A new type of mosquito net which combines two classes of insecticide has been shown to kill resistant mosquitoes that survive exposure to standard pyrethroid-treated nets. The authors of the study describe the findings as a breakthrough in the development of new types of long-lasting insecticide treated nets, which can meet the challenge of malaria [...]
Our lead scientist is also writes the 'Hygiene Mythbuster' column for Cleaning Matters magazine. In this article he explains the science linking cat ownership to car crashes... Who needs hygiene myths when the facts are so much more interesting? I guarantee this is the coolest thing you will read today so get the kettle on and [...]
For the first time, scientists have shown that malaria-transmitting mosquitoes actively avoid feeding on certain animal species such as chickens, using their sense of smell. Odours emitted by species such as chickens could provide protection for humans at risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases, according to a study in Malaria Journal.Researchers found that Anopheles arabiensis, one of [...]
Plastic microbeads are very much in the news right now - and as if the other environmental damage they cause isn't enough, new research has shown potentially lethal bacteria are living on them and hitching a ride into the North Sea. Summer heatwaves could result in the strong proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in North and Baltic Seas. [...]
Our lead scientist is also writes the 'Hygiene Mythbuster' column for Cleaning Matters magazine. In this article he takes a look at how global warming will bring diseases like dengue fever and malaria to our shores...Infections and how they spread is a gruesomely fascinating subject.For example, the Black Death escaped Asia in the mid-1300s for Europe [...]
Our lead scientist also writes the 'Hygiene Mythbuster' column for Cleaning Matters magazine. In this article he looks at why washing machine odours are on the increase...Do you ever worry about germs in your gusset? Or bacteria in your budgie smugglers?A recent study in America showed pretty much all new - yes, new - clothes are [...]
Lambs are cute. Especially when covered in mint sauce. But they also harbour some pretty nasty germs. Studies in the USA have attributed 14% of some of the most serious infections to animal contact - including Campylobacter spp. (the most common foodborne bacterial infection in the UK) , Cryptosporidium spp., Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157, non-O157 [...]
Researchers have discovered that the potentially deadly foodborne bacteria Salmonella uses its food as a GPS system.The bug can sense if it’s in the gut or elsewhere in the body based on sensing a substance found in our cell membranes, which is also a nutrient it consumes. It then uses that information to determine whether it should be [...]
A group of Wisconsin’s federal lawmakers have requested the US Food and Drug Administration look again at recent standards intended to limit the level of non-toxigenic E. coli allowed in raw milk cheese. 'Raw' milk - or to give it its proper scientific name, sewage - is milk that has not been pasteurised. While cheese carries a lower risk of foodborne [...]
The noroviruses are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide and despite many studies showing victims remain 'stool-positive' for weeks after getting better the advice is still "48 or 72 hours symptom-free and you're safe". In this latest study the Oregon Department of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed 10 selected norovirus outbreaks from [...]
