Reported in major US news sites, including the Washington Post. Another healthcare worker down with Ebola, this time from the U.S. In the earlier case from Spain, it seems that the infected nursing aide’s co-workers are now refusing to work, concerned that the protective measures in place may be inadequate.
The Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was first discovered by Scottish surgeon Sir Alexander Ogston in his garden shed “laboratory” in 1881 (the short Wikipedia article on his discovery of S. aureus makes for quite interesting reading). It is a human commensal and an opportunistic pathogen, colonizing approximately a third of all humans, particularly those with certain conditions such as […]
A young man from Joydepur, Bangladesh who had worked in Singapore for a year presented with fever for 2 weeks associated with weight loss of 5 kg. The main significant finding on clinical examination was an enlarged spleen and liver. A full blood count was done, showing anemia (Hb = 11.3 g/dL) and mild thrombocytopenia […]
The first case of Ebola transmission outside Africa in this current outbreak occurred in Madrid, Spain. It was a nurse who had helped care for the two priests who had died of Ebola earlier last month. A grim reminder that infection control practices are not foolproof, even in a developed country with an advanced healthcare […]
Kind of a shameless plug, as I was quoted rather extensively in this September 25th article on antibiotics in Straits Times’ Mind Your Body section. But I am always very glad when the popular press runs an article on antimicrobial resistance or over-prescription of antibiotics – bringing awareness to the community is one of the key […]
An excellent piece by the Washington Post today. As with many other infectious diseases physicians, I have followed the Ebola outbreak in Africa with great interest. It had seemed incredible that the outbreak had continued to spread, especially given the nature of the virus (highly virulent, transmissible only via contact with infected body fluids and […]
Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex (A. baumannii for short) are Gram-negative bacteria that are found in the soil and environment, and are better known among the hospital medical community as opportunistic pathogens that are also highly antimicrobial resistant. Because of the ability of some strains to break down hydrocarbons, including diesel and crude oil, A. baumannii have also been tested […]
A traveler from Tanzania who had spent a week on a safari tour presented with a large boil over his thigh which had not resolved with oral antibiotics. A small white lump popped out of the boil during the surgical incision and drainage of the “abscess”. What is this 3 mm “lump” and what is the […]
Carbapenemases are bacterial enzymes that break down the carbapenem class of antibiotics. As previously mentioned, these are some of the most powerful and broad-spectrum antibiotics, used for treatment of life-threatening infections and those infections caused by multidrug-resistant nosocomial bacteria. The majority of these carbapenemases are found in Gram-negative bacteria that are not able to catabolize […]
A previously healthy young man from Myanmar who works in the IT industry in Singapore. Presented with a left neck lump that increased gradually in size over the past 10 weeks, associated with a low-grade fever (up to 37.9 degrees Celsius) over the past month. No other systemic symptoms or such as cough or weight […]
MIPHIDIC 