Category Archives: Viruses

The Reality of a Serious HPV Infection

Posted on September 24, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Usually, I would put something like this in a list of links, but it’s too important not to call attention to it. Stephanie Zvan in “And Then You Wait“: Nothing about this appointment has been good news. Much of it … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccination, Viruses | Comments Off on The Reality of a Serious HPV Infection

Misunderstanding Poop and Sewage

Posted on September 8, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, sewage to be more precise. One of the harmful, but often unmentioned consequences of flooding is that our sewage systems, often decades old, are completely overwhelmed. This exposes people to sewage: Flooding appears to be the worst problem left … Continue reading →

Posted in E. coli, Microbiology, Viruses | 4 Comments

Are Shiga-Toxin Phages E. coli Diseases? (File Under Speculative Hypotheses)

Posted on June 9, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

Or maybe wild-ass speculation.
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Posted in E. coli, Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, Viruses | 4 Comments

Lula in the Laboratory: How a Phage Has Contaminated Many E. coli Lab Strains

Posted on June 23, 2010 by mikethemadbiologist

“Hi, my name is Lula. I’ll be your laboratory contaminant.”
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Posted in E. coli, Microbiology, Viruses, WhatEVAH! | 4 Comments

Nonoptimality in Viral Evolution and Economics

Posted on February 11, 2010 by mikethemadbiologist

Assuming optimality isn’t a bad thing as a theoretical exercise. But when you’re either trying to predict the likelihood that something specific will happen or explain why something did happen, assumptions are very important.
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Posted in Economics, Evolution, Influenza, Mathematics, Viruses | 1 Comment

What the 1,000 Foot Ban Means for Needle Exchange

Posted on December 7, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

What a de facto ban on federal funding for needle exchanges means.
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Posted in Drugs, HIV, Public Health, Viruses | 2 Comments

The Great Viral Filter Shortage

Posted on November 12, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

It’s not as bad as the Great Brooklyn Tampon Shortage, but it’s just become a lot harder to study viruses. Thank GE.
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Posted in The War on Science, Viruses | 4 Comments

WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS!…And Clean Your Stuff

Posted on November 9, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

The methodology greatly amuses me, even though the findings are really gross.
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Posted in Ick, Public Health, Viruses | 5 Comments

TEH SWINEY FLOO!!: Does Anyone Remember Such Massive Absenteeism in Schools?

Posted on October 25, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

Is my memory being really selective? Or have we not really witnessed something rip through so many schools on a regional and national level for decades?
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Posted in Education, Influenza, Public Health, Vaccination, Viruses | 7 Comments

TEH SWINEY FLOO!, Streptococcus, and the Forgotten Vaccine

Posted on September 30, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

Once again, our vaccination non-policy is needlessly putting lives at risk. We need to make the PCV7 (pneumococcal) vaccine part of our flu fighting strategy.
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Posted in Influenza, Microbiology, MRSA, Public Health, Vaccination, Viruses | 1 Comment