Latest news with #Shigella
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
5 diseases caused by cockroaches
Cockroaches are not only pests that disgust most but can also cause many dangerous diseases to both adults and children. The younger and elderly populations need to be more vigilant, as they are more vulnerable owing to weak immunity. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The most common disease that can happen on coming in contact with cockroaches or consuming the food or water contaminated by them is food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning caused by the cockroach germs include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It is treatable via oral hydration, i.e., ORS, and antibiotics in select cases. Typhoid fever Another serious disease that can be caused by a bacterium that cockroaches spread is typhoid. The bacteria is called Salmonella typhi bacteria, and it enters the body via contaminated water that we may drink or contaminated food we may eat. Its symptoms are high fever, weakness, headache, sometimes constipation, and sometimes diarrhea, typically appearing within 12 to 72 hours. It can generally be relieved with proper rest and antibiotics. Cholera According to Dr. Shivani Swami, HOD, pulmonology, allergy, and sleep medicine at Amar Jain Hospital, Jaipur, 'Cholera is another disease that can be spread by cockroaches and happens mostly if proper hygiene is not maintained. The patient has symptoms such as diarrhea, which is watery, vomiting, etc. IV fluids and antibiotics would be needed in case the symptoms lead to dehydration.' Dysentery Dysentery, often caused by Shigella bacteria or amoebas, too can be caused by cockroaches. The patient gets severe loose motions, which may have blood discharge. The patient can also get stomach cramps and prolonged fever. To counter this, specific antibiotics are advised. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Gastroenteritis , asthma and other allergic reactions Another common problem is gastroenteritis, which can be caused by cockroaches. Lots of fluids and foods light on the stomach are recommended for treatment. Cockroach droppings, saliva, and body parts can lead to problems such as allergies and asthma. This can cause symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, and breathing problems. This problem is common in children. Antihistamines and inhalers are used for treatment. To help prevent cockroach-associated infections or diseases, it is advisable to keep the home clean, keep food covered, and ensure dustbins are washed and cleaned regularly. Professional pest control also needs to be done from time to time, as prevention is always better. Also remember, in cases of severity, doctor consultation is key. Most heart disease deaths can be prevented by changing diets: Study
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New research reports New Mexico drug-resistant bacterial infection spread from humans to primates
This is a medical illustration of drug-resistant, Shigella bacteria, (Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; illustrated by Stephanie Rossow) New Mexico researchers on Tuesday published findings in the journal Nature Communications that a strain of bacteria resistant to several common antibiotic treatments spread from humans to primates at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo between May 2021 and November 2023. Shigellosis is a highly infectious gastrointestinal infection caused by a type of bacteria called Shigella. New Mexico recorded more 202 cases during the outbreak, including more than half in people experiencing homelessness, while others included daycare workers and attending children. Nearly 70% of people with the infection were hospitalized, and there was one death. Research published Tuesday found the infection spread into the zoo, causing six primate deaths. The outbreak is the first to be caused by drug-resistant bacteria and was the largest in the state. The study's researchers urge further surveillance due to the 'threat of antimicrobial resistant organisms to vulnerable human and [non-human primate] populations.' The infection is passed through contact with the bacteria — found in feces —including contact with other surfaces; contaminated food or water; or person-to-person contact. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to treat severe cases, but growing drug resistance is limiting treatment options. Anti-microbial resistance is growing in the U.S. Shigella populations. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that about 5% of Shigella infections resisted antibiotic treatments compared to 0% in 2015. That figure included the New Mexico outbreak, from which researchers found that the bacterial infections were resistant to multiple drugs including the 'first line treatment option which led to treatment failures in human and [non-human primate] populations.' Researchers studied the genetic makeup of the Shigella strain in the New Mexico outbreak, which included the 202 New Mexico cases, 15 out of state cases and four non-human primates, to help understand how the outbreak spread. Shortly after human cases were identified in May of 2021, 15 primates at the zoo displayed shigellosis. Four primates — a gorilla and three siamangs, including a mother and her 2-month old baby — died of Shigella infection. Almost a year later in July 2022, a chimpanzee tested positive and also died. The only surviving siamang was transferred to another zoo, but despite testing negative, infected others there with shigella, was transferred back and ultimately euthanized. Researchers don't have an answer for how the infection spread from humans to primates in the zoo, hypothesizing it could have spread through objects or from houseflies as a vector. Further tests ruled out municipal water and zoo staff did not report Shigellosis-like illness. 'It may have been introduced, indirectly, when a zoo visitor threw a contaminated item into the enclosure,' researchers wrote. 'It may also have been introduced on cardboard tubes used as enrichment items, although this common zoo practice was discontinued as part of the initial response to the 2021 primate infections, and cannot explain the 2022 chimpanzee infection.' The latest update in the outbreak was in September 2024, when the the New Mexico Department of Health reported four additional Shigella cases, mostly impacting people experiencing homelessness. The study's authors included researchers from the state Department of Health, the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the City of Albuquerque. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can I eat leftover pizza that's been sitting out overnight?
One of the best things about ordering pizza for dinner — or a Super Bowl party — is having it for leftovers the next day. However, while pizza may seem like the gift that keeps on giving, there are some things you may not want to think about when you snag a less-than-fresh slice — for example, how long that pizza has been sitting out in the first place. 'Leftover pizza has taken on a mythical status that it is somehow above making you sick even if it's left out on the table overnight,' Brian Labus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, tells Yahoo Life. 'Unfortunately, that is just not true. Pizza carries the same risks as any other food and needs to be handled safely.' He adds: 'No one would eat a piece of cheese or a slice of pepperoni that has been sitting out on the counter all night, but turn them into pizza and people think they are OK to eat.' While foodborne illness is a possibility when it comes to leftover pizza, it's not all doom and gloom. There are plenty of ways to ensure you can still enjoy that cheesy, saucy goodness safely. Here's what experts want you to know. Let's say you're having a party, and you leave the remaining slices of pizza in the box on the counter until you're ready to clean up for the night — or worse, until you remember it's there the next morning. Can you still enjoy a slice? Labus says standard food safety rules apply here: It's important to keep foods out of the temperature danger zone — between 40°F and 140°F — which is where bacteria grows and thrives. 'According to the USDA, food can stay in this zone for two hours, but only one hour if the temperature is above 90°F,' says Labus. Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered, tells Yahoo Life that while ingredients like pepperoni may be able to stay stable due to preservatives like nitrites, 'tomato sauces and cheese can readily breed bacteria, some of which can cause foodborne illness.' With pizza, Le says it's particularly important to pay attention to food safety guidelines because there are few outward signs that it's gone bad. The consequences of eating pizza after it's grown bacteria? Not so fun. The biggest concern is that you could become sick with a gastrointestinal illness, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and potentially a fever, says Labus. 'Bacteria like Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter are among the most common, and they cause diarrheal illnesses with a fever a couple days after you eat them,' he explains. 'Other bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridium perfringens multiply on the food and can leave a toxin behind, which causes vomiting a few hours after you eat them.' As Le points out, our food supply is generally safe and proper cooking should kill the pathogens that make us sick — so there shouldn't be bacteria on the pizza that can make us sick in the first place. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to food safety by leaving pizza out overnight, he warns. 'The system isn't perfect and things go wrong sometimes,' Le says. 'The odds of getting sick might be very small overall, but the consequences can be serious if you do get sick. And you might have gotten sick from that leftover pizza in college but didn't realize that is what caused your illness.' Pizza is great the next day — and you can even keep it in the fridge for up to four days, per the USDA's regulations on leftovers. Labus says it's important that you store your leftover pizza away from other contaminants in the fridge. (So don't let any raw chicken drip on your plated pizza or any other food in your fridge.) If you want the best taste, he says you should avoid tossing the pizza into the fridge while it's still in its box. 'The pizza will dry out pretty quickly and might pick up odors from other foods,' Labus notes. 'It won't be unsafe to eat, but it also won't be very good.' For the safest method that also makes for the best leftovers, Le recommends wrapping pizza 'in plastic Saran wrap, followed by wrapping it in aluminum foil, to limit the contact points with the atmosphere in the fridge.'
