a microbiology newsletter -december, 2020
A newsletter of, by, and for microbiologists. Copyright 2020, all rights reserved
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How do the three new COVID-19 vaccines work?
What are the stated effectivity rates?
What is the shelf life and storage requirements?
How many doses are needed?
How much do they cost?
Where are they made?
What are the risks and side effects?
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The New COVID-19 Vaccines |
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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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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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Treating the
Loss of Smell
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One of the more annoying and concerning longer term symptoms of COVID-19 infection is the loss of smell and taste. Surprisingly, the virus does not attack the olfactory sensory neurons, but rather the supporting cells, according to a recent Harvard study. British researchers are conducting treatment sessions to assist COVID-19 victims in the regaining of their lost senses. This "smell training" consists of smelling four intense odors twice a day.
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WARNING:
PUN ZONE AHEAD
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I lost my job at the bank on my very first day. A woman asked me to check her balance,
so I pushed her over.
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- "I have a split personality," said Tom, being frank.
- I have a few jokes about unemployed people, but none of them work.
- When life gives you melons, you're dyslexic.
- I lost my job at the bank on my very first day. A woman asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over
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I Renamed my iPod The Titanic, so when I plug it in, it says “The Titanic is syncing.”
- Last night, I dreamed I was swimming in an ocean of orange soda. But it was just a Fanta sea.
- Will glass coffins ever be a success? Remains to be seen.
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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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Rapid Flu A and B Kit
Hardy offers the Quidel rapid test for influenza A and B. Results in only 10 minutes. CLIA waived for POC use. No equipment needed.
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Rapid Test Methods
Check out our mini catalog on rapid test kits. You'll see many "hard to find" products that will save you time and money!
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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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Can probiotics protect you against diabetes?
Gastrointestinal bacteria and a fiber rich diet could be some of the factors that can protect against Type 2 Diabetes.
It’s widely known that the human microbiota plays very important roles throughout the body and when it comes to the digestive system wellness, it’s one of our best allies. It plays crucial functions in processes such as metabolism and pathogen inhibition(3). Recent research shows that gastrointestinal bacteria could be involved in the development of type two diabetes (T2D)(1). Type two diabetes is a chronic condition that starts to develop when cells in the body become resistant to insulin(2)(4). Insulin is then unable to move glucose into the cells for energy production; as a result, the pancreas produces more insulin, until it is unable to keep up with the demand and reaches a state of exhaustion. Once exhaustion is reached, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. This is known as insulin insufficiency and it leads to high glucose levels in the blood resulting in diabetes (2)(4). In a study designed to characterize the metabolic profiles of those who developed T2D and people who did not, scientists found that metabolites secreted by bacteria in the digestive tract are directly related to the probability of developing T2D (1).
During the study scientists monitored the metabolic profile of two groups of participants over a 15 year period. The first group consisted of those who developed T2D and the second group were those who did not. It is also important to mention that all participants in the study were overweight(1). After the 15 year run, researchers analyzed the metabolic profiles of all subjects to identify critical differences. Some of the most remarkable differences in metabolic profiles were levels of indolepropionic acid, a molecule secreted by the gastrointestinal bacteria Clostridium sporogenes(5), and specific lipid metabolites(1)(5). Low levels of indolepropionic acid and lipid metabolites were associated with those who developed T2D, whereas high to normal levels were associated with those that did not develop the disease(1).
When analyzing the differences in dietary life styles, researchers also found that subjects that did not develop T2D and had high concentrations of indolepropionic acid, had a fiber rich diet(1). After further analysis, researchers hypothesized that indolepropionic is potentially acting as a protective agent against T2D and that a fiber rich diet can lead to higher levels of indolepropionic acid in the body (1).
Research has also shown that some Clostridium strains my be useful in treating ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel disease (6)(7). However there is great reluctance to utilize Clostridium spp as a probiotic, due to related pathogenic species such as C. difficile and C. botulinum. More research is definitely needed before these types of probiotics can be routinely recommended for diabetes and intestinal diseases.
By Emiliano Escamilla
R&D Microbiologist
HARDY DIAGNOSTICS
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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
A brainteaser a day
Keeps the senility away...
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Aging is no Joke...
"I’ve learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes."
Andy Rooney
"When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of algebra." Will Rogers
"I’m at an age when my back goes out more than I do."
Phyllis Diller
"There is only one cure for gray hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine." P.G. Wodehouse
"My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands and two of them were just napping." Rita Rudner
"At my age, flowers scare me." George Burns
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Phraseology:
"Long in the Tooth"
Meaning: getting old. Horses' teeth, unlike humans', continue to grow longer with age.
They also wear down with use, but the changes in the characteristics of the teeth over time make it possible to make a rough estimate of a horse's age by examining them, since they grow about 1/8" per year, then slow down after 20 years.
Horses chew in a circular motion rather than up and down like we do. This can cause uneven wearing.
As a horse ages, his teeth grow and do so unevenly, requiring the vet to file them down or "float" the teeth, usually every year.
Unlike us, horses' teeth have no nerves in them below the gum line. Our trips to the dentist would sure be easier if we were more like the horses!
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Marie Curie
1867 ~ 1934
A Polish physicist and chemist that did pioneering research on radioactivity in France. She was the first woman to win a Nobel prize and the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice. She discovered and named the elements polonium and radium. Curie was the first to use radiation for cancer treatments and developed a mobile X-ray unit that was used in the battlefields of WW1. She died of aplastic anemia as result of her unprotected handling of radium. To this day, her papers and even her cookbook must be kept in a lead lined box.
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas."
"One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done."
"I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy."
"There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth."
"In science, we must be interested in things, not in persons."
"I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries."
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“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
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Increasing your protection...
References for utilizing Vitamin D and Zinc supplementation for the adjunct therapy
and prevention of COVID-19.
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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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