Outbreak News Radio

Bacteriophages – viruses that kill bacteria–were successfully used for the first time to treat an antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus lung infection to allow a cystic fibrosis patient to receive a life-saving lung transplant. Joining me today to share this amazing story is Jerry Nick, MD, Dr. Nick is director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program at National Jewish Health in Denver and the...

In early March, the Israel Ministry of Health reported on a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) case in an unvaccinated child from Jerusalem. Since then, a number of additional cases have been reported and the health ministry said recently that they are in the throes of an outbreak. Joining me today to look at the outbreak in Israel is friend of the show, Stephen A. Berger, M.D....

Chagas disease is also known as "American Trypanosomiasis." It's caused by a blood parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted by kissing bugs. Chagas disease affects people as well as dogs and other animals. On today's show, we are going to focus on Chagas in dogs. Joining me today to discuss this topic is Carlos Rodriguez, Carlos is the serology section head at the Texas A&M Veterina...

My guest today writes, "In many places around the world, malaria is closely linked to illegal gold mining" in a recent article in the BMC blog, BugBitten titled, "A story of two fevers: when malaria is the price of gold". What is malaria and how is it linked to illegal gold mining? Joining me today to look at this huge public health problem in certain parts of the world is Karina Mondragon-Shem, P...

In previous interviews, I've looked at the topic of what is a clinical laboratory scientist during the annual Lab Week observance. Today, I want to narrow the topic to the specialty of Microbiology in the clinical laboratory. Joining me today to discuss the clinical laboratory scientist in Microbiology and his podcast, Let's Talk Micro is Luis Plaza.

Whooping cough, or pertussis was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood mortality in the United States in the last century. Before the availability of pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, more than 200,000 cases of pertussis were reported annually. Since widespread use of the vaccine began, incidence has decreased more than 75% compared with the prevaccine era. However...

Mutations happen with viruses all the time and the Omicron COVID-19 variant is the latest and is receiving a lot of media attention. Today is December 1, 2021, a very short time since the first cases were detected and the date of the first confirmed case in the US--so the questions are--What do we know and what do we not know? Joining me today to look at the Omicron variant B.1.1.529 is Michael Os...

In a recent article published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, the authors report the unusual case of a girl diagnosed with Neisseria gonorrhoeae after bathing in a heavily frequented hot pool at the edge of the crater lake Specchio di Venere ("Mirror of Venus") on Pantelleria Island, Italy. Joining me today to discuss the case is Professor Felicity Goodyear-Smith. Dr. Goodyear Smith is wit...

November is C. diff awareness month and the Peggy Lillis Foundation is out there leading the charge building awareness by educating the public, empowering advocates, and shaping policy. Joining me today to talk about Clostridioides difficile, C diff awareness month and the work of the Peggy Lillis Foundation is Daniel Freedberg, MD. Dr. Freedberg is Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Sch...

There are a number of multistate salmonella outbreaks currently being investigated by federal and state health officials--in salami sticks, in seafood, and of course onions. Here to discuss the bacterium, Salmonella and the infection, the multistate outbreak linked to onions and some general food safety and handling tips is Trevor Craig. Mr. Craig is Food Safety consultant and food and nutrition D...

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungus that lives in the environment in primarily tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world but also in some temperate regions such as British Columbia and some parts of the United States. C. gattii cryptococcosis is a rare infection that people can get after breathing in the microscopic fungus. Scientists found that the disease also killed porpoises and dolphins in the...

Last week, a bipartisan bill was introduced--the Finding Orphan-disease Remedies with Antifungal Research and Development Act (FORWARD Act) of 2021. The legislation, introduced by members of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, is designed to address challenges related to detecting, treating and ultimately eliminating Valley fever by incentivizing antifungal therapeutics and vaccine developm...

There are five Plasmodium species that cause malaria with the vast majority of reported cases being due to Plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium vivax is the second most common reported cause of malaria. My guest today says P. vivax infections represent a major unrecognized burden on global health calling it "obscure and insidious" and we'll take a look at why he says this. Joining me today to discuss...

World Rabies Day is celebrated annually to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease. 28 September also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine. Texas State University's Dr. Rodney Rohde and from the Texas DSHS Zoonosis Control Branch, Dr. Pamela Wilson...

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba which is a single-celled living organism. It can cause a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, ponds and canals. Infections can happen when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. Once the amoeba enters the nose, it tra...

Worldwide, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Million of these people are right here in the US. Lewy body dementia is the third most common cause of dementia, experts estimate, after Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, accounting for 5 to 10 percent of cases. This will be the focus of today's show. Joining me today to discuss Lewy body dementia is Jam...

Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation recognizing September as Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. The governor's proclamation included important facts about brain aneurysms to include symptoms and risk factors. Joining me today to discuss brain aneurysms and the story of Trinity Hoblit and the work of the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation is Olivia Hoblit. Olivia is President an...

There has been a number of suspected and confirmed anthrax outbreaks/infections in China recently, including an anthrax pneumonia case and a human fatality in a 14-year-old boy. In addition, cases have been reported from Turkey, Russia and Kazakhstan in recent weeks. The has also been a number of animal anthrax cases in the US. So what is anthrax? How do animals and people get it? and What is it's...

The cadre of threats facing the nation's water management system is alarming and sobering. Arguably, no menace is more compelling and problematic than Legionella, a waterborne bacterium of major concern in the US. There has been an increase in Legionnaires' disease sweeping the nation in states like New York, Michigan and Missouri causing a state of emergency, especially since symptoms are similar...

Like countries across the globe, the Philippines is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. So what is the current situation in the Philippines? Joining me to look at this issue is Edsel Maurice Salvana, MD. Dr Salvana is Director, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Manila and he's a renown infectious disease expert.

In a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced updated recommendations for the human treatment and prophylaxis of Yersina pestis, the agent of plague. Joining me today to discuss plague and the updated recommendations is Christina Nelson, MD. Dr. Nelson is with the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Cent...

President of the Jordan Smelski Foundation for Amoeba Awareness, Steve Smelski, joins me to tell his story and discuss the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri.

There has been a surge in mucormycosis cases, aka the "black fungus", in India. Why mucormycosis and why India? Is it linked to the COVID-19 pandemic? Joining me today to look at this topic is Judy Stone, MD. Dr. Stone is an infectious disease specialist and a Senior contributor at Forbes.

The future prevalence and virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is uncertain. Researchers at the University of Utah try to answer the question--Will SARS-CoV-2 Become Just Another Seasonal Coronavirus? in a new study published in the journal Viruses. Joining me today to discuss the research and their findings is  Fred Adler, PhD. Dr. Adler is professor of mathematics and biological sciences at the University of...

Campylobacteriosis is a disease of worldwide importance, but aspects of its transmission dynamics, particularly risk factors, are still poorly understood. Researchers at the OU Hudson College of Public Health and in Denmark confirm that one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the Western world, can also be spread through sexual contact and their study is published in the journal, Emerging In...