How important is hand-washing outside of a hospital environment?

I recently spent a weekend visiting a friend out of state and quickly came to realize that he rarely washed his hands. Before eating? No. After the gym? No. Even after going to the bathroom…and not just urination. No washing! I was disgusted and could not convince him of the same. How could an educated …

Interesting #bioart; “Bacteria from 300-year-old Ovid poetry volume inspires ‘bio-artist'”

Came across this pretty interesting story today, an article in the Guardian entitled “Bacteria from 300-year-old Ovid poetry volume inspires ‘bio-artist’”.  Basically the artist found an old book, and then cultured microbes from it, using her own blood to make blood agar plates.  Voila, cool microbe art with history mixed in.        

Worth a look: DNA Links Deadly Germs, Tainted Heart Surgery Devices To German Factory 

Quick post here. This is definitely worth a look for those interested in hospital acquired infections, microbial genomics, and genomic epidemiology or related topics. LivaNova plant in Germany is the likely source behind outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people since 2013. Source: DNA Links Deadly Germs, Tainted Heart Surgery Devices To German Factory …

Dirty money: interesting data but unclear what implications are

OK.  So money has microbes on it.  Not surprising.  And when people find out such information they frequently go overboard in the germophobia. See for example these stories from over the years 1999: Filthy Lucre – Paper Money As A Vector Of Disease 2010: Dirty money 1: Expect germs 2010: How Bad Are Germs on Money 2012: …