Monthly Archives: March 2012

Area man with Parkinson’s to race to the clouds

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WAPELLO - Despite having Parkinson's disease, Wapello native Jeff Weikert plans to race a motorcycle this summer for the final time.

"It's kind of a drug, and you get addicted to it," Weikert said. "I've raced pretty much everything from cars to motorcycles pretty much my whole life."

On July 8, Weikert will get the chance to race a motorcycle in the 90th annual Pike's Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I want to show people that someone with Parkinson's disease can still compete," Weikert said.

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The race is run on a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet only to finish at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak.

Payne's Cycle Center out of Rock Island, Ill., has rebuilt the Honda 250cc Cheney-framed bike he will be riding.

This year, the race has 16 classes and features a variety of automotive, exhibition, open wheel, super stock car and motorcycle classes with a field approaching 200 competitors.

Weikert, 50, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease in March 2009.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, often starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand.

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Area man with Parkinson's to race to the clouds

Area man with Parkinson's to race to the clouds

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WAPELLO - Despite having Parkinson's disease, Wapello native Jeff Weikert plans to race a motorcycle this summer for the final time.

"It's kind of a drug, and you get addicted to it," Weikert said. "I've raced pretty much everything from cars to motorcycles pretty much my whole life."

On July 8, Weikert will get the chance to race a motorcycle in the 90th annual Pike's Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I want to show people that someone with Parkinson's disease can still compete," Weikert said.

Advertisement

The race is run on a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet only to finish at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak.

Payne's Cycle Center out of Rock Island, Ill., has rebuilt the Honda 250cc Cheney-framed bike he will be riding.

This year, the race has 16 classes and features a variety of automotive, exhibition, open wheel, super stock car and motorcycle classes with a field approaching 200 competitors.

Weikert, 50, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease in March 2009.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, often starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand.

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Area man with Parkinson's to race to the clouds

Multiple Sclerosis still is disease with many mysteries: Your Turn

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By Mel Maurer

Guest Columnist

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in Ohio.

Why? Our state has a very high incidence of MS one of the highest in the nation. Of the estimated 400,000 people in this country with MS, an estimated 18,000 live in Ohio. Whatever it is that brings MS to more people in Northeast climates is still unknown as is much about MS in general.

We do know that MS is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves).

Signs and symptoms may include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs; partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time (often with pain during eye movement); double vision or blurring of vision; tingling or pain in parts of your body; electric-shock sensations that occur with certain head movements; tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait; fatigue and dizziness.

Once thought to be a disease of young adults, we now know MS hits a wider range of ages.

MS, using the bodys own defense system, attacks the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers. The nerve fibers may also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, communications to and from the brain and spinal cord are either distorted or interrupted.

I first became aware of Multiple Sclerosis in the fall of 1967 in a doctors small consulting room at University Hospitals when a neurologist, after examining my wife, Elaine, told us she had the disease. I had heard of it but I knew nothing about what it meant. Elaine knew more than that her best friends mother had MS and had been in a wheelchair for years.

The doctor, who would go on to become a nationally known authority on MS, warned us not to read up on the disease. He told us that most of what was written about it was about the severe form of MS, while in fact it could take many forms. Since then, research has identified four distinct courses of the disease: relapsing-remitting, primary progressive, secondary progressive and progressive relapsing.

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Multiple Sclerosis still is disease with many mysteries: Your Turn

Angioplasty may help ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis

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Washington, March 26 : A minimally invasive endovascular treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is safe and may produce "significant," short-term improvement in physical- and mental health-related quality of life in individuals with multiple sclerosis, say scientists.

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a condition characterized as a blockage in the veins that drain blood from the brain and spinal cord and returns it to the heart.

Researchers investigated the connection between CCSVI and multiple sclerosis MS.

MS is typically treated with disease-modifying drugs, which modulate or suppress the immune response believed to be central in the progression of the disease.

"Traditional theories surrounding treatment for multiple sclerosis in large part focus on autoimmune causes for brain pathology and neurologic symptoms. Based on this, treatment has been predominantly medications by mouth or injection," stated Kenneth Mandato, M.D., an interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.

"Interventional radiologists, pioneers in the field of minimally invasive therapies, have been performing an endovascular therapy called angioplasty for years, to treat blocked or narrowed arteries and veins. We have been using angioplasty to open jugular and azygos veins in the neck and chest respectively to improve blood flow in people with MS. On follow-up, we have seen many of these individuals report significant symptom relief," he added.

Classifications within a diagnosis of MS include primary progressive, which means a gradually progressive disease without remission; relapsing remitting, which demonstrates acute attacks with intervals of slow improvements in symptoms; secondary progressive, where a disease that was once relapsing remitting is now slowly progressing.

MS subtypes within the Albany study group included 96 individuals with relapsing remitting, 66 with secondary progressive and 30 with primary progressive.

The study population included those who underwent angioplasty alone and three who underwent angioplasty with a stent (a tiny mesh tube used to hold the vessel open) placement.

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Angioplasty may help ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Funding doubled in effort to defeat dementia crisis

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Funding for dementia research will be more than doubled by 2015 to tackle "one of the greatest challenges of our time" and make Britain a world leader in the field, David Cameron will announce today.

Declaring the problem a personal priority, the Prime Minister will say there must be a collective fight against the "quiet crisis", in the same way there was against cancer and HIV. Thought to affect 670,000 people although about 400,000 have not been diagnosed and do not know they have it dementia is estimated to cost the UK 23bn a year. The number affected is expected to rise to one million in the next 10 years.

Launching a "national challenge on dementia", Mr Cameron will say funding for dementia research will reach 66m by 2015, from 26.6m 2010.

"One of the greatest challenges ... is what I'd call the quiet crisis, one that steals lives and tears at the hearts of families, but that relative to its impact is hardly acknowledged," he will say today. He will say that dementia is a terrible disease and it is a scandal that the UK has failed to keep pace with it.

"It is as though we've been in collective denial," Mr Cameron will declare. Labelling the issue a "national crisis", he will add that there needs to be an all-out fight-back against this disease that cuts across society. "We did it with cancer in the 70s. With HIV in the 80s and 90s. We fought the stigma, stepped up to the challenge and made massive in-roads into fighting these killers. Now we've got to do the same with dementia," Mr Cameron will say.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said that it was "an unprecedented step".

Mr Hughes said: "Doubling funding for [dementia] research, tackling diagnosis and calling for a radical shift in the way we talk, think and act on dementia will help to transform lives."

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Funding doubled in effort to defeat dementia crisis

Dementia is a national crisis like HIV and cancer, says David Cameron

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As the NHS struggles with this cost, Mr Cameron plans to improve research on living with dementia and fund a new academic centre for scientists to investigate the causes of the condition.

He also wants to encourage people to volunteer for brain scanning to help identify the signs of early onset.

We did it with cancer in the 70s. With HIV in the 80s and 90s, he will say. We fought the stigma, stepped up to the challenge and made massive in-roads into fighting these killers.

Now weve got to do the same with dementia. This is a personal priority of mine.

The number of people suffering from the condition is likely to reach a million within a decade, but only around one in four will get a correct diagnosis.

Dementia is simply a terrible disease, he will say. And it is a scandal that we as a country havent kept pace with it. The level of diagnosis, understanding and awareness of dementia is shockingly low. It is as though weve been in collective denial.

So my argument today is that weve got to treat this like the national crisis it is. We need an all-out fight-back against this disease; one that cuts across society."

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of Alzheimers Research UK, said the new money was crucial to "if we are to avert the drastic economic costs of dementia that lie in wait".

Emergency hospital admissions for dementia sufferers have risen sharply in recent years.

Experts say the increasing number of admissions is costly to the NHS and in many cases unnecessary, as well as traumatic for vulnerable patients.

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Dementia is a national crisis like HIV and cancer, says David Cameron

Cameron Pledges Huge Dementia Research Funding Boost

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David Cameron has called the problem of dementia a "national crisis"

Funding for research into dementia is to be more than doubled by 2015 in a bid to make Britain a world leader in the field, David Cameron will announce.

The prime minister will declare on Monday that tackling the "national crisis" posed by the disease is one of his personal priorities.

He will say it is a "scandal" that the UK has not done more to address dementia, which is thought to affect 670,000 people although about 400,000 have not been diagnosed and do not know they have it. The cost to UK society is estimated at 23 billion.

Over the next 10 years, the number with the disease is expected to rise to one million.

Launching a "national challenge on dementia", Mr Cameron will set out plans to step up research into cures and treatments and to ensure that the health and social care systems are equipped to deal with the problem.

Overall funding for dementia research is to reach 66m by 2015, from 26.6 in 2010.

"One of the greatest challenges of our time is what I'd call the quiet crisis, one that steals lives and tears at the hearts of families, but that relative to its impact is hardly acknowledged," he will say.

"Dementia is simply a terrible disease. And it is a scandal that we as a country haven't kept pace with it. The level of diagnosis, understanding and awareness of dementia is shockingly low. It is as though we've been in collective denial."

The prime minister will say that the costs associated with the disease are already higher than those for cancer, heart disease or stroke.

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Cameron Pledges Huge Dementia Research Funding Boost

Nationwide dementia screening to tackle 'crisis' among elderly

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Screening will also be introduced into the NHS health check programme for people aged 40 to 74.

Mr Lansley told the Daily Mail: When you talk to people about their concerns for the future, its evident that dementia is a bigger concern even than having cancer.

We are looking for early diagnosis where physiological signs might not be as easy to pick up.

We are increasingly able to support people with early diagnosis to sustain their memory and their overall mental agility.

Sufferers of dementia, which causes the mind to deteriorate, currently fill a quarter of all hospital beds.

Health ministers are also concerned that the 19 billion cost of treating Britains 67,000 dementia patients every year is higher than that of treating cancer, heart disease or stroke sufferers.

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia and the most feared complaint among people over the age of 55 in the UK, behind cancer and stroke. However, only one in four people with the illness are diagnosed.

As the NHS struggles with this cost, Mr Cameron plans to improve research on living with dementia and fund a new academic centre for scientists to investigate the causes of the condition.

He also wants to encourage people to volunteer for brain scanning to help identify the signs of early onset.

We did it with cancer in the 70s. With HIV in the 80s and 90s, he will say. We fought the stigma, stepped up to the challenge and made massive inroads into fighting these killers.

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Nationwide dementia screening to tackle 'crisis' among elderly

Nationwide dementia screening to tackle ‘crisis’ among elderly

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Screening will also be introduced into the NHS health check programme for people aged 40 to 74.

Mr Lansley told the Daily Mail: When you talk to people about their concerns for the future, its evident that dementia is a bigger concern even than having cancer.

We are looking for early diagnosis where physiological signs might not be as easy to pick up.

We are increasingly able to support people with early diagnosis to sustain their memory and their overall mental agility.

Sufferers of dementia, which causes the mind to deteriorate, currently fill a quarter of all hospital beds.

Health ministers are also concerned that the 19 billion cost of treating Britains 67,000 dementia patients every year is higher than that of treating cancer, heart disease or stroke sufferers.

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia and the most feared complaint among people over the age of 55 in the UK, behind cancer and stroke. However, only one in four people with the illness are diagnosed.

As the NHS struggles with this cost, Mr Cameron plans to improve research on living with dementia and fund a new academic centre for scientists to investigate the causes of the condition.

He also wants to encourage people to volunteer for brain scanning to help identify the signs of early onset.

We did it with cancer in the 70s. With HIV in the 80s and 90s, he will say. We fought the stigma, stepped up to the challenge and made massive inroads into fighting these killers.

Excerpt from:
Nationwide dementia screening to tackle 'crisis' among elderly

£66m pledge for dementia research

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26 March 2012 Last updated at 03:20 ET

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Care Services Minister Paul Burstow: "Making dementia a national priority... is the way we can tackle this"

Funding for research into dementia is to be doubled to 66m by 2015 to try to make the UK a world leader in the field, David Cameron will announce.

The prime minister is expected to say in a speech that the level of diagnosis, understanding and awareness of dementia is "shockingly low".

Dementia is thought to affect around 800,000 people in the UK, with the cost to society estimated at 23bn.

In the next decade, the number with the disease is expected to top one million.

Mr Cameron will set out plans to step up research into cures and treatments and to ensure that the health and social care systems are equipped to deal with the problem.

Mr Cameron will say: "One of the greatest challenges of our time is what I'd call the quiet crisis, one that steals lives and tears at the hearts of families, but that relative to its impact is hardly acknowledged.

"Dementia is simply a terrible disease. And it is a scandal that we as a country haven't kept pace with it.

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£66m pledge for dementia research

Denton bike riders aim to beat rare disease

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by DEBBIE DENMON

WFAA

Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:04 PM

Updated yesterday at 8:57 AM

DENTON Earlier this week, we introduced you to Natalie Newman, a 13-year-old girl with a rare disease.

She's hoping to beat the odds, and her dream is inspiring hundreds of other people many of whom hit the road Saturday in Denton.

The Ride for Ataxia is a rare race for a rare disease; only the second bike ride of its kind in Texas to raise money and offer education about Friedreich's ataxia, or FA.

"It affects balance and coordination," explained Kyle Bryant. "It is the reason I'm in a trike. I've been using a wheelchair full-time for about two years now, and my symptoms onset when I was 17 years old."

Bryant is beating the odds by living past the age of 30. Many with FA die in their 20s due to heart complications caused by the neuromuscular disorder.

Natalie Newman has also experienced severe side effects, but she is inspired by Kyle and the race. "Hopefully I finish it this time," she said.

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Denton bike riders aim to beat rare disease

What is autism? The Mayo Clinic provides some answers

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Children with autism generally have problems in three crucial areas of development -- social interaction, language and behavior. But because autism symptoms vary greatly, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skills. In most cases, though, severe autism is marked by a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people.

Some children show signs of autism in early infancy. Other children may develop normally for the first few months or years of life but then suddenly become withdrawn, become aggressive or lose language skills they've already acquired. Each child with autism is likely to have a unique pattern of behavior.

Common symptoms:

Social skills: Fails to respond to his or her name, poor eye contact, seems not to hear you at times, resists cuddling and holding, appears unaware of others' feelings, seems to prefer playing alone.

Language: Starts talking after age 2, loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences, speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm -- may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech, can't start a conversation or keep one going, may repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them.

Behavior: Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping, develops specific routines or rituals and is disturbed by the slightest change of routine or ritual, constant movement, fascination by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car, may be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch and yet oblivious to pain.

As they mature, some children with autism become more engaged with others and show less marked disturbances in behavior. Some, usually those with the least severe problems, eventually may lead normal or near-normal lives. Others, however, continue to have difficulty with language or social skills, and the adolescent years can mean a worsening of behavioral problems.

Most children with autism are slow to gain new knowledge or skills, and some have signs of lower than normal intelligence. Other children with autism have normal to high intelligence. These children learn quickly yet have trouble communicating, applying what they know in everyday life and adjusting in social situations. A small number of children with autism are "autistic savants" and have exceptional skills in a specific area, such as art, math or music.

See a doctor if your child:

* Doesn't babble or coo by 12 months.

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What is autism? The Mayo Clinic provides some answers

Eastday-Autism groups lack staff, funding

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The country's fledgling autism organizations are short of professional staff and government support, a survey released on Sunday shows.

More than half of the autism organizations, or rehabilitation centers, covered in the survey in South China were founded by parents of autistic children, and they raised 75 percent of their initial funding on their own, according to the Shenzhen Autism Society and One Foundation charity, which co-organized the survey.

About 91 percent of the operating costs of these groups are paid by the families of autism sufferers, the report said.

The report is part of a larger national report to be released on April 2, which is 5th World Autism Awareness Day.

The national report, the first of its kind in China, is based on 2,092 questionnaires completed by 56 autism organizations, 988 parents of autistic patients, 510 employees of autism organizations and 538 community organizers. Two-thirds of the questionnaires were submitted from South China.

Liao Yanhui, the secretary-general of the Shenzhen Autism Society, said: "Autism treatment in China faces many difficulties, but there is no statistical support in this field. So we started systematic research in 2009 with financial support from One Foundation."

Wang Ming instructs an autistic 3-year-old in Lanzhou, Gansu province. Wang must repeat the same word as many as 1,000 times before the child can pronounce it.

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Eastday-Autism groups lack staff, funding

Autism groups lack staff, funding

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The country's fledgling autism organizations are short of professional staff and government support, a survey released on Sunday shows.

More than half of the autism organizations, or rehabilitation centers, covered in the survey in South China were founded by parents of autistic children, and they raised 75 percent of their initial funding on their own, according to the Shenzhen Autism Society and One Foundation charity, which co-organized the survey.

About 91 percent of the operating costs of these groups are paid by the families of autism sufferers, the report said.

The report is part of a larger national report to be released on April 2, which is 5th World Autism Awareness Day.

The national report, the first of its kind in China, is based on 2,092 questionnaires completed by 56 autism organizations, 988 parents of autistic patients, 510 employees of autism organizations and 538 community organizers. Two-thirds of the questionnaires were submitted from South China.

Liao Yanhui, the secretary-general of the Shenzhen Autism Society, said: "Autism treatment in China faces many difficulties, but there is no statistical support in this field. So we started systematic research in 2009 with financial support from One Foundation."

Wang Ming instructs an autistic 3-year-old in Lanzhou, Gansu province. Wang must repeat the same word as many as 1,000 times before the child can pronounce it. [Cao Zhizheng / for China Daily]

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Autism groups lack staff, funding

Autism groups in China lack support

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The country's fledgling autism organisations are short of professional staff and government support, a survey released yesterday shows.

More than half of the autism organisations, or rehabilitation centres, covered in the survey in South China were founded by parents of autistic children, and they raised 75 per cent of their initial funding on their own, according to the Shenzhen Autism Society and One Foundation charity, which co-organised the survey.

About 91 per cent of the operating costs of these groups are paid by the families of autism sufferers, the report said.

The report is part of a larger national report to be released on April 2, which is 5th World Autism Awareness Day.

The national report, the first of its kind in China, is based on 2,092 questionnaires completed by 56 autism organisations, 988 parents of autistic patients, 510 employees of autism organisations and 538 community organisers. Two-thirds of the questionnaires were submitted from South China.

Liao Yanhui, the secretary-general of the Shenzhen Autism Society, said: "Autism treatment in China faces many difficulties, but there is no statistical support in this field. So we started systematic research in 2009 with financial support from One Foundation."

She said the survey found that many autism organisations lack government support, professional teachers and therapists. The groups have called for increasing social awareness and support.

The survey also found there is a huge imbalance in resources. Some organisations have more than 100 teachers, while some have only three staff.

Most teachers in such organisations have less than five years of experience in this sector. Many of them do not hold a bachelor's or higher degree in special education.

They have meagre incomes as well - between 2,000 yuan (US$320) and 3,000 yuan a month - with few training opportunities or chances for promotion. Many autism organisations have high staff turnover, according to the report.

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Autism groups in China lack support

Manatee school board talks nutrition, health insurance, reading tonight

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MANATEE -- New federal nutrition guidelines are coming to school cafeterias in Manatee County and elsewhere in the United States.

The new nutrition guidelines will require every public school student to have a fruit or vegetable on their plate, said Sandra Ford, the district's director of nutrition services. The new rules are a result of a federal law passed in December 2010 called the Healthy Hunger-free Kids

Act, Ford said.

The act earned support from not only President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who have been advocates of healthier eating habits among children, but from Republicans including former Sen. Bill Frist and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

Because the Manatee School District already offers several fruits and vegetables at each meal, Ford said she anticipates little financial impact. But she does anticipate that about 20 percent of students who didn't previously eat a fruit or vegetable will now be more likely to.

The school board today is also set to review a status report on the district's health insurance fund deficit that shows the shortfall sitting at just over $3.5 million as of January 2012, the latest date for which figures are available. The board had decided last year to reduce that shortfall by imposing a 2.75 percent pay cut on teachers and other cuts on other employees, but the deficit will be lessened more slowly since the board decided not to make that pay cut retroactive to the start of this school year.

Another highlight of tonight's meeting is a report from Moody Elementary School, one of five schools that are part of a pilot program called Project Push, designed to improve the reading performance of children for whom English is a second language.

This is the first year of the project and so no data is yet available, said Joe Stokes, director of elementary education. Moody's experience and that of the other four participant schools -- Daughtry, Orange Ridge-Bullock, Palm View, and Rogers Garden -- will determine whether the program will be expanded to all Manatee County elementary schools next year, Stokes said.

The meeting is at 5:45 p.m. at school board headquarters, 215 Manatee Ave. W.

Follow the tweets of Christine Hawes, Herald education reporter, during the school board meeting on Twitter @chawesreports. Hawes can also be reached at 941-745-7081.

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Manatee school board talks nutrition, health insurance, reading tonight

Using viruses to beat superbugs

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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

Viruses that can target and destroy bacteria have the potential to be an effective strategy for tackling hard-to-treat bacterial infections. The development of such novel therapies is being accelerated in response to growing antibiotic resistance, says Dr David Harper at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect bacteria and multiply within them, breaking down the cell and destroying the bacteria - amplifying themselves in the process to deal with more bacteria. They are found everywhere including in river water, soil, sewage and on the human body. Soon after their initial discovery in 1915, bacteriophages were investigated as antibacterial therapeutic agents. A limited understanding of their mode of action meant early work was often unsuccessful and with the advent of the chemical antibiotic era, bacteriophages were passed over as therapeutics.

Dr Harper, Chief Scientific Officer at AmpliPhi Bioscience in Bedfordshire explains why bacteriophages are being revisited as antibacterial agents. "Each bacteriophage is highly specific to a certain type of bacteria and needs the right bacterial host cell in order to multiply. The more bacterial targets there are, the quicker they grow by killing the host cells. Therefore it seems very likely that infections harbouring high numbers of bacteria will benefit most from bacteriophage therapy for example chronically infected ears, lungs and wounds," he said. "For these types of infection, only a tiny dose of the virus is needed - as small as one thousandth of a millionth of a gram. This can usually be administered directly to the site of infection in a spray, drops or a cream. The major advantage to bacteriophages is that they don't infect human cells so seem likely to be very safe to use."

Increasing resistance to antibiotics has meant that bacterial infections are becoming more and more difficult to treat. With fewer antibiotics available to treat drug-resistant infections, research into bacteriophage therapy has been accelerated. "The rate of new antibiotics coming onto the market does not match the rate of increasing drug-resistance. The need for new approaches to counter such high resistance is both urgent and vital. New approaches will save lives," stressed Dr Harper.

Clinical trials for bacteriophage therapy are now underway. The first clinical trial for safety was reported in 2005 and the results demonstrating the effectiveness of bacteriophage therapy were published in 2009. This clinical trial was conducted by AmpliPhi. The company is planning further clinical trials in conditions where existing antibacterial therapies are not able to help. "With the results of further clinical trials, once regulatory issues are overcome and future investment secured in this area of research, this should lead to the development of novel products suitable for widespread use to tackle bacterial diseases and overcome antibiotic resistance", said Dr Harper.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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Using viruses to beat superbugs

The time is ripe for Salmonella

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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

The ripeness of fruit could determine how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits.

A wide range of fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica including melons, jalapeo and serrano peppers, basil, lettuce, horseradish sprouts and tomatoes. Researchers at Imperial College London are looking at how these bacterial pathogens latch onto fruits and vegetables and establish themselves in the first place.

They have discovered that strains of Salmonella behave differently when attached to ripe and unripe tomatoes. "Bacteria that attach to ripe tomatoes produce an extensive network of filaments, which is not seen when they attach to the surface of unripe tomatoes. This could affect how they are maintained on the surface," explained Professor Gad Frankel who is leading the research. "We are not completely sure yet why this happens; it might be due to the surface properties of the tomatoes or alternatively the expression of ripening hormones."

This is just one example of the subtle interplay between food-poisoning microbes and the fresh produce they contaminate, that determines how pathogens become established in the food chain. "Apart from Salmonella, strains of E. coli are also particularly devious in the way they interact with plant surfaces. They have hair-like appendages and flagella they can use as hooks to successfully secure themselves onto things like salad leaves."

Although fresh fruits and vegetables are recognized as important vehicles that transmit harmful bacteria, they are still important components of a healthy and balanced diet. "By and large, raw fruits and vegetables are safe to eat and provide numerous health benefits. By working out the reasons behind sporadic outbreaks of infections, we can control these better and help maintain consumer confidence. By improving food safety we would also see important economical and health benefits."

Understanding how bacteria interact with fresh produce is a crucial but only the first step, explained Professor Frankel. "Translating research into new policies or methods for decontamination is the challenge for future studies," he said.

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The time is ripe for Salmonella

Dental plaque bacteria may trigger blood clots

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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

Oral bacteria that escape into the bloodstream are able to cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis. Further research could lead to new drugs to tackle infective heart disease, say scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week.

Streptococcus gordonii is a normal inhabitant of the mouth and contributes to plaque that forms on the surface of teeth. If these bacteria enter into the blood stream through bleeding gums they can start to wreak havoc by masquerading as human proteins.

Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the University of Bristol have discovered that S. gordonii is able to produce a molecule on its surface that lets it mimic the human protein fibrinogen a blood-clotting factor. This activates the platelets, causing them to clump inside blood vessels. These unwanted blood clots encase the bacteria, protecting them from the immune system and from antibiotics that might be used to treat infection. Platelet clumping can lead to growths on the heart valves (endocarditis), or inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart or brain.

Dr Helen Petersen who is presenting the work said that better understanding of the relationship between bacteria and platelets could ultimately lead to new treatments for infective endocarditis. "In the development of infective endocarditis, a crucial step is the bacteria sticking to the heart valve and then activating platelets to form a clot. We are now looking at the mechanism behind this sequence of events in the hope that we can develop new drugs which are needed to prevent blood clots and also infective endocarditis," she said.

Infective endocarditis is treated with surgery or by strong antibiotics which is becoming more difficult with growing antibiotic resistance. "About 30% of people with infective endocarditis die and most will require surgery for replacement of the infected heart valve with a metal or animal valve," said Dr Petersen. "Our team has now identified the critical components of the S. gordonii molecule that mimics fibrinogen, so we are getting closer to being able to design new compounds to inhibit it. This would prevent the stimulation of unwanted blood clots," said Dr Steve Kerrigan from the RCSI.

The team are also looking more widely at other dental plaque bacteria that may have similar effects to S. gordonii. "We are also trying to determine how widespread this phenomenon is by studying other bacteria related to S. gordonii. What our work clearly shows is how important it is to keep your mouth healthy through regular brushing and flossing, to keep these bacteria in check," stressed Dr Petersen.

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Dental plaque bacteria may trigger blood clots

Vaccinating chickens could prevent food-borne illness

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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-079-908-26696 Society for General Microbiology

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens. This approach could drastically cut the number of cases of food poisoning, saving the UK economy millions each year, says an American scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

Food-borne illness costs the UK an estimated 2 billion each year. Campylobacter is the leading cause of food-borne illness and is responsible for about 30% of cases in the UK. Campylobacter jejuni was responsible for more than 371,000 estimated cases in England and Wales in 2009, resulting in more than 17,500 hospitalizations and 88 deaths.

Campylobacter jejuni is found in the gut of many animals, including chickens. If Campylobacter-contaminated poultry is not prepared and cooked properly, the micro-organism can be transmitted to humans where it may cause severe gastrointestinal disease.

Scientists at Washington State University are studying the maternal antibodies that are passed from hens to their chicks. "These antibodies protect chicks from becoming colonized by Campylobacter in the first week of life," explained Professor Michael Konkel who is leading the research. "Our group has now identified the bacterial molecules that these antibodies attack, which has given us a starting point for a vaccine against Campylobacter," he said. "We have already found that chickens injected with these specific molecules found on the surface of Campylobacter jejuni produce antibodies against the bacterium. This response partially protects them from colonization."

A vaccine could be a powerful weapon to help control food-borne illness. "Preventing contamination of poultry at slaughter has not been effective at reducing illness in humans. It has been shown that about 65% of chickens on retail sale in the UK are contaminated with Campylobacter," explained Professor Konkel. "Ideally, the best way to prevent contamination is to stop chickens on the farm from becoming colonized with this microorganism in the first place, which could be achieved by vaccination. Our goal within the next 6 months is to test a vaccine for chickens that will reduce Campylobacter colonization levels. There's still a long way to go, but I'm confident our lab and others are moving in the right direction."

Controlling food-borne illness through vaccination would have a significant impact both in the UK and globally. "A safe food supply is central to human health. If we can decrease the load of human pathogens in food animals, then we can reduce human illness. A 1% reduction in the number of cases of food-borne illness would save the UK around 20 million per year. In developing countries, where people and food animals often share the same environment, diseased animals also pose a direct public health risk; vaccination would help mitigate this risk," said Professor Konkel.

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Vaccinating chickens could prevent food-borne illness