• Question: Although you take precautions when handling harmful bacteria, have you ever been infected by a strain of bacteria as a result of handling it?

    Asked by danrumford to Johnson, Cat, Daz, Holly, Pamela on 17 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan,

      I don’t think that I have, but sometimes it’s very hard to tell because you can have asymptomatic infection. Do you know what that is?

      I do have a friend who got infected with Cryptosporidia. Have you ever heard of that? Well it’s not pretty to say the least and she spent two weeks moving between her bed and her bathroom before she started feeling better! She thinks she got it from someone who was working on the lab bench beside her who didn’t have very good aseptic technique!

      What do you think would be the worst thing to be infected with?

      Cat

    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan,
      I have never worked with any bacteria that would be harmful to me so I haven’t accidentally become infected. Quite often if they think you might get infected by what you are working on you have to have vaccinations and take extra precautions to make sure you don’t get it.
      Hope that helps
      Pam 🙂

Comments

  • Photo: danrumford

    danrumford commented on :

    Thanks for your answers 🙂 Not really sure what asymptomatic infection is? I’m not really sure what I think the worst thing to be infected with would be, although Cryptosporidia sounds pretty bad! What about you, what do you think the worst thing to be infected with is?

    • Photo: Pamela

      Pamela commented on :

      Hi Dan,
      Asymptomatic infection means that you have got the virus or bacteria inside you and that it can replicate inside you but not cause any disease. I think that maybe the worst bacterial infection would be Cholera!! It is pretty nasty disease!
      Hope that helps
      Pam 🙂

    • Photo: Cat

      Cat commented on :

      Hey Dan,

      Yup so asymptomatic infection is exactly what Pam says and as you can imagine, if someone has an infection in their body but if not feeling sick so is carrying on with their normal life, they might be transmitting the bug to more people than if they felt sick and stayed at home to recover!

      Hmmmm, Cholera is pretty awful! Do you know what the symptoms are for a perrson with cholera, disgusting! You should look them up! I think HIV would be the worst to be infected with. Not only because it’s an awful disease but for many years you are asymptomatic and therefore can spread this awful disease to other people without you knowing if you are sick. That’s why it’s so important to certain risk groups (people who are more predisposed to infection) get tested regularly to stop them spreading the disease.

      Cat

      • Photo: Pamela

        Pamela commented on :

        I agree that HIV is pretty awful but I was going for a bacterial infection 😛 If we go for viruses I think Ebola is a pretty horrible virus (it’s kind of not to bad for the world as it does not spread too much and just kills quickly) but if you get it boy that is horrible.