Page 9 - Microbiology and Life Science News

Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) are a species of parasitic roundworms that primarily infect dogs, but can also infect cats, wild canids, and, in rare cases, even humans. They are found in every state in the country and spread from one host to the next through mosquito bites, which deposit larval heartworms into the new host when they feed.  Since their lifecycle depends on mosquitos, infection rates are on the rise as human activities, such as irrigation and urban development, create new habitats suitable for mosquitos. Heartworm infections develop slowly, with symptoms often presenting themselves only months past since the initial transmission.

The first symptoms are innocuous enough, just a slight cough. As the worms grow and lodge themselves in the arteries leading into the heart and lungs, the coughing becomes worse and persistent.  The dog will exhibit difficulty breathing and a reluctance to exercise, which gets worse as time goes on. Eventually, a severe infection of heartworms

(Updated Feb, 2017) If you were to casually browse through Sterlitech's website, you may find that we have an incredible range of filter options. The casual browser may certainly find themselves overwhelmed looking for the right filter for their application. One of the most important aspects of filter selection is pore size, which determines the size of largest particles that can pass through the filter. Pore sizes are usually placed in one of two categories: nominal or absolute. So what's the difference? Nominal pore sizes A nominal pore size rating refers to a filter capable of preventing passage of a minimum percentage (usually between 60% and 90%)of solid particles of greater than the stated pore size, which is normally expressed in micrometers or microns. Conditions during filtration, such as operating pressure, shape of the particles and the concentration of particles, have a significant effect on the retention of the filters.  Sterlitech's glass and quartz fiber filters have nominal

Schistosomiasis is one of the most widespread diseases in the world, with an estimated 200 million people infected across the world. It is a chronic and debilitating disease caused by parasitic worms called schistosomes. The World Health Organization wants to have Schistosomiasis under control by 2020 and one of Sterlitech's customers, the Natural History Museum in London, is tackling the disease head on. The Natural History Museum, in partnership with other organizations including the Zanzibar Ministry of Health, is helping with the WHO's initiative with a special project called the Zanzibar Elimination of Schistosomiasis Transmission (ZEST). ZEST's goal is to reduce the number of new cases of schistosomiasis using a three-pronged approach to eliminate the worms that cause the disease:

• Treatment of infected people to kill the adult schistosome worms.
• Controlling the population of snails that host the parasite
• Preventing the eggs from entering the water supply by changing people's behavior.

In the remote mountains of northern Chile, miles away from nearest city or streetlight, construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) has begun.  Coupling an extremely wide field of view with a 3200 megapixel digital camera, the LSST will be able to capture the entire night sky every few days, generating a wealth of information that will be used to detect signatures of dark matter and dark energy, map the Solar System and the Milky Way and observe fleeting stellar phenomena like supernovae. In order to do this, the LSST relies on a complex system of lenses and reflecting mirrors to collect and focus incoming light; the largest of the mirrors is a mammoth 8.4 meters in diameter.  To get the clearest view of the most obscure celestial objects, the telescope’s mirrors and lenses need to be free of terrestrial contaminants. When the researchers working on the LSST asked us to recommend a filter media to keep dust out of a pressurized lens assembly, we recommended that they

Silicosis is one of the oldest known and widespread occupational lung diseases.  Caused by the inhalation of dust containing crystalline silica (SiO₂), it kills thousands of people each year around the world.  Silica is one of the most common minerals found in the crust and is released into the air when rocks, concrete, or sand are crushed, broken, or sprayed.  Construction workers, miners and those that work with masonry, glass, and ceramics are particularly susceptible to exposure to airborne silica dust. When inhaled, silica dust can lodge itself into the alveoli of lungs, deep enough that coughing and mucus cannot to remove it.  The tiny particles cause inflammation and, eventually, the build-up of scar tissue in the lungs.  The progress of the disease is gradual; many people with silicosis experience no symptoms initially.  However, as the nodules of fibrous scar tissue grow larger, symptoms such as chronic coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue can develop.

Since 2007, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project has been monitoring the impact of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) on public health at Doheny, Avalon, and Surfrider beaches in California (just when thought it doesn't get worse than peeing in the pool).  They explain and summarize their tracking efforts in a neat video below.   Sterlitech also offers analytical funnels, Grade F glass fiber filters, manifolds, and microbiological monitors that are similar to the ones you see in the video.  If you are also working with or involved in microbiological monitoring, we are also developing a new microbiological monitor that uses a polycarbonate membrane filter in place of the usual MCE filter.  You can contact us here, if you would like to learn more.

Sterlitech is helping researchers around the globe detect the presence of schistosome eggs, the cause of schistosomiasis, in human urine with its complete Schistosome Test kit.  Over 200 million people across the world suffer from Schistosomiasis, and nearly 700 million people live in places where it is endemic.  Sterlitech’s Schistosome Test Kit comes complete with everything needed to carry out fast, accurate tests in the field. “The symptoms of schistosomiasis can last for years and lead significant damage to a person’s liver, intestines or bladder,” notes Mark Spatz, president of Sterlitech Corporation.  “Accurately diagnosing patients with the disease can help track the source of the infection and make prevention and treatment easier.” Schistosomiasis begins when juvenile schistosome worms burrow through the skin of human host as they come into contact with contaminated water.  The immature worms travel through hosts, eventually settling in the veins near the intestines and

Place a polycarbonate (PCT) or polyester (PET) membrane under an electron microscope and you'll see something similar to the picture here: a smooth surface perforated with neat, cylindrical holes. In this aspect, PCT and PET membranes stand out from other membrane types such as PTFE, nylon, or silver which provide irregular, tortuous paths for permeates to follow. So how are the regular little pores created? Are they drilled, punched, molded or torn into the membrane? If you guessed etched in with the help of a nuclear reactor, then you are absolutely right.

Every PCT or PET membrane filter starts as a roll of plastic film stock. The film is exposed in a controlled manner to charged particles in a nuclear reactor. The charged particles pass through the film, leaving behind sensitized tracks. The density of these tracks in the film depends on the amount of time that the film is exposed to the reactor. More time in the reactor with result in more tracks and greater pore density in the finished