Outbreak News Radio

I woke up to this headline in my inbox from the WHO--"The world is running out of antibiotics, WHO report confirms"....Yikes! A new WHO report was published today Antibacterial agents in clinical development – an analysis of the antibacterial clinical development pipeline, including tuberculosis which shows a serious lack of new antibiotics under development to combat the growing threat of antimic...

In the spring of 2012, a Saudi Arabian man developed symptoms resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. However, it wasn't caused by the SARS coronavirus. Instead it was identified as a new coronavirus named the Middle East Respiratory syndrome or MERS coronavirus. Globally, 2080 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV including at least 722 related deaths have been repo...

One of the bigger stories in recent weeks is the situation of human infections with a strain of Brucella, known as RB51, linked to the consumption of raw, or unpasteurized milk. Senior Associate with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja, MD joined me to talk about this specific situation, the process of pasteurization, why people choose raw milk and the risks associated with...

In this interview from the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show in May 2017, we looked at this amazing story of an individual with a multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection and the use of an experimental therapy involving bacteriophages — viruses that target and consume specific strains of bacteria. Case study lead author and the primary physician of the patient, Professor of Medicine...

CDC epidemiologist and author of a recent study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston joined me to talk about the tick borne disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and the importance of timely treatment with the drug of choice, doxycycline. Because the antibiotic carries the warning of tooth staining in children under 8 years of age, some physicians hesitate to treat...

In an interview from the radio show in March 2015, I spoke to pediatric infectious disease specialist and research associate professor at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Dr Anna Lena Lopez about the mosquito borne viral disease, Japanese encephalitis (JE). Besides talking about the ABCs of JE, Dr Lopez also talked about the findings from a study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical di...

The annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is among the largest mass gatherings in the world draws about 2 to 4 million Muslim pilgrims every year; at least 1.5 to 2 million pilgrims are foreign visitors. This event is happening this week. For observant Muslims, the Hajj is a religious duty and important act of faith. For public officials in Saudi Arabia and internationally, the Hajj p...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day, about one in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI).Did you know that hospital-acquired infections are the nation's eighth leading cause of death, just behind diabetes and just ahead of flu and pneumonia? Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is life-threate...

In an earlier episode of the podcast we discussed the giant intestinal roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides--a nematode parasite. Today, we'll look at a nematode that is about the size of a staple--Enterobius vermicularis, or the pinworm. Pinworm is the most common worm infection in North America, in fact, it is estimated that there are 40 million infections at any one time in the U.S. and 500 million...

In early 2013, the first reported human cases of H7N9 avian influenza were reported in China. Since that time, more than 1500 cases have been reported with about half the cases reported since last October. About 40% of those infected died. A study was published this summer in PLoS Pathogens showing the virus being three mutations away from changing into a form that's easily transmitted between hum...

With record amounts of rain and unprecedented flooding, Houston and the southeastern part of Texas have their hand full with rescues, shelters and numerous public safety issues. What about the infectious disease situation that goes along with a natural disaster like this? Waterborne diseases? Mosquito borne diseases? Concerns about tetanus? I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with the...

The treatment of Lyme disease is one of the most contentious issues in medicine with people coming from two very different sides of the topic. In his blog, My thoughts on the future of infectious disease and medicine, Infectious disease physician, Dr Steven LaRosa described some "soul searching" he did recently concerning "the sizable number of poor souls who continue to suffer symptoms after what...

Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Infectious organisms adapt to the antimicrobials designed to kill them, making the drugs ineffective. People infected with antimicrobial-resistant organisms are more likely to have longer, more expensive hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of an infection. What about penicillin al...

In his blog, My thoughts on the future of infectious disease and medicine, Infectious disease physician, Steven LaRosa, MD writes in one post of 21 infectious disease "pearls" or teaching points concerning treatment and diagnosis of infections. During this interview, I ask Dr. LaRosa to expand on several of them (from the use of Vancomycin to the treatment and interpretation of laboratory results...

What's happened to Zika and is the outbreak in the Americas over? Michael Osterholm, Phd, joined me now to look at the "The Story Behind the Story" on Zika in the Americas. Dr Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.

Montezuma's revenge - Aztec Two Step - whatever nicknames it may be called, if you've experienced it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Traveler's diarrhea is the most common medical issue that people complain of while traveling in less developed countries. One of parasitic causes of travelers diarrhea is amebiasis, caused by the protozoan parasite, Entamoeba histolytica. According to the C...

Rates of international travel continue to grow substantially. This increasing globalization in travel increases the risk of travel-related illnesses and other health exposures; therefore, health care professionals need to accurately advise travelers about these potential risks. Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Global Health at the University of Washington and recognized expert in Tropica...

Discussions on North Korea's military arsenal -nuclear and conventional- has been headline news, particularly with threats coming from the Hermit Kingdom of missile launches towards Guam. North Korea's tight borders make it tough to know great detail on what capabilities they really have. What about a biological weapons program? What do we know and not know? Associate professor in the Schar School...

Lyme disease is among the most contentious of topics in health and medicine. How did a bacterial infection turn into one of the the most controversial and virulent medico-political battles in medical history? Associate Professor of Microbiology at SUNY Adirondack and co-founder of the Lyme Action Network, Holly Ahern, MS joined me for a discussion on the genesis of the Lyme controversy and new dev...

Diphyllobothrium latum and related species (the fish or broad tapeworm) are the largest known tapeworms that can infect people, can grow up to 35 feet long. In the latest installment of the Parasites 101 series on the podcast, Parasitology teacher and author of Parasites: Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle joined me to talk about Diphyllobothrium latum.

A study, originally published in January in the journal, PLoS One, looked at the differences in geographical distribution of Lyme disease. Researchers suggests that under environmentally-realistic conditions, southern environments exert greater mortality pressure on ticks than is experienced by northern ticks, because of the increased desiccation stress under the warmer southern conditions. They h...

Every year around this time we start to see reports of swimmer's itch around the country. Common lore in the media is that this is caused by "duck fleas" in freshwater and 'sea lice' in salt water; however, this is not correct. Instead, swimmer's itch is caused by the larvae of a parasite called schistosomes. A number of birds like ducks and gulls and some mammals like beavers can be infected with...

Here in the state of Florida, dozens of confirmed cases of the bacterial infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus occur annually, along with dozens more in the other Gulf states. My guest, Infectious Disease specialist, a Forbes contributor, Judy Stone, MD said in a recent piece, "Infections from Vibrio vulnificus are a summer staple, and are increasing along with global warming." Dr. Stone joined me...

Everything in life carries some risk it seems and this includes becoming an inpatient in a hospital. There are a number of risks associated with hospitals and one is acquiring infections--Hospitals are loaded with nasty bugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day, about one in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI)....

An anti-vaccine sentiment is alive and well in the US and abroad. This is not a new phenomena, but it has seen a resurgence in the past 20 odd years. What are the arguments, who are the cast of characters and how can become more active in promoting vaccination to friends, family, and the public at large? Associate Professor at the Kent State University College of Public Health and author of the re...