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a culture of service...
May, 2012
© 2012, Hardy Diagnostics,
all rights reserved
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Save time and money....
Rapid Test Methods
Hardy offers a variety of rapid test methods to streamline your ID protocols. Please feel free to ask for more information. Our microbiologists are
ready to help
in any way they can!
Aerococcus
spp,
StrepQuick
Campylobacter
spp,
Indoxyl Acetate
Candida albicans
,
AlbiQuick
Candida glabrata
,
GlabrataQuick
Candida glabrata
,
Rapid Trehalose
Clostridium difficile
,
C. diff PRO
Corynebacteria jeikeium
,
RSU Broth
Cryptococcus neoformans
,
Caffeic Acid
E. coli
,
ColiScreen
E. coli
,
Spot Indole
E. coli
O157,
E. coliPRO O157
Enterococcus
spp,
Rapid MGP
Enterococcus faecalis
,
PYR Test
Gardnerella vaginalis
,
Hippurate
Gemella
spp,
StrepQuick
Haemophilus
spp,
X and V Factors
Helicobacter pylori
,
Rapid Urea
Legionella
spp,
Latex Test Kit
Listeria
spp
.
,
Latex Test Kit
Moraxella catarrhalis
,
CatScreen
MRSA,
PBP2a Lateral Flow
Neisseria gonorrhoeae,
CarboFerm
Neisseria meningitidis
,
CarboFerm
Penicillin Resistance,
Nitrocef
Proteus,
Urea/PDA Disks
Staphylococcus aureus,
Coagulase Cryo
Staphylococcus aureus
,
StaphTex
Staphylococcus lugdunensis,
Rapid Ornithine
Streptococcus agalactiae
,
Carrot Broth
Streptococcus anginosus
,
Rapid Anginosis
Streptococcus pneumoniae
,
Bile Spot
Streptococcus pyogenes
,
PYR Test
Strep Typing,
StrepPRO Kit
Vibrio
spp,
O129 Disks
Request
a complete
Rapid Test Catalog.
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The way you like it...
Oxidase Tests
Hardy offers oxidase testing in three different formats to suit your preference; Swab Sticks, Paper Strips, and Dropper Bottles.
OxiSticks
Cat. no. Z193
OxiStrips
Cat. no. Z93
OxiDrops
Cat. no. Z119
Oxidase Powder
Cat. no. Z19
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Brainteasers
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Phraseology
"
The Bikini
"
The modern bikini was introduced by French fashion designer
Jacques Heim
in Paris in 1946.
Heim was working on a new kind of beach apparel. It comprised two pieces, the bottom large enough to cover its wearer's navel.
In May 1946, he advertised the bathing suit, known as the "Atome," as the world's "smallest bathing suit."
His partner named his swimsuit the "bikini", taking the name from the
Bikini Atoll
, one of a series of islands in the South Pacific where testing on the new atomic bomb was occurring that summer.
Thus, the swimsuit was named the "bikini" because it was believed its revealing style would create reactions among people similar to those created by America's atomic bomb in Japan just one summer earlier.
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Think about it...
* Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
* Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway...
* Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
* Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
*Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
* * *
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Wisdom to ponder...
Herbert Hoover
1864 ~ 1964
A mining engineer who became the President of the US from 1929 to 1933. The stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression occurred 8 months into his presidency.
"Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die."
"About the time we can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends."
"Once upon a time my political opponents honored me as possessing the fabulous intellectual and economic power by which I created a worldwide depression all by myself."
"Peace is not made at the council table or by treaties, but in the hearts of men."
"Prosperity cannot be restored by raids upon the public Treasury."
"The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul."
"There are only two occasions when Americans respect privacy, especially in Presidents. Those are prayer and fishing."
"America - a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose."
"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt."
"Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress."
"Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity."
"It is just as important that business keep out of government as that government keep out of business."
"New discoveries in science will continue to create a thousand new frontiers for those who still would adventure."
* * * * *
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Craving your comments...
How are we doing?
Are you a Hardy customer? If so, we need your help in assessing our performance.
At Hardy Diagnostics, we are fanatics about implementing Continuous Improvement. Would you please take a moment to answer two questions?
It should only take a minute or two and would be an immense help to us in honing our skills.
Provide some feedback...
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QUICK LINKS...
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Want to receive the MicroBytes
Newsletter
at home?
CLICK HERE
Want to review past issues
of MicroBytes?
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Did you know?
Hardy Diagnostics...
-
Is celebrating its 32nd year of serving microbiologists.
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Maintains eight distribution centers in the U.S. for faster turn around time to your lab.
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Is
ISO 13485
certified for the manufacture of medical devices to give you confidence in our products.
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Offers you its technical manual,
HUGO
, which contains over 4,500 pages of information regarding microbiology.
-
Maintains a worldwide network of over 40
distributors.
Send a
message to the president
.
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Micro Musings..
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Do Doctor Fish
A new trend in sp
as around the world is the use of fish to feed on the dead skin of it patrons. The
Garra rufa,
or commonly known as "Docto
r Fish" are small carp originating from the Middle East that prefer to dine on human skin.
This method is being used for the trea
tmen
t of eczema and psoriasis, since the fish will aggressively eat the dead skin of those afflicted. The toothless fish actually prefer the thickened dead skin found in these disease conditions.
However, there are health concerns about using this bizarre method of therapy. A re
cent study conducted in the UK found the following potentially pathogenic bacteria in several batches of fish imported from Indon
esia:
Vibrio vulnificus
Mycobacterium
spp
Aeromonas
spp.
Streptococcus agalactiae
(Group B
)
In addition, the UK Health Protection Agency issued a warning last year that
fish foot spas could po
tentially spread blood borne viruses such as Hepatitis and HIV if infected clients ble
ed into the spa water
.
Several states in the US have banned this practice, since the use of fish conflict with regulations that require all instruments used in a pedicure to be either sterilized or discarded.
The Doctor Fish are far too expensive to throw away after each use.
Although the reported incidence of disease caused by Doctor Fish has been low to date, the
CDC is monitoring
the situation closely.
The use of pedicure fish have become increasingly popular throughout the world at numerous health and beauty spas. The United Kingdom has 279 such spas, and the practice continues to grow rapidly in Asia and Europe.
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MicroTips
Your mother may have been inclined to "preach to the choir" from time to time, telling you repeatedly what you already knew. If so, imagine what Mom might say to you if she supervised the mycology lab.....
"Clean your room!"
Clutter can be the enemy of an efficient mycology lab. Space is a premium in most laboratories, so maximize your success by cleaning up often. Use folders, notebooks, etc. for paper documents. Keep the computer area neat and ergonomically friendly,.Shelve reference texts after you use them. And, yes, swab the bench tops with a disinfectant before and after use.
"Keep the incubators clean!"
The time it takes to swab the inside of the mycology incubators with 70% ethanol at least weekly will probably be time well spent. If you have never experienced mite contamination you can't appreciate how much benefit constant incubator cleaning is worth. It takes only one breakdown in culture handling and incubator maintenance to make one realize how important a pest-free incubator is to successful diagnostic mycology.
"Rotate your media stock!"
Store the freshest media behind the oldest. When you grab a pack of plates or slants, read the date on the pack to be sure you are using in-date supplies which are in compliance with lab policy.
"Double check your labeling!"
Missmarked tubes or plates must never be allowed. Those cultures are not just growing microbes. They represent a patient whose well-being depends on your accurate culture identification and reporting out results under the correct patient name.
"Give thanks for your job!"
These are tough times. The job you now have may not be the job you would like to have in a few months or years, but it is what you presently have, so work at it like your life depends on it. Maybe it does?
"Be nice to others!"
Treat your co-workers with respect. This may be Mom's toughest assignment for you, but harmony can go a long way in getting through the day efficiently. Mom would appreciate it.
Submitted by James Harris, PhD
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Can Infections Cause Cancer?
One in every six cancers worldwide is caused by a bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral infection that is preventable or treatable, according to new estimates published in the journal,
Lancet Oncology.
The research, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France, indicates infections are attributable to approximately 2 million new cancer cases every year.
The four main infections that account for 1.9 million of these types of cancer cases are:
-
Human papillomaviruses (HPV)
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Helicobacter pylori
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Hepatitis B (HBV)
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Hepatitis C (HCV)
The most common cancers caused by these infections were gastric, liver, and cervical cancers. In women, cervical cancer accounted for 50 percent of the infection-related cancer burden, while in men, liver and gastric cancers accounted for more than 80 percent of the burden.
Of the 7.5 million deaths from cancer worldwide in 2008, approximately 1.5 million were due to infections.
The authors of the study claim that the "application of existing public-health methods for infection prevention, such as vaccination, safer injection practices, or antimicrobial treatments, could have a substantial effect on the future burden of cancer worldwide."
Cancers caused by infections generally have a higher mortality rate than other cancers, according to the researchers. To measure the rates, the researchers conducted an analysis that included data on 27 cancers in 184 countries. They found 16 percent of all cancers worldwide stemmed from infections, however the rates varied by region.
In less-developed countries, 22.9 percent of cancers are due to infection, whereas in more-developed countries the figure is 7.4 percent.
The highest proportion of infection-related cancers was found in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in three cancers is caused by an infection (32.7 percent). In comparison, figures from the U.S. and Canada indicate that 4 percent of cancers in North America are due to infection.
The countries with the lowest rates of infection-related cancers are Australia and New Zealand, with estimates of 3.3 percent.
The numbers of cases are similar for men (990,000 cases) and women (1,100,000 cases), but the specific cancers are very different.
One thing that infection-associated cancers have in common is that a chronic infection is required. It takes decades for an infection, which causes chronic inflammation, to progress to cancer.
As this new research indicates, control of cancer can be partially accomplished by effective infection control.
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Optical oddities...
Can you find a hidden face?
Actually, there are five of them.
"Believe half of what you see
and none of what you hear."
~ Marvin Gaye
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Take the MicroBytes Survey...
Compared to when you were a child,
is our educational system better or worse?
According to the
Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA), here is how America ranks
for secondary education compared to other countries:
Reading - #17
Math - #31
Science - #23
China was ranked #1 for all three categories.
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See the results of the survey...
In what state is your favorite vacation place?
Find out
where your fellow MicroBytes readers like to vacation and why these places are so special to them.
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The dog says: "You feed me
and give me shelter...
You must be god."
The cat says: "You feed me
and give me shelter...
I must be god."
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"I Child-proofed my house....
but somehow they keep coming back."
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