Would a Caveman Observe the 5 Second Rule?

I think the recent study regarding the "5 Second Rule", which states that an item of food dropped on the floor is dropped is okay to eat so long as it is picked up within 5 seconds, is really unnecessary.

We literally reside in a world of microbes. They reside everywhere on the planet, including within the body. How are plates and forks immune to bacterial growth? Clearly, they aren't. 

How many seconds does food sit on a bacterial-laden plate?

One caveat, however. If food is visibly soiled after being dropped, say on a farm pasture, it's probably best not to eat it. But, the carpet in your living room or the kitchen floor? What would a caveman do? 

The Needle vs. The Nose

Of vaccine delivery methods, the needle is the one that brings the most apprehension to adults and children alike. Few alternate methods are currently available and include oral (e.g. oral polio vaccine) and, importantly for influenza, nasal mist. 

The nasal mist flu vaccine not only is easier to administer, not only does it mimic the means in which influenza sets up infection, it is a live but weakened--not killed--version of the flu. Data show that this version of the vaccine is preferred for children as it provides the more robust immunity than the ordinary vaccine. 

It was recently reported that the pioneering innovator who developed this vaccine, Hunein Maasab, died.

Commenting on his breakthrough vaccine, Dr. Maasab said: "I feel in a sense that I have accomplished my life’s dream." The secondary consequence of pursuing his life's dream--as it is for all innovators--was the bequest of a life-enhancing augmentation of man's armamenetarium against infectious disease. Thank you, Dr. Maasab.

Syphilis: Got an App for that?

It's often said--not without reason--that technology is the solution to infectious disease.

However, microbes can exploit that very technology to find routes into the body. Witness prosthetic joint infections, for example. 

The fact is that just as we use technology to enhance our lives, so do microbes. 

Case in point: the exploitation of hook-up apps by syphilis. By facilitating sexual encounters such apps also facilitate syphilis transmission. 

Talk about a 21st century problem.

Herpes: Creeping into Everything

A fascinating look at how infectious disease can adversely impact cognitive development was recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. In this study, cognitive function was studied in three age groups: children, adults aged 20-59, and older adults. The study assessed the effect that two herpes viruses (HSV-1 and CMV) had on performance. 

The study found in children that seropositivity for HSV-1 was correlated to lower reading and spatial reasoning schools. In adults aged 20-59, seropositivity to HSV-1 and CMV was correlated to impaired coding speed and seropositivity to CMV was correlated to impaired learning and recall. In older adults, seropositivity to HSV-1 was linked to impaired immediate memory.

The implications of this study are that infection with these pathogens have wide-ranging effects that can substantially alter one's functional capacity. Indeed, both of these pathogens may have roles in Alzheimer's Disease as well. Preventing infection with these ubiquitous pathogens may prove difficult in the absence of a vaccine, however.

Mumps: Don't Call it a Comeback

In the midst of news regarding measles and pertussis, two diseases enjoying resurgences due to lack of immunity from lax vaccination attitudes (see this Pittsburgh Tribune Review article), mumps also appears to be making a comeback. In fact, however, the 2014 outbreaks at Fordham and Ohio universities are part of a trend that began in the US around 2006.

In contrast to the other vaccine preventable diseases, mumps appears to be somewhat mysterious in that it occurs in highly vaccinated populations and not in those lacking immunity. Such outbreaks didn't occur pre-2006 which leads to several questions: 

1. Has the mumps virus strain changed to a point where it is somewhat less likely to be stopped by the current vaccine's induced antibodies?
2. Do crowded conditions at college campuses somehow overwhelm immunity?
3. Are there super spreaders who shed high amounts of virus? 

Overall, though mumps is a much less virulent disease than measles and has less individual--and public health--import.