As journalist Sierra Upton notes in a recent YouTube report: “Imagine if you had to wear a hat, a sweatshirt, pants and sunscreen just to walk down the block. Now imagine that you could only be...

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of both medical and veterinary importance. There are two species associated with human infection; Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis. This parasite is present...

Though this horribly disabling disease is virtually unknown to many Americans, trachoma is responsible for an estimated 7-8 million cases of permanent blindness particularly in the Middle East and Africa. The...

From the Spanish meaning “painted”, pinta is an acute and chronic non-venereal treponemal infection of the skin. It is caused by the spirochete Treponema carateum. Pinta is found in rural areas of...

The difficult battle between public health and personal liberty reached it’s nexus on June 30 when California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 277 into law, which effective July 1, 2016 requires children...

Buruli ulcer, one of the neglected tropical diseases, has in recent years been spreading greatly, particularly in western Africa. What organism causes Buruli ulcer? Buruli ulcer is a bacterial infection...

This disfiguring tropical disease is caused by the spirochete, Treponema pertenue. This species is morphologically indistinguishable from the agent of venereal syphilis, Treponema pallidum. Yaws is predominately...

French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) has to be ranked up there as one of the greatest contributors to the areas of microbiology and infectious diseases. A painter and a teacher, Pasteur studied chemistry...

The German physician Robert Koch (1843-1910) contributed so much to the field of microbiology and infectious diseases. A contemporary of Louis Pasteur, Koch worked as a physician most of his life. Some...

The lone wolf may have been a myth when British author John Fowles was writing his postmodern novel about the mental darkness of young teacher Nicholas Urfe, but in the modern times – the lone wolf is...