View Full Version : New form of Ebola discovered
Yahoo News - Ebola (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071130/ap_on_he_me/uganda_ebola)
Seriously, I have been fascinated with this virus ever since I read the book "The Hot Zone".
Anybody else have a favorite virus or bacteria that they find incredibly interesting? Microbiology has always been one of my favorite subjects.
I always found the 'diseases' of the Middle Ages interesting. Like St. Vitus' Dance of the 13th & 14th Centuries:
Quote[/b] ] The dancing mania of the year 1374 was, in fact, no new disease, but a phenomenon well known in the Middle Ages, of which many wondrous stories were traditionally current among the people. In the year 1237, upward of a hundred children were said to have been suddenly seized with this disease at Erfurt, and to have proceeded dancing and jumping along the road to Arnstadt. When they arrived at that place they fell exhausted to the ground, and, according to an account of an old chronicle, many of them, after they were taken home by their parents, died, and the rest remained affected to the end of their lives with the permanent tremor.
As well as the Piccadilly Sweats which have been completely forgotten.
w4rot
11-30-2007, 03:51 PM
How about a fungi?
A.niger is the top dog.
Then A.oryzae is cool too.
Without those bad boys, I probably would not have a pot to pee in.
A little credit to B.cereus on the bacteria.
A good book is the Microbe Hunters...
All the great ones mouth pippetted. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
SmallWorld,NC
rot
kl7aj
11-30-2007, 03:52 PM
Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Nov. 30 2007,08:43)]I always found the 'diseases' of the Middle Ages interesting. #Like St. Vitus' Dance of the 13th & 14th Centuries:
Quote[/b] ] The dancing mania of the year 1374 was, in fact, no new disease, but a phenomenon well known in the Middle Ages, of which many wondrous stories were traditionally current among the people. In the year 1237, upward of a hundred children were said to have been suddenly seized with this disease at Erfurt, and to have proceeded dancing and jumping along the road to Arnstadt. When they arrived at that place they fell exhausted to the ground, and, #according to an account of an old chronicle, many of them, after they were taken home by their parents, died, and the rest remained affected to the end of their lives with the permanent tremor.
As well as the Piccadilly Sweats which have been completely forgotten.
Isn't it a shame that all the disco dancers of the 80s didn't suffer the same fate?
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Quote[/b] (kl7aj @ Nov. 30 2007,08:52)]Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Nov. 30 2007,08:43)]I always found the 'diseases' of the Middle Ages interesting. Like St. Vitus' Dance of the 13th & 14th Centuries:
Quote[/b] ] The dancing mania of the year 1374 was, in fact, no new disease, but a phenomenon well known in the Middle Ages, of which many wondrous stories were traditionally current among the people. In the year 1237, upward of a hundred children were said to have been suddenly seized with this disease at Erfurt, and to have proceeded dancing and jumping along the road to Arnstadt. When they arrived at that place they fell exhausted to the ground, and, according to an account of an old chronicle, many of them, after they were taken home by their parents, died, and the rest remained affected to the end of their lives with the permanent tremor.
As well as the Piccadilly Sweats which have been completely forgotten.
Isn't it a shame that all the disco dancers of the 80s didn't suffer the same fate?
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Nah...they just migrated to VH1 'Reality' shows... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
C. perfringens is kind of cool, too. If you ever saw a good case of gas gangrene...
and you can't beat good old S. aureus. The MRSA strains that are causing so much trouble are a classic case of the little guy fighting back. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
G0GQK
11-30-2007, 10:09 PM
Why has nobody asked "what are the Piccadily sweats " ? I have a friend who caught Ubunto disease. Is it as infectious as Ebola ?
G0GQK
K8ERV
11-30-2007, 10:43 PM
The Hot Zone was really scary. Learned something interesting (?). The faster a virus kills, the less time it has to spread, so the worst cases tend to be local. Except as when in the Hot Zone an infected person flew to NYC.
Tom K8ERV Montrose Co.
Quote[/b] (K8ERV @ Nov. 30 2007,15:43)]The Hot Zone was really scary. Learned something interesting (?). The faster a virus kills, the less time it has to spread, so the worst cases tend to be local. Except as when in the Hot Zone an infected person flew to NYC.
Tom K8ERV Montrose Co.
Which makes you wonder..how many deadly organisms have managed to remain hidden in some obscure places, ready to make the jump to a human host and spread? It is not impossible, and that is the scary part.
Quote[/b] (G0GQK @ Nov. 30 2007,17:09)]Why has nobody asked "what are the Piccadily sweats " ? I have a friend who caught Ubunto disease. Is it as infectious as Ebola ?
G0GQK
Anything tropical is pretty virulent. So, what are the Piccadilly Sweats? I've heard it was pretty unpleasant and that you needed a stiff Schweppes Tonic and Gin to keep it away.
KA8NCR
12-01-2007, 12:06 AM
Quote[/b] (n8yx @ Nov. 30 2007,09:03)]Quote[/b] (kl7aj @ Nov. 30 2007,08:52)]Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Nov. 30 2007,08:43)]I always found the 'diseases' of the Middle Ages interesting. Like St. Vitus' Dance of the 13th & 14th Centuries:
Quote[/b] ] The dancing mania of the year 1374 was, in fact, no new disease, but a phenomenon well known in the Middle Ages, of which many wondrous stories were traditionally current among the people. In the year 1237, upward of a hundred children were said to have been suddenly seized with this disease at Erfurt, and to have proceeded dancing and jumping along the road to Arnstadt. When they arrived at that place they fell exhausted to the ground, and, according to an account of an old chronicle, many of them, after they were taken home by their parents, died, and the rest remained affected to the end of their lives with the permanent tremor.
As well as the Piccadilly Sweats which have been completely forgotten.
Isn't it a shame that all the disco dancers of the 80s didn't suffer the same fate?
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Nah...they just migrated to VH1 'Reality' shows... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
It wasn't the dancing, it was the over-abundant use of poorly styled polyester clothing.
Quote[/b] (G0GQK @ Nov. 30 2007,14:09)]I have a friend who caught Ubunto disease.
I had that one briefly. It lasted about as long as a case of cream stout. Wasn't painful at all actually, but I had to scrub my hard drive afterward.
I read "The Hot Zone", which makes you realize the nature of the threat.
I am currently about a third of the way into "Darwin's Radio", which postulates an interesting type of disease, but my medical knowledge is too weak to evaluate the likelihood of such an epidemic.
NA4BH
12-01-2007, 12:52 AM
Quote[/b] (kq9j @ Nov. 30 2007,09:14)]C. perfringens is kind of cool, too. If you ever saw a good case of gas gangrene...
and you can't beat good old S. aureus. The MRSA strains that are causing so much trouble are a classic case of the little guy fighting back. # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
If that doesn't make you hungry, something is wrong. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
n2ize
12-01-2007, 01:58 AM
Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Nov. 30 2007,08:43)]I always found the 'diseases' of the Middle Ages interesting. #Like St. Vitus' Dance of the 13th & 14th Centuries:
Quote[/b] ] The dancing mania of the year 1374 was, in fact, no new disease, but a phenomenon well known in the Middle Ages, of which many wondrous stories were traditionally current among the people. In the year 1237, upward of a hundred children were said to have been suddenly seized with this disease at Erfurt, and to have proceeded dancing and jumping along the road to Arnstadt. When they arrived at that place they fell exhausted to the ground, and, #according to an account of an old chronicle, many of them, after they were taken home by their parents, died, and the rest remained affected to the end of their lives with the permanent tremor.
As well as the Piccadilly Sweats which have been completely forgotten.
How about ptomaine poisioning ?