Antonia Hay has had multiple surgeries following infection her father believes came from food bought in Buckinghamshire
A 17-year-old student has been in intensive care for two weeks after she caught a strain of E coli.
Antonia Hay, who has had to undergo multiple surgeries, is believed to have caught the bacterial infection from food at a Christmas market in November.
Continue reading...The report Our Land and Water looks at how waterways are polluted by four major contaminants in 650,000 river segments, 961 lakes and 419 estuaries
A new study of New Zealand’s freshwater quality has painted a sobering picture, showing that E coli is seeping through three-quarters of the land and into waterways at higher levels than national regulations allow.
The report, funded by the government-backed organisation Our Land and Water, looked at how rivers, lakes, and estuaries are polluted by four major contaminants, including E coli, a bacteria found in the intestines of many animals and humans that can cause serious illness.
Continue reading...About 100 students have reported symptoms of infection, and officials are trying to pinpoint the source of the outbreak
Health officials are investigating an outbreak of E coli food poisoning among students at the University of Arkansas, with dozens reporting symptoms and five people needing treatment in the hospital.
Among those affected are two 19-year-old sorority members who developed serious complications that can lead to kidney failure after being infected with the E coli strain O157:H7. That is according to Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer who said he reviewed the patients’ medical records after being contacted by the families.
Continue reading...Scientists say albicidin has allowed them to take a giant step forward to creating a powerful new range of antibacterial drugs
Scientists have discovered a plant toxin whose unique method of dispatching bacteria could be used to create a powerful new range of antibiotics. The prospect of developing new antibacterial drugs this way has been hailed by doctors, who have been warning for many years that the steady rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as E coli now presents a dangerous threat to healthcare across the planet.
The new antibiotic – albicidin – attacks bacteria in a completely different way to existing drugs, a group of British, German and Polish scientists have revealed in a paper recently published in the journal Nature Catalysis. This suggests a new route could be exploited to tackle bacterial disease, they say.
Continue reading...Traces of contaminant found in Coles Finest Australian Organic Washed Rind Raw, sold in Victoria and Tasmania
A popular cheese has been pulled from supermarket shelves after traces of a dangerous contaminant were discovered.
The product in question – Coles Finest Australian Organic Washed Rind Raw – has been available for sale online and in-store throughout Victoria and Tasmania since 14 December.
Continue reading...CDC is trying to determine whether romaine lettuce is the source of an outbreak that has sickened 37 people
The fast-food chain Wendy’s says it is pulling lettuce from sandwiches in its restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania after people eating them there reported falling ill.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday it is trying to determine whether romaine lettuce in Wendy’s sandwiches is the source of an E coli outbreak that has sickened over 30 people – and whether romaine used by the chain was also served or sold at other businesses.
Continue reading...Researchers create altered synthetic genome, in move with potential medical benefits
Scientists have created the world’s first living organism that has a fully synthetic and radically altered DNA code.
The lab-made microbe, a strain of bacteria that is normally found in soil and the human gut, is similar to its natural cousins but survives on a smaller set of genetic instructions.
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