In the News: Virus Swarms and a (New) Paelo Diet

Fig.1. Child receiving polio vaccine (Credit: USAID Bangladesh)

"Mutant viral swarms," heirloom culture collections, and stone tools from 32,000 years ago are all in the science news this week. Read more to learn how emerging viral diseases and food security are studied using novel approaches to scientific collections:

In the News: DNA Detectives

Fig.1. Transmission electron micrograph of two avian influenza A (H5N1) virions. H5N1 can cause the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which can jump the bridge between birds and humans (Credit: Cynthia Goldsmith/Jackie Katz, CDC)

New DNA technology and its applications can take disease research and response to the next level. For this week’s #FollowFriday post, read about tracing listeria outbreaks, testing for parasites, a portable DNA sequencer, and more:

Saving the Avocado Tree, One Beetle at a Time

Fig.1. The redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) is currently wreaking havoc among avocado crops in Florida. (Credit: USDA, 2012)

Little do guacamole lovers know that two different types of ambrosia beetles -- Xyleborus glabratus and Euwallacea sp. -- and the fungi they carry are terrorizing avocado groves in Florida and California, respectively, where more than 99% of the U.S.’s avocado crop is grown. But fear not, the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Crop Bioprotection Research Unit is on the case.

No Man is an Island

Fig.1. Salmonella bacteria can cause food poisoning and typhoid fever

One mild September day around 4 p.m. nearly two years ago, members of FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network sat down with their state and federal partners to talk about a Salmonella outbreak. They quickly traced the outbreak’s source to a brand of peanut butter sold in Trader Joe’s. By 8 p.m. EDT that evening, they had a call with Trader Joe’s corporate offices, and by 9:40 p.m., Trader Joe’s issued a nationwide advisory to remove the product from their shelves.