Arizona may not be among six states experiencing an outbreak of disease from listeria bacteria linked to brands of cheese sold nationwide, but the episode provides a reminder about the importance of taking steps to avoid foodborne illness. So far in 2022, there have been four cases of listeriosis in Arizona unrelated to the current [...]
The holiday season that begins on Thanksgiving and continues through New Year’s means many things to many people. One thing it means to most of us is food. Meals and appetizers with family and friends help make the holiday season special. But there can be a downside to all that delicious food. If it isn’t [...]
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can affect people and animals. The bacteria can be found in soil and water and can be carried and spread in the urine of infected animals (including rodents, wildlife, pets, and livestock). Dogs can become infected with leptospirosis. Symptoms in dogs include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, [...]
Group B Streptococcus bacteria is a leading cause of infection and death within the first week of life. Each year about 40 infants less than 1-week old get early-onset group B strep disease in Arizona. The bacteria can cause life-threatening infections like sepsis (infection of the blood), pneumonia (infection in the lungs), and meningitis (infection [...]
Disease outbreaks can come from anywhere. In Arizona we’ve had illness from contaminated pomegranate seeds from the Middle East, measles from Switzerland, salmonellosis from African dwarf frogs and cholera from Peru. More recently a Canadian traveler died of H5N1 after she returned home from a long trip to China. An exotic disease from another country is only [...]
Decisions about what to do to protect babies born at home from Group B Streptococcus caused quite a stir as we were developing our final regulations for the practice of Midwifery in AZ. Group B Streptococcus bacteria are commonly found in healthy women. In fact, about 25% carry the bacteria. It doesn’t cause much of [...]
This week’s Vital Signs report shows that antibiotics are being overpowered by lethal germs called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or (CRE).These germs cause lethal infections in patients that get inpatient medical care in hospitals, long-term care facilities and nursing homes. In their normal forms, the germs- in the Enterobacteriaceae family (e.g. E. coli) are a normal part of our digestive system. However, some of them have [...]
Many of you have probably seen the signs around town about the Tattoo Expo that is happening this weekend in Phoenix. Tattoos have been growing in popularity over the past decade, but that doesn't mean they’re completely safe. Recently there was a recall of tattoo ink because the ink was contaminated with an unusual (and stubborn) bacteria [...]
Whooping Cough is making headlines again – with more than 18,000 cases in the U.S. and 600 cases so far this year in AZ. You might wonder why we continue to have lots of whooping cough cases in the US and AZ when the other vaccine preventable diseases are real rare (e.g. measles, mumps etc.). [...]
Guess which organism killed 14,000 people last year- quadrupling in number in the last 10 years, and costing $1B extra in health care. Almost all the cases happen among people who recently received medical care. Ironically, antibiotics are making the problem worse, because when a person takes antibiotics, good germs that protect against infection are [...]
