With germs becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics we routinely use to fight them, scientists are searching widely for new tools to beat them with – and one of them may turn out to be the humble clove of garlic.

Washington State University researchers say they’ve discovered that a compound in garlic, known as diallyl sulphide, is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting one of the most common causes of gastro-intestinal illness, the Campylobacter bacterium.

While it’s early days yet the research, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, opens the door to new ways of treating food preparation surfaces and could also be added to packaged or prepared foods to help stop the growth of Campylobacter bacteria.

Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of food poisoning and causes diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. The bacteria also are responsible for triggering nearly one-third of the cases of a rare paralyzing disorder known as Guillain-Barré syndrome, the researchers said..

Most infections arise from eating raw or undercooked chicken or foods that have been cross-contaminated via shared preparation surfaces or utensils used in preparing poultry.

Campylobacter is coated in a slimy biofilm which makes it difficult for antibiotics to get to it and kill it off, but the researchers found that the garlic derivative was 100 times more effective than the antibiotics erythromycin and ciprofloxacin at getting the job done, and it often worked in a fraction of the time.

Two previous works published last year by the group last year found diallyl sulfide and other organosulfur compounds effectively kill important other food-borne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes and a version of Escherichia coli.

The researchers said that eating garlic – which is generally regarded as a healthy product, would well be unlikely to prevent Campylobacter-related food poisoning, but the derivative may have important ramifications for health.

“Diallyl sulfide could make many foods safer to eat,” said Barbara Rasco, a co-author on all three recent papers. “It can be used to clean food preparation surfaces and as a preservative in packaged foods like potato and pasta salads, coleslaw and deli meats.”

“This would not only extend shelf life but it would also reduce the growth of potentially bad bacteria,” she said.

Reference:
Xiaonan Lu, Derrick R. Samuelson, Barbara A. Rasco, and Michael E. Konkel. Antimicrobial effect of diallyl sulphide on Campylobacter jejuni biofilms. J. Antimicrob. Chemother., May 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dks138

Dr. Tierno is not a corporate security expert trying to outflank rogue competitors. His enemy is infectious disease. He’s a professor of microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine who sees the common places of travel — cabs, airports, airplanes, hotels, restaurants and business meetings — as battlefields in the never-ending war against germs.

Of course, you don’t need to travel to encounter germs. They’re all over your home and office. They’re lurking at the supermarket and the pharmacy. They may be on your hand right now. A Yale researcher recently found that a person entering a room could add about 37 million bacteria to the air every hour. Still, business travel poses special challenges like increased exposure to germs, the long-term health effects of the road warrior lifestyle and the difficulties of finding and paying for quality care away from home.

Getting sick is basically a numbers game. Eighty percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by direct or indirect human contact. When we travel, our encounters skyrocket. When you lay your hand against the seat of a cab to pull yourself in, it is as if you are shaking hands with every rider since the cab was last cleaned (a concept best measured in geologic time). Gripping the airport escalator hand rail is like holding hands with thousands of fellow passengers. Your close encounters of the infectious kind continue on the plane as you touch the armrest of your seat, the tray table, in-flight magazine and the lavatory faucet and door handle. And your hotel? Depending on when and how it was cleaned, you may not be sleeping and showering by yourself.

Now consider that only about half of us wash our hands after going to the bathroom. It’s enough to make you echo a line from David Foster Wallace’s novel, “Infinite Jest”: “Yes, I’m paranoid — but am I paranoid enough?”

The link between travel and illness may seem self-evident but there is little hard data precisely defining the risk. A wealth of research has documented the swarming mass of microscopic meanies that hitch a ride on us as we travel. Scientists have swabbed everything from taxi cabs to hotel remote controls for analysis. Outbreaks of influenza, measles, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, tuberculosis and smallpox have been reported on commercial airliners since 1946. The Sept. 11 attacks provided a tantalizing piece of evidence. The flu season arrived 13 days later than normal in 2001, perhaps because the government shut down the air transport system (a k a the germ transport system).

Before you shut your windows, lock your doors, cancel your Expedia account and download videoconferencing software, remember that all these risks can be mitigated. Unless you have an open wound, the germs you collect on your hands cannot enter your body easily unless you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. That is easier said than done; we touch our mouths and noses about 200 times a day. A good cleaning with soap and water — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands for about 50 seconds, the time it takes to hum two choruses of “Happy Birthday” — or a drop of hand sanitizer does the trick in most cases. But that only wipes the slate clean, providing little protection after that moment. Seasoned travelers sanitize early and often. (Researchers pooh-pooh the idea that too much cleanliness will weaken an adult’s immune system. The bottom line: That which does not kill me can make me sick.)

“So many people travel to often remote parts of the world without any plan of what to do if they get sick,” said Dr. Miles J. Varn, chief medical officer of PinnacleCare, a health advisory service based in Baltimore. They do not have a doctor to contact, he added, “and haven’t made arrangements to pay for medical care, or provide for a medical evacuation.”

Dr. Varn said international travel insurance, which usually guarantees payment for health services, was essential. So, too, is preparation: “I strongly advise going to the C.D.C. [or http://www.tmvc.com.au/] Web site to find out about local health issues whether you are in Toledo or Timbuktu.”

This article has been reduced, see the full article here 

Hygiene is as important to the workplace as the equipment needed to get work done. And why not, when working in a hygienic environment means less work days lost to illness and an all round happier atmosphere? We at Alsco have noted that many companies have made a major effort to increase their hygiene levels, especially in the restroom.

But, more than just toilet paper and loo bleach is needed to accomplish this. In fact, it comes down to providing the right facilities, and two principal types of facilities in particular: practical and design. Practical facilities relate to the hygiene items that are provided, while design relates to how the restroom is set up.

We’ve put together a brief guide to the kinds of things that your workplace restroom will need in order to maximise hygiene levels.

Practical Restroom Facilities

1. Hand Soap Dispensers
   Soap is the essential cleaning agent on hands, but the old-style bar of soap is not the best option. These tend to gather dirt on their surface, and while this does not mean cross-contamination takes place (bacteria is washed away with the lather), it doesn’t look hygienic so workers tend not to like it ¹.Far better is soap in either liquid, foam or spray forms, made available in hand soap dispensers. These dispensers keep the actual soap away from any chance of contamination, while the push-button release mechanism means minimal contamination.
2. Hand Dryers
   There are a three methods of drying hands in the workplace restroom: cloth roller towels, electric hand dryers, and disposable paper towels. But not all of them are hygienic. Electric hand dryers are certainly effective in getting hands dry, but studies have shown bacteria levels actually increase by up to 194% on finger pads and 254% on palms. Modern jet air dryers, meanwhile, can spread contamination a distance of up to 2 metres². Disposable paper towels are a much more hygienic option, with bacteria reduced by 76% on finger pads and 77% on palms ². But perhaps most crucially, being disposable makes the risk of contamination negligible – as long as the bins are covered properly.The cloth roller towel is highly effective too. Since cloth towel dispensers are closed, the used section of a roller towel is out of reach, reducing contamination dramatically. A study in 2007 found that with cotton roller towels, bacterial levels fell by 85% on the hands.
3. Hand Sanitisers
   The hand sanitiser is a valuable addition to efforts to keep hygiene levels up, but it is important to note that they should be used in addition to soap and hand drying systThe reason is that sanitising sprays only kill the transient bacteria that sit on the surface of the skin. More threatening bacteria lie just under the surface and can be got at more effectively by soap.

Design of Facilities

The design of the restroom can cover a wide area, from the type of doors used to provide access to the actual design of the practical facilities provided.

For example, while a soap dispenser is ideal as an effective way for workers to clean their hands, having a hands-free soap dispenser drastically reduces the risk of contamination from the dispenser button. Similarly, an automatic flush on a toilet means there is no handle from which to be contaminated.

But hygiene starts at the restroom threshold, which is why swing doors are ideal. The design is a walk-in entrance that uses dividers that block the view into the restroom, but needs no doors.

Of course, cubicle doors need to be locked, but slide latches or push button locks are more hygienic than twist mechanism latches that need to be gripped.

Facility Maintenance

While getting the facilities right is important, restroom maintenance is crucial too. After all, anything that is not in 100% condition is not going to be as effective as it should be.

Appointing a facility manager from your staff can help to keep everything shipshape. But, if your workplace is large enough, then it might be worth considering renting rather than buying practical facilities. Alsco provides restroom stock and maintenance management services as part of a rental program, meaning your staff can focus on their core role instead of worrying about washroom maintenance and hygiene.

Sources:

1. ‘Washing with Contaminated Bar Soap is Unlikely to Transfer Bacteria’, JE Heinze and F Yackovich (1988), US National Library of Medicine –www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2249330/?tool=pmcentrez
   
2. ‘A Comparative Study of Three Different Hand Drying Metods: Paper Towel, Warm Air Dryer, Jet Air Dryer’, K Redway and S Fawdar, School of Biosciences, University of Westminster, London (2008) -

Shunning paper towels and adopting green bags, low-impact household chemicals and cold wash cycles is leaving us awash with bacteria, with tests showing “clean” clothes now contain more germs than those worn by our grandparents.

It is also technically safer to make a sandwich on a toilet seat than the average cutting board, such is the amount of bacteria on kitchen surfaces from preparing raw meat.

US infection control expert Charles Gerba said debate about exposure to dirt being useful for building immunity often confused approaches to cleanliness and good hygiene.

“We now share more spaces with more people than ever before — we are a ‘touch’ generation,” Professor Gerba, also known as Dr. Germ, said on a visit to Australia.

“A hundred years ago we didn’t have TV remotes, iPhones and shopping carts. But everything you touch, 100 people have touched that day before you and left a trail of germs.

“You gamble with germs and it is a matter of trying to keep the odds in your favor.”

Gerba said bathrooms were often over-cleaned while kitchen surfaces were sanitized and disinfected far less frequently.

The germ load in the laundry is no better. Washing machines are silent germ magnets, swimming in E. Coli that can breed in water left in the base of the drum.

Gerba, in Australia to discuss bacteria control, recommends using a bleach tablet to clean the machine weekly.

“Your clothes are far germier than your grandparents were because most people use cold water washes and short wash cycles,” he said.

“The average wash load has 2-3g of feces in it.”

Using warm cycles and clothes dryers may not be very “green” but they do help to kill the germs, he said. Fecal matter can cause illnesses such as salmonella, gastroenteritis and diarrhea.

Read more Here

Now, environmental scientists at the University of Miami (UM) and at Northern Illinois University have created a reference guide for potentially harmful germs in sand, similar to the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for marine water. The report is published in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science & Technology.

“These values can be used by beach managers to make decisions concerning sand quality,” says Helena Solo-Gabriele, professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the UM College of Engineering and principal investigator of this project. “That way, when regulators are faced with a decision about a potential health risk, there is a guideline available with which to decide whether or not the levels of microbes found in the sand are cause for concern.”

Dogs, birds and cats visiting a beach are common sources of bacteria in the sand. “Exposures to high levels of certain microorganisms could cause gastrointestinal illness in humans, while infectious risks vary in different microorganism,” says Tomoyuki Shibata, assistant professor in the Public Health Program and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, & Energy, at Northern Illinois University and first author of the study.

The researchers wanted to determine what levels of bacteria, or pathogens, found in beach sand could pose a health risk for beachgoers, explains Solo-Gabriele, who is also Co-PI of the Oceans and Human Health Center at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS).

“The environments in the sand and water are very different,” said Solo-Gabriele. “The sand provides more protection against the effects of solar radiation, which has a tendency to inactivate microbes in water. Sand may also protect microbes from predators (other microbes) that are found exclusively in water.”

To develop the guidelines, the scientists ran one million simulations of the number of microbes in each gram of sand, the transfer of sand from hand to mouth and the ingestion rate. The researchers determined the risk of having 19 cases per 1,000 beachgoers–the level used by the EPA for swimming in marine recreational waters.

The team also documented the levels of pathogens found in the sand at Hobie Cat Beach, in Miami. The findings indicate that levels of harmful microbes at the beach site were low, when compared to the reference levels and therefore safe for beachgoers.

However, studies have shown that children have a higher illness risk than adults from beach and sand exposures. For that reason, the researchers will now focus on studies of kids’ play behavior in sand, to better estimate the acceptable levels of microbes that can cause diseases in children.

“Parents of young children don’t need to overreact to our findings and they can reduce their child’s infectious risk by basic hygiene practices such as hand washing before eating or drinking and taking a shower,” said Shibata.

Read the original article at News Medial

At least, that’s what researchers at UC Berkeley and Yale University have discovered about the presence of a person in a room.

“We live in this microbial soup, and a big ingredient is our own microorganisms,” said Jordan Peccia, associate professor of environmental engineering at Yale and principal investigator of the study, which was published in the most recent edition of the journal Indoor Air.

“Mostly, people are re-suspending what’s been deposited before,” he said. “The floor dust turns out to be the major source of the bacteria that we breathe.”

To understand the impact a person can have on indoor air quality, the researchers monitored a university classroom for eight days. For four of those days, the room was vacant. The other four had periodic occupancy.

While other studies have examined the bacterial contagion of objects or spaces in a room, this is the first to quantify the bacterial sloughing of the human presence.

This is the “first time anyone has quantified emissions of bacteria and fungi associated with human occupancy using modern DNA-based analysis methods,” said William Nazaroff, co-author and environmental engineering professor at UC Berkeley.

The researchers found that the presence of a person correlated with significant spikes in fungi and bacteria circulating in the air. In particular, it was the large-fungal particles and medium-sized bacteria that were most prevalent.

They found that nearly one-fifth of all bacteria and fungi measured in the room came from human sources, as opposed to plants or other sources. And the most predominant bacteria was a common human skin critter called Propionibacteria.

The researchers noted that carpeted rooms were the most infested.

“Whenever you share occupied indoor spaces with others, you are exposed to bacteria and fungi associated with other current and probably recent occupants,” Nazaroff said. “We have clues about factors that might influence levels; for example, higher occupant density implies greater exposure. However, we don’t yet know whether there is any health significance associated with routine bacteria and fungi exposure indoors.”

Co-author Peccia was a little more blunt.

“All those infectious diseases we get, we get indoors,” he said.

The team’s next step: Do the experiment overseas.

Read the original article at California Watch 

One in three* Aussie parents admit they need to improve their efforts to keep germs at bay during the colder months, yet the new Germwatch survey released recently reveals that 81%* of Aussies are missing a vital step in protecting their families by failing to always wash their hands when they get home from being outdoors or in public.

The Germwatch survey was commissioned by the Dettol, Glen 20 and Pine O Cleen brands to uncover the truth about the cleaning and hygiene habits of Aussie parents, and identify opportunities where they can help protect their families against the spread of germs this winter.

Winter germs are great at infiltrating Aussie homes, so no matter how clean our homes normally are, there’s always the chance that germs will hitch a ride in with us. The Germwatch recommendation is for Aussies to wash their hands when they return home, an important but often forgotten step to help prevent the spread of germs in homes this winter. The Germwatch survey revealed that the majority of Aussie families need to re-examine their cleaning habits during the colder months, especially if they want to help prevent the spread of germs within their families this winter.

Seventy-six* per cent of Aussie Mums admitted that they don’t clean more often during the winter season which is concerning because this is the time of year when we need to put extra measures in place to help reduce the incidence and spread of germs by cleaning and disinfecting our homes more rigorously.

Mum of three and Germwatch ambassador Mia Freedman says, “I’ve always been a big handwasher but I really ramp it up at this time of year. The last thing you want when you have kids and you’re busy is to worry about the spread of germs. I’ve learnt a few new things by being involved in Germwatch and I’ve passed on that information to my family. Who has the time or energy to worry about winter germs?”

Results from the Germwatch survey also revealed that 59%* of Aussie households only change their kitchen cleaning cloth when it gets too dirty and smelly (46%)* or ragged and worn out (13%)*. While most Australians have been guilty of this at some point, the problem is that if these cleaning cloths are left unchanged, they can become holding pens for germs that may spread to your family. The Germwatch recommendation is to use a disposable wipe which allows you to hygienically remove the dirt and germs and simply throw them away. Furthermore, using a germ-kill product when cleaning household surfaces will also help prevent the spread of winter germs in homes as some germs can last on surfaces for days. Unfortunately for the 54%* of Aussie households who don’t currently use a germ-kill product to clean their kitchen surfaces, chances are they may be doing themselves a disservice and just moving the germs around the surface as opposed to killing them.

Germwatch is an initiative from Dettol, Glen 20 and Pine-O-Cleen, which provides Australians with a simple reminder to use good hand hygiene practices and the right and disinfectant products to help protect their family and wider community from the spread of germs this winter.

Other interesting statistics from the Germwatch survey were:
Only 23%* of adults use an antibacterial soap or hand wash
47%* of people don’t always cover their mouth when they cough and only 10%* use the health department recommended alternative of their elbow if they cough or sneeze
36%* of national households believe they would fail an independent cleanliness test (11%* of which said they would fail miserably)
1 in 10* admitted to having used the same cleaning cloth in the bathroom and kitchen once or twice
54%* of Aussies never or only once a year disinfect their home from top to bottom
55%* say their home is not as clean as they would like because they don’t have enough time, 31%* hate cleaning and 21%* said why bother because it doesn’t stay clean for long.

The Germwatch top ten hygiene tips this winter are:

• Wash your hands regularly with an antibacterial hand wash especially before and after eating, after going to the toilet and when you first get home
• Use targeted disinfection on surfaces during the winter season
• Clean contaminated surfaces with products that kill germs
• On frequently touched surfaces use a spray disinfectant that kills the common cold and flu virus and helps prevent it from spreading further
• Use more hygienic disposable wipes instead of household sponges
• Cover noses and mouths when sneezing or coughing and remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards
• Remember to use good hygiene practice after being outdoors
• Hand sanitizers can offer germ protection in an instant and are suitable for those occasions when you aren’t able to wash your hands
• Use a tissue instead of a handkerchief and dispose of it immediately after use. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Read the original article at Parenting Australia

*(Source, Germwatch Study, Galaxy Research)

Germ on money may be making unwary Aussies sick – some notes are more than six times filthier than a public lavatory.

But don’t think swapping it for plastic will magically make the germs disappear.

A Public Defender investigation of 10 Melbourne shoppers’ wallets found cash and credit cards could be potential hotbeds for bacteria.

In the worst example, a $10 note recorded a contamination count of 63,556 – that’s 6.4 times higher than the average count from similar tests on public lavatory seats throughout the city.

A reading below 500 is considered acceptable.

Credit and debit cards were generally cleaner, but one recorded a count almost double a toilet. Mobile phones swabbed also returned worrying results.

Bio-Clean director Peter Guerin, who conducted the tests, said bacteria such as staphylococcus and E.coli, which can cause severe diarrhoea, were likely dangers. “You’ve got a lot of live cells sitting on an inanimate surface,” Mr Guerin said.

Werribee’s Sharon Rowling, one of the shoppers to have her items tested, said the results were a shock. “That is where we get all these bugs,” she said.

Public Defender gauged the number of living organisms on each surface using a lumitester, a quick way to check general cleanliness.

RMIT food science senior lecturer Dr Bee May said food and money should never be double-handled, a mistake hospitality staff often made. Ideally a separate staff member should handle cash, she said.

“They have to treat money as a raw food, basically, and ensure there is no cross-contamination.”

Regular hand washing is the simplest way to avoid germs.

Click here for original story from www.news.com.au

Australian frogs could help scientists in the global fight against hospital superbugs.

Certain species of Australian frogs secrete chemicals which are toxic to different bacteria, including the sometimes-fatal MRSA strain which is resistant to multiple types of antibiotics, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday.

Scientists in Sydney and Melbourne are researching the secretions of several frogs, including the green-eyed tree frog and the golden bell frog, the paper said.

Antimicrobial compounds called peptides that are emitted from some frogs could be used to destroy the membranes of bacteria and stop them developing resistance.

Usually, antimicrobial peptides killed bacteria by puncturing or lysing (causing them to disintegrate) their membranes, research leader professor Frances Separovic said.

This made it hard for bacteria to develop resistance to them, she added.

‘On the other hand, most antibiotics inhibit protein synthesis in a bacteria and, over time, mutations in the bacteria lead to resistance to the antibiotics,’ she said.

The researchers have studied the bacteria’s membranes and the effect of the frogs’ antimicrobial peptides to see how they work on them.

‘By understanding the peptides’ 3D structure and mechanism of action at a molecular level, we may be able to increase their antibiotic potency,’ Separovic added.

Click here for original article

Sound repulsive? Well we’ve almost all done it.

According to a survey released on Thursday to coincide with the beginning of the flu vaccination season, nine in 10 Australians admit to turning up to work sick.

Most of the time they battle on in the office because they don’t want to let their colleagues down or miss deadlines, according to the survey by the Influenza Specialist Group (ISG).

One in five sick workers also believes flu symptoms are not serious enough to keep them at home, a falsehood that costs the economy $34 billion a year.

The survey of 1068 people examined attitudes towards presenteeism – the phenomenon where employees turn up to work when sick – and looked at Australians’ flu etiquette.

It found 70 per cent of respondents confessed to participating in social activities despite having flu symptoms.

ISG chairman Dr Alan Hampson said people underestimated how serious the flu could be.

It was a timely warning for people to get “flu-smart” and get immunised to potentially save lives this season.

“People need to take the flu much more seriously as it is a potentially fatal disease that is estimated to cause more deaths than accidents on roads,” Dr Hampson said in a statement.

University of Sydney immunisation expert Professor Robert Booy said presenteeism was a major concern during flu season, especially for people who are at high risk.

They include pregnant women, those aged over 65, people with underlying medical conditions and indigenous Australians.

The survey also found while more than 80 per cent of Australians would move away from a person displaying flu symptoms, only 10 per cent would tell a person with the flu to keep their distance.

When it comes to flu etiquette, Australia comes sixth in the Global Hygiene Council’s world rankings, with one third of us not bothering to disinfect our hands or wash them frequently when ill.

Click here for full article