bacterial diseases
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Deadly ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria Found in Warm Coastal Waters
The record-breaking summer in the Northern Hemisphere this year might somehow be even more miserable than expected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning doctors and the public to watch out for life-threatening infections caused by “flesh-eating” waterborne bacteria. While still rare in general, these infections have become more prevalent in more…
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Hedgehogs to Blame for a MRSA Superbug, Not Modern Antibiotics, Study Suggests
The origins of a notorious bacterial superbug can be traced back to hedgehogs that lived centuries ago, new research this week suggests. The study found evidence that one particular type of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, first emerged on the skin of hedgehogs. The bacteria likely evolved resistance in response to fungus also…
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A Woman’s IUD Left Inside for 20 Years Was Covered by Bacteria That Caused Serious Infection
An intrauterine device (IUD) left in a woman for more than 20 years may have contributed to a nasty infection that sent her to the emergency room, doctors in Japan reported this week. The long-expired birth control device was found surrounded by bacteria that caused her months of fever and abdominal pain. Once the woman…
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Maps Show North America’s Growing Tick Invasion
Here are some terrifying images of the growing tick threat in North America, courtesy of NASA satellite data. The images accompany recent research showing that warmer climates over the past two decades have allowed Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks to survive and spread farther into Canada and parts of the Northern U.S.