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News & Articles By Edsel Cook

10/18/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Bird flu is evolving in Chinese poultry; the WHO says avian flu has spread to humans for the first time

The first diagnosed human case of H7N4 bird flu has appeared in eastern China, reported a New Scientist article. Chinese authorities have confirmed that a woman from Jiangsu province contracted this particular avian influenza virus. The 68-year-old patient developed symptoms on December 25, 2017. She entered the hospital for treatment on January 1, and was medically cleared […]

10/10/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Has the cure for MRSA been found? A traditional Côte d’Ivoire medicine shows great potential in treating the infection

An African medicinal plant might be a potential means of treating infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Researchers from Côte d’Ivoire studied the therapeutic potential of extracts from cherry mahogany (Tieghemella heckelii), a tree that grows in certain African countries like Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. S. aureus is one of the bacteria commonly involved in […]

09/04/2018 / By Edsel Cook

A common wheat virus can spread and harm perennial native grass

The days when crop diseases left other kinds of plants alone are over now, stated an article in British Ecological Society. A virus that originally ravaged imported wheat has now started infecting switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and other non-crop species native to the U.S. The burden on farmers and researchers has redoubled: Not only do they need […]

07/10/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Scientists aim to predict the next Ebola outbreak by tracking the migration patterns of BATS

The next time an Ebola epidemic breaks out in Africa, we may be warned in advance by bats. A Science Daily article reports how Pennsylvania-based researchers created a computer model that predicts the migratory movements of the airborne mammals that carry the virus. Bats are considered to be a primary carrier of the Ebola virus. They are […]

06/14/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Setting up an air filtration system for your shelter during pandemic outbreaks

Pandemics caused by terrifying pathogens – such as the Ebola virus – are one of the possible disasters looming over the horizon as humankind careens towards its destruction. In order to survive such a virulent crisis, you must know how to filter out airborne contaminants from your shelter, an article in Backdoor Survival states. Airborne […]

06/04/2018 / By Edsel Cook

For when TEOTWAWKI happens: How to protect yourself from biohazards

The end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) could result from pandemics of antibiotic-resistant superbugs used by terrorists. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from the threat posed by these biological hazards, as stated by a Beans, Bullets, Bandages and You article. Biohazards are harmful organic substances that […]

03/18/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Gut microbiome found to be permanently distorted by H. pylori bacteria

The gastrointestinal microbiota is a flourishing environment for good bacteria and other microbes that contribute to human health. However, a study of Helicobacter pylori infections warns that the bacteria can permanently change gut flora by displacing good bacteria from the stomach. The new findings come from a group of Austrian researchers led by Dr. Christoph Steininger, an infectionologist from the Division […]

03/07/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Revolutionary diagnosis: A single blood test can now detect Lyme and other tick-borne diseases

Testing methods for tick-borne diseases tend to be cumbersome, unreliable, specialized, or even nonexistent. That is, until a Science Daily article reported the recently-developed Tick-Borne Disease Serochip (TBD-Serochip) can accurately diagnose eight different tick-borne pathogens, including the bacterium responsible for the widespread Lyme disease. The brainchild of a large team of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control […]

03/05/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Antibiotics FAIL: Yaws bacteria develops resistance and is making a comeback

Yaws isn’t a superbug yet, but newly-available research indicates it has joined the club of antibiotic-resistant diseases. This development will require the World Health Organization to revise its ongoing eradication strategy, warned a Science Daily article. Endemic to tropical parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, yaws is a bacterial infection that affects the skin, […]

03/05/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Legionella bacteria in municipal water systems has killed or sickened thousands – is anything being done to address the problem?

As Legionnaires’ disease continues to claim hundreds of lives and thousands of victims, the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine assembled an investigatory team who will look into the best ways to keep the lethal Legionella bacteria out of vulnerable plumbing systems, water works and lungs, reported a Circle of Blue article. Legionnaires’ […]

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