Infectious diseases – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Jul 22 2024 10 ep. 1 mins 6.5k

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What is the best strategy to mitigate the impact of fungal infections in people? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Fungal infections of people are on the rise, Arturo Casadevall, Johns Hopkins professor and author of “Will the Fungi Win?” states. That’s true because climate change is stimulating the organisms to become more capable of thriving at body temperatures, which used to be too hot for them. Casadevall says don’t panic yet. Casadevall: The way to prepare is science when I went t

Worrisome fungal infections are on the rise, Elizabeth Tracey reports

What is the human thermal barrier? As Arturo Casadevall, Johns Hopkins professor, describes in his new book, “Will the Fungi Win?” it is our normal body temperature, and it has been holding the majority of fungal infections in humans at bay, until now. Casadevall: There is a fungus called Candida auris that came out of nowhere, not known to medicine till 2009. Then 2011 2012 20

Fungi are becoming more adapted to hot temperatures, and that may lead to more human infections, Elizabeth Tracey reports

The summer of 2024 is shaping up to be among the hottest on record, and for fungi, that may be just the stimulus needed to enable them to effectively infect humans. That’s according to Johns Hopkins professor Arturo Casadevall in his new book, “Will the Fungi Win?” Casadevall: Most humans don't worry about the fungi except when we get athletes foot or the nail fungus and the

Devastation of food crops is one of fungi’s biggest threats to people, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Most of the world’s population is dependent on grains for survival, and if fungal attacks on these food sources continue to increase, starvation of many of us is possible. That’s according to Arturo Casadevall, author of “Will the Fungi Win,” and a professor at Johns Hopkins. Casadevall: The biggest threat that the fungi pose to humanity is that the fungi of the major passa

Fungi are worth your attention, Elizabeth Tracey reports

What’s your favorite fungus? You might say mushrooms and stop there, since for most of us a broad knowledge of fungi is lacking. Arturo Casadevall, Johns Hopkins professor and author of a new book, “What if the Fungi Win?” is trying to change that. Casadevall: People need to know that the fungal world is essential for life on earth as we know it and yet most of it

Illnesses spread by mosquitoes and ticks are on the rise, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Oct 09 2023 1 mins

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that over the last decade plus illnesses conveyed by ticks and mosquitoes, so called vector-borne infections, have risen by over 300%. Mary Shue, a Johns Hopkins dermatologist, says people often see the first evidence of such an infection on their skin. Shue: If you have skin findings that are accompanied by s

Older men don’t respond as well to vaccination as older women, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Nov 07 2022 1 mins

Giving Covid vaccines to adults aged 75 and older has shown that while they do respond with antibodies, that response lasts a much shorter time than in younger people. Johns Hopkins geriatrics expert Sean Leng says the study also found some other important aspects to the immune response to vaccination. Leng: Sex does make a difference. The male individuals are less able to mount a

How do vaccine responses compare among older and younger people? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Nov 07 2022 1 mins

Vaccination against Covid-19 in a group of adults older than 75 years of age has shown that while they do produce antibodies in response, they differ from what is seen in younger people. That’s according to Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins. Leng: When we compare the younger folks the older folks still the antibody titers are not up to the level that the younger ind

Older adults may need Covid boosters more often, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Nov 07 2022 1 mins

People older than 75 experience a robust antibody response to Covid vaccines but it fades quickly, research by Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, has shown. Leng: Now the good news is when those same individuals got the first booster, their antibody titer shoot way back up. For all four measurements. The actual implications is we all need, particularly older adu

Specific types of immune responses fade quickly in older people immunized against Covid-19, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Nov 07 2022 1 mins

We know that Covid viruses bind to a cell surface protein known as ACE2, and that antibodies can block the virus at this location as well bind directly to the virus, so called neutralizing antibodies. Research by Johns Hopkins geriatrics expert Sean Leng has shown that in older people who are vaccinated against Covid, these responses fade quickly. Leng: The issue is actually the im