Latest news with #Staphylococcus
The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
Warning: Six armed and dangerous CIT robbers at large in Pretoria
Warning: Six armed and dangerous CIT robbers at large in Pretoria A manhunt is underway in Pretoria after six heavily armed suspects escaped following a violent cash-in-transit robbery. Police are urging the public to remain alert as officers intensify efforts to track down the dangerous fugitives, who are considered extremely armed and volatile. According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo police arrested five suspects, aged between 35 and 50, soon after they allegedly committed a cash-in-transit robbery in Ekangala, Tshwane on Wednesday. 'Police recovered one of the getaway cars and more than one hundred rounds of ammunition. Police are on the lookout for more than six other suspects.' He said it is reported that the suspects used a BMW to ramp the cash-in-transit van. 'The suspects then bombed the van and took undisclosed amount of cash before speeding off in different cars. The police from Gauteng Highway Patrol responded swiftly and spotted two of the getaway cars, a silver Mercedes Benz and Silver Mazda CX3.' Masondo said a high speed chase ensued. 'While on the N12 Highway, the suspects started shooting at the police and police returned fire. One of the getaway cars was chased until the driver lost control and the suspects jumped out of the car and ran into the mielie field while shooting at the police.' Furthermore, police were joined by private security officers, and the search continued until five suspects were arrested. 'Inside the getaway car, police found scores of ammunition.' He said preliminary investigation revealed that these suspects are out on bail after committing cash-in-transit robberies in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces. 'The search is underway for the suspects who escaped. Those who were arrested are expected to appear before the Margistrate Court on Monday facing charges that include cash-in-transit robbery, attempted murder and possession of ammunition. More arrests might be added, pending the investigation.' Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria? Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Here is the official fuel price for June
Here is the official fuel price for June Despite a stronger rand and favourable oil price movements in May, South African motorists will see only a slight drop in fuel prices this June as a new fuel levy hike eats into potential savings at the pump. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy confirmed on Tuesday that the official fuel price adjustments will come into effect on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. While consistent over-recoveries throughout May pointed to a more significant decrease, the levy increase announced in the latest national budget has narrowed the benefit by around 15 cents per litre. As a result, 93 and 95 petrol prices will drop slightly by 5 cents per litre, while diesel will see a larger decrease of 37 cents per litre. Here is the June fuel prices: Fuel Change Petrol 93 decrease of 5 cents per litre Petrol 95 decrease of 5 cents per litre Diesel 0.05% (wholesale) decrease of 37 cents per litre Diesel 0.005% (wholesale) decrease of 37 cents per litre Illuminating Paraffin (Wholesale) decrease of 56 cents per litre LPGAS decrease of 89 cents per kg Meanwhile, motorists remain on edge as the final fuel prices hinge on a court ruling following an urgent application by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to suspend the recent fuel levy increase. The 2025 levy increase will see the total tax on petrol rising to R6.37, including the R2.18 Road Accident Fund levy. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana raised the General Fuel Levy, and announced various government expenditure cuts, in his third Budget Speech that was proposed on May 21. Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria? Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
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.'
Scroll.in
11-05-2025
- Health
- Scroll.in
Antibiotic resistance is millions of years old – modern medicine could learn from this history
Antibiotics are widely considered one of the most important advances in the history of medicine. Their introduction into clinical practice during the 1940s marked a major milestone in the control of infectious diseases, and these medicines have since improved human health and prolonged life expectancy. Today, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a global threat, and presents a major challenge to medicine. Antibiotics' extensive and often indiscriminate use in medicine, veterinary clinics and agriculture has created the ideal conditions for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to emerge. However, this phenomenon is older than previously thought. Bacteria already had resistance mechanisms long before the discovery and introduction of antibiotics into clinical practice. This indicates that antibiotic resistance is a much more complex, widespread and deep-rooted ancestral evolutionary phenomenon than initially assumed. Studies have documented antibiotic resistance mechanisms in micro-organisms isolated from natural habitats, where human influence is minimal or non-existent. These environments include deep underground layers and the ocean floor, as well as ancient environments such as isolated caves and permafrost. Interestingly, many of the resistance mechanisms described in these untouched environments – whose origins date back thousands or even millions of years – are similar or even identical to those observed in present-day pathogenic bacteria. This suggests that the conservation and transmission of resistance mechanisms throughout evolution provides a selective advantage. Surviving in the ice The resistance genes found in permafrost samples from 30,000 years ago bear a striking resemblance to those found today. These strains were as resistant as more modern ones that have been observed to resist β-lactam antibiotics, tetracyclines and vancomycin. Staphylococcus strains resistant to aminoglycosides and β-lactams have also been isolated from 3.5 million year old permafrost samples. There are even older examples, such as Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, USA, an environment considered isolated for 4 million years. Nevertheless, a 2016 study found Streptomyces and Paenibacillus bacteria in Lecheguilla that were resistant to most of the antibiotics used in clinical practice today. 'Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ' is the full name for a multidrug-resistant bacterium that causes serious infections. A 2022 study concluded that certain strains were resistant long before the use of this group of antibiotics – it was their adaptation to hedgehogs infected by similar antibiotic-producing fungi that gave them a survival advantage. An arms race to survive Research has revealed that competition for resources and adaptation to different habitats were key factors in the evolution of antibiotic resistance. In pre-drug environments, natural antibiotics not only played an ecological role in inhibiting the growth of competitors, but also supported the survival of producer species. In addition, very small amounts of antibiotics acted as communication molecules, influencing the interactions and balance of microbial communities. This dynamic environment favoured the evolution of defensive strategies in antibiotic-exposed micro-organisms, whether antibiotic-producing or co-existing. This, in turn, drove the diversification and spread of resistance mechanisms over time. However, the presence of these mechanisms in isolated, pre-antibiotic-era environments raises questions about how resistance has originated and spread throughout microbial evolution. The study of these processes is key to understanding their impact on the current antibiotic resistance crisis. Looking forward by looking backward It is now suggested that antibiotic resistance genes may have been transmitted first from environmental micro-organisms to human commensal organisms, and then to pathogens. This process of transfer from the environment to the human environment is random: the more prevalent a resistance mechanism is in the environment, the more likely it is to be transferred. Reservoirs of resistance in the environment can accelerate bacterial evolution towards multiple drug resistance under antibiotic pressure. It is therefore crucial to consider the vast diversity of these resistance genes within microbial populations when developing or implementing new strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. As Winston Churchill said, 'the longer you can look back, the further you can look forward'. This reflection underlines the importance of studying the past in order to understand and anticipate future risks. Researching ancestral resistance not only provides information on the evolutionary history of resistance genes, it can also help us predict how they will evolve in the future. This knowledge allows us to anticipate potential resistance mechanisms, which improves our ability to meet future challenges in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- The Citizen
Human remains found in missing Pretoria journalist case; suspects led police to site
Human remains have been discovered in an area near Kwalitho pointed out by suspects arrested in connection with the disappearance of missing Pretoria journalist Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Mdhluli — a chilling development in a case that has gripped the nation for months. National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola confirmed on Thursday that police have found human remains. 'DNA will be conducted to ascertain if they belong to missing journalist and partner. 'The area where the remains were found was pointed out by suspects as an area where they left the pair.' This comes after five suspects were arrested in connection after stolen property and vehicle parts linked to the couple were recovered. Police had a meeting set up with the families of Mdhuli and Ndlovu on Wednesday. All five suspects, all South African nationals, were traced to various villages in KwaMhlanga. Police have since recovered two VW Citi Golfs allegedly fitted with parts linked to Aserie Ndlovu's missing vehicle, as well as several household appliances — including a fridge, stove, microwave, and blankets — believed to have been stolen from the couple's home. Ndlovu, a National Press Club committee member, was reported missing on February 18, while his partner Mdhluli was only reported missing a few days later on February 24. Ndlovu's brother, Sifiso Ndlovu, told the Sowetan earlier that the cameras at Denlyn Mall in Mamelodi showed Ndlovu leaving after work. He worked in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, but lived in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga. Also read: Missing Pretoria journalist: Hijacking, kidnapping charges laid after five arrests Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria? Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
