1/19/14 Health News: Avoid Getting Sick From Your Food - Bacteria Lives a Long Time on Books, Cribs, & Toys - Tiny Lab Can Roam Around Your Body, Diagnose and Treat Desease

Don’t be one of the 76 million Americans each year who get sick from food

The challenge of eating safely may be greater than you think.More than 76 million Americans develop foodborne illnesses annually, about 325,000 of those people are hospitalized and approximately 5,000 die, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Continue Reading

Some Bacteria 'Live for Long Periods' on Toys, Books and Cribs

Researchers from the University at Buffalo in New York say two bacteria that cause many common infections in children and the elderly, such as strep throat and ear infections, can live outside the human body for long periods of time on various objects, including books, cribs and toys. The investigators found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes linger on many surfaces significantly longer than previously thought, opposing previous studies that suggest the bacteria quickly die once they have left the human body. The researchers found that this bacteria is stronger than other bacteria that do not form biofilms, leading them to believe that the bacteria may linger on surfaces. Other experiments found that the biofilms were able to survive for many hours on human hands, books, hard and soft toys and surfaces, even after cleaning..continue reading

Israeli Researchers Create Tiny, Programmable, Genetic Test Device That Can Roam the Body and Diagnose and Treat Diseases on the Spot

The genetic device holds promise for developing cancer-specific gene therapies and could create new consulting opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists In Israel, researchers are making progress on the futuristic concept of biologic, medically-savvy computers that are so small they can fit inside human cells and roam the body detecting and treating diseases in vivo. This is another example of how new technologies can shift diagnostic testing away from clinical laboratories. This groundbreaking work is being done at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The research team has designed a genetic device that is inserted into bacteria cells where it operates independently. This device is programmed to identify certain disease parameters and mount an appropriate response, according to a story published by Science Daily.continue reading