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17 January 2010 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Getting down to the core of the problem: Microbiota and diseases of the modern world
Its depths are teeming with life, an ancient and complex ecosystem that we don’t fully know or understand. Over thousands of years, this community has evolved to ward off pathogenic microorganisms, participate in digestion, synthesize essential nutrients and train the immune system. However, it seems that a fragile balance has been damaged, and it’s probably affecting our health.
27 November 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
An indefinable risk: when microbes become weapons
You feel miserable. Fever, headache, backache, nausea, exhaustion…maybe it’s that virus that’s been going around the office. Then your fever goes down, but a red rash appears on your face and then your arms and legs. You’re not prepared for what happens next: hospital, quarantine, tests… others with the same symptoms! And then you hear a word that you’d almost forgotten: bioterrorism.
29 October 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
The Art of Infection
Pablo Picasso once wrote, "Painting is just another way of keeping a diary". Artists often find their inspiration in everyday life, and since infectious diseases have been faithful and dedicated companions of the human race, it’s probably safe to assume that most artists encountered – and were influenced by - infection. But given the deep and mysterious ways of artists, it’s often difficult to "find" that influence in their works; it’s a job best left to the endless debates of art historians. There are diseases, however, that have taken hold of society, clearly affecting all facets of human life. Including expression through art.
22 September 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Tuberculosis: A long story with an open ending
Most epidemics come and go again. It might take weeks, months or even years, but the time can be marked – no comfort to the afflicted, of course – in a fraction of a lifetime. For epidemics of tuberculosis (TB), however, another scale must be adopted: centuries can go by before the disease loses its hold on the population. The Great White Plague, the TB epidemic that hit Europe in the 17th century, lasted for more than two centuries and was responsible for up to 25% of deaths at times.
25 August 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Shape Matters: Why bacteria care how they look
Rods, cocci, spirals... Bacteria are found in a wide array of different shapes. It doesn't occur by chance, but scientists are only starting to understand how selective pressures in the environment "shape" bacterial morphology.
09 July 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Rickettsia: old enemies newly defined
Russia, 1918. World War I was over but a tiny enemy was still on the move. It had killed millions – on both sides - during the war but wasn’t finished. By 1922 it had struck at least three million famine-struck civilians. The deadly adversary was Rickettsia prowazekii, a tiny bacterium that causes epidemic typhus.
10 June 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
A tick too close: the emerging threat of tick-borne diseases
It’s that time again - the season for hiking, bathing, grilling… and a badly needed blood meal. The mosquitoes are thrilled! We – as the blood meal – don’t share their excitement, but for those of us living in temperate regions, mosquitoes are – with a few exceptions - a nuisance but not much of a health threat. But don’t put down your defenses! Another bloodsucker is on the prowl. In mild, moist climates, ticks are in their element and are vectors of some nasty diseases.
19 May 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Dying for Clean Water
An estimated 1.1 billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, and more than twice as many live with inadequate sanitation. While the consequence is predictable, the numbers are staggering: lack of clean drinking water causes more than 2 million deaths each year, 90% of which are children under the age of five. The microbial culprits are well-known, and the infections they cause are for the most part both preventable and treatable.
16 April 2009 Dr. Evi Wollscheid-Lengeling & Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Infectious Diseases and Aging
How old is old? For most of human history - from the Stone Age to modern times - the average life expectancy remained fairly constant: 20 to 35 years, just enough time to allow production of a few offspring, ensuring continuation of the human race. Average life expectancy is now ~75 years for men and somewhat over 80 years for women. Have we reached the maximum, or will future generations live even longer?
10 March 2009 Dr. Kristen Kerksiek
Vaccine fatigue: the danger of measles
In 1963, the first vaccine for measles appeared. At that time, measles was a common childhood disease, infecting – alone in the United States - 3 to 4 million individuals each year. In 2000, the United States was declared free of endemic measles, and Europe has set the goal to be measles-free by 2010. Another vaccination success story! So it seemed.
