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Monday 31 March 2014

Thursday 27 March 2014

TB: Humans Catch Disease From Domestic Cats

TB: Humans Catch Disease From Domestic Cats

Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

It is the first time that TB has been transmitted from cats to humans.

Public Health England (PHE) and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) investigated an outbreak of TB in nine cats in Berkshire and Hampshire last year.

As a precaution, 39 people who had been in close contact with the animals, were offered TB screening.

Two were found to have the active disease with exactly the same strain of Mycobacterium bovis carried by the cats.

Another two had 'latent' disease, meaning they had been exposed to the bug at some point in the past.

No further cases of TB in cats have been reported in Berkshire and Hampshire since March 2013. 

Both confirmed cases are responding to treatment. 

Dr Dilys Morgan, of PHE, said the risk of transmission to humans is "very low".

She said: "It's important to remember that this was a very unusual cluster of TB in domestic cats.

"M. bovis is still uncommon in cats - it mainly affects livestock animals.

"These are the first documented cases of cat-to-human transmission, and so although PHE has assessed the risk of people catching this infection from infected cats as being very low, we are recommending that household and close contacts of cats with confirmed M. bovis infection should be assessed and receive public health advice."

Symptoms of TB in cats include coughing, wheezing and weight loss. There may also be lumps, abscesses or bite wounds that fail to heal, particularly around the head and neck.

The disease can be transmitted by inhaling or ingesting bacteria shed by infected cats, or through contamination of unprotected cuts.

Professor Noel Smith, of the AHVLA, said: "Testing of nearby herds revealed a small number of infected cattle with the same strain of M. bovis as the cats.

"However, direct contact of the cats with these cattle was unlikely considering their roaming ranges.

"The most likely source of infection is infected wildlife, but cat-to-cat transmission cannot be ruled out."

Cattle herds with confirmed cases of bovine TB in the area have all been placed under movement restrictions to prevent the spread of disease.

The findings of the animal health aspects of this investigation are published in The Veterinary Record.



Thanks


Rob

This email was sent from a mobile device with an annoyingly small keyboard, apologies for any typos

Wednesday 19 March 2014

17 percent of people with confirmed influenza visit the doctor - UPI.com

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/03/17/Three-quarters-of-people-with-influenza-dont-show-symptoms/UPI-60481395097446/

I have long argued that the Human Virus Challenge Model is more representative of natural infection than was thought due to the case definition and people expectations. Indeed based on these results the model may give more symptoms. Further comparisons are needed. Great paper and all credit to the team who worked so long and hard on this

Saturday 1 March 2014

Influenza Origins Connected to Wrong Animal [Video] - Guardian Liberty Voice

Posted by Rob LW

Influenza Origins Connected to Wrong Animal [Video] - Guardian Liberty Voice
INFLUENZA - GOOGLE NEWS | 22 FEBRUARY 2014
http://pulse.me/s/S5JTP


Guardian Liberty VoiceInfluenza Origins Connected to Wrong Animal [Video]Guardian Liberty VoiceInfluenza was once connected to ... Read more

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Sent via Pulse/


Cheers

Rob

Sent from another mobile device with an annoyingly small keyboard, apologies for any typos