So the NY Times has a good story about the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China; it’s worth checking out. But this picture associated with it made me do a spittake. Can you guess why?
That’s right. It’s a system used to detect MRSA (note the “Xpert MRSA” written on the cards), which is methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and nothing like tuberculosis.
Oops. In this field, it’s hard to find much to laugh about. Thanks NYT!
mikethemadbiologist
They’re not cards and the same system can also be used to test for Tuberculosis.
I know they’re not cards, but I try to make this accessible to non-scientists. Also, these cards clearly have “MRSA” on them. Should have found a different picture.
Why? – it’s a perfectly good picture. It’s even the right instrument.
Why? Because it makes the NYTimes and the scientists associated with the article look dumb, which erodes public confidence and trust…which is bad when trying to communicate information about things that kill people.