A note of interest...

Possible transfusion-transmitted Yellow Fever? Interesting...

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/yellow-fever.aspx

Catching cancer

Cancers are not usually considered contagious diseases. Normally they are caused by environmental and genetic factors that cause malfunctioning cells – not a disease that can be transferred between individuals. Of course, we know that a few species of viruses, which are contagious, can induce tumors – feline leukemia and HPV are two examples of this phenomenon. These viruses insert their genomes into their host’s DNA, which can cause improperly translated genes and thus cancer.

However, there is another form of cancer which is far more bizarre. This type of cancer is truly contagious in the sense that the actual cancer cells are transferred between individuals. Two naturally occurring cancers of this type exist; Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor and devil’s facial tumor disease. CTVT is spread via sexual intercourse of dogs. The tumors are benign and spontaneously resolve. DFTD is transmitted through facial biting – the cancerous cells infect facial wounds Tasmanian devils inflict on each other. DFTD is fatal and heavily contributing to the current decline of the Tasmanian devil population

This type of cancer is caused by cancerous clonal cell lines. In the case of DFTD, a possible scenario is an individual Tasmanian devil developed a cancer, apparently of the myeloid sheath, which was immortal, as all cancer cells are. The cells then became able to leave their original host and transfer to other Tasmanian devils. CTVT probably emerged in a similar fashion. The tumor cells do not have the same genome as their host, as most tumor cells do, but instead they share a common genome distinct from the animals they have infected.

These fascinating cancerous diseases leave us with many questions. Should these cells be considered pathogenic organisms? How many other strains of contagious cancer exist? How do they emerge? Interesting questions for some well-funded scientists to answer in the future.

Learn more:

Murchison, Elizabeth P., et al. The Tasmanian Devil Transcriptome Reveals Schwann Cell Origins of a Clonally Transmissible Cancer. Science 1 January 2010:Vol. 327. no. 5961, pp. 84 - 87

The Fountain of Youth is Green?

Green tea has been drunk for centuries in Asia, and has been receiving increasing popularity in the United States. It has been labeled as everything from a weight loss agent to an anti-carcinogen to an immune enhancer. Now, recent research shows that a chemical in green tea, ECGC (the same chemical supposedly linked to weight loss, as well as a few other benefits) may prevent neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The chemical apparently can degrade the protein plaques that form in the brain and causes neuron dysfunction. Green tea has also recently been shown to reverse fibrosis of the liver and increase bone density.

Full disclosure: I am somewhat of a green tea-phile. However, if science likes this continues to emerge, it seems like I might be on the right track.

Drink up!

For more info:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091203091856.htm
Cabrera C, Artacho R, Gimenez R. Beneficial effects of green tea: a review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2006; 25:79-99.
Kim et al. Antifibrotic effects of green tea on in vitro and in vivo models of liver fibrosis. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2009; 15 (41): 5200 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.15.5200

A dork out moment....

For those that have an unhealthy desire to track disease outbreaks (like me), check out:

http://healthmap.org/en

You can select different diseases and see where the latest outbreak has occurred on the world map. Nifty.

Thanks to ProMed for alerting me to this site.

Dengue in Florida

News: A bit of a delayed post, but for those who were not aware, locally acquired Dengue infections in Florida have surfaced. 20 cases were identified, and a serosurvey of 240 Florida Keys residents showed a 41% flavivirus exposure rate. The Flavivirus group includes Dengue as well West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis, both of which are endemic to the area. The last outbreak of Dengue in Florida was in 1934.

Background: Dengue virus is a mosquito-borne virus which can cause hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, headaches, and body pains. Dengue is endemic in many places close to Florida – the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, as well as many other parts of the world.

More Info:

http://news.ufl.edu/2009/11/23/dengue/