We are Not Alone
Mom’s right again: there’s fungus among us. By employing a “combination of microbiology and DNA matching techniques” researchers were able to prove that toe fungus and athelete’s foot spread among people sharing close quarters. Specifically, scientists were able to demonstrate that fungal infections within families were due to identical strains; clusters of infections were presumably not due to a predisposition to infections among relatives. The study found that the likelihood of infection also depended on the specific fungal strain, and that some family members seem to be resistant to infection.
Hilton loaded with germs… and we don’t just mean Paris. In a University of Virginia study, 15 people with the common cold each spent a night in a hotel room. After checking out, each subject identified 10 items they’d touched during their stay. Researchers then tested the items, and found about one third were contaminated with rhinovirus. About half of the door handles and pens tested harbored the virus; only one in ten toilet handles tested positive. The researchers also determined that rhinovirus can survive overnight and be picked up by handling contaminated objects.
No more black eye for Popeye; Bugs Bunny not out of the woods. The FDA assures us that we can go back to eating fresh spinach. The source of the tainted leafy goodness that led to the outbreak of deadly E. coli has been identified as Natural Selection Foods, a California company. Unfortunately, the FDA also reported the fourth case of botulism poisoning among consumers of a specific brand of carrot juice. Bottom line: Wash your veggies, and keep all opened juices well refrigerated.
Opinions expressed are those of the author alone.
