Adopt A Microbe

Astrovirus

2009-07-15T10:05:00.001+08:00

Heyhey
My name is Astrovirus.
Astroviridae is my family.

I have star-like points that gave me my astronomical name.
I move around through fecal-oral transmission.
I love kids, daycare workers and soldiers.
I also like the elderly and people with poor immune systems.
I cause gastroenteritis with diarrhoea, pain and vomiting.
I am milder than my friends Norovirus and Rotavirus.
I won't dehydrate you as much.

Adenoviruses

2009-07-13T17:25:00.001+08:00

Hey, I'm Adenovirus.
I'm from the Adenoviridae family.
I have many special talents.

In the lungs I cause Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
I hang with infants and soldiers.
In the eyes I give you a contagious conjunctivitis.
You can also get 'swimming pool conjunctivitis' from me.
I can cause gastroenteritis, especially in kids.
They have fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.

I also like the urinary tract.
I can cause acute haemorrhagic cystitis in boys.
I may play a role in coeliac disease and intersusseption.
Plus I am sometimes seen in myocarditis.

Phew! I'm very busy.

Rotavirus

2009-07-03T05:22:00.000+08:00

Hi
My name is Rotavirus
I'm from the Reoviridae family.

I am the most common cause of gastroenteritis in kids.
I love children under 4 four year old.
I am biggest in the colder seasons.

I cause diarrhoea.
I also give the kids fever, nausea and vomiting.
I'm very common, but don't let that fool you.
My diarrhoea can be severe.
I can kill if I'm not looked after.

Norovirus

2009-06-30T18:57:00.000+08:00

Hi there.
My name is Norovirus
I'm a caliciviridea family virus.
I used to be called Norfolk virus, after visiting the city of Norfolk.

I cause gastroenteritis.
I make people nauseous and sick.

I am passed feaco-orally.
I am also carried in food, especially seafood like oysters.
I am busiest during the winter.
I love places like schools, nursing homes and hospitals.

Influenza: 2009 'Swine' Flu

2009-06-27T09:29:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm Swine.
Or pig flu.
Or H1N1 Flu.
I'm an H1N1 Type A Influenza virus.

I was first found in humans in Mexico
I started in April.
I am in almost every country now.

I can pass between people.
I am in the news all the time now.
I'm very famous.

Influenza: 2003 Bird flu

2009-05-26T16:01:00.002+08:00

Hi, I'm Bird or Avian flu,
But I'm not the only bird flu!
People called me that when they found me in people.

I was first noticed in 2003, around Thailand.
Many birds were killed to try to stop my spread.
So far, I have been found in about 400 people.
I killed over 200 of them.

I don't usually move from person to person.
Some people think I have started to.

I used to be in the news a lot.
People don't about me as much anymore.

Influenza: 1968 Hong Kong Flu

2009-05-10T18:06:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm Hong Kong flu.
I started out as my 1957 friend.
In 1968 I went through antigen shift,
I then became H3N2 and spread.
I moved from China to Hong Kong.
I lasted for 2 years.

I was milder than my earlier flu friend.
Not as many people died.
I also came from mixing of human and bird strains.

Influenza: 1957 Asian Flu

2009-05-03T11:43:00.001+08:00

Hi, I'm the H2N2 'Asian Flu'.
I am an Influenza A strain.
I started in Guizhou, China in early 1957.
I moved to Singapore, Hong Kong, and then to the rest of the world.
I hit the US and UK by the end of the year.
I lasted to 1958.

My first wave hit school kids.
My second wave hit the elderly.
I was milder than my 1918 friend,
But I still managed to kill over a million people.
People made a vaccine against me.

I came from antigen shift between wild ducks and people.

Influenza: 1918 Spanish Flu

2009-05-01T11:12:00.005+08:00

I'm the influenza pandemic of 1918.
I was an influenza A virus H1N1 type flu.
I was called Spanish flu when I got to Spain early on.
In Spain I was called 'La Grippe'.

I had H1N1 that one no had seen before,
So no one was immune.
I spread all over the world at the end of WW1.

I went through the soldiers and then the rest of the world.
Some of my brother flu viruses killed the weak, the very young or very old.
I was deadliest to healthy young people.

I lasted for 2 years and killed 40 million people.
That's more than World War 1 and more than the black death!

Influenza: Drift and Shift

2009-05-01T00:38:00.012+08:00

Hi again, Flu here.
We flu viruses change in 2 ways.

The first is called antigen drift.
These are small changes to our Ha and Na pieces.
The old flu vaccines can't find our new looks.
So each year a new vaccine is needed.

The second is called antigen shift.
We jump between animals like birds or pigs.
We get ourselves brand new Ha or Na pieces,
so we look like brand new viruses.
People usually don't have immunity to these new viruses.
This is one of ways we get 'influenza pandemics'

Influenza Virus

2009-05-01T00:35:00.009+08:00

Hi, we are the Influenza Virus, or 'The Flu".
We are part of the Orthomyxoviridae family.
We come in types A, B and C.
We are one of the most well known viruses in the world.

We make you feel groggy and head heavy.
We cause cough, chills, fever, malaise and muscle aches.
We can also cause pneumonia.

We each have two special pieces of proteins.
These are Haemagglutinin (Ha) and Neuraminidase (Na).
Each piece has a number.
You can use these numbers to tell us apart.

We infect people, birds, horses and pigs.

Influenza special

2009-05-01T00:32:00.005+08:00

This humble zoo keeper will be starting some flu-related posts with some special entries over the coming week. Stay tuned.

Parvovirus B19

2009-04-27T13:27:00.001+08:00

Hi there.
My name is Parvovirus B19.
I'm from the Parvoviridae family.

I cause Erythema Infectiosum
You can call it slapped cheek, or 5th disease.
I give you fever, muscle ache and lymphadenopathy.
My rash starts on your face and moves to your arms and legs.

When I visit pregnant mothers I can give their babies fetal hydrops.
They get anaemia, oedema and heart failure.

Coronavirus

2009-04-24T13:07:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is Coronavirus.
My family is Coronaviridae.

My name means crown.
I was named for the 'crown' around me.
I am a common cause of the common cold.

I am most well known for SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
I start with fever and breathlessness, then pneumonia.
I was first found in China during 2002.
Then to Hong Kong, Singapore Thialand, Vietnam and even Canada.
By 2003 I had mostly disappeared.

I was in the news a lot.

Rhinovirus

2009-04-22T13:03:00.000+08:00

Hello hello!
I'm Rhinovirus.
I am from the family Picornaviridae

You have probably all met me before.
You can call me the common cold.
I am the most common cause the ol' sniffles.

I give you a runny nose, sore throat and cough.
I like the winter months.

enterovirus 71

2009-04-20T09:49:00.001+08:00

Hi, I'm Enterovirus 71.
I'm from the family Picornaviridae.
I am an Enterovirus.
I'm the newest of the new Enteroviruses.

I can be spread in droplets for through poor sanitation.
I cause fever.
I am another common cause of hand, foot and mouth disease.

I can cause neurological disease.
I'm good at aseptic meningitis, encephalitis and polio-like paralysis.
I can be very severe.

Enterovirus 70

2009-04-14T16:59:00.000+08:00

Hi, my name is Enterovirus 70.
I'm from family Picornaviridae.
I'm an Enterovirus, one of the 'newer' Enteroviruses.

I'm known for my acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis.
I spread to eyes from infected contacts like fingers.
You get pain and swelling around the eye,
as well as photophobia, fever and headache.

Sometimes my conjunctivits is followed by paralysis.
After a few weeks I can look just like cousin polio.

poliovirus

2009-04-07T16:00:00.002+08:00

My name is Poliovirus.
I'm an Enterovirus from the family Picornaviridae.
I have 3 serotypes, mostly I give people type 1.

Most most people who get me are asymptomatic.
Then a few more get fever, vomiting, headache and sore throat.

A small proportion get my well-known paralytic polio.
I get into the spine or brain.
In spinal paralysis I affect your arms and legs.
In the brain I cause bulbar paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
Then you need an 'Iron Lung' to breath for you.

Some people spend their whole life in an Iron Lung.

Coxsackie B Virus

2009-04-03T10:00:00.000+08:00

Hi my name if Coxsackie B Virus.
I'm part of the Picornaviridae family.
I am an Enterovirus.

I'm very fond of the heart.
I cause pericarditis, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy.
I give you pleurodina, with chest and abdominal pain, with fever and headache.

Some people think I can causing type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Coxsackie a

2009-03-30T17:00:00.004+08:00

Hi, I'm Coxsackie A Virus.
I'm an Enterovirus.
I'm from the Picornaviridae family.
I'm named after a town in New York where I was first found.

I am the main cause of hand, foot and mouth disease.
Guess where this rash appears?
That's right! Your hands, feet and mouth.

I get into your lungs and respiratory system.
I also cause meningitis, gastro, pericarditis, myocarditis and herpangina.
I can even cause encephalitis if you get into your brain.

Marburg Virus

2009-03-27T13:40:00.000+09:00

My name's Marburg.

I'm a filovirus, like my cousin Ebola.

I am also found in Africa.

Like Ebola, I make you bleed all over.

My name comes from a town in Germany.

I infected some workers there a long time ago.

I was brought there with some Green Monkeys.

Ebola Virus

2009-03-23T13:05:00.000+09:00

Hiya, I'm Ebola!
I'm a filovirus.
Me and my family are very rare.
I am a hook shape.

I get into you through blood and other fluids.
I cause haemorrhagic fever.
I quickly work on turning your organs into a mush.

I live is Africa, though I'd like to travel.
I'm very famous in books and movies.
My name comes from a river in Zaire.

Human Metapneumovirus

2009-03-20T17:13:00.000+09:00

I am Human Metapneumovirus.
I'm the from family Paramyxoviridae.
I am a Pneumovirus.

I was first found in 2001.
I'm big with kids and the elderly.
I am not as well known as my cousin RSV, but I do a lot of the same things that they do.
I cause wheezing and coughing.
My illness is not as severe as my cousin.

Respiratory Syncitial Virus

2009-03-11T17:13:00.000+09:00

I am Respiratory Syncitial Virus.
I am part of the family Paramyxoviridae.

My specialty is brochiolitis in children.
I love kids under 3.
They get wheeze and cough as they try to breath.
I can cause strange sounding coughs.
When severe I give the kids respiratory distress.

Human Parainfluenza Virus

2009-03-09T15:12:00.001+09:00

Hey there fella!
I am Human Parainfluenza Virus.
I'm from the Paramyxoviridae family.
But I'm not like my friend Influenza.

I am the most common cause of croup.
It is also called laryngo-tracheo-bronchitis.
I give kids a loud noise when they breathe in.
This is called stridor.
I also give kids a barking cough.
It sounds like a seal!

mumps

2009-03-06T13:12:00.001+09:00

Hello
My name is Mumps.
I'm from the Paramyxoviridae family.

I cause parotitis in kids.
I make the glands in the mouth swell up.
They become sore and tender.

I am good at causing orchitis in boys.
I cause meningitis and encephelitis in the brain, even deafness.
I also like the thyroid gland and pancreas.

You can vaccinate against me.

Measles (Rubeola) virus

2009-03-05T13:11:00.001+09:00

Hello my name is Measles.
I am also called Rubeola and 1st disease.
I am part of the Paramyxoviridae family.

I cause a special kind of exanthem, or rash.
My rash starts on your head, then moves down to your chest and then to your legs.
I give you red spots with blue centres inside your mouth.
These are called Koplick spots.
I can also cause subacute sclerosing pan-encephalitis.
This is a disease that shuts down your brain.

I used to be found a lot in kids, but nowadays most kids are vaccinated against me.

Rubella

2009-03-02T13:53:00.000+09:00

Hello, I'm the Rubella Virus.
I'm a Togavirus, of the Rubivirus species.

I am also called "German measles".
I get into your lungs.
I give you a red rash on your face, then the rest of your body.
I give you fever, joint pain and enlarged lymph nodes.

When I infect pregnant women I cause congenital rubella syndrome.
I cause congenital defects in the liver and spleen.
I can give children cataracts, heart defects and deafness.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus

2009-02-23T21:31:00.005+09:00

Hey there.

My name is Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus.
I'm a Togavirus.
I'm also an arborvirus.

I mostly live around horses.
I also love birds, especially game birds and song birds.
I live in the United States and in South America, near marsh land and even the Amazon!

I cause encephalitis.

I start with fever and muscle pain, then headache, vomiting and seizures.
I can kill or paralyse.

Ross River Virus

2009-02-15T11:10:00.007+09:00

Hello there.
My name is Ross River Virus.
I am an Alphavirus from the Togaviridae family.
I am an arborvirus.

I live in Australia like my cousin Murray Valley Encephalitis.
Unlike my cousin, I don't kill you.
But I do give you rash, headache and joint pain.
You get tired and worn out.

I am the most common arborvirus in Australia.
Sometimes I am carried by Wallabies.

Murray Valley Encephalitis

2009-02-13T10:49:00.007+09:00

Hello .
My name is Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus.
I'm an arborvirus from the Togaviridae family.

I can be found around Australia.
I like water birds and I just love heavy rains.
The water is good for my mosquito friends.

I give you fever, neck stiffness, headache and confusion.
You can go into a coma or get paralysed.
You might need help to breathe if I paralyse your lungs.

West Nile Virus

2009-02-13T09:43:00.002+09:00

Howdy.
I'm West Nile Virus.
I'm a flavivirus.
I'm also an arborvirus.

I live in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and now in North America.
I live in crows and other wilds birds.
Then mosquitoes carry me.

Mostly I just give you fever and pain all over.
Sometimes I get into your brain.
I give you a rash.

Japanese Encephalitis Virus

2009-02-11T08:10:00.000+09:00

Hi, I'm Japanese Encephalitis Virus.
I'm from Flaviviridae and an arborvirus.
I'm big all over Asia.

I live around rice fields.
I hang around pigs and water birds there.
Mosquitoes are my vectors.
That means they carry me from the animals to you.

My main job is giving you encephalitis.
I can have life long consequences.

There is a vaccine against me.

Dengue Virus

2009-02-09T10:36:00.003+09:00

We're the Dengue Virus!
We're Flaviviruses.

We're found in the tropics.
We hitch a ride on an Aedes mosquito.
When she bites you, we get left behind.

We are 4 types.
A visit from one of us makes you sick with Dengue fever.
But we 'cross react' with each other.

So when another one of us visits, you get very sick.
You get Dengue haemorrhagic fever and can die.

Yellow Fever Virus

2009-02-06T18:40:00.001+09:00

Hey, I'm Yellow Fever Virus.
I am from family Flaviviridae.

I am in Africa and South America.
I am an arborvirus.
This means I am carried in mosquitoes and ticks.
I travel in their saliva.

Like many of my arborvirus friends, I give you fever and haemorrhage.
Then headache and chills.
I make you yellow with jaundice.

I have two different homes to grow in.
My urban life cycle hangs around houses.
My sylvatic cycle uses monkeys in the jungle.
Oh well, there is a vaccine against me.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus

2009-02-02T19:33:00.006+09:00

My name is Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus.
I am from the family Flaviviridae.
I was first found in Russia.

I am carried by Ixodes ticks.
They live on rodents.
People can also drink unpasteurised milk with me in it.
I have three types; European, Far Eastern and Siberian.

After a week or 2 I give you fever and sore muscles.
Sometimes I rest here for a few days, so you feel better.
Then I hit the nervous system.
I cause meningitis or encephalitis.
There can be coma, convulsions and even paralysis.

Human T-cell Lymphotrophic Virus 1

2009-01-28T17:03:00.003+09:00

Hey
I'm Human T-cell Lymphotrophic Virus.
I am also a retrovirus.
I'm so retro!

I transmit through blood, sexual contact and child birth.
I also target CD4 cells.
I make people more likely to get certain diseases.

I can cause leukemia.
I can get into your spinal cord.
There I cause myelopathy or even tropical spastic paraparesis.
I also get into skin, joints, lungs and eyes.

Human immunodeficiency Virus

2009-01-26T08:00:00.003+09:00

My name is Human immunodeficiency virus.
I am a Retrovirus.
I'm very retro.
I have 2 types.

I make up the majority of HIV in the world.
I'm mostly found in Africa.
I lead to a disease called AIDS.
I travel through sexual contact, needles, blood and from mother to baby.
I get into CD4+ immune cells.
They make my copies for me.

I start with a flu like illness.
Then I lay low for many years.
Then the illness becomes AIDS.

I lead to other infections, like Candida, PCP, CMV, HHV-8, HSV and Mycobacteria.

Human Papilloma Virus types 16 + 18

2009-01-21T09:53:00.001+09:00

Hi
I'm Human Papilloma Virus types 16 and 18.
I'm from family Papillomaviridae.

I am sexually transmitted.
I am linked to cervical cancer.
My types 16 and 18 cause 70% of these.
Brothers 31, 33 and 45 cause some of the rest.

People have just found a vaccine against me.
Boohoo!

Human Papilloma Virus types 6 + 11

2009-01-19T09:51:00.000+09:00

Hi
We are Human Papilloma Virus, types 6 and 11.
We are from the Papillomaviridae family.

We are common causes of genital warts.
You can also call them condylomas.
We are sexually transmitted.

Babies get us from their mums at birth.
We give them warts in the throat and mouth.

Human Papilloma Virus type 2

2009-01-16T09:50:00.001+09:00

Hey there.
Call me Human Papilloma Virus Type 2.
I'm from the Papillomaviridae family.

I'm a warts virus like my cousin HPV-1.
I'm one of the types that cause common warts.
They are on your skin.
I get in through cuts and scrapes,
like when you fall down.

People used to think that toads caused warts.
But it was me.

Human Papilloma Virus type 1

2009-01-14T09:18:00.003+09:00

Hi.
I'm Human Papilloma Virus.
I'm type 1.
I'm from the family Papillomaviridae.

We Papilloma viruses are warts viruses.
There are many different types of us.

I am one of the types that often
gives you plantar warts.
These warts grow on the bottom of your feet!

Hepatitis E Virus

2009-01-12T12:02:00.006+09:00

Hello, My name is Hepatitis E Virus.
I am a Hepevirus.

I'm like cousin Hepatitis A.
I move around in your water.
I get into seafood, but I also
hang out in farm animals like
pigs and cows.

I'm most fond of places with unclean water.

Hepatitid D Virus

2009-01-04T21:32:00.005+09:00

Hey folks.
My name is Hepatitis D virus.
I'm also called Hepatitis Delta.

I can't get you on my own, I need my friend HBV.
We have a "co-infection".
I can get into you at the same time as my cousin.
Or I can visit people who already have him.

My job is to make your liver even worse.

Hepatitis C Virus

2008-12-15T13:41:00.000+09:00

Hiho!
I am Hepatitis C Virus.
I'm from the family Flaviviridae.

I get to you in blood.
I use needles, piercings, tattoos and blood transfusions.
I often hang around for years and can give you cirrhosis.

There are vaccines for my cousins Hep A and Hep B, but not for me.

Hepatitis B Virus

2008-12-12T13:50:00.000+09:00

Hey, Hepatitis B Virus here.
I'm from the Hepadnaviridae family.

I visit many babies through their mums.
I'm often sexually transitted.
I get into your liver.
There I get to work, giving you pain, nausea, fever and jaundice.
I can hang around for years.
I make you more likely to get liver cancer.

Hepatitis A Virus

2008-12-10T20:03:00.003+09:00

Hello there.
My name is Hepatitis A virus.
Picornaviridae is my family.

I'm pass to you through the mouth, in things like milk and seafood.
I also like poor hygiene and lots of people close together.
I love school camps.

I get into your liver.
I give you nausea, side pain, vomiting and fever.

You can vaccinate against me though.
Plus I don't hang around as long some of my cousins.

2008-12-10T15:11:00.000+09:00

It's Alive!

Watch this space

Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus

2007-06-14T17:49:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus, or HHV-8.
I'm part of the Herpesviridae family.

When I appear, people usually get a type of skin cancer called Karposi's sarcoma.
It gives you red-brown spots all over.
I'm rarely seen in people with good immune systems.
I'm very common in people with HIV or AIDS.

Roseolovirus

2007-06-12T16:00:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is Roseolovirus.
Sometimes I'm called Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) or '6th disease'.
I'm part of the Herpesviridae family.

I mostly infect babies and children.
First you get fever, but it doesn't last long.
When thats gone, I give you a rash called Exanthem subitum, or Roseola infantum.

I got my name because people thought my rashes were as red as roses.

Varicella-Zoster Virus

2007-06-11T08:51:00.000+08:00

Hi there, I'm VZV.
My family is the Herpesviridae family.
Most people get me as children.
I'm much more serious when I first infect you as an adult.
I pick one or two nerves and only live in those.

My primary infection is called chicken pox.
You get itchy spots all over.
I also cause fever and rash.

My recurring infections are called shingles.
I give you big, red, painful blisters, but only on the parts of skin that connect to my special nerve.

Cytomegalovirus

2007-06-08T18:56:00.000+08:00

Howdy.
My name is CMV.
Herpesviridae is my family.

My primary illness can look alot like my cousin EBV and sometimes we get confused for each other.
You may not even notice me at all.
I cause lots of problems in people with weak immune systems.

My primary illness in pregnant mothers stops babies from developing properly before they are born.

Epstein-Barr Virus

2007-06-07T17:27:00.000+08:00

Hello there, I'm EBV.
I'm a member of the Herpesviridae family.
I have double stranded DNA.

My disease is called infectious mononucleosis, mono, and glandular fever.
I cause sore throat and cough, fever, nausea and swollen lymph nodes.
You get very tired all the time.
In bad cases, I can swell up your liver or spleen, or infect your heart, lungs and brain.
Some cancers are more common after I visit.

Herpes Simplex Virus 1

2007-06-06T13:38:00.000+08:00

Hi.
My name is HSV-1.
I'm a double stranded DNA virus that's part of the Herpesviridae family.
I live in your nerves.
I have a primary infection, then recurrent infections.
My recurrent infection causes painful red blisters around your mouth.
These are called herpes labialis, or cold sores.
Bright sun can convince me to come out again, as well as stress, sickness and menstruation.

I can also cause a deadly encephalitis, which means I infect your brain.
If I get into your eye, I can give you herpetic keratitis and make you blind.

Herpes Simplex Virus 2

2007-06-05T14:58:00.000+08:00

Hello, my name is HSV-2.
I'm a double stranded DNA virus (I'm made up of 2 DNA parts).
I'm part of the Herpesviridae family.
Us herpes viruses make our homes in your nerves.
Once we get in, we stick around for the rest of your life.

I cause genital herpes, a very common STI.
First you get a primary infection, with red blisters and an itching or burning as I play with your nerves.
You can also feel headache or fever.

Later on, I travel back down to visit your skin, giving you more itching and blisters.
This can happen if you are stressed, sick, or when women are menstruating.

2007-06-05T14:18:00.000+08:00

Calymmatobacterium granulomatis

2007-06-04T14:51:00.000+08:00

Hi there.
I'm C. granulomatis.
I'm a Gram Negative rod shaped bacteria.
I'm found more often in developing countries, especially in tropical places.

I cause a STI with ulcers and sores that eat into you.
You can call it granuloma inguinale, but I like to call it donovanosis (easier to remember).
When I infect you, I get eaten up by one of your cells.
Together we make up 'donovan bodies' that can be seen under a microscope.

Caulobacter crescentus

2007-06-01T18:31:00.000+08:00

Hi.
My name is C. crescentus.
I'm Gram Negative bacteria.
I live in water or in soil, even if there's not much food about.
I'm very good at living in places with little food.

I make 2 daughters when I divide.
One is called a swarmer and has a special tail for moving around.
The other is called a stalked cell and has a long tube with sticky stuff at the end.
Both of these help me survive where other bacteria can't.

Tropheryma whippelei

2007-05-31T17:54:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is T. whippelei.
I'm very mysterious, I don't tell anyone how I get into people.
I'm also very rare.
I like infecting older men.

I mostly infect your intestines.
When I'm there, I stop you getting nutrients from food.
You get fever, weight loss, diarrhoea and cramps.
I also get into the rest of your body, into your heart, lungs, skin, and nerves.

A word from the zoo keeper..

2007-05-30T15:53:00.000+08:00

That about wraps up bacteria, folks.
If there was a species you were waiting out for but didn't see, let me know and I'll do my best to convince them to drop by.
Stay tuned over the next few days for the start of the next group of little critters...

Viruses

Again, let me know if there is anything special you want to see and I'll try put it on my list.
Enjoy!

Francisella tularensis

2007-05-29T15:14:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm F. tularensis.
I'm a Gram Negative bacteria.
I'm carried on deer flies and ticks.
I live mostly in rabbits.

I cause tularaemia, also called Rabbit fever.
I have 6 different ways of hurting you
My ulceroglandular type gets lymph nodes gives you an ulcer around the bite.
My glandular type causes fever and lymph problems, without the ulcer.
You get conjunctivitis with my oculoglandular type.
My oropharyngeal type gives you a sore throat.
I get into your lungs with my pleuropulmonary type.
My typhoidal type infects your whole body.

Leptospira interrogans

2007-05-28T15:33:00.000+08:00

Hi there.
I'm L. interrogans.
I'm a spirochete bacteria.
My favourite place to live is in drinking water, which I get into through animal urine.

I cause leptospirosis.
My disease has 2 stages.
First I'll give you a high fever, headache and muscle ache.
Later, I can give you meningitis, rash and jaundice.
If the second part gets very bad, it is called Weil's disease.

Borrelia burgdorferi

2007-05-27T19:23:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is B. burgdorferi.
I am a Gram Negative spirochete like my cousin B. recurrentis.
I'm carried by ticks, especially hard bodied ticks.

I cause borreliosis, or Lyme disease.
You may get rash, fever, muscle pain or headache.
Sometimes I can affect your nerves.

Borrelia recurrentis

2007-05-25T15:59:00.000+08:00

Hello! Hello! Hello!
I'm B. recurrentis.
I'm also a spirochete bacteria.
I'm carried by the common body louse.

I cause louse-borne relapsing fever.
I cause fever, shaking, delirium and muscle ache.
I make you sick for a few days and go away.
Then I come back again for a while.
I come back over and over again, sometimes for weeks.

Treponema pallidum

2007-05-24T17:00:00.000+08:00

Hello there.
My name is T. pallidum.
I am a spirochete, which is a spiraling bacteria.
I am a sexually transmitted infection.

My primary stage gives you painless "chancres" and lymph node enlargement.
My secondary stage causes rash, flu-like feelings and special warts called 'condylomata lata'
Then I stay latent for years.

Later I can affect your heart and arteries.
I can also hurt your nerves and brain, or cause 'gummas' lesions around your bones and body.

I can cause a shaking that is called 'paralytic dementia', but used to be called 'general paresis of the insane'.

Bacteroides fragilis

2007-05-23T14:19:00.000+08:00

Hello, my name is B. fragilis.
I'm a Gram Negative rod shaped bacteria.
I am anaerobic, because I don't grow in normal laboratory air.
I have to be collected in a special air-tight container.

I live in healthy peoples digestive tracts and women's reproductive tracts.
I cause trouble when I get into parts of the body that I'm not supposed to be.
I cause abscesses and trauma infections almost anywhere.

Chlamydophila psittaci

2007-05-08T15:44:00.000+08:00

Well hello.
My name is C. psittaci.
Like my cousin C. trachomatis, I'm tiny!
I also have both elementary and initial bodies.

You can get me if you spend a lot of time around birds.
I cause a lung infection called psittacosis.
I start out looking like flu, with fever and a sore throat.
Later I grow and look like pneumonia.

Chlamydia trachomatis

2007-05-07T16:35:00.000+08:00

Hi there, I'm C. trachomatis.
I'm very small and sometimes called a parasite.
I move between cells as a tough 'elementary body', but once I'm inside I become an 'initial body'.

I really like hanging out in the eyes and genitals.
My disease chlamydia is the most common STI in the world!
It can become pelvic inflammatory disease and make women infertile.
I also cause lymphogranuloma venereum, a tropical STI.

I cause trachoma in your eyes, which slowly makes you blind.
I also cause conjunctivitis and pneumonia in babies.

Mycobacterium vaccae

2007-05-02T14:24:00.000+08:00

Hello.
My name is M. vaccae.
I'm an acid fast bacteria like my cousins.
I live in the soil.

When I'm around, some people make more serotonin.
That's the chemical in your brain that makes you happy.
A lot of people think that I may be able to help fight depression.

2007-04-26T18:18:00.000+08:00

Hello.
I'm M. avium.
I'm an acid fast bacteria with a waxy coat.
I'm part of the Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex.

I cause a lung infection that's like tuberculosis.
I like people with weak immune systems, because I can spread better.
I'm found in alot of people with HIV and AIDS.
In little kids, I get into the lymph glands and swell them up.

Mycobacterium leprae

2007-04-18T17:33:00.000+08:00

Hello there, my name is M. leprae.
I'm also an 'acid fast' bacteria, carried on your breathe.
I like cool areas of your skin, eyes and nose.

I'm best known for giving people leprosy.
I cover your body in coloured patches and lumps.
I don't actually make your limbs fall off, I just kill the nerves in your skin.
You lose your limbs because you can't feel when you hurt them.

I have 2 types!
Healthy people only get a milder 'tuberculoid' kind of leprosy.
But if your immune sysyem is weak, you get my more severe 'lepromatous' kind.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2007-04-17T16:19:00.000+08:00

Hello, I'm M. tuberculosis.
I'm called an 'acid fast' bacteria because of my waxy cell walls.
On a special stain called a Ziehl-Neelsen stain, I look red.
I cause tuberculosis, infecting lots of people all over the world.

I get inhaled into your lungs and cause primary TB, which most people don't even notice.
Your immune system keeps me dormant so I wait for years until it gets weak.
That's when I kick in!! I give you cough, weight loss, fever, night sweats, and tiredness.
Your lungs become like a block of cheese, full of holes.

From there I spread to the lymph nodes and infect all over your body.
In the spine, I'm called Pott's disease.
In miliary TB I send tiny bits out to infect lots and lots of organs.

Ureaplasma urealyticum

2007-04-12T08:16:00.000+08:00

Hello. Call me U. urealyticum.
I used to be a Mycoplasma like my cousin M. pneumoniae, but then we changed names.
Some people even call me "T strain" Mycoplasma.
I live in you genital tracts.

I get into your uninary tracts and I break down parts of your urine.
I cause NGU (non-gonococcal urethritis).
I give you burning and a yellow discharge.

Chlamydia causes this alot more than I do.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

2007-04-10T18:33:00.000+08:00

Hello, My name is M. pneumoniae.
Us mycoplasmas are the smallest organisms that can reproduce.
We don't have a 'cell wall' around us, like most bacteria do.
Some antibiotics like penicillin need the wall to attack, so we are safe from them.

I cause pneumonia and bronchitis.
My pneumonia is called atypical because I look different to other pneumonias on an X-ray and don't grow on normal agar plates like they do.

You may not feel as sick with me as with some of the others.

Clostridium botulinum

2007-04-09T18:11:00.000+08:00

Hello, I'm C. botulinum.
I'm Gram Positive and rod shaped.
I make spores.
I live in soil and in foods like cans of beans.
I can live in them for a very long time, even if they get cooked.
I secrete botulin toxin which is carried to your nerves.

I cause botulism.
You muscles get very weak and floppy, especially your respiratory muscles.
You may not be able to see, swallow or even breath.

Clostridium tetani

2007-04-06T15:32:00.000+08:00

Hello, my name is C. tetani.
I am a gram Positive rod bacteria.
I'm anaerobic, but I can make spores.
I live in the soil and my spores get into your cuts.

Then I use a toxin that moves up into your central nervous system (your spine and brain).
The toxin makes your muscle contract, or spasm.
You can get lockjaw in your face or a smiling spasm called risus sardonicus.
I also get into your back, arms and breathing muscles.

Most people have vaccines that stop me getting into them.

Clostridium difficile

2007-03-19T15:30:00.000+09:00

Hello, my name is C. difficile.
I'm an anaerobic, Gram Positive rod that can make spores.
I live in your digestive tract.

I cause pseudomembranous colitis.
Sometimes if you take broad spectrum antibiotics (especially clindamycin and the cephalosporins) you kill off your friendly bacteria.
That leaves lots of room for me.
I make toxins that cause very bad inflammation.
You get diarrhoea, abdominal pain and a fever.

I covered myself in a white membrane like coating that can be seen on the inside of your intestines.

Clostridium perfringens

2007-03-14T17:24:00.000+09:00

Hello
My name is C. perfringens.
I'm a Gram Positive rod and anaerobic.
I live in soil and can make spores to survive to for a long time.

I can cause myonecrosis, or "gas gangrene".
I get into your muscles in wounds and make toxins.
As I eat away at your muscles, I let off gases that build up between them.

When I am "type A", I can cause food poisoning.
I live in undercooked meat and make spores in your gut.
I make an enterotoxin that gives you cramping and diarrhoea.

My "type C" form causes "necrotising enteritis".
You have to eat undercooked pork with me in it.
You also have to eat alot of foods like sweet potatoes, which have a chemical called trypsin inhibitor in them.
When they are together, I can make my β-toxin and eat away at your bowels.

Actinomyces isrealii

2007-03-11T11:05:00.000+09:00

Hello there, I'm A. isrealii.
I'm an anaerobic Gram Positive rod that can't make spores.
Like my cousin N. asteroides, I am part of the actinomycetes group
We act like fungi.

From plants or soil, I get into your skin through cuts.
I can cause actinomycotic mycetoma (or actinomycetoma or short).
I also live in your mouth and gut.
From there I can cause actinomycosis, mostly in your mouth ("lumpy jaw"), gut and lungs.

In both diseases, I cause puss-filled abscesses that erode tissue, then travel up your lymph.

Nocardia asteroides

2007-03-07T17:29:00.000+09:00

Hi
My name is N. asteroides
I'm a Gram Positive rod.
I am aerobic (breathe oxygen) and can't make spores.
I'm part of a special group called actinomycetes.
We get the name because we look a lot like fungi.
We even grown little filamentous branches.
I grow slowly on a gram stain, where I look speckled.

I love to get into your skin through cuts, especially from thorns and plants.
I like causing infections in people with weak immune systems.
I cause Nocardiosis when I get into lungs.
I spread through your blood to get into your brain.

Corynebacterium minutissimum

2007-02-03T15:14:00.000+09:00

Hi
My name is C. minutissimum.
I'm a Gram Positive bacteria.
I am a rod but I'm an irregular shape.
I can't form spores like some.

I cause erythrasma, mostly on the parts of your skin that are folded.
This has reddish brown patches or scales.

Corynebacterium urealyricum

2007-01-29T17:08:00.000+09:00

Hello there.
You can call me C. urealyricum.
I'm a Gram Positive rod shaped bacteria.
My shape is irregular and I can't make endospores.
Unfair!

I can cause urinary tract infections by breaking a chemical called urea into little bits.
Ammonia crystals get left over and get stuck in your kidneys.
I am also very good at giving you kidneys stones.

Corynebacterium jeikeium

2007-01-26T22:43:00.000+09:00

Hello.
I'm C. jeikeium.
I'm a Gram Positive rod.
I can't make spores and I have an irregular shape.

I live on your skin.
When I get into prosthetics or metal pieces I set up shop and have a party.
I also cause septicaemia and endocarditis.
I got my name because I was part of a group of bacteria called "JK".

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

2007-01-25T17:15:00.000+09:00

Hello.
My name is C. diphtheriae.
I'm a Gram Positive rod bacteria that can't form any spores.
I have an irregular shape.
I used to live in lots of places
Now I mostly live where people don't have vaccines for me.

I get into your throat and airway and make them swell up.
The swelling forms a covering, so you can't breath.
I give off toxins that hurt your heart and nerves.

Listeria monocytogenes

2007-01-24T17:36:00.000+09:00

Why, hello hello.
I'm known as L. monocytogenes.
I'm a Gram Positive rod bacteria that can't form any spores.
I live in many meats, vegetables and dairy products.
My favourite foods are fancy soft cheeses, pate, coleslaw and sliced meats.

I am especially dangerous for babies, the elderly and those without a good immune system.
In these people I cause listeriosis, made up of bacteraemia and meningitis.
In pregnant women I cause granulomatosis infantiseptica.
The fetus becomes infected and sometimes dies.

Lactobacillus acidophilus

2007-01-23T17:39:00.000+09:00

Hello.
My name is L. acidophilus.
I am a Gram Positive, rod shaped bacteria.
I have a nice, regular shape, but I can't form spores.

I'm never really dangerous.
In fact, I'm usually very helpful.
I can live in your mouth or your gut.
I'm most important in a woman's vaginal area, because I make sure it is acidic enough to be healthy.

Bacillus cereus

2007-01-07T17:56:00.000+09:00

Hello.
My name is B. cereus.
I'm a Gram Positive rod and I can form spores if I want.

I love rice!
Rice is one of my favourite places to live, especially if it's been reheated over and over.
You can get food poisoning from me that will give you diarrhoea and vomiting.
I use a special toxin to make you sick.

Bacillus anthracis

2007-01-06T03:02:00.000+09:00

Hello, I'm B. anthracis.
I'm a Gram Positive rod that can form a spore.
I can live in the soil for years and still be dangerous.
I cause anthrax.
I kill cattle and horses and humans that touch the animals.

I can act in three different ways.
When I get through your skin I make a black scab and fever.
When I'm inhaled I look like flu, but then I suddenly get you in 24 hours.
I get into your gut in uncooked meat.

If you don't take antibiotics, I'm almost always fatal.
Because I kill quickly, I'm sometimes used by armies as a biological weapon.

Bacillus thuringiensis

2007-01-04T03:55:00.000+09:00

Hello hello.
You can call me B. thuringiensis.
I am a Gram Positive rod.
I can form an endospore to protect myself.

I can be used as an insectiside.
I hurt insects by making crystals inside them.
I get sprayed on to rivers and crops.

I don't do anything when I get into humans.

Bacillus subtilis

2007-01-03T04:38:00.000+09:00

Hi there.
My name is B. subtilis.
I am a Gram Positive bacteria, but I'm a rod.
I can be found in soil.

I can form an 'endospore', a little coating that protects me.
When I'm in my endospore I can survive very high temperatures.
I don't often hurt people, infact sometimes I help them.
I'm used in labratories to test tools like heating machines.

Enterococcus Faecalis

2007-01-01T22:05:00.000+09:00

Hello, I'm E. faecalis.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
I live in your intestines when you are healthy.

But I can be bad when I get into other parts of your body.
If your intestines are torn (like surgery or stabbing) I spill out and infect your abdomen.

I can also cause UTIs if you have a catheter.
I can infect leg ulcers, burns and blood.
When I infect your heart valves I'm very hard to get rid of.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

2006-12-31T00:39:00.000+09:00

Hello, I'm S. pneumoniae.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
Sometimes I'm known as the 'pneumococcus'.
I'm found in some people's airways.

I have a capsule coating that means I can be grouped into 80 'serotypes'.

I am the most common cause of pneumonia in healthy people, although I also get into smokers and the elderly.
I'm also cause lots of bacterial meningitis.

Streptococcus mutans

2006-12-19T20:02:00.000+09:00

Hello there.
I'm S. mutans.
I'm Gram Positive coccus.
Like my cousin S. sanguis, I'm an A haemolytic (Viridian) strep.

I am one of the most common causes of cavities.
I stick to the teeth using a sticky film the makes up dental plaque.
I make acid and eat away at your teeth.

Streptococcus sanguis

2006-12-16T07:55:00.000+09:00

Hi, I'm S. sanguis.
I am a Gram Positive coccus, but I am not a B haemolytic strep.
I am an A haemolytic strep, which means that when I'm grown on a blood agar plate, I end up green.
I am also known as a Viridian strep because of the green colour I make.

I am often found in the mouth.
I am a common cause of endocarditis, heart valve infection.
I can also cause mouth abscesses.

Streptococcus canis

2006-12-15T03:28:00.000+09:00

Hello there.
You can call me S. canis.
I'm a Gram positive coccus and a B haemolytic strep.
I am part of the G Lancefield group.

I'm mostly a dog bacteria and not very common at all in humans.
You can mostly get me from dog bites or open wounds.
Very occasionally I can cause pharyngitis and tonsillitis.

Streptococcus anginosus

2006-12-13T22:08:00.000+09:00

Hello, my name is S. anginosus.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
I'm often known to be in the Lancefield F group.
The names of my group members change depending where you live.
For example, we are called different things of the UK and USA!

I cause deep tissue abscesses with pus.
I can infect your blood, heart valves (endocarditis) and your bones (osteomyelitis).

Streptococcus bovis

2006-11-30T08:43:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm S. bovis.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus and in the D Lancefield group.
However, I only look like a B heamolytic strep in a test made from rabbit blood.
On another test, made from sheep blood, I am an A heamolytic strep.

I cause endocarditis and get into the blood to cause bacteraemia.
I am also found in alot of places where colon cancer is found.
So if you have me, you should always check for colon cancer.

Streptococcus equi

2006-11-26T16:53:00.000+08:00

Hello.
I'm S. equi.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus .
I'm a B heamolytic strep in the C Lancefield group.

I am mostly found in horses.
I infects their airways and lymph nodes.
If I do get into people, I can cause pharyngitis (sore throat) and tonsillitis.

Streptococcus agalactiae

2006-11-24T15:44:00.000+08:00

Hi!
My name is S. agalactiae.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus and a B heamolytic strep.
I'm part of the B Lancefield group.

I can get into women's genitalia.
In pregnant women, I cause premature labour, urinary tract infections and endometriosis, plus I get into the mother's blood.

But in the baby I am even more troublesome!
I cause pneumonia, meningitis, shock and bacteraemia (in the blood).

Streptococcus pyogenes

2006-11-22T19:02:00.000+08:00

Hello there.
My name is S. pyogenes.
I'm a Gram Positive coccus.
I'm whats known as a 'B heamolytic' strep, part of the Lancefield A group.

I live in the nose and mouth.
I am the number cause of pharyngitis - 'strep throat'.
I have many complications, including abscesses, otitis media and sinusitis.
I can also cause cellulitis, rashes, pyoderma (yellow pustules), gangrene, rheumatic fever and toxic shock.