DailyDirt: When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think Horses -- Not Zebras (Usually)

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There are plenty of fictional medical dramas where doctors miraculously discover a wrong diagnosis that leads to a recovery or a cure or... a highly suspicious murder suspect. Some of these stories are based in reality, but they aren't filed under suspense or drama for no good reason. For all the budding script (not of the computer code variety) writers out there, here are just a few medical curiosities that might come in handy.

• Melioidosis is a disease that is usually restricted to southeastern Asia and Australia. However, the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, that causes this disease is apparently spreading from 45 known countries to 34 more nations with tropical climates. The germ can kill a person in under 48 hours and can survive in distilled water for decades. [url]
• The headline-grabbing Ebola outbreak has been officially declared as over. The virus still lurks in survivors, though, and there have already been some cases of flare-ups from patients who had recovered. [url]
• After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, a strange rise in symptoms related to Parkinson's Disease were reported. A volatile compound released by mold, 1-octen-3-ol (aka mushroom alcohol), seems to be the culprit. The extensive amount of water damage caused an incredible amount of mold to grow, releasing this environmental toxin. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: bacteria, burkholderia pseudomallei, diagnosis, disease, ebola, environmental toxin, medicine, melioidosis, mold, parkinson's disease, virus