Pneumocystis carinii, cheese, wine, Lyme disease, rinderpest and this week’s bonus video!
Pneumocystis pneumonia Pneumonia caused by the fungal infection Pneumocystis carinii is the most prevalent opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. The analysis of this opportunistic fungal pathogen has been hindered by the inability to isolate it in pure culture, but the use of molecular techniques and genomic analysis have brought insights into its complex cell biology. Analysis of the intricate relationship between Pneumocystis and the host lung during infection has revealed that the attachment of Pneumocystis to the alveolar epithelium promotes the transition of the organism from the trophic to the cyst form. It also revealed that Pneumocystis infection elicits the production of inflammatory mediators, culminating in lung injury and impaired gas exchange. A new review discusses these and other recent findings relating to the biology and pathogenesis of this intractable fungus.
Cheese and Wine Little work has been carried out on the microbiology of wooden shelves supporting cheese during ripening, and the safety of their use has been questioned. Well now, hot on the heels of Cheddarvision, the cheese-eating microbiology primates come to the rescue. Bacteria in soft cheeses, and Listeria in particular, is no joke.
Fermented beverages and foods have played a significant role in most societies worldwide for millennia. To better understand how the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the main fermenting agent, evolved along this historical and expansion process, French researchers analysed the genetic diversity among 651 strains from 56 different geographical origins worldwide. Their genotyping at 12 microsatellite loci revealed 575 distinct genotypes organized in subgroups of yeast types, i.e. bread, beer, wine, sake. Some of these groups presented unexpected relatedness: Bread strains displayed a combination of genes intermediate between beer and wine strains, and strains used for rice wine and sake were most closely related to beer and bread strains. However, up to 28% of genetic diversity between these groups was associated with geographical differences which suggests local domestications. Focusing on wine yeasts, a group of Lebanese strains were oldest, suggesting a Mesopotamian-based origin of most wine strains. In Europe, migration of wine strains occurred through the Danube Valley, and around the Mediterranean Sea. These results show an intimate association between man and wine yeast across centuries, and yeast has followed man and vine migrations as a commensal member of grapevine flora.
Be tick aware (Lyme disease) Weather nice today? If you’re visiting forested, woodland, heathland areas or even some suburban parklands the Health Protection Agency is urging people to be aware of the risk of tick bites. There has been a rise in the number of people infected by ticks carrying Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease). A significant number were acquired in the course of activity holidays, including walking, trekking and mountain-biking. Peak times for tick bites are late spring, early summer and autumn. Areas where infection has been acquired in the UK include popular holiday destinations such as Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire moors and the Scottish Highlands. The most common symptom is a slowly expanding rash which spreads out from a tick bite, usually after about five to fourteen days. It is not usually significantly painful or itchy and may gradually enlarge over many weeks if not treated with antibiotics, but will eventually disappear without treatment. Other symptoms, including tiredness, headaches, aches and pains in muscles and joints may also be present.
Chagas disease invades Southern California blood supply Chagas disease is a nasty blood-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. This has always been thought of as a disease of South America – until now. Although only seven cases of Chagas disease have been recorded in the U.S. in the last 20 years, a recent survey showed one in 3,800 blood d
onors in the Los Angeles area tested positive for the parasite. Last year, two heart transplant patients at different Los Angeles hospitals contracted the disease.
And this weeks bonus microbiology video: Streak Plate Technique A short video showing how to do the streak plate method of diluting and growing bacteria on agar growth media:
As the mother of a child who has had Lyme disease for almost 4 years, I felt that I must write.
It is crucial that one get antibiotic treatment as soon as possible after being bitten by a tick. It is not the rash that is of concern but what the Borrelia spirochete will do within the body if left untreated.
Also, the EM or Bull’s Eye rash is not all that common and scientific research shows that it happens in less than 50% of those who have been bitten.
Lyme disease is a growing concern and public awareness regarding the signs and symptoms is crucial.
For more information regarding Lyme disease, please visit the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation at http://www.canlyme.com.
I also was quite concerned when I read your article on Lyme Disease.
I have suffered unbelievable neurological problems from this disease;
due to NOT being treated after the rash was observed on my neck.
There is no cure at my stage of the disease and I don’t want others
to have to experience their life ruined due to false information.
Please update the end of this article…
The information on Lyme disease comes from the HPA press release linked to in the article – please read the original, and if you think the HPA are wrong, contact them.
Pneumocystis pneumonia
Vaccination and the end of rinderpest
Your website is so cool! Thanks!
Dear Editors,
As the mother of a child who has had Lyme disease for almost 4 years, I felt that I must write.
It is crucial that one get antibiotic treatment as soon as possible after being bitten by a tick. It is not the rash that is of concern but what the Borrelia spirochete will do within the body if left untreated.
Also, the EM or Bull’s Eye rash is not all that common and scientific research shows that it happens in less than 50% of those who have been bitten.
Lyme disease is a growing concern and public awareness regarding the signs and symptoms is crucial.
For more information regarding Lyme disease, please visit the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation at http://www.canlyme.com.
I also was quite concerned when I read your article on Lyme Disease.
I have suffered unbelievable neurological problems from this disease;
due to NOT being treated after the rash was observed on my neck.
There is no cure at my stage of the disease and I don’t want others
to have to experience their life ruined due to false information.
Please update the end of this article…
The information on Lyme disease comes from the HPA press release linked to in the article – please read the original, and if you think the HPA are wrong, contact them.