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A question about purified water got me to thinking about water-borne diseases which lead me to -
History of emerging infectious diseases
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_emerging_infectious_diseases
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_peptic_ulcer_disease_and_Helicobacter_pylori
Marshall, Barry, "The discovery that Helicobacter pylori, a spiral bacterium, caused peptic ulcer disease", in Helicobacter Pioneers, pp. 165-202.
Monique had a thread on the 2005 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine.
Really fascinating stuff, and also worrisome because of emerging diseases given the mobility of the global economy.
The US has seen invasive species, plant and animal, from other parts of the planet. I suppose this applies to pathogens too. It seems we've seem an increased frequency of tropical diseases, e.g. W. Nile virus.
History of emerging infectious diseases
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_emerging_infectious_diseases
The discovery of new pathogens is an important activity in the field of medical science. Pathogens are organisms that cause disease through infection. Scientists have discovered viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, helminthes (worms) and prions that have proven to be pathogens. A Center for Disease Control program begun in 1995 identified over a hundred patients with life threatening illnesses which were considered to be of an infectious cause, but could not be identified with any known pathogen. [1] The association of pathogens with disease can be a complex and controversial process, in some cases requiring decades or even centuries to achieve. Factors which have been identified as impeding the identification of pathogens include the following:
1. Lack of animal models . . . .
2. Pre-existing theories of disease . . . .
3. Variable pathogenicity . . . .
4. Organisms that look alike but behave differently . . . .
5. Lack of research effort . . . .
For example, Dr. Barry Marshall was the co-discoverer of the theory that a bacterial infection with Helicobacter pylori was responsible for causing most peptic or stomach ulcers. After winning the 2005 Nobel Prize for this work, Dr. Marshall's described his difficulty in producing stomach ulcers in animals by infecting them with the bacteria. He infected piglets with the bacteria, but they did not become ill. He then infected himself by swallowing a culture. His colleague [Dr. J Robin Warren] then examined him and found damage consistent with peptic ulcers which was not present previously.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_peptic_ulcer_disease_and_Helicobacter_pylori
Marshall, Barry, "The discovery that Helicobacter pylori, a spiral bacterium, caused peptic ulcer disease", in Helicobacter Pioneers, pp. 165-202.
Monique had a thread on the 2005 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine.
Really fascinating stuff, and also worrisome because of emerging diseases given the mobility of the global economy.
The US has seen invasive species, plant and animal, from other parts of the planet. I suppose this applies to pathogens too. It seems we've seem an increased frequency of tropical diseases, e.g. W. Nile virus.