DNA and the impact it has on COVID-19

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the mercurial nature of the coronavirus has been on display. Some people may receive mild, cold-like illnesses or even have no symptoms at all, while other people become very ill and may die from COVID-19. It is hard to predict who may succumb to this problem, but according to an article researchers are searching for genetic clues that may lead to answers. Some studies that have recently been tested, have found that versions of genes inherited from Neandertals may protect against COVID-19, while other genetic heirlooms passed down from Neandertals can up the risk of the disease and severity. An international study was conducted to examine and study DNA from more than 28,000 COVID-19 patients and almost 600,000 people who had not been infected that confirmed their inheritance from Neandertals is involved in COVID-19 susceptibility. This study had also confirmed a previous finding that people with type O blood may have some protection against getting infected, but exactly what accounts for the protection is still not known. People with rare variants in a gene called toll-like receptor 7 or TLR7 are5.3 times more likely to get severe COVID-19 than those who don’t have the variants. TLR&’s protein is involved in signaling the immune system that a virus has invaded. 

This article was very interesting to read. It made me question if my relatives are descendants of Neandertals or not. Although this article was very interesting, I still believe researchers need to research more on this topic as COVID-19 seems to be a virus that will unfortunately never go away, and possibly find better solutions to protect ourselves from this disease better. 

Using Genetics to Identify Foodborne Illnesses

    The most recent E coli outbreak involved Romaine lettuce from Arizona. Causing many Americans to get food poisoning. Symptoms like vomiting and hemorrhaging make this a nasty illness. Foodborne illness is a very common, yet costly public health problem according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). An estimated 1 in every 6 Americans will develop a form of food borne illness from either food or beverage annually. And around 3,000 people die each year. This naturally would be a cause for concern. Luckily, there is a new technique that relies solely on the genetics of food. Allowing the CDC to seemingly "connect the dots" with foodborne illnesses. These "dots" represent the numerous people from different states that have the same illness. The technique involves doing whole genome sequencing from different people. Allowing scientists to observe if the illness is caused by the same germ. previously, the health department would send DNA samples to the CDC for testing. With this long process, many people would suffer the same fate if the germ was not found quickly. Now however, all 50 states are receiving federal money to construct their own labs in order to test the DNA. The new process is much shorter, with results coming in approximately 72 hours. The CDC is hoping for the labs to be able to sequence all bacteria in foodborne illnesses. Among these bacteria include Salmonella and E coli. And while this new technique did not detect the E coli in the Romaine lettuce, it was used in linking over a dozen cases across the United States. 

I believe that this is very important in today's world. I was recently sick due to bad food I had eaten at a Hibachi restaurant in my hometown. And while it was not a severe case, it was not a pleasant experience. Sequencing all bacteria in foodborne illnesses would greatly reduce the number of persons affected and lessen the number of people whom die due to simply eating.

Video: https://www.thepacker.com/article/using-genetics-identify-foodborne-illnesses
CDC and Food Safety: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/cdc-and-food-safety.html

Poisoned Water: Michigan Crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/flint-michigan-water.html

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0624-water-lead.html

Corrosion in the lead and iron pipes that distribute water to city residents plagued Flint, Michigan since summer of 2014. The city decided to begin using the Flint River as its water source however it was not adequately monitored that water has the naturally ability to corrode iron pipes. So when high lead levels, rust-colored tap water, and the growth of pathogenic microbes the CDC stepped in.The Flint River water had a relatively low pH that decreased over time. Reports from the Flint treatment plant, the city’s water had a pH of about 8 in December 2014, but then it slowly dropped to 7.3 by August 2015. Environmental engineers say that if water pH drifts too low in the absence of orthophosphate, the water can start to leach high levels of lead from pipes.

This is still an ongoing crisis in Flint, it is dire that people across the country are aware of the dangerous that could come from your very own faucet. It's important to be updated on any decisions made based on the needs of a town because many people were unaware of the root of the problem.

Bacteria Resistant of the Strongest Drugs

Recent New York Timesand CBS News articles are discussing a rise in a strain of bacteria that is resistant to even the strongest antibiotics.The spread is seen primarily- and mostly limited to- United States hospitals. There is a "limited window of opportunity" to control the spread. This bacteria is most often located in the gut of humans. The bacteria has acquired a lethal trait for the immunity to last resort antibiotics, including carbapenems. These antibiotics are responsible for inhibiting the cell wall synthesis and are a mainstay of therapy in patients with serious hospital acquired infections.

Director of the Centers for Disease Control, Thomas R. Frieden, nicknamed these organisms "nightmare bacteria." This name stems from their ability to pass on the traits that leave them resistant to drugs. This case has been found in 42 of the 50 United States, and most commonly in the Northeast, specifically New York.

In order to reduce the spread of these infections, hospitals are urged to to ruthlessly scrub all work stations and have all employees and guests constantly wash their hands. They are also encouraged to identify infected people, isolate them, and assign dedicated care teams and equipment to only those infected. Any intravenous line or catheter should be removed as quickly as possible, because they are "avenues of infection."