Docs Link Ulcer Drop, Asthma Boom

There's a good chance it's fecal matter: study

(NEWSER) - If you’re reading this on your smartphone, you might want to go wash your hands now: A new study out of London finds that one out of six cellphones has fecal matter on it. UK researchers swabbed 390 mobile phones and the British hands that used them, and found that 16% of both were contaminated with E. coli bacteria—which, yes, comes from poop, Time reports. More»

New gene makes bacteria resistant to virtually all antibiotics

(NEWSER) - People in three states have fallen prey to a new breed of superbugs, bacteria carrying a gene that makes them impervious to virtually any antibiotic. All three patients had recently received medical treatment in India, where the gene was first discovered, and has become widespread, the AP reports. “It’s a great concern,” said one infectious disease specialist. “It’s just a matter of time” until the gene, which was carried by three different bacteria in the US cases, spreads more broadly. More»

Excessive immune reaction may be at fault in Mexican deaths

(NEWSER) - The swine flu sweeping through Mexico is wreaking havoc among young adults in particular, reports the Washington Post, with the entire death toll as of yesterday comprised of those between 25 and 50. Some believe the trouble for young adults is an overpowering immune reaction that ravages throat and lung tissue, but epidemiologists speculate that young people are contracting the illness because they gather together more. More»

A chemical in sprouts helps fight cancer-causing bacteria

(NEWSER) - Broccoli is good for you, but its proto-form might be even better, according to a new study. Eating a couple ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months helped patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium known to cause ulcers and stomach cancer. The baby broccoli reduced inflammation and infection by triggering production of helpful enzymes, Reuters reports. More»

(AP) - Wash your hands, folks, especially you ladies. A new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find. "One thing that really is astonishing is the variability between individuals, and also between hands on the same individual," said University of Colorado biochemistry assistant professor Rob Knight, a co-author of the paper. More»