#disease transmission

[simonh]

Infectious Disease Testing for Blood Transfusions by National Library of Medicine Via Flickr: Alternate Title(s): Transfusions Contributor(s): National Institutes of Health ,(U.S.). Medical Arts and Photography Branch. Publication: [Bethesda, Md. : Medical Arts and Photography Branch, National Institutes of Health], 1995 Language(s): English Format: Still image Subject(s): Disease Transmission, Infectious -- prevention & control Blood Transfusion -- adverse effects, Consensus Development, Conferences, NIH as Topic Genre(s): Posters Abstract: Black poster with an aerial view of numerous rows of the top portions of test tubes in holders. Most of the rows are only sketches of test tubes, but there is a section marked off which is a photographic representation. The word "transfusion" is in large uppercase letters, "trans" in red print and "fusion" in white. The date (Jan. 9-11, 1995) and the location of the lectures is given along with a phone number for further information. Extent: 1 photomechanical print (poster) : 76 x 46 cm. Technique: color NLM Unique ID: 101454415 NLM Image ID: C01039 Permanent Link: resource.nlm.nih.gov/101454415

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Protecting Saskatoon's Elm Trees: A Community Call to Action

[harmeet-saggi]

Understanding Contagiousness: When Are You Most Likely To Spread Illness?

Have you ever wondered about the invisible forces that determine how contagious an illness can be? Whether it's a common cold, the flu, or a more severe infectious disease, understanding how illnesses spread is essential for preventing their transmission. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the fascinating world of disease transmission, explore how various illnesses are transmitted, and provide you with valuable tips for reducing the risk of spreading infections. We will also discuss the duration of contagion for common illnesses and explore the significance of infectious disease prevention and control. So, let's embark on this journey to uncover the secrets behind the spread of illness and how you can protect yourself and those around you.

[mdlinehealth]

DO BED BUGS TRANSMIT ANY DISEASES?

When we think about unwanted visitors in our comfy homes, bed bugs are the ones that often pop into our heads. These little guys, wearing their reddish-brown outfits, are like night-time ninjas. They sneak around and have a snack while we’re fast asleep. And boy, do they leave their mark! Those itchy, red bumps they give us are like their way of saying, “Thanks for having us over!” But let’s…

[govtindiajobs]

Dangers Of Housing Turtles Together

The practice of housing turtles together, often referred to as cohabitation, is a subject that warrants careful consideration by pet owners and enthusiasts. While it may seem convenient or cost-effective to keep multiple turtles in a single enclosure, there are numerous dangers associated with this practice that can compromise the health and well-being of these reptiles. In this article, we will…

[rodspurethoughts]

Light Pollution Disrupts Mosquitoes' Diapause, Extending Biting Season and West Nile Virus Risk, Study Shows

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University has suggested that light pollution in urban areas can have a significant effect on the behavior of mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus. The study found that exposure to artificial light at night may disrupt the winter dormancy period, known as diapause, for female Northern house mosquitoes, causing them to…

[ornithological]

got a storm petrel book for my bday and this pic is killing me

[skyscrapergods]

if you ever want to dip your toes into the more creepy side, in the episode "a health of information" a disease called swamp fever apparently turns living ponies into trees!! it always freaked me out, and since it was in the later seasons, it just wasn't developed upon (of course :P) there's a screenshot of one of the doctor ponies holding up a book that shows the cycle of transformation-- the stage where they've still got limb-like roots is so so creepy!!

HEY WHAT???? HEY WHAT. WHAT THE HECK IS THIS

[thedisablednaturalist]

UH OH

In college I studied conservation medicine and zoonotic diseases, and this is not good.

"A new study has determined that the COVID-19 virus is widespread amongst wildlife in the United States. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was recently detected in six common backyard species. Additionally, antibodies indicating prior exposure to the virus were found in five species. Depending upon the species, exposure rates ranged from 40-60%."

And this research was done in my state. Great.

From animal to human and back to animal. This does not bode well for us.

[figitorynonsenseptii]

HOW WOULD WE FEEL ABOUT A CHONNY JASH PRION DISEASE AU

[tomorrowusa]

Make (insert name of easily preventable disease) Great Again.

People who are nostalgic for the pandemic emergency are undoubtedly delighted that science-denier RFK Jr. is Trump's nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Trump made the COVID-19 disaster worse than it had to be in the US. Think of what he and Worm Brain can do for measles, diphtheria, and hepatitis!

Vaccine misinformation distorts science – a biochemist explains how RFK Jr. and his lawyer’s claims threaten public health

Contact your senator and say that RFK Jr. makes you sick.

U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators

[underthehedge]

CTVT and a weird niche theory I fell down the rabbit hole about - giant transforming retroviruses???

This is a story about how a single line on a wikipedia page sent me down a rabbit hole of finding one scientist's fringe theory that's juuuust plausible enough to make me question everything while almost certainly being absolute fucking bunk.

Some background

So, on parts of tumblr at least we all know about Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour, aka The Immortal Cancer Dog. For those who don't know, it's a cancer dogs get, usually on their junk, that unlike most other cancers, isn't made up of their own cells. The cells are actually all descended from this one dog or wolf that lived like 11,000 years ago and are, arguably, all technically that one dog. A dog that became a single-celled infectious disease.

We have a wealth of genetic, histological and observational evidence for this. As in, we know it what population of canids it came from, we know it's got a weird chromosomal structure compared to normal dogs, we know it's genetically distinct from the hosts. We also know it's not the only one out there: There's a similar thing in Syrian hamsters and also the famous Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

Which made me pause when I was reading something on wikipedia about the devil facial tumour and saw a line mentioning that it was now known to be caused by a giant virus, much like CTVT. Which...huh? Oh I hadn't heard that afore.

Giant viruses

Ok so giant viruses are a thing and they're fuckin cool. They're a relatively recent discovery and comparatively huge, i.e. bigger than a bunch of bacteria. They were only discovered in 1981 and we still don't know an enormous amount about them but they're big and have large genomes and because of the way viruses are they're not easy to detect unless you're specifically looking for them.

They show up under microscopy (sometimes) and you can find them with genetic probes but you gotta already be looking for them to see that really. Current research though basically says they're more common than we think, just overlooked, and there's software out there that scans through genomic data to find sequences that might indicate their presence. There's even a possibility that one group might be involved in some cases of pneumonia in humans, though I need to stress that that's extremely not confirmed right now.

The "wait, what?" moment

So I mentioned that it was a line in the wiki article for DFTD that had me going "wait, really?", the line in question was this:

A study found evidence for an infectious agent resembling a giant virus that was capable of turning heathy cells into cancer cells. It was found to be a huge retrovirus with similar viruses being found in human and canine cancer cells.

Big If True.

So of course I check the source, which was a 2020 paper by Lusi et al. titled "A transforming giant virus discovered in Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour: Stray dogs and Tasmanian devils opening the door to a preventive cancer vaccine".

Hang on, CTVT not DFTD? This is where some alarm bells went off because uh, as mentioned at the start, we know a shit ton about CTVT. Including the fact that it's all one specific dog. Which doesn't fit at all with the idea that it's caused by a virus transforming host cells into cancer cells.

So what fucking gives? What is this research that fully overturns decades of pretty conclusive research to the contrary?

Is this another case of Dr Barbara McClintock? Who spent decades being ridiculed by the scientific community over her wild theory that was, in fact, 100% right even if it seemed to fly in the fact of all prior evidence?

Or is this a Dr Donald I. Williamson situation wherein a scientist with appropriate training is just wildly but extremely vehemently wrong?

[shannonsketches]

Man really just pops in whenever he wants huh

[get-blitzed-idiot]

HEY BLITZKRIEG DO YOU EVER GET RUSTY

IT'S BLITZWING. BLITZ-WING YOU IGNORANT FOOL.