Tag: microbiology

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Common Cold has a Large Impact on Society and Health Care System

A goose family heading home for supper at Echo Dale Provincial Park recently. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)
A goose family heading home for supper at Echo Dale Provincial Park recently. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)

A doctor finished examining a man in his office.

“It’s just a common cold,” he announced, “There is no cure, and you’ll just have to live with it until it goes away.”

“But, Doctor,” the patient complained, “it’s making me so miserable.”

The doctor rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. Then he said, “Look, go home and take a hot bath. Then put a bathing suit on and run around the block four times.”

“What!” the patient exclaimed, “I’ll get pneumonia!”

“Exactly,” the doctor replied, “We have a cure for pneumonia.”

This joke is from Ryan Murphy found on the Internet.

In 1931, an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on the common cold said, “The common cold is so common that we are apt to pass it by with a contemptuous gesture, unless, of course, we are the sufferers ourselves.”

The illness is very costly in terms of direct medical costs and indirect costs owing to missed work because of illness or caring for an ill child.

The common cold is an acute, self-limiting viral infection of the upper respiratory tract involving the nose, sinuses, pharynx and larynx.

The virus is spread by hand contact with secretions from an infected person or aerosol of the secretions and virus. The incubation period varies but is just under two days for rhinovirus.

Symptoms typically peak at one to three days and last seven to 10 days, although they occasionally persist for three weeks. Symptoms can be mild to severe.

The incidence of the common cold declines with age. Children under two years have about six infections a year, adults two to three and older people about one per year.

Stress and poor sleep may increase the risk of the common cold among adults, whereas attendance at a daycare center increases the risk among preschool children.

The symptoms and signs of the common cold overlap with those of other conditions like allergic rhinitis, sore throat, sinusitis, ear infection and influenza. If you have these symptoms then you should see your doctor.

How can we prevent common cold? A Cochrane systematic review of 67 studies of various types was looked at. The majority of results suggested that physical preventive measures such as hand washing reduced the risk of getting or spreading upper respiratory tract infections.

When I have a cold, I lie on the sofa for three days and sleep a lot. On the fourth day I feel better. I am ready to go to work. It’s like magic.

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Genetically Engineered Frankenfish is Considered Safe

A fish jumping out of the water. (Hemera/Thinkstock)
A fish jumping out of the water. (Hemera/Thinkstock)

Have you heard of “frankenfish”? It is a Frankenstein fish. Yuck, right? Well, have no fears. A media report including one in the Washington Post (December 21/2012) says, “Federal health regulators say a genetically modified salmon that grows twice as fast as normal is unlikely to harm the environment, clearing the way for the first approval of a scientifically engineered animal for human consumption.”

The Canadian Press reported on January 4, 2013, “Canadian ‘frankenfish’ moves closer to FDA approval for human consumption.”

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the fish is unlikely to harm populations of natural salmon, a key concern for environmental activists. The AquaAdvantage salmon has been called by the critics as frankenfish. They see the development of frankenfish unethical and worry it could cause human allergies and eventually destroy the natural salmon population if it escapes and breeds in the wild.

FDA has said in the past that animals that are cloned are safe to eat. But frankenfish is not a clone. The DNA has been changed to produce a desirable effect. There is added growth hormone from the Pacific Chinook salmon that allows the fish to produce growth hormone all year long. Typical Atlantic salmon produce the growth hormone for only part of the year. The company says frankenfish will have the same flavour, texture, colour and odour as the conventional fish.

This is only one example of genetically altered food. There are many other foods which have been genetically changed. The Health Canada website (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/) says, “Health Canada conducts a thorough safety assessment of all biotechnology-derived foods to demonstrate that a novel food is as safe and nutritious as foods already on the Canadian marketplace.” Internationally, more than 10 species specific consensus documents have been developed, including for corn, soybean, wheat, rice, canola and sugar beet to ensure safety of these foods for human consumption.

As of 2012, Health Canada has approved over 81 genetically modified foods for sale in Canada. No applications have been turned down as long as they meet Health Canada’s strict guidelines. According to Wikipedia, commercial sale of genetically modified foods began in 1994, when Calgene Inc. first marketed its Flavr Savr delayed ripening tomato. Since then the technology has been used in different areas. There are organisms which have been genetically engineered and there are crops which have undergone genetic changes.

Some fruits and vegetables have been genetically changed to prevent disease in the crops. For example, Papaya has been genetically modified to resist the ringspot virus. Today, 80 per cent of Hawaiian papaya is genetically engineered. As of 2005, about 13 per cent of the zucchini grown in the US was genetically modified to resist some viruses. Most vegetable oil used in the US is produced from genetically modified crops. We can go on. There are many such examples. No reports of ill effects have been documented in the human population from genetically modified food.

Looks like genetically modified food is here to stay. And we are eating it every day.

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What would make the liver quit working?

A cirrhotic liver. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
A cirrhotic liver. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

Dear Dr. B: What would make the liver quit working? This person did not use alcohol. Could West Nile virus, hepatitis or E. coli possibly affect your liver?

Two most common causes of liver failure in North America are alcohol and acetaminophen use. Acetaminophen is present in over-the-counter pain and cold medications like Tylenol. We will come to this later. Let me first answer your question.

As far as I know, West Nile virus does not cause liver failure. Usually. West Nile fever resolves spontaneously and completely. In a worst case scenario, fatigue, headache, weakness, movement disorders can persist for weeks or months. Severe disease involving the nervous system can result in death or permanent disability. Death is from swelling of the brain and respiratory failure.

Hepatitis does cause liver failure. Hepatitis is a generic term used for inflammation and damage to the liver cells. The liver cells can be damaged by drugs, any kind of toxins, alcohol, inherited diseases, certain metabolic diseases and viruses. Generally speaking, when we say hepatitis, it refers to viral hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis C is the commonest reason for liver transplant in the U.S.

E. coli infection is very common. But it is not a common cause of liver failure. E. coli can cause infection of the urinary tract, gallbladder, bile ducts and the infection, in rare cases, travel to the the liver, brain (meningitis) or lungs (pneumonia). The majority of infected individuals make a full recovery within a week. About six per cent of patients end up having kidney failure (hemolytic uremic syndrome). Of these, between three to five per cent of patients will die.

Alcohol is a poison. Any amount of alcohol can produce damage to the the liver. The liver is very sensitive to alcohol. If you have had previous problems with the liver then the best thing is to avoid alcohol and acetaminophen.

The most common agent causing liver damage is acetaminophen. However, It is considered the safest medication for fevers, aches and pains, but only if taken in small recommended amounts. In large amounts, greater than those recommended, can result in the liver damage or failure. Acetaminophen overdose is a common reason for considering a transplant.

We have five vital organs – the liver, the brain, the heart, the lungs and the kidneys. The liver plays a vital role in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates, synthesis of proteins, detoxification of poisons and storage of good nutrients. When the the liver fails, either acutely or chronically, these important functions do not occur. Thus, the person faces severe ill health. There are numerous other reasons why the liver can fail. It is impossible to discuss them all here. However, you get the idea. It is easy to damage your liver if you are not careful.

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E. coli Infection from Contaminated Food can be Very Serious

Your hamburger may be a bio-hazard! (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
Your hamburger may be a bio-hazard! (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

Last week’s news: Health officials in Alberta say they are investigating five cases of E. coli infections in people, but they are not linking them to an extensive recall of ground beef from major Canadian grocery stores.

It seems the problem is sporadic rather than widespread. However, the person infected with E.coli can suffer from mild to severe and sometimes life threatening symptoms. It has been reported four of the infections are in Edmonton and one in Calgary. Apparently, one such case involves a four-year-old Calgary girl whose kidneys have failed and she has had two blood transfusions.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency first warned last week that ground beef from Edmonton-based XL Foods may contain E. coli. Investigations are going on but it is not always easy to pin down the source of infection since there are many potential sources of exposure.

E. coli is one of the many organisms which colonise intestinal tract of humans and animals. E. coli and related bacteria constitute about 0.1 per cent of gut flora. E. coli colonizes an infant’s gut within 40 hours of birth with food or water or with the individuals handling the child. They remain harmless in the gut until they become virulent and cause all kinds of troubles.

Virulent strains of E. coli can cause gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and neonatal meningitis. In rarer cases, they can cause hemolytic-uremic syndrome (toxic substances destroy red blood cells causing kidney injury), peritonitis, mastitis, septicemia (bacteria in the blood cause chills, high fever, rapid breathing and rapid heart rate), and pneumonia.

Food, water and dirty hands are contaminated with animal or human faecal matter containing E. coli and then we ingest it. Other sources of E. coli are undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or cider, salami, alfalfa sprouts and lettuce. Person-to-person transmission is common.

Clinical presentation is from mild nonbloody diarrhea to serious bloody diarrhea with severe abdominal cramping, septicemia and kidney failure. The incubation period averages about four days, but ranges from one to 10 days. Adults typically shed the bacteria for about a week after infection, young children, for up to three weeks. Diagnosis is made by stool cultures.

Treatment is, for the most part, supportive with maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance and blood transfusion if necessary. Preventing this infection is difficult because E. coli is present almost everywhere. Attention should be paid to food safety, personal hygiene and the rapid identification of active cases. Always remember to wash your hands as often as possible. Servers and kitchen staff at restaurants and fast food joints, staff at nursing homes and hospitals and industries where food is extensively handled by different individuals have to pay extra attention to personal and environmental hygiene.

It is important to report to the local medical officer of health all suspected and confirmed cases of E. coli infection. These infected individuals should refrain from interacting with the vulnerable populations – elderly, children and the sick. If they handle food then they should refrain from these occupational activities until two stool samples have tested negative for E. coli.

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