Hello! The most fatal disease I’ve studied in depth would be hepatitis C virus. This is mainly because two of the other microbes I work on, norovirus and Campylobacter, are both types of self-limiting diseases – meaning that in most cases you’ll get better without treatment in about a week.
So, how fatal is hepatitis C? Well, it affects over 150 million people worldwide, and there are three to four million new cases each year. It is one of the major causes of progressive liver disease, with 350,000 liver-related deaths per year, and one of the most frequent reasons for needing a liver transplant. In the USA, it is the most common chronic (long-term) infection, affecting up to 3 million individuals (about 1% of the population), with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 deaths each year and an annual cost of $744 million (£438 million).
The most serious has been Campylobacter (cam-pie-lo-bac-ter) jejuni (jay-June-eye) during my PhD and as Bethany says in most cases it is a self limiting disease. However, for some unlucky patients (1/1000) the disease can cause temporal paralysis which although not lethal is still very severe and potentially fatal.
Probably Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterium cause tuberculosis (also known as TB).
According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO) “Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent.
In 2012, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.3 million died from TB.”
To work with TB, scientists need to work in a lab that is specially equipped to category 3 standards. This means that all the work is done in work stations that suck air away from you and the work and up into a filter. This helps stop you breathing in any of the TB bugs and stops them getting out into the environment. The whole lab itself is also kept under low pressure so that if someone opens the door the air always flows into the lab so no TB bugs can blow out by accident.
We take a lot of care over handling TB bugs because the infection needs at least six months of pretty horrible drugs to treat. However there are some sorts of TB that are now resistant to the normal drugs. These multi-drug resistant TB are harder to treat and some extremely drug resistant TB bugs are completely untreatable.
It would be cancer. it affects so many people, and I have known members of family and friends to have sadly passed away from it. So many people are trying to find a cure!
Also, i would love to see dementia disappear! it is a horrible illness to have.
An interesting set of questions. To make just one disease disappear is a hard one as there are so many that cause so much pain and suffering in the world. I would like to see cancer erradicated, I have a very personal connection to this disease and it was heartbreaking to lose someone I loved so very much. Fortunately I knowledge is improving on this and so hopefully some, if not all, forms will one day be treatable and then cancer would no longer be a fatal disease.
In answer to your second question, then yes I do think so and in fact it is already happening. In July last year a new type of antibiotic was found in a marine micro organism which seems to be effective against MRSA and anthrax. With so much of the oceans unknown I am sure this will be the first of many.
Wow, i totally agree Peter. i would love to see cancer erradicated, i’m sorry for your loss. I believe that one day all of the fundraising and research will be a success and will benefit us all.
I did not know that about an antibiotic was found in a marine micro organism, it is great that it is effective against MRSA and anthrax which are difficult to destroy. It will be great if more are discovered, because it could really help people.
Comments
Peter commented on :
The most serious has been Campylobacter (cam-pie-lo-bac-ter) jejuni (jay-June-eye) during my PhD and as Bethany says in most cases it is a self limiting disease. However, for some unlucky patients (1/1000) the disease can cause temporal paralysis which although not lethal is still very severe and potentially fatal.
Hannah commented on :
Probably Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterium cause tuberculosis (also known as TB).
According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO) “Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent.
In 2012, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.3 million died from TB.”
To work with TB, scientists need to work in a lab that is specially equipped to category 3 standards. This means that all the work is done in work stations that suck air away from you and the work and up into a filter. This helps stop you breathing in any of the TB bugs and stops them getting out into the environment. The whole lab itself is also kept under low pressure so that if someone opens the door the air always flows into the lab so no TB bugs can blow out by accident.
We take a lot of care over handling TB bugs because the infection needs at least six months of pretty horrible drugs to treat. However there are some sorts of TB that are now resistant to the normal drugs. These multi-drug resistant TB are harder to treat and some extremely drug resistant TB bugs are completely untreatable.
zeddy commented on :
if you were to choose on what disease you could just make disapear what would it be
drhannah commented on :
It would be cancer. it affects so many people, and I have known members of family and friends to have sadly passed away from it. So many people are trying to find a cure!
Also, i would love to see dementia disappear! it is a horrible illness to have.
zeddy commented on :
do you think aquatic life forms could be the cure for alot of infections or diseases
Peter commented on :
An interesting set of questions. To make just one disease disappear is a hard one as there are so many that cause so much pain and suffering in the world. I would like to see cancer erradicated, I have a very personal connection to this disease and it was heartbreaking to lose someone I loved so very much. Fortunately I knowledge is improving on this and so hopefully some, if not all, forms will one day be treatable and then cancer would no longer be a fatal disease.
In answer to your second question, then yes I do think so and in fact it is already happening. In July last year a new type of antibiotic was found in a marine micro organism which seems to be effective against MRSA and anthrax. With so much of the oceans unknown I am sure this will be the first of many.
drhannah commented on :
Wow, i totally agree Peter. i would love to see cancer erradicated, i’m sorry for your loss. I believe that one day all of the fundraising and research will be a success and will benefit us all.
I did not know that about an antibiotic was found in a marine micro organism, it is great that it is effective against MRSA and anthrax which are difficult to destroy. It will be great if more are discovered, because it could really help people.