a microbiology newsletter -november, 2020
A newsletter of, by, and for microbiologists. Copyright 2020, all rights reserved
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Is this why President Trump
recovered to quickly?
Can Regeneron's Antibody Cocktail Speed Recovery of COVID-19?
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Your one-stop source for COVID supplies! |
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Hardy's viral specimen transport is ideal for COVID-19 antigen testing. The shelf life has been increased to 150 days at room temperature. Swabs are sold separately. |
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Buffered Saline Tubes for Viral Stabilization and Transport |
These plastic tubes with phosphate buffered saline are ideal for viral transport or other uses, 3ml fill. |
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N95 Masks
NIOSH Certified, with silicone seal
Now available for immediate shipping!
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Face Masks
With adjustable metal nose band.
Now available for immediate shipping!
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Specimen Collection Swabs
Hardy offers swabs in the flocked, foam, and spun polyester formats.
Pick from nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, standard, or urethral.
Available for immediate shipping!
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He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key. |
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- The reason ants never get sick is because they have anty bodies.
- Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.
- A dyslexic man walked into a bra.
- I went to a seafood disco last week... and pulled a mussel.
- What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
- My theory on inertia failed because it has no momentum.
- Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a Banana.
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More Supplies to Keep You Safe |
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AloeSafe
Hardy's hand sanitizing gel guards against drying of your skin with Vitamin E, soothes with Aloe Vera, and has a pleasant scent with lavender oil. No harmful ingredients as with the cheap drug store variety! Don't your hands deserve the very best?
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Face shields
For added protection on the job, Hardy offers face shields for immediate shipping. Comfortable foam headband.
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Mid-Turbinate Swabs
Hardy's nasal, mid-turbinate swabs are ideal for COVID and flu specimen collection. The stopper prevents over insertion. Nylon flocked swab tip ensures maximum recovery and release. Pediatric size also available.
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Lab Coats
For added protection on the job, Hardy offers disposable lab coats, featuring three pockets, and comfortable knit cuffs and collars.
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Sanitizing Wipes
90 lintless wipes for disinfecting surfaces. Food-safe. Effective against all viruses.
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Anaerobic Media
Primary set-up pack contains three Petri plates for anaerobic cultures. Flushed with nitrogen and contains O2 scavenger.
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Hand Sanitizer Solution
Hardy's liquid hand sanitizer contains both ethanol and hydrogen peroxide for extra killing power. Contains NO methanol!
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Susceptibility Testing
Hardy offers a complete selections of products for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST). Discs, media, etc.
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Legionnaires' Disease
Hardy offers a complete selection of products for the detection of Legionella. Click below to see the product line...
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UV Chamber
Now you can sanitize your valuable N95 masks to make them last longer. Never run out again! Sanitizes four masks in only four minutes!
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New Technology in the Fight Against Pneumonia
Saving Patient Lives with Rapid Pneumonia Testing
Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila pose a severe threat of morbidity and mortality, with acute symptoms that include shortness of breath and chest pain. High-risk cases are known to result in respiratory failure, sepsis, pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis.(1)
Consequently, “Pneumonia is the world’s leading cause of death among children under five years of age, accounting for 16% of all deaths of children” and “killing approximately 2,400 children a day in 2015" according to the American Thoracic Society.(2)
In the case of L. pneumophila, 90% of patients often regress with the development of Legionnaire’s Disease, which is estimated to afflict 10,000 to 18,000 people per year.(3) A follow-up study of 122 patients who had survived the disease found a long-term persistence of fatigue (75%), neurological symptoms (66%) neuromuscular symptoms (63%), and increased risk of lung disease in children. These long-term effects are expected to last for several months or even years.(4)
S. pneumoniae, on the other hand, causes 150,000 U.S. hospitalizations annually, with a case-fatality rate of 5-7%.(5)
The issue is further complicated with the rise in antibiotic resistance due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, such as issuing improper treatment when prescribing antibiotics for viral-causing cases of pneumonia.(2)
In essence, a patient’s survival may depend on the difference between rapid and prolonged diagnostic testing, and the difference between efficiency and inadequacy.
In assisting health care professionals save lives and treat patients, while simultaneously ruling out common and deadly causes of bacterial pneumonia, Hardy Diagnostics is honored to distribute ImmuView. This product is unique, in that it is the only antigen test that is able to identify both infectious bacterial agents simultaneously, utilizing a urine specimen. (6) Test results are available in 15 minutes, offering confident and rapid urinary detection of both Legionnaires’ Disease and S. pneumoniae serogroup 1. ImmuView requires no equipment or special technologist expertise.
Urinary antigen tests are recommended by The Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society due to same-day results, increased sensitivity/specificity over culture methods, and urine availability over sputum samples.(7) All of these factors improve diagnostic yield by 23-39%; with ImmuView offering easy-to-read, immunochromatographic assay results.(7,8)
Our collective work in offering ImmuView makes a difference in the vitality of patients around the world. For that reason, we are inspired and grateful to continue to fulfill our mission of distributing products for the prevention and diagnosis of disease.
By Daniel Black
Microbiologist
Technical Services, HARDY DIAGNOSTICS
References:
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Carba 5
Detect the five most common enzymes of bacterial resistance to the carbapenems.
No equipment needed!
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ImmuView P&L
Now you can simultaneously detect both Legionella and
S. pneumoniae from a urine specimen, when patients show signs of pneumonia. No equipment needed!
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Hardy's CarboFerm
Confirm your N. gonorrhoeae cultures by using traditional carbohydrate fermentation tests in as little as two hours! No equipment needed.
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The DuraRack
It just doesn't get any more durable than this. The DuraRack is the last Petri plate rack you will ever have to buy!
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Brainteasers
Need a quick cranial pick-me-up?
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A Short History
of Medicine
2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is toxic. Here, eat this root."
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Phraseology:
"Resting on Laurels"
The idea of resting on your laurels, which means to depend on past achievements, dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece.
In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were closely tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches, and the Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Venerable Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were thus able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in the glory of past achievements.
Only later did the phrase take on a negative connotation, and since the 1800s it has been used for those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs.
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Booker T. Washington
1856 ~ 1915
Born into slavery, Washington became a famous educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States, and founded the Tuskegee Institute.
"The happiest people are those who do the most for others. The most miserable are those who do the least."
"Success waits patiently for anyone who has the determination and strength to seize it."
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."
"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."
"Holding a grudge does not hurt the person against whom the grudge is held, it hurts the one who holds it."
"Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work."
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I never repeat gossip...
So listen carefully, I'll only say it once.
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Time to end the Lockdown?
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The Great Barrington Declaration Creates Controversy
Three scientists recently urged that public health officials end the COVID-19 lockdown for those that are in a low risk category. This declaration, formulated in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, has stirred up a contentious controversy among the scientific community.
The Great Barrington Declaration, a statement written by three public health experts from Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford, encourages governments to lift the lockdown restrictions on young and healthy people while focusing protection measures on the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. This would allow COVID-19 to spread in a population where it is less likely to be deadly, the authors state, encouraging widespread immunity that is not dependent on a vaccine.
Restrictions have caused other harms, including lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings, increased drug abuse, and deteriorating mental health, they argue. Follow the link here to read the entire Declaration. In addition, a WHO official recently encouraged governments to also end the lockdown stating "We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as the primary measure for the control of the virus."
Opponents to the Declaration state that it is irresponsible to end the lockdown due to the increased loss of life that it may cause.
Do you agree or disagree with the Declaration? Click here to vote yea or nay and leave a comment for your fellow MicroBytes readers if you like. We will be publishing the results within two weeks. We look forward to hearing from you!
Jay Hardy
Editor
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ZINC
Can it help with COVID-19?
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By now, we all know how effective vitamin D is when it comes to protecting oneself against COVID-19 disease; but what about zinc?
Mean baseline zinc levels among the study cohort of 249 patients was 61 mcg/dl. Among those who died (n=21, 8%), baseline zinc levels were significantly lower at 43mcg/dl vs 63.1mcg/dl in survivors.
Having a plasma zinc level lower than 50mcg/dl at admission was associated with a 2.3 times increased risk of in-hospital death (95% CI 1.06-5.01; P=0.034) compared with the patients with a plasma zinc level of 50mcg/dl or higher.
As you can see from the references below, there is solid evidence that zinc and vitamin D supplementation is warranted in order to decrease the severity of COVID-19 infections. So the question is: Why is the media largely ignoring this research that could potentially save many lives?
References:
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During our 40 years of serving the microbiology community, we have continually aimed to provide the utmost in " a culture of service" for our valued customers. As a 100% employee owned company, we have even more incentive to please our customers as best we can every day. Do you have a suggestion, comment or question? Please contact me here.
Jay Hardy, CLS, SM (NRCM)
CEO of Hardy Diagnostics
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