(4 l>(£>rOJ E|03 EIW Q.“ilT--g-|(St<|oj£ TO Q.ICC C[(DIi Page 2 • The Battalion Health ■OnMBBHgRVf ^ - Science Monday • Octoberi o< Old diseases learn new tricks, not phased by treatmem By Katherine Arnold The Battalion The recent outbreak of the plague in India has raised questions about the possibility of recurrences in the United States. There are as many as 400 suspected cases of pneumonic plague in India. However, several of these are actually sicknesses such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Dr. David McMurray, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology at Texas A&M, has been conducting re search on tuberculosis, which once plagued the United States. At the turn of the century, tubercu losis was the number one killer of hu mans. Improvements in living stan dards and the advent of antibiotics helped to control the disease, McMur ray said. According to the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, eight million people contract tubercu losis and three million people die from it. In 1992, there were over 26,000 ac tive cases of tuberculosis in the Unit ed States. “So far we have discovered that the nutritional habits of the patient makes a difference,” McMurray said. “We have also tested vaccines that consist of genetically engineered re combinant DNA.” Tuberculosis is a disease that tar gets the lungs. Patients suffer from a cough, fever, troubled breathing, and weight loss. Patients can be totally cured with antibiotics if the disease is caught early enough. Janet Matthews, who works with the tuberculosis control program at the Bra zos County Health Department, said a person can contract the virus from a pa tient in which the virus is active. “A person may be exposed to the virus from an active-state patient, but the virus remains inactive for a long time,” Matthews said. “Within a year or two, when the defense systems finally break down, the person comes down with active tuberculosis.” The Brazos County Health Depart ment created the tuberculosis control program because Texas is among the top six states with the highest rate of tuberculosis. The program attempts to increase awareness about tuberculosis symptoms. Despite improved living conditions in the United States, Matthews said tu berculosis is resurging once again. She said an increased number of HIV-infected individuals has caused tu berculosis to remain active, because the immune system of an HIV-infected per son is more susceptible to infection. Also, an increased number of immi grants from countries with high rates of tuberculosis accounts for cases still ex isting in the United States, she said. These countries include Mexico, Viet nam and some Asian countries. Matthews said pockets of tuberculo sis exist in the United States among certain areas of the general population, such as the homeless and the under nourished. Interaction with such groups can cause the disease to spread. Researchers are still working to combat the disease. But doctors face new problems. “We are seeing the appearance of re sistance from the virus,” McMurray said. “The old treatments aren’t work ing anymore.” The virus develops an immunity to certain drugs, and those drugs are inef fective in treating tuberculosis, Mc Murray said. “This is a fairly hew development,” McMurray said. “We’ve not seen this before.” The Health Department reported Istan ALIO! that there have been no case; berculosis in the Brazos the past year. Ming < Tthan Newest antibiotics rendered useless before treatable but now resistant virusl; ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Germs resistant to antibiotics are spreading at an alarming rate in hospitals, and doc tors fear pneumonia, blood infections and other ills will become impervious to anything medicine can now throw at them. If this happens, routine ailments can become killers, especially among those whose bodies are already weak ened by disease. Nowhere is this problem more urgent than in hospitals, where the spread of infections has always been a big problem. About 85 percent of the types of bacteria responsible for hospital-acquired infections have gradually developed resis tance to common antibiotics, said Dr. Martin Favero of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A study outlined Friday shows just how dramatically these medicines are losing their punch. Among the most worrisome problems is the emergence of common intesti nal microbes called enterococci that are resistant to van comycin, the main drug used against them. Dr. Ronald N. Jones and others from the University of Iowa collected samples from 43 hospitals across the Unit ed States. They found that about 16 percent of enterococci can withstand vancomycin, and about half of these are also resistant to all the other primary antibiotics used against them — and even some drugs that have not been released yet for routine treatment. Enterococci can cause life-threatening bloodstream and heart infections. Of even more concern is the possibility that enterococci might pass their resistance on to other nasty microbes, such as staph bacteria, that doctors now stop with van comycin. . ;all - v - “This is a really terrifying potential,” Jones said ageoi The survey also showed that 18 percent of pneumj y t° * bacteria, which cause pneumonia, are resistant t«; it off cillin. Two-thirds of one variety of staphylococcusk; were resistant to ciprofloxacin, another commonantiti lianisi Jones presented his findings at an infectious-diseasf as nai ference sponsored by the American Society of Microbiol aragii Antibiotic resistance is almost as old as the anti !xua | J era, which began in the early 1940s with the disco™ Nati penicillin. Within a few years, doctors witnessedtk iking lution of microbes that were impervious to the medicii )na ' ^ Microbes acquire genes that shield them from the* ua / e This happens either through random genetic mutation isbian picking up a resistance gene from another strain ofbacte i r f™ 6 Over time, the resistant bacteria become dorainaa s abo their susceptible kin are killed off by antibiotics. i sa id Overuse of these powerful drugs is often blamedfj es P 0 sistance. Critics complain of a “B-52 approach"an ;a ks c some doctors who blitz their patients with a battq al sf 6 ' broad-based antibiotics, often when they are unsm 1 rea * actly what is making them sick. 16 f° 8 In hospitals, poor hygiene also appears to playai and doctors and nurses are likely to be the carriers.(( they fail to wash their hands between each patientoj ter using the toilet. “Tve seen nurses disconnect tubing with theirii hands and reconnect them with subsequent infei said Dr. Robert Weinstein of Michael Reese Hosj! Chicago. He said patients should demand that ha workers wash up before seeing them. X Alaska ( ! :> > | v* t< Hospital mega-merger Columbia-HCA Healthcare Corp., the nation’s largest hospital chain, is buying the second-largest, HealthTrust Inc. A look at the growing dominance of the two companies (locations are approximate): Columbia/HCA Hospitals HealthTrust Hospitals \ > Wash. / Ore. / \ Idaho \ \ **N.H / 7——....1 A Wyo. \ Calif. \ Nev. ; k ‘ \ " HI. •••“. u t, v l*4r Va - + lerui.'.,' Ky. y.C.*** i ) A • *. “•••■.. '**' ▲ A A\ • Okla.^Ark. Mj ss ^ ^ X X Health Iips Health Fair to help students fair healthie Source: Columbia/HCA, HealthTrust Inc. AP/Carl Fox By Amy Clark A.P. Beutel Health Center Do you know your cholesterol level? Have you had your blood pressure checked? What is your blood type, stress level or body composition? Have you been screened for glaucoma? Do you have questions about your health? Want to find out more about what is available on campus and in the community? Do you want to know more about health - physical, mental, social and spiritual? If so, come to the Health Fair! On Wed, Oct. 12, A.P. Beutel Health Center at Texas A&M University will present “Discover Health,” the 1994 Health and Wellness Fair. Literature, free screenings, entertainment and great prizes will be available. The Health Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the main walkway and Flagroom of the MSC on campus. The fair’s goal is to promote physical, mental, social and spiri tual health. The campus and community organizations will pro vide information on health issues to students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community that can help raise awareness and generate interest in healthy lifestyles. The information and ser vices offered at the fair will benefit all who attend. A variety of campus and community organizations will be represented at the fair. Some highlights include blood pressure screenings, glucose screenings, vision and glaucoma screenings. biofeedback and stress tests. Over 40 campus and com organizations will be represented at the fair, including: • Aerofit Health and Fitness Center • Aggies for Life •Aggie R.E.A.C.H. • American Red Cross Blood Services • A.P. Beutel Health Center • Brazos Animal Shelter •BVCAA Family Health Services • Brazos County Rape Crisis Center •Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Services • Eta Sigma Gamma •Fitlife • Health Promotion Program • March of Dimes • Mental Health/Mental Retardation • Phoebe’s Home • Planned Parenthood of Brazos • Texas A&M CDPE, The Rainbow Center • Texas A&M College of Medicine • Texas A&M Emergency Medical Services • Texas A&M Vegetarian Society •Texas Department of Public Safety • University Police Department hr group c ifeme Ik car th if the ca J Systi mg C c^Ojarden XX/slncf XXa/on 108 E North Bryan 846-4124 Professional Nail & Skin Care Services For Men & Women • Nall wraps & Gel Acrylic Nalls •European Facials with Massage •Manicures and. 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North, Bryan inwwamuBiwi BRAZOS VALLEY EXPLORE A WORLD OF SYMPHONY EXCITEMENT, ADVENTURE ORCHESTRA i—i r. inr LI V E AND ROMANCE The Music Of GINASTERA...Danza Finale From Danzas Dei Ballet “Estancia” (Argentina) KODALY...Hary Janos Suite (Hungary) BRAHMS...Symphony No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 98 (Germany) Bmaxch Valiev Symphony On cm mu MONDAY, OCTOBER 10th 8PM YOUR PASSPORT Tickets May Be Purchased At The TO Rudder Box Office Or Order By GREAT MUSIC Phone - 845-1234 P RO DISC I ; HIMfjfi • All CD's $6.95 - $8.95 n s • New Releases $11.99 • We pay up to $5.00 for pre-owned CD's • All CD's guaranteed • Listen before you buy (8 listening stations) • Check out our computerized look up static 11 705 1 113 College Main (Northgate) 846-6620