I'm a microbiologist, (bacteriology) ask me whatever you want.

For whatever this is worth:

My neighbor is an internationally renown epidemiologist (no! I will NOT give his name), he has rarely been home for several days, and is too distracted to even wave when driving to his house. He's usually quite friendly, and has that funny-as-hell, sarcastic professor sense of humor.

answer ;)

Thread: Chinese Virus update Aus: Coronavirus outbreak: Second patient at Gold Coast University Hospital tests positive

all Chinese and other international flights have been screened beginning last week....

it means nothing as it has already snuck through...


interesting? i trained diedre tame, our western australian pandemic expert, but haven't spoken in years.. i'll contact her and let you know...

2019 nCov could have started as early as October, and no later than November.

What I've pondered is if there has already been human to human transmission through out the world, doctors wouldnt even think of testing for this.

On top of that, currently you have to meet a criteria to even be tested.

As far as I understand, only cdc is testing, and samples have to be shipped by mail to them for testing.

I've wondered if it's already been here, seems possible. Even probable.

But, the flu has also been a tough one, and most likely you are not dealing with 2019 nCov.

Is corona related to Kingella kingae in children?

You need Jesus, brother!

Op, How much wood could a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could chuck wood?

We'll see in a few weeks.



Never claimed to be a virologist or mycologist, viruses and funghi were not my scope my field was bacteriology, and i was a lab tech not a researcher i said as such.

I gave my input because i know more than the layman and i was seeing a hell of a lot of crap on the forum here, id suspect if you are a practing biochemist you know a hell of a lot more than i do about viruses.

I did study, haematology, biochemistry, immunology etc as part of my microbiology degree.

Jumping onboard to follow.



Just before and after Christmas, here in central Alabama, people in my family were experiencing what seems to have been the flu. While at a family gathering at my niece's on the 23rd, without any warning such as abdominal pain, I suddenly found myself with 'the runs', hardly making it to the restroom a number of times that afternoon. I didn't eat anything while there, so never attributed this problem with the gathering itself. Meanwhile, an elderly Aunt and Uncle living about 40 miles away cancelled Christmas with us DUE to a gastric illness similar to what I experienced.

It took a few days to clear, though still not completely, which, until now, just seemed unusual to me. I have developed mild to moderately severe feelings of nausea at times, a bit of cramping in various places in my torso (currently near my kidneys, while last week in front near my spleen) along with very mild cold symptoms on and off ever since. I'm pretty much never ill, eat an almost 100% organic diet, live alone, and rarely go out...so whatever my immune system continues to battle has been a curious mystery.

About a week after Christmas, my niece developed high fever and a massive kidney infection, while her two young children, whose cold symptoms have seemed to continue in an on and off fashion ever since the holidays ended, have both needed Urgent Care at separate points by mid January. One child was diagnosed within the past week with croup...of all things.

One month has passed since the gathering, also attended by her brother and his family, who drove up from Naples, Florida. The three of them are currently sick with massive flu-like symptoms, his wife bed-ridden the last two days with high-fever, with my nephew having sought ER care yesterday for high fever and flu-like symptoms.

______

I'm only adding all of this because all these events within one family seems a bit more than odd.

Most of us have shopped at big box stores during and after the holiday season. There's an increasing amount of foodstuffs from China on the shelves, while Orientals with masks on their faces roam the same aisles we have.

All this said...

is three ANY possibility that this virus has already been lurking among us for at least a month, with us getting infected slowly enough over time to somehow act upon our immune systems in a mild, yet recurring, fashion?

I know I'm grasping at straws here, but it seems to me that there may be patterns at work here which might easily be overlooked, yet, significant. Just thought I'd add the strangeness my family continues to be experiencing, though miles apart,

What's the chance this IS a virus that specifically targets immune systems, which then leaves it up to the body to figure out how to deal with it according to the health status of each individual as the vector seeks out places to hide or grow?

Apologies for my babbling on so.

Op, How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

I've been sick with bad colds 3 times since september, im sick right now with a cold, which is mild but ive had extreme fatigue, i normally get a cold perhaps once every 18 months - 2 years, and flu maybe once a decade.

I've pondered if this is already doing the rounds since late last year. Not sure why it would seem so severve in china though, overworked malnourished population? a local mutation?

we dont have those over here, but back at you bro, how many licks does it take to play a guitar like stevie ray vaughn?

I have a dear school friend who's a fed ex air bus pilot who is stuck in Wuhan. How best should we try to get him out of there?

Hmmm, milk spills out of titties onto my face.

Where you from?

2019 nCov could have started as early as October, and no later than November.

What I've pondered is if there has already been human to human transmission through out the world, doctors wouldnt even think of testing for this.

On top of that, currently you have to meet a criteria to even be tested.

As far as I understand, only cdc is testing, and samples have to be shipped by mail to them for testing.

I've wondered if it's already been here, seems possible. Even probable.

But, the flu has also been a tough one, and most likely you are not dealing with 2019 nCov.

Is he wearing a space suit around the hood?

Granted im not a virologist and my virology is very very rusty. I need to clear some stuff up thats been bugging, me though.

People keep stating that the fatality rate of this virus is for example 3.9% because 39/1000 cases have died, thats not how it works at all. 950+ of those cases still have to recover.

If a virus infects 10 people and within a week 1 person dies, it doesnt mean the virus has a fatality rate of 10%, it just means currently 10% have died, the other 9 still have to fully recover.

Epidemiologists look at the "big" picture. What is his/her base degree in?

Sorry, as a biochemist, I discount most others as wishful thinkers.

I do throw props to physicists and geneticists.

Do you think Hong Kong Phooey can save China and the planet?

No, but he is not putting the top down on his Beamer. Does that count?

No, but he is not putting the top down on his Beamer. Does that count?

OP, you seem to have missed my question. Would you mind answering? Thank you.

One thing about chinese that makes it possibly different than here, They SHARE meals from a single plate in many instances.. They will make beautiful plates of different types, typically have a soup bowl of their own, but will pick up items off a single plate with chopsticks, and even place items into someone else's soup bowl, like for the elderly.

we dont have those over here, but back at you bro, how many licks does it take to play a guitar like stevie ray vaughn?

Ill be honest here, had to look this up quickly, coccobacilli implicated in Spondylodiscitis, Osteomyelitis and disease in ummunocompromised adults, never heard of this, interesting, probably one of those things like h.pylori thats slipped under the radar.

It shouldnt be related no as one is a virus and what you mentioned is a bacteria, is there a co reaction/infection with corona viruses and this coccobacilli bacteria, i have no idea.

I believe the only thing we have determined in this thead is that this wuhan corona virus is a novel/new virus that seems to have jumped from bats to people, and its having a sars like affect on people symptomatically, its viron structure probably facilitates adherance to alveoli of the lungs, which id guess causes localized immune responce and thus it hits peoples respiratory systems hard.

Did you all see that serpent lash out like that? Not very professional for a microbiologist, now is it.

I think they are literally trying to call the "common cold" a "contagion outbreak".

Gee I wonder why they would want to do that?