Why is Microbiology the Field of the Future?

Why is Microbiology going to be one of the most important fields of study in the future?  Why do I think ALL bio majors should take micro?  Read this article from the Wall Street Journal to find out.  What do you think?  How does micro apply to every aspect of our lives?  How is it changing the medical field?

As an aside, how much more of this article do you think you understand now that you are taking micro compared to before?  Do you see the value of this course in your life and career?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443684104578062734031207640.html

Quorum sensing

Watch Bonnie Brassler as she talks about bacterial communication and her work with bioluminescent bacteria.  Dr. Brassler was named the North American Laureate for the 2012 L'Oreal/UNESCO awards.



What is a quorum?

How do bacteria know a quorum has been reached?

What did you learn that was new to you?

What else would you like to know?

Flu 2012-2013

  From  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/images.htm

Here are a few additional links about this year's flu season to be.  Now that you have learned a bit in class, does this information make more sense to you?  Do you understand why the flu vaccine is important and why it is new every year? 

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/09/28/it-flu-shot-time-new-strains-expected-in-2012-flu-season/

 Will you get the vaccine?


http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2012-2013.htm

 Hooray!  A CA strain is part of this year's vaccine.  Isn't CA notorious enough as it is?

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/vaccine-selection.htm

Check out this youtube on osmosis.  This would actually be cool to try at home (not dangerous, no explosions!).  Thanks to Karen (who will get 2 points extra credit for submitting something I use on the Blog, hint, hint, on Ex. #1).  Comment any ideas about how you might adapt or revise this--what else could you try?  I'm thinking, what would happen if you used colored water?  What do you think?

Hanta, the plague, and west nile, oh my!

This summer has been an especially interesting time for unusual infectious diseases.  I'm sure you have heard of some of this, but here are 3 short articles about cases by three microbes--hanta virus, plague bacteria, and the west nile virus.  Check out the links and comment about what you think about these.  Imagine yourself in your future as a health care provider.  Maybe you will be the one to make the connection between the victim and the disease that you remembered back from your micro class!

Bubonic plague

http://news.yahoo.com/girl-contracted-bubonic-plague-set-leave-hospital-214247952--abc-news-health.html

Hanta virus

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/us/third-hantavirus-death-prompts-wider-warning.html

West Nile virus

http://lagunaniguel.patch.com/articles/six-new-cases-of-west-nile-virus-in-the-o-c#photo-11266388

The purpose of this blog is to give you, the students, the opportunity to share your thoughts, assignments, and projects with each other and perhaps the world. It is a classroom blog to begin with, however if you want to start your own blog we can certainly talk about that! The blog will be the hub of collaboration and sharing for our class. You will also comment on the work of your classmates. Finally the blog will become a repository of your good ideas.

We will learn some cool easy Web 2.0 tools to help you complete assignments and projects. You may already know some and can teach me! Eventually, with your own blog or using something like Google docs, you can begin to create an eportfolio of your work. This blog is different from our BB site because it allows you to embed projects, comment directly on other's work, read postings from guests, and more. There will be plenty of guidelines for you to follow and information on how, when, why, etc. So don't freak out! We will ease into it and I promise it will enhance your learning and not just take time away from your studies.

Take the survey on web tools (posted on BB) and watch the following video. Go to the "Tips for Blogging" page here and then share your thoughts (via comments below) on your reaction to using a blog in our class by answering the following questions: Have you blogged before? How do you think it might be helpful? What is your biggest concern? What might be fun about blogging here?

Let's get started!

Blogs in Plain English

Flesh-eating bacteria? Aeromonas hydrophila

Aimee Copeland suffered a gash on her leg in a zip lining accident.  Now she is fighting for her life.  So far, the cause seems to be a bacterium called Aeromonas hydrophila.  This is not the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis.  Here is a recent article on the case, 5/10/12, around 3pm.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/rare-flesh-eating-disease-zip-line-accident-caused/story?id=16319358

We like to learn about scary bacteria and sometimes like the creepiest the best.  But this is a real case and suddenly the pictures in the text have another story to tell.

Read the article, look up information on the bacterium (not wikipedia) and post information about the organism or an updated news report (post the time of the report so others can post more recent reports).  This is a very sensitive situation, how will you handle devastating cases like this when you are a healthcare worker?  What have you learned in Micro that you could apply to the handling of the situation?

Thoughts and prayers to Aimee and her family.

Posts are due by 5/14, midnight.

Fungi--good and beautiful?

David C., one of your classmates, brought this first article to my attention. A potential very good use of a fungal product. What do you think? Would you drink out of a cup made of fungi (extracts)?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/more-mere-magic-mushrooms-154207424.html

The second link was given to me by a colleague here at COC. Her daughter is 3, and loves "germs", fungi (likes to let stuff rot and then look at in under a microscope), and insects. She's 3!!! This link shows fungi as art, what do you think? Revolting or beautiful?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/04/14/150494837/revealing-the-revolting-beauty-of-food-waste?sc=tw

The looming threat of Influenza

Based on what we covered in lecture, your text, and after reading through the resources in BB on Influenza (in the Lectures section) post your comments on the following questions regarding Avian flu H5N1:

1. Do you think a global pandemic of H5N1 will occur?

Go to the following article:
http://www.nature.com/news/the-risks-and-benefits-of-publishing-mutant-flu-studies-1.10138


2. Do you think that the mutant flu studies should be published? Justify (give reasons) for your opinion.

This is the trailer for the movie FLOW. It looks very compelling and water is a huge issue for public health and infectious disease around the world. I hope you are able to see it!

http://youtu.be/LGd9D4J0lag

Parasites!!

Parasites! Who doesn't love, or least respect, the wily world of parasites. We can talk creepy stories all day, or about how to combat them on their own terms. Here are some great articles, creepy, and full of possibilities.


These articles talk about advances in treatment and vaccine development for Leishmaniasis. I haven't read anything about this disease in a very long time. There has been a movement to study some of the forgotten diseases that are devastating in parts of the world, but not in developed countries.

http://www.jgid.org/article.asp?issn=0974-777X;year=2010;volume=2;issue=2;spage=177;epage=185;aulast=Kedzierski

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/02/03/potential.new.treatment.identified.leishmaniasis

http://www.asianscientist.com/tech-pharma/idri-vaccine-clinical-trial-visceral-leishmaniasis-2012/

This article is regarding advances in malaria vaccines.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/health/trial-malaria-vaccine-africa/index.html


And here's one on the brain eating amoebas! Try this link and scroll down to the article:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/


Finally, here is the article on the interesting implications of the relationship between algae and the apical complex (apicoplast) of Plasmodium and how this could be Malaria's undoing.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/31/140069350/a-remnant-from-algae-in-malaria-parasite-may-prove-its-weakness?sc=fb&cc=fp

Comment: Has the information you've learned in class helped you understand these articles? And do you think these efforts will lead to reductions in these diseases--why or why not?

The purpose of this blog is to give you, the students, the opportunity to share your thoughts, assignments, and projects with each other and perhaps the world. It is a classroom blog to begin with, however if you want to start your own blog we can certainly talk about that! The blog will be the hub of collaboration and sharing for our class. You will also comment on the work of your classmates. Finally the blog will become a repository of your good ideas.

We will learn some cool easy Web 2.0 tools to help you complete assignments and projects. You may already know some and can teach me! Eventually, with your own blog or using something like Google docs, you can begin to create an eportfolio of your work. This blog is different from our BB site because it allows you to embed projects, comment directly on other's work, read postings from guests, and more. There will be plenty of guidelines for you to follow and information on how, when, why, etc. So don't freak out! We will ease into it and I promise it will enhance your learning and not just take time away from your studies.

Take the survey on web tools (posted on BB) and watch the following video. Go to the "Tips for Blogging" page here and then share your thoughts (via comments below) on your reaction to using a blog in our class by answering the following questions: Have you blogged before? How do you think it might be helpful? What is your biggest concern? What might be fun about blogging here?

Let's get started!

Blogs in Plain English: