Detective Microbe

Whenever you have a watched a TV show like CSI or Dexter and scene where they find out when the time of death of a victim occurred comes on, do you ever wonder how it is that they do it? It certainly is something interesting to think about. The current method that researchers use to estimate a person’s time of death is by looking at the development of blow fly larvae in corpses and examining the biochemical changes in near a corpse but, as the article states that these methods aren’t always accurate or reliable. Researchers aren’t able to effectively pinpoint the time of death of a person because the growth rate of blow fly larvae differ by region. It also becomes unclear when other insects come and lay their eggs.

Could there be a more effective way of figuring out the time of death of a person? This article suggests that microbes may be potentially useful in estimating the time of death. The article mentioned that research was conducted on mice where they were able to narrow down the time of death to a three day window. They did this by identifying the microbes present in and on the body.

I’m not entirely sure how this method will work with human corpses since we can’t really put a number on how many microbes are present in and on our bodies. Furthermore, the article didn’t really explain how identifying the microbes present in and on a corpse helped researchers so much in finding the time of death. I would have liked if the author had elaborated on that. I do wonder if the number of microbes increase or decrease after someone dies.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/37652/title/Microbes-May-Help-Solve-Mysteries/

A Hospital Infecting Patients?

If you have Nosocomephobia (fear of hospitals) then you might find the following quite disturbing. A common view of a typical hospital visit is one where someone goes to be treated for illnesses, diseases or infections...not contract one. The article I read explained how 44 patients at an Illinois hospital were affected with a bacterium called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Out of all the patients who were affected, 38 of them obtained CRE through endoscopic procedures. The article stated that the bacterium is highly resistant to treatment. In total, 243 patients were exposed to the bacterium through endoscopic procedures but only 10 people experienced ill-like symptoms; the remaining patients were “colonized,” meaning that they obtained the bacterium but didn’t experience medical problems. The potential outcomes for people who are infected with CRE can be a urinary tract infection or even death if the bacterium gets into your bloodstream. The author, Bob Grant, delivered an unbiased and informative message about a hospital passing a potentially harmful bacterium to their patients. His intended audience must be the general public because it is a public issue. His purpose was to expose this issue and promote awareness about CRE. Grant used mainly ethos and logos to send his message. Grant used ethos when he quoted a CDC infectious disease doctor named Alex Kallen who said “It’s the largest outbreak that we’ve seen in the U.S. of this bacteri[um] ever.” Grant used the status/identity of a CDC doctor to send his message. Grant’s use of logos was shown when he said “CRE was first reported in 2009, and through 2012, only 27 infected patients have been confirmed. Since January 2013, the CDC has confirmed that 69 patients were infected with CRE.” By giving the dates when people were infected, Grant showed the spike in infected patients in 2013. One thing I found confusing was that if 243 people were exposed to the bacterium, why was it that only 10 people exhibited symptoms of infection?

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38828/title/Superbug-Sickens-Dozens-in-Illinois/

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38828/title/Superbug-Sickens-Dozens-in-Illinois/

Let's Get Inked Up?

I think it’s fair to say that most of us would have some type of concern when going to get a tattoo. Some might ask ourselves “Is it going to hurt?”, or “Will the tattoo artist ruin the tattoo?” But, do you ever think that your tattoo can get infected? There were reports of an outbreak of Mycobacterium chelonae in 2012. Although these cases occurred two years ago, it can still happen if proper steps and precautions aren’t taken. The article stated that the FDA released a warning that even very clean shops can give their clients tattoos infected with Mycobacterium chelonae. The bacteria come from a method used by tattoo artists where they add water to dark ink for the purpose of shading a tattoo. A manager of a tattoo shop said “It’s standard.” The article stated that the FDA warns that if the water used to dilute ink isn’t 100 % sterile, it can contain bacteria and even adding alcohol won’t kill it. Dr. Paul Pockros said “Mycobacterium form spores and those spores are very, very hardy…the spores can live for years and even decades” It’s scary to think that not only the ink in your skin will last forever but possibly the bacteria you got from it. This article was neutral and informative but was lacking sufficient information. It mentioned that most of the reported cases were caused from the diluted ink but didn’t mention how else people were infected. I wondered if clients possibly got infected from unsanitary tools.

 http://www.10news.com/lifestyle/health/tattoo-shops-warned-of-dangerous-bacteria

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192844/Bacteria-related-TUBERCULOSIS-water-nationwide-outbreak-tattoo-infections-researches-say.html