It's comfort food. As kids, we scraped the bowls and licked it off spoons after Mom made a batch. We were thrilled when Ben and Jerry's added it as a flavor for their ice cream. And while moms were initially hesitant about letting us eat something with raw eggs (gasp!) and their plethora of disease-causing germs (double-gasp!), they eventually gave in, thinking that the chances of getting some nasty bug are probably pretty slim.

Well, lo and behold, Nestle has recalled all varieties of their prepackaged and refrigerated Toll House cookie doughs because of reports of contamination with E. coli 0157:H7.

Since March, a total of 66 people across 28 states have gotten sick, with 25 hospitalized and 7 getting a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Fortunately, no one has died yet.

E. coli O157:H7 is a common food-borne bacteria that causes bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe stomach cramps. While most cases resolve on their own within 5 to 7 days, about 5-10% of individuals with E. coli O157:H7 infections develop a potentially fatal complication called hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is characterized by kidney or renal failure and hemolytic anemia (loss of red blood cells). This condition usually occurs in children and can be quite serious, leading to permanent kidney damage or death.

So hold the raw cookie dough, please. FDA is recommending that you throw away the recalled products--even though cooking it can kill the bacteria, handling it can cause contamination of your hands and cooking surfaces.

This has been a sad week for raw food (remember the sushi?).

A recent news story reported on the dangers of eating sushi, highlighting a recent case of a patient who was found to be infected with a nine-foot tapeworm after eating raw salmon. As rare as it is to get sick from eating raw fish, such as sushi (with its ever-growing popularity), parasite infections from raw fish do happen, and the consequences can be quite alarming, as poor Mr. Anthony Franz discovered.

The entire premise sounds horrifying. Imagine inadvertently consuming a tiny, perhaps even microscopic, worm while enjoying a scrumptious, not to mention very expensive, sushi dinner. Imagine that this tiny tapeworm, a parasite known as Diphyllobothrium latum, decides to make you his next host.

He lives off of you, literally sucking you of your nutrients and energy reserves, until he grows to a shocking length of 9 feet. Stretched end-to-end, this worm was nearly as tall as a basketball hoop! According to Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, these worms can grow up to 25 feet long!

It's almost like carrying a baby: it lives inside you, sucks away all your energy, and grows until it reaches a size that seems unimaginable to get out. But most people don't consider their babies parasites. And most babies get credit because of the cuteness factor. Cute parasites? I think not.

The World Health Organization today declared that the swine flu H1N1 virus has reached pandemic stage. It was inevitable, given the rate at which it was spreading. And yet, no one is really all that surprised. Or worried.

In fact, no one is donning face masks, at least here in the US.

But if you decide to head out and buy face masks, be relieved that you can do so in style. There's a new line of fashion masks. Proceeds go to Children International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to bettering the lives of impoverished children, their families and communities. One note of caution though. These masks are intended for cosmetic/decorative use and do not offer any promise of real disease protection.

The World Health Organization has announced that a swine flu H1N1 pandemic is likely under way, but a formal announcement won't be made until there is "indisputable evidence".

As of today, there have been 27,737 confirmed cases of swine flu reported worldwide and 141 deaths attributed to the infection. The WHO has provided a map showing the distribution of cases worldwide.

Although the map clearly shows spread of the infection beyond the Americas and Europe, the WHO is hesitant to pull the trigger in declaring an official pandemic.

Why? Based on a press briefing yesterday with WHO, it isn't because swine flu H1N1 hasn't meet the criteria of pandemic (which it has, based on WHO guidelines). It's because they are concerned about the implications such an announcement would have on a person's psyche. We all remember that first week when swine flu was announced...

Here's what Dr. Keiji Fukuda of the WHO had to say:

"... declaration of Phase changes, the movement from one Phase to another, is not simply getting up in front of press cameras or making an announcement. It is again a way to prepare the world to deal with the situation, and so what is the situation?"

So if WHO declared a pandemic, would anyone care? Sure, people on the other side of the world who are now getting hit by H1N1 are a little panicked right now, but here in the U.S., no one seems to care.

Watch out! FDA has issued a warning. Antimicrobial products made by Clarcon have been contaminated and recalled! Contaminated with what? Contaminated with germs!

That's right. You heard me. Little, nasty germs found in products specifically designed to kill germs. FDA hasn't provided a list of found contaminants, but apparently, it included high levels of disease-causing microbes known to cause opportunistic infections. Here's what they had to say:

"FDA finds the inspection results particularly concerning because the products are promoted as antimicrobial agents that claim to treat open wounds, damaged skin, and protect against various infectious diseases."

So you'd be rubbing bacteria (rather than salt) in your wound. Yikes. If there's ever a time to doubt product credibility, this is it.

Clarcon products to be wary of? Here's a list:

When it comes to mating, it turns out that opposites really do attract--genetically--according to a recent study at the University of Parana in Brazil.

The study, presented at the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna last week, showed that among 90 married couples and 152 randomly generated couples, those who were married were more likely to have differences in an immune system molecule, called the MHC, or Major Histocompatibility Complex.

MHC is a protein complex found on the surface of certain cells, called antigen-presenting cells, whose job is to announce the presence of foreign invaders, such as viruses or bacteria. Simply said, when a microbe invades the body, certain white blood cells can break them down and present various parts ("antigens") of the microbe within the MHC on the surface of the cell. When another type of white blood cell, called a T cell, recognizes that there's something foreign sticking out of the antigen-presenting cell, it can trigger a cascade of events leading to destruction of that microbe.

So why would people with different MHCs attract? Different types of MHCs present different parts of a microbe, thus playing a distinct role in how strong a person's immunity is. For example, a person who has very diverse MHCs will be able to trigger a more thorough immune response, compared to someone whose immunity is limited due to low MHC diversity.

Apparently, people with dissimilar MHCs attract for the sake of their offspring, who end up carrying a greater diversity of MHCs.

Interesting. What ever happened to good ol' physical attraction?

Taking a break from tracking the spread of Swine Flu H1N1, I was very sad to see Danny Gokey get eliminated from the Final Three of American Idol a few weeks ago. Out of curiosity, I googled Danny to see if he plans on recording an album (which I would definitely buy, since I've become a die-hard fan).

Instead, I stumbled upon an article titled "More tidbits about Danny Gokey", and among many fascinating facts that I never really wanted to know about Danny, I discover that my favorite AI guy is a germaphobe, according to his brother Charles.

Since I've been trying to find an excuse to blog more about Danny on this infectious diseases website (as I did about his late wife Sophia earlier this year), here came the perfect opportunity!

Germaphobia is a pathological fear of germs. One of my earlier blogs (unrelated to swine flu, that is) examined the relationship between germaphobia and parenthood. I wish I could come up with something clever to say about germaphobia and musicians, but nothing comes to mind. Just another excuse to promote Danny Gokey.

Swine Flu, or H1N1 Flu, continues to spread, now having infected nearly 6,000 Americans and causing 10 US deaths. Worldwide, there have been over 11,000 confirmed cases and 85 deaths due to swine flu.

Despite the continuing spread, the CDC recently lifted its travel health warning against nonessential travel to Mexico. The current CDC recommendation is for travelers to consult with their doctors about the pros and cons of travel to Mexico. Moreover, Mexico ended its swine flu alert today, with no new confirmed cases reported this week and a 96.1% drop in cases.

Although, according to a CDC press meeting this week, the majority of swine flu H1N1 patients has been among 5- to 24-year-olds, and 40% of those hospitalized are between the ages of 19 to 49 years of age, most of the swine flu-related deaths have occurred in individuals who had underlying health conditions.

Immunization update? It appears that people born before 1957 may have some cross-resistance to the current swine flu outbreak strain. As far as vaccines go, the CDC has indicated that they are hoping to have a swine flu vaccine available this fall.

Sounds like the outlook continues to be positive. Still thinking about that cruise to Cabo this summer? Sounds like Mexico may now be safer from swine flu than the rest of the world!

Just when we thought the worst was over, swine flu H1N1 makes the headlines again, with three public schools in New York closing due to confirmed and suspected cases of swine flu. One assistant principal at Queens middle school is in critical condition from the disease.

Four people in the US have died from swine flu, and over 4700 people across 47 states have confirmed infections. Worldwide, there have been 7520 cases across 34 countries and 66 deaths due to swine flu.

Many experts have predicted that with the increasing summer temperatures, the incidence of swine flu will wane, but come back in the fall with a vengeance. In their "Assessment of the Current Situation", the WHO states that although the current strain is relatively mild in most healthy people, it appears to be somewhat more contagious than seasonal flu. They also indicate that the variability in mutations of influenza viruses makes it difficult to predict how the virus might behave in the fall.

In short, stay tuned, and keep washing your hands.

The bad news? Swine flu (H1N1) continues its spread, now having caused at least 1516 cases and 30 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO. The CDC reported that 642 cases and 2 deaths have occurred in the US. Sadly, the first American life was claimed by swine flu yesterday, when 33-year-old Judy Trunnell, a school teacher and young mother, died shortly after delivering her baby girl by C-section while in a coma, probably related to the infection.

The good news? It's hard to talk of good news, when lives have been lost. But swine flu does appear to be waning, and, after the closure of 726 public and private schools in 24 US states, the CDC has now changed their recommendation for school closures, now recommending a focus on early identification of sick kids, as well as emphasis of hand washing and other good personal hygiene practices.

Some of the CDC's recent guidance is as follows:

• School closure due to swine flu is not recommended (except in certain circumstances where there is a very high number of absent students or faculty due to swine flu); previously closed schools may reopen.
• Students, faculty, or staff who have flu-like symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, sore throat) should stay home for at a minimum of 7 days and up to at least one day after symptoms have disappeared.
• Sick kids should be kept at home, not sent to alternative childcare or other community settings.
• Faculty and staff should promote frequent hand washing with soap and water (or hand sanitizers) and coughing into tissues.

Other good news? Warmer weather could mean reduced flu transmission, which is the case with seasonal influenza. And since the current swine flu outbreak strain appears to be behaving much like seasonal influenza, let's hope that the warmer, more humid climate will help further wane the spread of swine flu. Let's also hope that the missing DNA that made the Spanish Flu virus so lethal means that this virus won't make a reappearance in the fall.