Death by diarrhea is one of the ten leading causes of mortality globally. Every single minute, tens of thousands of cases of gastrointestinal illnesses emerge globally. Every day, these diseases kill thousands of children, a greater figure than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Gastrointestinal infections, commonly associated with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, can be … Continue reading The Scoop on the Poop: Eliminating Gastrointestinal Infections
Infectious Disease Rhetoric & Stigma: Evolution over Time
The impact of infectious diseases extends far beyond the symptoms experienced, hospitalizations observed, number of lives lost, and jobs left uncertain due to associated economic upheaval. Across distinct health systems and even cultures, particular social consequences and stigmas seem to be associated with infectious disease outbreaks both large and small. So topical has this become … Continue reading Infectious Disease Rhetoric & Stigma: Evolution over Time
IMMUNOLOGY 101 – B-cell Activation
B cells circulate throughout our blood, lymph, and secondary lymphoid organs. Sometimes, in the lymph nodes and spleen, soluble components from a pathogen appear. B cells, expressing a molecule called a B cell receptor at its surface, can bind those components (called antigens) directly. Cross-linking occurs, wherein many nearby B cell receptors recognize components of … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – B-cell Activation
IMMUNOLOGY 101 – T-cell Activation
The innate response is typically enough to resolve the vast majority of infections. For the minority of cases for which it doesn’t quite suffice, the adaptive response enters the picture. This is where we have B cells generating antibodies, and T cells making cytokines and killing infected cells. Also at the site of infection are … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – T-cell Activation
IMMUNOLOGY 101 – The Innate Immune Response
The innate immune response is tasked with responding immediately to an invading pathogen and getting rid of it before disease develops. You may wonder - how does the innate response recognize something as being an invading pathogen? How does it see the danger? How does it know something is foreign? The cells of our innate … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – The Innate Immune Response
IMMUNOLOGY 101 – An Overview of the Immune System
Our earth is home to trillions of microorganisms. On a daily basis, we are exposed to countless viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, and yet, while many of these microscopic organisms are disease-causing, we aren’t perpetually bed-ridden and calling in sick from work. We have our body’s defense system to thank for that. The What! In … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – An Overview of the Immune System