Did You Know?

Cleaning Can Be a Dirty Job
According to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist from the University of Arizona, sometimes it’s the cleanest people who breed the most bacteria. “The more they clean, the more they spread the germs around,” Gerba recently told the San Antonio Express News. To prove his point the microbiologist counted germs in the home of a mother of two boys who rates herself a seven out of 10 for housekeeping. A test on the woman’s dishcloth, with which she typically wipes her countertops with the aid of cleaning powder, revealed about 1 million bacteria. A test of her cutting board and countertop under the dish drainer revealed 10 million bacteria. The refrigerator door handle: 100 million germs.

That’s Right, Super Chickens
In an article appearing in the July 2, 1998 British Times, microbiologist Phillip Jones, of the Institute for Animal Health at Compton, Berksire, England, announced that researchers at the IAH have been able to identify the gene in chickens that makes one in 10 birds resistant to salmonella. Researchers have subsequently turned their attention to working on a way to identify the DNA markers for the gene. “Within a few years,” says Nat Bumstead, head of avian genetics at IAH, “breeders should be able to identify resistant birds by taking a small blood sample and having it analyzed, either in their own laboratories or by specialist companies.” Poultry farmers could then use these birds to breed disease-free flocks.

A Truly Magical Bullet
In a report published in the July 1998 journal Infection and Immunity, a group of Swedish researchers headed by Dr. Christina Ahren claim to have developed an oral vaccine against travelers’ diarrhea, a.k.a. the dreaded Montezuma’s Revenge. According to the report, the vaccine was administered twice in a two-week period to 25 adult volunteers, 80 percent of whom tested positive for antibodies in the lining of their digestive tracts a week after their second inoculation. Travelers’ diarrhea is generally caused by a strain of E. coli bacteria.

The Promise of Copper
According to a press release generated by the International Copper Association, (ICA) preliminary research by the Center for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) in Wilshire, England, suggests that the disease-causing bacterium, E. coli O157 is killed within hours of coming into contact with copper surfaces. This comes on the heels of previous research which showed that copper plumbing can inhibit non-toxic strains of E. coli, and points to the possibility that introducing copper into the work surfaces used for food preparation in restaurants, domestic kitchens and slaughterhouses may reduce the risk of cross contamination. “Tens of thousands of cases of bacterial gastroenteritis and numerous deaths may be prevented,” notes Dr. Chris Lee, ICA’s director of health and environmental services. Completion of the CAMR study is expected by the end of 1999.