Infection Control Today - 09/2001: Microbe of the Month

Article

My relatives are found in the environment, but not me; I dig stand-up types. I like to lurk around until my host's defenses are down. I'm always looking for a Big Mac rophage from which to rent space. I usually bum rides by droplet, and I've got a better "hang time" than "his royal Airness" Michael Jordan. Viruses-especially HIV-- really provoke me, helping pump up my disease rate. The best way to ID me is by taking a prickly test, but getting rid of me will take at least four meds. My resistant alter ego will challenge you to the max. When I'm made up, my bodacious bacilli are called "red snappers." I used to be known as consumption, and I'm one of the most prolific killers in history. I've been around for millenniums, and I'm not going away any time soon. Who am I?

Roger P. Freeman, DDS, is a dental infection control consultant and president of Infectious Awareables, Inc., an infection control promotional company, atwww.iawareables.com.

E-mail your answers tokpyrek@vpico.com. The names of the first 25 readers who supply the correct answer will be placed in a quarterly drawing for infection control-related prizes. Winners of the first quarter drawing will be announced in the February 2002 issue. The answers to last month's mystery microbe are: HSV 1 (Herpes Simplex), HSV 2 (Genital Herpes), Herpes Zoster, Epstein-Barr, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes 6, 7, 8.

Related Videos
Set of white bottles with cleaning liquids on the white background. (Adobe Stock 6338071172112 by zolnierek)
Medical investigators going over data. (AdobeStock 589197902 by Wasan)
CDC logo is seen on a laptop. (Adobe Stock 428450603 by monticellllo)
Association for the Health Care Environment (Logo used with permission)
COVID-19 germs, fungi, bacteria objects. (Adobe Stock 584704860 by chawalit)
Ambassador Deborah Birx, , speaks with Infection Control Today about masks in schools and the newest variant.
mRNA technology  (Adobe Stock 485886181 by kaptn)
Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD
Woman lying in hospital bed (Adobe Stock, unknown)
Related Content