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Continued from page 15 – Found Inside the Gonorrhea
Bacteria: Human DNA
gonorrhea’s symptoms is even described in the Bible,
according to Hank Seifert, senior author of a paper on
the gene transfer. [Popular Science]
Seifert and colleague Mark Anderson looked at 14
different samples of N. gonorrhoeae. Three of them
possessed the chunk of human DNA. And they only
saw it in the gonorrhea bacteria:
The pair looked for the same human DNA fragment in
the genetically related bacterium Neisseria menigitidis,
known to cause meningitis. “We screened many
isolates and it wasn’t present,” says Seifert. That means
the transfer to N. gonorrhoeae must have occurred
since the two bacterial species diverged around 200,000
years ago. [New Scientist]
This is the first such transfer seen from humans to
bacteria, though horizontal gene transfer is (somewhat
frighteningly) common.
Scientists have observed similar genetic transfers
across species, he said — including relatively frequent
transfers between different bacteria, between bacteria
and viruses or between bacteria and other microbes
such as yeast. One particularly significant exchange
involves antibiotic resistance genes; when bacteria
share these, it can make infections harder to treat with
antibiotics. [Los Angeles Times]
But Seifert and Anderson don’t know just how the
human DNA chunk got into the gonorrhea bacteria—
whether it was a one-time event or not—nor what it
might be doing in there. The DNA sequence is missing
a key part and not producing a protein, Seifert says, so
it’s possibly doing nothing in the virus, and only sticks
around because it isn’t harmful, either.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/02/15/foun
d-inside-the-gonorrhea-bacteria-human-dna/
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Older Women Lack
Important Information about
Sexual Health
ScienceDaily (Sep. 14, 2011) — Many women over 50
years old date and are sexually active and thereby face
many possible health risks. Yet, most educational
campaigns designed to prevent sexually transmitted
diseases target younger generations. Older women also
need and want more information about sexual health
and wellness. A study in the new special issue of the
Journal of Consumer Affairs on older consumers found
for improving communication between older women and
their physicians about sexual health and for providing these
women with tools on how to negotiate with partners about
safe sex practices.
Dr. Cynthia Morton and her colleagues at the University of
Florida examined women's knowledge about sexual health
and their concerns about safe sex practices as they continue
to pursue active sex lives into their senior years. Women
aged 50 years and older participated in focus group
discussions to talk about the challenges in finding male
partners, negotiating condom use, and seeking credible
information sources to help them make the best decisions
about sexual health.
Results of the study revealed that older women are aware of
the risks for sexually transmitted diseases yet are
uncomfortable about seeking sexual health information from
their regular physicians who may erroneously believe that
they already possess the knowledge. Although older women
know the importance of condoms in preventing sexually
transmitted diseases, they may avoid negotiating condom
use with their partners in an effort to avoid conflict or
rejection. Senior-aged women are receptive to strategies that
give them tools for negotiating with partners and for
communicating with their physicians, but there are limited
resources directed to their age group.
"The findings generated from our research offer a rich
foundation for better understanding the motivations and
concerns that influence senior-aged women's attitudes about
dating at their present stage of life," said Morton.
According to the authors, efforts are needed to help older
women gain confidence to talk with primary care physicians
about sexual health and to make those physicians aware of
their need. The authors also call for social marketing
campaigns that aim to educate older women about their
sexual health risks and encourage them to take greater
ownership in the negotiation of safe sex practices with
their partners.
Wiley-Blackwell. "Older women lack important information about
sexual health." ScienceDaily, 14 Sep. 2011. Web. 22 Sep. 2011.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914081540.htm
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-16- Traditional African Clinic October 2011