxin, so it can be difficult to identify when contamination has occurred, per the CDC. A potential sign, however, is if you see a can that's visibly bulging, notes McBride. As the bacteria multiplies, it produces gas – so much so that it can sometimes stretch a metal can. What is the healthiest fruit?This one has cognitive and cardiovascular benefits. What symptoms does foodborne botulism cause? 'Botulism toxin is quite potent, so even ingesting a small amount of the toxin can have serious effects,' says Kuritzkes. When the toxin enters the body, it gets absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, and begins targeting the nerves. When your nerves aren't able to communicate with each other, your muscles enter a state of flaccid paralysis, says McBride. According to Dr. Scott A. Weisenberg, an infectious disease specialist and medical director of the Travel Medicine Program at NYU Langone Health, key signs of foodborne botulism include: Trouble swallowing and speaking, changes in vision, general muscle weakness and difficulty breathing. These symptoms typically appear between 12 to 36 hours after you've ingested the toxin, although they could pop up as early as four hours after exposure, per the World Health Organization. Good to know:Is tonsillitis contagious? Here's what you need to know about this common condition. Can you fully recover from botulism? When botulism is left untreated, your body enters a state of complete respiratory paralysis, possibly leading to death, says Kuritzes. Five percent to 10% of botulism cases are fatal, per the WHO. However, you can make a full recovery from the disease if it's caught early, which is why it's important to get to a hospital if you're having botulism-like symptoms. Botulism antitoxin neutralizes botulinum toxin, preventing it from causing further damage to your nerves. However, it isn't able to repair any existing damage, and in severe cases, people will need to be intubated to help them breathe. Eventually, the toxin will dissipate, but symptoms can persist for months, says McBride. Again, it's important to underscore that botulism is extremely rare. However, to reduce the likelihood of ever experiencing it, exercise safe food handling and storage practices, recommends Weisenberg. For people preparing canned foods at home, this is especially important, he says.
Boston Globe
27-01-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
‘Do I need to take down my bird feeder?' and other questions about bird flu in Mass.
Advertisement We asked infectious disease experts what you can do to prevent the spread and how you can keep yourself and your pets safe during this outbreak. What is bird flu? Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or H5N1, is usually present in wild birds and poultry. In March, it was The particular subtype of virus taking hold now, a highly pathogenic avian influenza strain that originated in Europe and Asia, How dangerous is bird flu to humans? One However, experts said the risk of people catching the virus, let alone getting seriously ill, is small. 'The average person doesn't need to be very concerned about bird flu right now,' said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Though the World Health Organization has reported a Advertisement Most people who have contracted the flu have had close, prolonged contact with animals who have the disease. Jonathan Runstadler, chair of the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, said many people 'are just getting very mild disease and usually just conjunctivitis. The main concern remains that the virus will mutate into a form that is more contagious to humans. 'There's a lot of worry that the more chances the virus has to infect people that it will make some changes that allow it to be a worse disease and a more transmissible disease,' Runstadler said. How does bird flu spread, and how do humans get it? Bird flu is usually spread through contact with secretions of an infected animal, Hamer said. For example, it can spread through bird flocks if an infected animal defecates in a body of water. Runstadler said experts are not yet sure how livestock like cows get infected, though it's likely because the virus gets into their feed or farm equipment. The flu The biggest risk is to those who work directly with livestock and poultry, experts said, and it's important for those workers to take protective measures. Advertisement 'Using respiratory precautions like wearing a mask and eye protection would be very helpful for people who have close contact with animals in that setting, whether it's dairy animals or cattle being raised for slaughter,' Kuritzkes said. Can pets be infected with bird flu? Domesticated animals can get bird flu if they are in direct contact with an infected bird, experts said. 'Cats in particular are susceptible to this strain of virus and can die from infection,' Hamer said. 'Owners need to keep their animals away from contact with birds, especially wild birds or the corpses of wild birds.' Specifically, wild aquatic birds like ducks, geese, swans, and shorebirds are In addition to keeping animals away from birds and feces, experts said there could be an increased chance for infection if feeding a pet raw food, like raw milk or chicken. The FDA 'The advice would be the same for your pets [as you] at this point — if there's even a small risk that what you're feeding or consuming is sourced from an animal that might be affected with avian influenza, make sure you cook or treat that product appropriately,' Runstadler added. Advertisement Though pets themselves can get the virus, it's unlikely they could pass it to humans. Contracting bird flu from a pet would require 'a lot of very unlikely events to occur,' Kuritzkes said. Is it safe to keep bird feeders up? Songbirds and other common backyard birds are However, Hamer said people should be on the lookout if birds start dying in their backyard. 'People need to be cautious if they see a dead bird — they want to call public health authorities in their jurisdiction to take care of it rather than have direct contact with it,' he said. What steps can you take to stay safe from the disease? The main advice is to avoid direct contact with wild birds or other animals that could be infected with the flu, experts said. People should call public health or wildlife authorities if they need to dispose of a bird corpse so it can be properly tested. If contact is unavoidable, it's best to wear protective equipment like gloves and a mask, Hamer said. Experts said it's important to be vigilant about the virus and stay up to date on developments. 'This is a virus that is likely to continue to circulate in the wild and we're likely to see occasionally these kinds of outbreaks, particularly seasonally as birds migrate who are carrying variants of the virus,' Runstadler said. Emily Spatz can be reached at
