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News
Infectious disease
■ Bird flu updates. A new report in the
March 2006 issue of the journal Nature by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison explains why — although
more than 100 people have been infected with
the H5N1 avian influenza virus — it does not
spread easily from its human hosts to other
humans. The report states that only cells
deep within the respiratory system have the
surface molecule or receptor that acts like a
“lock.” The upper respiratory system’s cells
lack these surface receptors. A virus with a
complementary binding molecule — the key
— can use the surface receptor to gain access
to the cell. Once inside, it can multiply and
infect other cells. For the viruses to be transmitted efficiently by coughing or sneezing from
human to human, they would have to multiply
in the upper respiratory system.
■ Human-to-human mad-cow-like infection. British researchers say new experiments
with mice suggest that human-to-human transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(vCJD) — the human version of ‘mad-cow’
disease — via blood transfusions, unsterilized
surgical instruments, or other means could
be a relatively easy mode of infection with
the deadly disease. vCJD cases worldwide
now stands at 190; but because scientists are
finding that the incubation period is so long,
the toll may rise from the low hundreds to the
hundreds of thousands. In August 2004, British authorities reported evidence that vCJD
might be spread by blood transfusion. The
misfolded prions characteristic of vCJD were
detected in an elderly person who received a
transfusion in 1999 from a blood donor who
developed the disease after the donation and
died in 2001. Another case of transmission
linked to a transfusion involved a victim who
developed symptoms of the disease six years
after receiving a transfusion. In that case, the
blood donor developed vCJD symptoms three
years after the donation and died.
■ Diagnostic test for pathogens critical
for public health. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) published a
paper in April’s Emerging Infectious Diseases
regarding a rapid comprehensive diagnostic
test for viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) caused
8
May 2006
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MLO
by the Ebola and Marburg viruses. A new
diagnostic screen for detection of Ebola Zaire,
Ebola Sudan, Marburg, Lassa virus, Rift Valley fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever,
Hantaan, Seoul, yellow fever, and Kyasanur
Forest Disease viruses offers sensitivity and
speed by simultaneously considering multiple
agents, thereby reducing the time needed
for differential diagnosis. The test is also an
economical approach to differential diagnosis
of infectious diseases, and a small, low-cost
mobile unit can extend its use beyond selected
reference laboratories.
News
■ Fungus affects contact-lens users. A
fungus called fusarium is commonly found in
plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical areas. But 21 cases of a fungal eye infection already this year at the Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute at the University of Miami has raised
alarms; 21 cases a year would be typical.
Twelve of these 21 cases involved patients with
contact lenses. Increases have also surfaced in
Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong; the CDC
is monitoring a dozen states for an “uptick”
in the problem. Bascom’s medical director,
Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, says, “The question is,
why all of a sudden contact-lens users were
targeted by this organism, whereas before
they have not been.” Alfonso says the fungus
is tricky to detect because most infections
in contact-lens users have historically been
bacterial, not fungal. He says that diagnosis
requires a lab culture not all doctors are
prepared to take or read. One of his patient’s
cultures did not grow enough to test for weeks.
Left undiagnosed or untreated, the fungal eye
infection can cause a difficult-to-treat condition
that can cause blindness.
Trends
Analysis
■ WHO announces shortage of healthcare workers. In April, the World Health
Organization (WHO) reported that the shortage of healthcare workers in 57 countries is
so serious that life-saving treatments and
interventions for childhood immunizations;
pregnancy support and birth-delivery services;
and AIDS/HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis have
become severely impaired. Of the 57 countries
named, 38 are in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the WHO’s World Health Report 2006,
these 57 countries need 4 million healthcare
professionals, including doctors, nurses, midwives, managers, and public health workers.
WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-wook
says, “Across the developing world, health
workers face economic hardship, deteriorating
infrastructure, and social unrest. In many countries, the AIDS/HIV epidemic has destroyed
their health and lives, too.” Over 1.3 billion
people around the world do not have access
to the most basic healthcare, usually because
there are no healthcare workers. The WHO
report says a 10-year plan involving national
leadership combined with donor assistance is
need to formulate and implement strategies
for these countries.
Top 10 Ways to Tell if
It is a Bad Demo —
or Top 10 Good Reasons
to Know Your Vendor
10. Salesman brings donuts but eats the
entire box himself.
9. If you sign papers today, you get a set of
fancy kitchen knives.
8. The instrument “computer” has a rabbitear antenna.
7. Two competing reps get into a rumble.
6. Instrument only takes correct change.
5. Batteries are not included.
4. When the reps say they will “crunch”
your data, it actually is crunched.
3. Salesman in a loud sports coat keeps
kicking where a tire would be.
2. When you peel back the nameplate, it
says “Acme Toys.”
1. You call the instrument “hot-line,” and
the number has been disconnected.
Compiled by Roy Midyett, MT(ASCP)
www.mlo-online.com