H1N1 virus and Canine infection - Page 4

Hodie,

Thanks for pointing that out. Aparrantly a European manufacturer of the vaccine. It was administered as a H1N1 vaccine. The plot thickens a little. This is a progressive area and someone may have been trying to get ahead of the rest somewhat prematurely. Sad thing is, once the fight is over, no one really feels like digging into the situation and taking responsibility.

 Hi Mystere,

You wrote: "There are several schutzhund clubs in lowever BC, all located within a 25-20 mile radius and none more than 20 minutes from the US border (one is only a couple of blocks.) Hopefully, you can get over sometime next spring/summer. I'd love to buy you one of those Canadian high-octane beers."

First, thank you for the very kind invitation and the offer!  If I can get away from work I'll definitely check it out.  You do realize that that's a long way south for me! ;) I'm almost a six hour drive from the border, and that's straight down.  Add in going into the interior and it's eight or nine hours, minimum.  Work also tends to be busy for me in spring and fall.  Still depending on the dates I might be able to find room.  It would be great to see people working their dogs live, and also to meet you and any other members of the board who might be attending.

And hodie, Canadian beer is only "high octane" in comparison with lower content U.S. beers.  Average alcohol content is usually the same (differing by one percent at most), just expressed slightly differently.  Flavor preferences differ a bit, however, with Canadian beers tasting stronger. I actually prefer imports or microbrews.  Depending on what you get there's some really strong beer -- Aventinus doppelbock, for example, is 8.2% alcohol by volume -- twice the usual 4%, and tasty as well.  The U.S. has some really great microbrews too (like Flying Dog).

And my apologies to everyone for derailing this very informative thread unless you all really care about beer.  Maybe this is a solution to the religious/political dissent that goes on around here?  Everyone start listing their favorite recreational beverage!  I like beer, I can certainly talk about it for a while!

 JAckal,

Thank you for the information on the beer. I am actually not much of a beer fan. I rarely drink, but am considering starting to do so more often !! LOL

Merry Christmas.

mking (we were talking about pseudomonas recently) and others might find this of interest.....Moral: be certain you use disinfectants etc. properly AND at proper dilution.
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Disinfectants cause some bacteria to thrive
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34610828/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Study shows how savvy some bugs are, adding to research on superbugs

Live Science and MSNBC.com
updated 9:09 a.m. PT, Mon., Dec . 28, 2009

To keep sickness at bay, many of us constantly wash hands and disinfect
surfaces. But a new lab study shows one pesky bacterium eats cleansers
for breakfast: When disinfectant was applied to lab cultures of the
bacteria, they adapted to survive not only the disinfectant but also a
common antibiotic.

The research team focused on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium
responsible for a range of infections in people with weakened immune
systems. When the scientists added increasing amounts of disinfectant to
P. aeruginosa cultures, the bacteria adapted to survive not only the
disinfectant but also the antibiotic called ciprofloxacin.

Here's how: The bacteria were able to more efficiently pump out
antimicrobial agents. The adapted bacteria also had a genetic mutation
that allowed them to resist ciprofloxacin-type antibiotics specifically.


"In principle this means that residue from incorrectly diluted
disinfectants left on hospital surfaces could promote the growth of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria," said lead researcher Gerard Fleming of
the National University of Ireland in Galway. "What is more worrying is
that bacteria seem to be able to adapt to resist antibiotics without
even being exposed to them."

The results, published in the January issue of the journal Microbiology,
show just how savvy some bugs are, adding to research on superbugs -
drug-resistant microbes that modern medicine struggles to combat.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, has become a
deadly and growing problem in hospitals in recent years. And news out
this week suggests the country's first case of a highly drug-resistant
form of tuberculosis.

A major factor in the emergence of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria
is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. The new study suggests disinfectants may
be part of the problem, though more research is needed to firm up the
link.

"We need to investigate the effects of using more than one type of
disinfectant on promoting antibiotic-resistant strains," Fleming said.
"This will increase the effectiveness of both our first and second lines
of defense against hospital-acquired infections."

Fleming also stressed the importance of studying the environmental
factors that might promote antibiotic resistance.

This is what happens when man tries to do battle with nature.

I think this is what happens when man does not know what he/she is doing and does not follow instructions. This misuse of antibiotics and disinfectants is perhaps an emerging part of the picture, but we have, many times over, conquered etiologic agents. And we will again with due diligence.

The nature of disinfectants, how they work, efficacy of time of contact, strength, organic burden to consider, temperature requirements etc., are well studied and well known for most disinfectants (certainly for those approved by the EPA as disinfectants). It is the consumer who is not careful that is addressed here, including unfortunately, some charged with cleaning hospital surfaces. As I have watched people clean up surfaces over the years, I am always amazed at how few of us actually become ill or die from acquiring infections from improperly cleaned surfaces. All one needs to do is watch someone working and cleaning up in their own kitchen. Most people are not careful and simply cross-contaminate everything!

Happy New Year.