Welcome to the latest issue of The Pathologist!
Welcome back to the Sunday roundup! As we near the end of the year, we decided to collate our favorite infectious disease articles, interviews, and news stories for you to browse through. From accessible and reliable testing for mpox to the avian influenza threat brewing in mink fur farms, we’ve covered a lot of ground. Have a scroll and see what we’ve picked…
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We sat down with Ayesha Khan, social justice activist and Clinical Microbiology Fellow, Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States, about antimicrobial resistance, and how society, politics, health, and science are inextricably intertwined. “As I grew older, I had to deal with the fact that capitalist healthcare systems, almost everywhere, are profiting from sickness – without ever addressing the core root to social conditions that are making people sick in the first place. No one walks out with a prescription for food and water. I realized that we try to address disease in a vacuum – as if it is totally unaffected by the environment around it.”
Is mink fur farming a ticking time bomb for a potential pandemic? We spoke to Thomas Peacock, virologist from Imperial College London, and Shely Bryan from Humane Society International about the threat of avian influenza A H5N1 brewing in these fashion-fueled farms. “It’s an industry that doesn't really serve a huge purpose. It is also a dying industry. If we stop it early, it wouldn’t be a bad thing – not only for the poor mink, but also for human pandemic preparedness.”
Mpox testing has certainly improved, but there are still significant barriers to address and lessons to learn. Many of these challenges can be addressed with better collaboration between industry and clinical labs. “One key message we learned from COVID-19 is that companies need to do more to get reliable testing materials into the hands of test developers – both for clinical labs and for commercial test manufacturers,” writes Erica Frew.
How can we use emerging technologies to stay ahead of the threat of a pandemic? Anona Bamford tells us how we need to optimize molecular testing and establish pandemic preparedness networks. “Molecular diagnostics offer us an opportunity to monitor populations, quickly identify and address infectious diseases, and even distinguish between multiple illnesses with similar or nonspecific symptoms. To take full advantage of these tests’ capabilities, we need to ensure that all people have equitable access to them – and we need to establish a pandemic preparedness infrastructure that allows us to act quickly on the information they provide.”
Don’t Kick the Dust: Disease in Climate Change California
We interviewed Royce Johnson, Chief of Infectious Disease at Kern Medical and Medical Director at the VFI, to learn more about valley fever – an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides and exacerbated by man-made climate change.
What’s New in Infectious Disease?
Fancy an ultra-quick review of the latest infectious disease news? Look no further. From environmental bacteriophages to cap snatching viruses, see the five stories we decided to include in this rapid research roundup!
Educational e-book: ‘Catch’ the latest in infectious disease!
A curated collection of the most important infectious disease stories
Interested in infection? Gripped by organisms? You’ll love our latest e-book.
In this interactive download, you’ll find coverage of the intense world of infection – everything from interviews with experts to ground-breaking research. Hear from researcher Craig MacLean on the role of agriculture, antibacterials, and resistances among host AMPs; an interview with Royce H. Johnson on the increasing prevalence of valley fever; a chat with author Jonathan Kennedy on his theory that germs have shaped history; and so much more, sponsored by LGC Clinical Diagnostics | SeraCare.
Celebrating the Powerful Profiles from ASCP, Revvity, and XiFin
Spotlighting iconic figures from the field: Industries are shaped by leaders – the movers, shakers, and positive disruptors. From all kinds of backgrounds, these people are fundamental to the technological and scientific breakthroughs that improve patient care. In “Powerful Profiles,” we’ll be spotlighting individuals from ASCP, Revvity, and XiFin who are crucial to the success of the industry’s leaders.
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The Power List 2023: Storybook Edition
Welcome to The Pathologist Power List 2023, featuring the tales of 25 laboratory professionals – told in their own words
The 2023 iteration of our annual Power List is a veritable pathology anthology – a collection of topical, anatomical, and sometimes comical stories from the lab. After hundreds of submissions, our expert judging panel believed these final 25 tales to be symbolic of the amazing work that goes on day in, day out across the field – spanning multiple topics, subspecialties, and continents.
When brainstorming for a theme for this year’s Power List, we wanted to flip the idea on its head somewhat. We wanted to shake things up and get to the heart of the laboratory experience. And who would be better equipped for the task than the people who live and breathe pathology and laboratory medicine every day? And so, we asked for your tales from the lab – the highs, the lows, the unexpected twists. The final result signals that each and every person working in the lab has a unique story to tell.
Whether inspiring or interesting, heart-warming or funny (thank you, Mr Head-Holes), we believe that the Power List 2023: Storybook Edition has something for everyone – while shining a spotlight on the important work that you all do.
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Interested in all things infectious disease? Then check out ID Transmission today!
ID Transmission brings you the latest research and innovations in the field of infectious diseases and tackles hard-hitting and thorny topics that many others shy away from. Their mission is to keep you informed, start conversations, and connect all disciplines and specialities working within this fast-paced area.
There are a number of ways to stay up to date with the latest from ID Transmission…