Swiss scientists report that bacteria in the human mouth play a role in creating the distinctive flavors of certain foods. Doctors found that these bacteria actually produce food odors from components of food, allowing eaters to savor fruits and vegetables.

Their study appears in the November 12 edition of the ACS bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Christian Starkenmann and colleagues point out that some fruits and vegetables release characteristic odors only after being swallowed.

Though doctors have reported that volatile compounds produced from precursors found in these foods are responsible for this retroaromatic effect, the details of this transformation were not understood.

The scientists performed sensory tests on 30 trained panelists to evaluate the odor intensity of volatile compounds – known as thiols – that are released from odorless sulfur compounds found naturally in grapes, onions, and bell peppers.

When given samples of the odorless compounds, it took participants 20 to 30 seconds to perceive the aroma of the thiols – and this perception persisted for three minutes. The researchers also determined that the odorless compounds are transformed into the thiols by anaerobic bacteria residing in the mouth – causing the characteristic ‘retroaromatic’ effect.

“The mouth acts as a reactor, adding another dimension to odor perceptions,” they explain.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director, and Nancy Bruening, Executive Editor

Posted: November 11th, 2008 under Anti-Bacterial Resources, Developing Diseases, Diseases, Impaired Immunity.
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Doctors at a North Carolina hospital report that about 160 patients were exposed to staph infection when surgical instruments weren’t properly sterilized.

Surgical instruments used on patients Oct. 5-7 were cleaned, disinfected, and packaged but hadn’t been sterilized with steam, said chief medical officer Dr. Eugene Wright.

Dr. Wright said the instruments were believed free of blood borne diseases like HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

Officials also said surgical patients routinely get antibiotics.

Dr. Chuck Chima, physician adviser to infection control at the hospital, said steam sterilization is the third step of the disinfection process and without it the instruments could be contaminated.

“Most of the cleaning process had gone through,” Chima said. “The steam sterilization is sort of an insurance.”

Symptoms of staph infection include redness, swelling, pain, and warmth at the surgical site as well as fever and drainage from the surgical area, swollen glands, and a red streak from the infection site.

Wright said the hospital discovered the problem Oct. 6 when a technician noticed that an instrument package hadn’t been steamed. Packages have chemical indicators that show whether they have been exposed to steam.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Infection protection measures needed.

Posted: October 16th, 2008 under Antibiotic Resistant, Diseases, Hand Hygiene.
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Biologically, women are more prone than men to experience a urinary tract infection (UTI), and their lifestyles, marked by carrying heavy purses and donning high heels, may actually increase this risk. Whether it is from fashion, exercise, or heavy lifting, an injured back, either the muscles or nerves or both, may increase the risk of a UTI.

“Back injuries can often disrupt or inhibit urine flow,” says Larrian Gillespie, a retired urogynecologist and author of the book, You Don’t Have to Live with Cystitis, The Groundbreaking Guide to the Prevention and Cure of One of Women’s Most Stubborn Ailments (Quill, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers). “As a result, UTI-causing bacteria become trapped in the bladder causing a urinary tract infection.”

These infections are usually related to back problems by just a few factors, says Gillespie. The lower back has many fine nerves that can become strained from lifting something very heavy once, or something mildly heavy all of the time/daily, when exercising, from altered posture, etc.

“The discs in the lower back can also become damaged, which can compress the nerves that signal the bladder to empty, causing disruption to urine flow,” says Gillespie. Improper urine flow, she adds, keeps the bacteria in the bladder from being flushed out, which can result in a UTI.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Back injuries related to urinary tract infections?

Posted: September 3rd, 2008 under Diseases, Wound Management.
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Recently, more than 2,000 infection experts responded to a MRSA survey conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC). The majority of respondents reported that their health care centers and hospitals needed to do more to educate people about MRSA, how it is spread, and prevention methods to control the outbreak. On that note, here are 10 tips to help reduce the epidemic of MRSA:

Prevention

* Adequate hand hygiene must be undertaken among first-line health care professionals.

* Good environmental hygiene is also essential in preventing MRSA outbreaks. Surface reservoirs of medical equipment must be thoroughly and routinely cleaned.

* Gowns, gloves, and masks should be used by all health care workers working in environments where airborne, or contact-spread pathogens are likely to exist. Open sores should be covered with a bandage and kept clean in order to prevent exposure to a possible case of MRSA.

* The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that patients who require contact with hospital professionals  should be seen in a single-patient room. If one is not available, then cohorting is recommended, where the patient is kept with their same roommate.

* Additionally, the CDC has added the following to its standard precautions: respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette;  safe injection practices, and use of masks for insertion of catheters or injection of material into spinal or epidural spaces via lumbar puncture procedures, e.g., myelogram, spinal or epidural anesthesia.

* The CDC also notes that optimal management of vascular and urinary catheters; prevention of lower respiratory tract infections in intubated patients; accurate diagnosis of infectious aetiologies; and judicious selection and use of antimicrobials should be incorporated into clinical practices.

*  Personal items such as towels, clothing, combs, soap, shampoo or shaving gear should not be shared.

Recognition

* Patients being re-admitted to hospital following surgery or who are being seen on an outpatient basis following a hospital stay may already be carrying the bacteria asymptomatically. *  Some community acquired MRSA strains can be extremely virulent and affect different types of patients from hospital-acquired MRSA. These strains carry a particularly potent toxin (Panton-Valentine Leukocidin, or PVL).

* If boils (furunculosis), carbuncles, folliculitis or cellulitis are present, 5-PVL-related MRSA and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus should be considered as possible causes. CA-MRSA strains are common in North America, and have been reported as causing cross-infection in hospitals.

–By Claire Sowerbutt, Vancouver Correspondent

Posted: August 7th, 2008 under Infection Protection, MRSA.
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Following the anthrax scare back in 2001, ABC News reported that sales of Bayer・s antibiotic Cipro had skyrocketed 1,000 percent.  The anchor noted that many panicked consumers were spending $700 for a two month supply. Although Bacillus anthracis responded effectively to inexpensive and well -tolerated drugs such as penicillin and doxycycline, the FDA approved Cipro for use after exposure to inhalation anthrax in August 2000. According to the FDA Talk Paper released at the time, “FDA approved this new use, for inhalation anthrax, under its accelerated approval regulation.”Although the anthrax scare turned out to be greatly exaggerated, Cipro became a household brand name and has continued to be a popular drug for indications such as urinary and upper respiratory tract infections.

Now, because of mounting evidence that the drug can cause injury to tendons and tendon ruptures, the FDA has issued its most urgent safety warning for Cipro and other antibiotics belonging to the family of flouroquinolone drugs.

The exact mechanism by which these drugs damage tendons is poorly understood, but studies show that the drugs have a toxic effect on cellular components of connective tissue. The most commonly effected tendons are the Achilles tendon in the heel and the tendons connecting muscles to bones in the hand, shoulder and arm. The FDA alert indicates that this risk is increased in patients over age 60 and in patients taking steroids. Physicians are advised to take patients off fluoroquinolone medications at the first sign of tendon pain or swelling.

The consumer group Public Citizen had filed a petition asking for these warnings two years ago and eventually sued the FDA prior to the FDA’s decision. The FDA would not cite a specific number, but admit they have received several hundred reports of tendon ruptures, a serious injury which may require extensive surgery and result in significant disability.

Infection Protection asked the FDA if its approval of Cipro for anthrax and the subsequent media exposure may have contributed to increased use of the drug and the number of reported cases of tendon ruptures. Christopher Kelly, from the FDA office of public affairs tells Infection Protection, “The decision to add a boxed warning is based on review of published literature. We do not have data whether the 2001 use of Cipro for prevention of anthrax influenced subsequent prescribing patterns for the indications for which Cipro is approved.” When asked if the FDA has considered recommending a less expensive and less toxic antibiotic, Mr. Kelly would only say that, “Cipro has been available as a generic product since 2004.”

– by Dr. Chris Iliades, MD, Boston Correspondent

Cipro linked to tendon problems.

Posted: August 7th, 2008 under Anthrax, Anti-Bacterial Resources.
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New federal rules on the use of biological agents were bolstered in the aftermath of the 2001 anthrax attacks, but the regulations may have impinged upon some legitimate research collaborations and now need to be reviewed, doctors told a 25 June briefing organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy.

The U.S. government’s “select agent” program was created during the 1990s to control the transfer of bio-agents such as anthrax and botulinum toxin. New laws and regulations after 2001 added additional restrictions on the possession, use and transfer of the agents, including FBI checks on lab facilities and the personnel who use the agents. A 2004 law then outlawed research on viruses that are close genetic derivatives of the deadly smallpox virus.

Scientific researchers have fretted about the red tape involved in creating containment laboratories and obtaining and sharing agents, particularly in the case of collaboration with foreign partners.

“These labs are necessary if you are going to work on diseases that cause harm,” said Gigi Kwik Gronvall, senior associate at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director and Nancy Bruening, Managing Editor

Bio-war threatens global research collaboration.

Posted: August 5th, 2008 under Anthrax, Developing Diseases, Diseases, Impaired Immunity, Masks Control Transmission.
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A Boy Scout reservation in Virginia has been closed after more than a dozen scouts there were sickened by the deadly       E. coli bacteria, an official said. E. coli is a bacterium that infects humans through tainted food, handling animals or swimming in contaminated water. The disease can cause severe food poisoning in people but not everyone exposed to it becomes ill, said Seth Levine, a Virginia state epidemiologist. But, individuals who do have the affliction usually undergo stomach cramps, watery bloody diarrhea, fever, and chills. The infection can also harm organs like kidneys.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli infects an estimated 73,000 people and kills 61 a year in the U.S. 

According to officials of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the local camp was closed after discovering that more scouts presented with symptoms of the infection. Overall, 16 Boy Scouts and an adult leader are victims of the infection, with two of the boys being in serious condition.

The Virginia Department of Public Health investigated the site, but, according to the scouts,  “the source of the bacteria remains unconfirmed.”

As part of the ongoing infection control plan, the council announced it would get in touch with scouts scheduled for camp this week and the ones who were there last week. If the boys show any symptoms of the infection, the scouting organization recommends that they immediately seek medical care.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Posted: August 4th, 2008 under Anti-Bacterial Resources, Diseases, E. Coli, Hand Hygiene.
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Ozone, a gas toxic to the human respiratory system, is now being utilized for a beneficial purpose: the disinfection of produce, both before and after harvest, experts are telling Infection Protection.Purfresh, a Silicon Valley-based company founded in 1996, has recently appeared in the national news for its industrially-viable adaptation of this promising technology. According to Purfresh, ozone has 3,000 times the disinfectant power of chlorine rinses. Dissolved in water at strictly measured concentrations, ozone — as well as simple gaseous ozone, emitted by generators during shipment –has been found to inactivate numerous food- and water-borne microorganisms, including bacteria, insects, and parasites.Like irradiation, ozone works at an atomic level to not only disable pathogens but also stabilize food. Food growers and producers can now control Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP)–that is, the number of electrons lost by one atom and gained by another. This increases food’s shelf-life and reduce spoilage that can occur during transport.

Posted: August 1st, 2008 under Infection Protection, News.
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The health department closed the Hawaiian Falls Adventure Park in Garland, Texas, this week because of potential cryptosporidiosis contamination.

A person who swam in the pool there has tested positive for crypto, an intestinal infection that causes diarrhea, cramping, nausea or vomiting, doctors said. The city closed all of the water attractions at Hawaiian Falls while park employees treat the water with chlorine to destroy any contaminants. Another Hawaiian Falls facility in nearby Mansfield, Texas, closed Wednesday night for the water to be treated as a precaution. The Hawaiian Falls in The Colony, Texas will close Thursdsay night for similar treatment. This is just the latest cryptosporidiosis scare in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to news reports, the following incicents have been reported recently: 

• Burger’s Lake in Fort Worth reopened last weekend after at least 20 people became sick. The lake was treated for crypto.
• All YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas pools will close Thursday night or Friday night while the water is treated for crypto.
• Play grounds at Mildred Dunn Park and Campbell Green Park in Dallas were closed last weekend, after children became ill. Those spraygrounds reopened after treatment. Now the city plans to treat all 28 pools and spraygrounds every week.
• Fifteen Tarrant County YMCA pools were closed Thursday, July 24, for crypto treatment. They reopened over the weekend.
• City pools in Arlington were treated Wednesday, July 23.
• Splash Station in Cleburne was treated for crypto Saturday, June 26, after an employee was infected with the parasite, according to doctors.

Good infection control practices are required to combat this disease. If you swim in a pool that may have been tainted with crypto, make sure you use disinfectants when getting out of the water.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Cryptosporidiosis threatens swimmers in Texas.

Posted: July 31st, 2008 under Diseases, Hand Hygiene.
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Doctors say a vaccine is on the horizon for tularemia, a fatal disease caused by the pathogen Francisella tularensis, an organism considered a potential biological warfare agent. Until recently medicine knew very little about this bacterium.  But, according to the August issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, research on the bacterium is now making fast progress.

Infection with F. tularensis can result in a variety of symptoms, depending on the route of infection. For example, infection via an insect bite can lead to a swollen ulcer or fever, chills, malaise, headaches and a sore throat. When infection occurs by eating contaminated food, symptoms can range from mild diarrhea to an acute fatal disease. If inhaled, F. tularensis infections can have a 30 percent mortality rate if left untreated.

“Very few bacteria are needed to cause serious disease,” said Dr. Petra Oyston. “Because of this and the fact that tularemia can be contracted by inhalation, Francisella tularensis has been designated a potential biological weapon. Since the events of September 2001 and the subsequent anthrax attacks on the USA, concern about the potential misuse of dangerous pathogens including F. tularensis has increased.”

Tularemia resides in rodents and animals like rabbits and hares. Outbreaks in humans often happen at the same time as outbreaks in these creatures. The disease is probably transmitted by insects like mosquitoes, doctors speculate. People can also become infected by contact with contaminated food or water. Farmers, hunters, walkers, and forest workers are most at risk of contracting tularemia.

Presently, there is no vaccine against tularemia. Since there are few natural cases of tularemia, money was not spent by researchers on the development of a vaccine. But, some nations have developed F. tularensis as a biological weapon, including the reported production of antibiotic-resistant strains, so research into its pathogenesis has become a biodefense issue.

“Progress is being made,” said Dr. Oyston. “Since the genome of F. tularensis was sequenced, researchers have taken great strides in understanding the molecular basis for its pathogenesis. This is essential information for developing a vaccine and getting it licensed.”

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Biological warfare still a threat in the years after 9-11.

Posted: July 28th, 2008 under Anti-Bacterial Resources, Vaccinations.
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