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Swashbuckling for mumps!

27/6/2019

 
“Can I notify a case of meningitis?” asked the sleepy sounding Junior Doctor.
 
“You notify Public Health England, not Microbiology” explained the Microbiologist.
 
“Damn, I thought I asked for PHE, sorry” said the Doctor. “Oh well, I‘ll call them in a moment. Can I ask you about the patient as well?”
 
“Sure”
 
“The patient is an eighteen year old student back from University for the holidays. They have a severe headache, neck stiffness and photophobia. We are about to do a lumbar puncture. Is there anything additional we should look for?”
 
“Don’t forget the protein and glucose, but have you thought of mumps? Has the patient been vaccinated?”
 
“Errrr….sorry I don’t know”
​

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Tropical storm over a Caribbean diagnosis

19/6/2019

 
The Neurologist came to chat to the Microbiologist about a complex and puzzling patient. The patient had presented with back pain and acute retention of urine; she was also shown to have some weakness in her legs as well as brisk knee reflexes. The Neurologists had been convinced that she had some form of disc prolapse or some other lesion pressing on her spinal cord and so had done a scan of her back but this was completely normal.

​The Microbiologist asked where the patient had been born and after ringing the ward to find out the Neurologist reported that the patient had actually been born and spent her childhood in the Caribbean.
Tropical Spastic Paraparesis, Human T Lymphotrophic Virus infection, TSP, HTLV Associated Myelopathy or HAM

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My Tabby Cat gave me TB… again!

12/6/2019

 
Five years ago The Daily Mail newspaper ran an article titled “Could you catch TB from YOUR tabby?” and of course as a Microbiologist and an owner of 5 cats, I had to blog on that!  However recently this subject has impacted my clinical work.

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    Blog Author:

    David Garner
    Consultant Microbiologist
    Surrey, UK

    Please DO NOT advertise products and conferences on our website or blog

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