Plague

mycobacterium tuberculosis gram :: Article Creator New Study Reveals How TB Bacteria May Survive In Human Tissues Carbon monoxide is an infamous and silent killer that can cause death in minutes. But while it is deadly for us, some microorganisms actually thrive on it, by using this gas as an energy source. Associate Professor Chris Greening and his team of microbiologists from the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, have discovered that some pathogens depend on carbon monoxide to survive when other nutrients are not available. The research focused on mycobacteria, a bacterial group that causes killer diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, and Buruli ulcer. During infection, these microbes are in a hostile environment with very few nutrients to go around, meaning that anything they can do to get extra energy can be hugely advantageous. "When microbial cells are starved of their preferred energy sources, one way they subs...

emphysema prevention :: Article Creator Chronic Bronchitis Vs. Emphysema: What's The Difference?  In 2021, an estimated 14 million adults in the United States reported a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. [1] If you're not sure what the difference is between the three conditions, that's understandable — you may hear them used interchangeably, although they aren't the same thing. "Both chronic bronchitis and emphysema fall under the more general term COPD," explains David A. Beuther, MD, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health in Denver. COPD is caused by damage to the airways or other parts of the lung, making it progressively more difficult to breathe. "Oftentimes, most patients have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which is why we often just refer to it as COPD," Dr. Beuther adds. About 3 out of 4 cases of COPD are caused by smoking. [2] And...

ild nsip :: Article Creator Pulmonary Fibrosis/Interstitial Lung Disease Mission The Program for Pulmonary Fibrosis and Interstitial Lung Disease's mission is to provide state of the art evaluation and treatment for patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD). The University of Alabama at Birmingham ILD program is designated as a Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) Foundation Care Center network site. Objectives To provide exceptional care to all of our patients To maintain outstanding collaboration and communication with our colleagues to provide best possible care for our patients To lead efforts in scientific discovery that informs the development of new and effective therapies for interstitial lung diseases, particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) To better understand disease mechanisms through translational research To reach out to the community aiming to enhance ILD awareness and help improve the standards for evaluation, treat...

sepsis of lungs :: Article Creator Research Links Liver To Pneumonia, Sepsis Susceptibility To model the common clinical scenario of sepsis followed by pneumonia, researchers systemically treated models with a bacterial product that would elicit a sepsis-like response, followed hours later by a live bacterial challenge in the lungs. One group of models had completely normal livers, and the other lacked a gene in their livers that prevented maximal liver activation. The study showed those in the group lacking a complete liver response exhibited a significantly compromised immune response in both the lungs and blood, where more bacteria survived, and were ultimately more likely to succumb to pneumonia. According to corresponding author Lee J. Quinton, PhD, associate professor of medicine and pathology at BUSM, "The results of this study directly suggest that liver activation is required to maintain adequate immune responses in the lungs....

latent tb blood test :: Article Creator Positive T-SPOT Blood Test Brings Result Of Latent Tuberculosis Dr. Keith Roach DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a tuberculosis (TB) skin test for my new job in May, and it was negative. They did a blood test in July. I have a question about a positive T-SPOT blood test for TB. They did a chest X-ray, and it shows nothing wrong. Is there any treatment necessary? I haven't been told of any, but from what I read, it could be latent TB, which means it's just silent but can show up at any time. Does this mean that I came into contact with TB and my body just fought it off, or could this be a false positive? Any help would be great. — A.M.ANSWER: The T-SPOT, like the QuantiFERON-TB Gold, is a blood test to look for tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis is an infection known for millennia. "Active" tuberculosis and "latent" tuberculosis are different, and the blood tests will be positive in both a...

strep in lungs :: Article Creator Invasive Strep Infections Have More Than Doubled In The US, CDC Study Finds Severe, possibly life-threatening strep infections are rising in the United States. The number of invasive group A strep infections more than doubled from 2013 to 2022, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Prior to that, rates of invasive strep had been stable for 17 years. Invasive group A strep occurs when bacteria spread to areas of the body that are normally germ-free, such as the lungs or bloodstream. The same type of bacteria, group A streptococcus, is responsible for strep throat — a far milder infection.  Invasive strep can trigger necrotizing fasciitis, a soft tissue infection also known as flesh-eating disease, or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, an immune reaction akin to sepsis that can lead to organ failure. Th...