West Nile virus: What you need to know
Female Culex mosquito, courtesy: CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed reports of West Nile virus in 10 states. The bite of an infected mosquito most commonly spreads the virus. "West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the U.S.," says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. It's a flavivirus —a specific type of RNA virus that can infect humans, birds and horses. "West Nile virus is… (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - July 3, 2023 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
CDC: Cyclosporiasis Has Left 210 Sick, 30 Hospitalized Across 22 States
The cause of cyclosporiasis is a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. Here's how to prevent and treat this illness that can cause explosive diarrhea. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - July 2, 2023 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Bruce Y. Lee, Senior Contributor Tags: Healthcare /healthcare Innovation /innovation Business /business Food & Drink /food-drink pharma standard Source Type: news
Declaring Independence from the Parasite Caste
July 4 is approaching, and many Americans are excited to celebrate their so-called independence. Why? How will this July 4 be any different from that of 2020? Haven’t the past three years revealed that Americans not only take liberty for granted but readily reject it? Is it not the least bit…#hlmencken #josephschumpeter #jamesmbuchanan #peterhitchens #lifeliberty #happiness #constitution #benjaminfranklin #roberthiggs #sovietunion (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - July 1, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Watch ticks fly through the air via the power of static electricity
To suck the blood of passersby, ticks must first snag a host from their perch on a leaf or flower—a tricky feat for a sesame seed–size arachnid that can’t jump. But though they can’t leap, it turns out they can fly. Their secret? Static electricity.
A new study suggests the tiny
arachnids ride the charged air
that forms around animals as they make their way through the underbrush, researchers report today in
Current Biology
. Using statically charged rabbit fur and other charged materials in the lab, researchers were able to pull castor bean ticks (
Ixodes ricinus
) across gaps o...
Source: ScienceNOW - June 30, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
Malaria in the US: A Mayo Clinic expert offers insight, tips on prevention
Malaria, a severe and potentially fatal disease most often caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, has been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a health advisory because there have been instances of people getting infected with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Florida and Texas, even though they hadn't traveled outside the country. Malaria does not spread from person to person. "Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, that are usually… (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - June 30, 2023 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
What To Know About Locally Acquired Malaria Cases in the U.S. —the First in 20 Years
For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. is experiencing locally acquired malaria. So far, officials have reported four individuals infected in Florida. They believe the first case of locally acquired malaria—as opposed to a case brought by a traveler from abroad—occurred in late May. Three more people in Florida presented with the disease in mid-June; another case was reported in Texas this week as well.
The United States sees approximately 2,000 cases of malaria per year due to travelers returning from areas where the mosquito-borne parasitic disease is endemic. However, over the last 20 years, none of these ...
Source: TIME: Health - June 28, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Anna Gordon Tags: Uncategorized climate change Climate Is Everything Disease Explainer Source Type: news
3 people have acquired malaria in the US. They ’re the first in 20 years
The Anopheles mosquito can infect a person with the malaria parasite. | Paul Starosta/Getty Images The cases, identified in Florida and Texas, raise a lot of questions. In late May, Sarasota County, Florida, health officials confirmed they had identified a case of locally transmitted malaria. In…#florida #sarasotacounty #cameroncounty #malaria #plasmodium #vivax #eastafrica #southasia #southamerica #ddt (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - June 23, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Patients Can Die: Screen Organ Donors for This Parasitic Disease Patients Can Die: Screen Organ Donors for This Parasitic Disease
Bob Naedele died after receiving a heart from a donor with Chagas disease. His death could have been prevented had the donor been tested.ProPublica (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - June 23, 2023 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology News Source Type: news
Beekeepers Working Harder Than Ever As Nearly Half of U.S. Honeybee Colonies Died Last Year
America’s honeybee hives just staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies, an annual bee survey found.
But using costly and Herculean measures to create new colonies, beekeepers are somehow keeping afloat. Thursday’s University of Maryland and Auburn University survey found that even though 48% of colonies were lost in the year that ended April 1, the number of United States honeybee colonies “remained relatively stable.”
Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 of the crops we eat, including nuts,...
Source: TIME: Science - June 22, 2023 Category: Science Authors: SETH BORENSTEIN / AP Tags: Uncategorized animals healthscienceclimate wire Source Type: news
Stray Cats Shed Toxoplasmosis Parasites in Cities, Especially in Warm Weather
THURSDAY, June 22, 2023 -- Wild and feral cats appear to release more toxoplasmosis parasites in places densely populated with people, new research suggests.
These cats also " shed " more when the temperature is warmer, a significant finding given... (Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews)
Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews - June 22, 2023 Category: General Medicine Source Type: news
This Year Might Be the Worst Tick Season Ever. Here ’ s Why
Marci Silbert wasn’t walking far on the evening of May 6. She, her husband, and another couple were visiting friends for dinner, and after eating, took a brief stroll down a short path to a small pond on their hosts’ property in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. They lingered for just a few moments, and then walked back. But that was all it took.
The next day, her husband noticed a tick embedded in his forearm. Silbert had one on the inside of her knee, and the husband in the other couple had one on his thigh. Out of an abundance of caution, they went to the hospital, had them removed, and were given prophylacti...
Source: TIME: Health - June 20, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized climate change Disease Environment healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
Study provides insight into miscarriages in tsetse flies
Tsetse are biting flies that transmit the parasites causing sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in animals. Female tsetse flies, which give birth to enormous, adult-sized live young, can experience miscarriages and these are more likely as they get older. (Source: University of Bristol news)
Source: University of Bristol news - June 15, 2023 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Research; Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences; Press Release Source Type: news
The three rashes that could be warning signs of different creatures living on your skin
Worryingly, your skin could house three types of parasites, according to a dermatologist. (Source: Daily Express - Health)
Source: Daily Express - Health - June 7, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Palme d ’Or Whisperer Neon Makes It A Remarkable Four In A Row With ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’
Neon has continued its remarkable streak of consecutive Palme d’Or wins with English and French-language drama Anatomy Of A Fall. Justine Triet’s film becomes the U.S. distributor’s fourth consecutive Palme d’Or winner after previous acquisitions Triangle Of Sadness, Titane and Parasite. Anatomy…#palmedor #justinetriets #triangleofsadness #sandrasandrahüller #alps #rubenöstlund #neon #cannes #bestpicture #östlund (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - May 27, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Newly discovered chemical is a highly targeted killer of parasitic worms
The most abundant animals on farms—and everywhere on land, in fact—are microscopic worms called nematodes. Some kinds benefit the soil, but others parasitize crops, inflicting more than $100 billion in losses worldwide each year. Although pesticides can get rid of harmful nematodes, they inflict collateral damage on other life.
Now, researchers have discovered a new chemical that selectively kills harmful nematodes with a much lower risk of toxicity to humans and other creatures. “This is really unique,” says parasitologist Tim Geary of McGill University and Queen’s University Belfast, who was not involved....
Source: ScienceNOW - May 25, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news
