Study says surfers colonised by resistant bacteria

Two surfers wait for a wave in the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Beach in Pacific Palisades, California. Photo / AP

Science: Surfers are three times more likely to have antibiotic resistant E. coli in their guts than non-surfers, a study has revealed. Surfers swallow 10 times more sea water than sea swimmers, and scientists wanted to find out if that made them more vulnerable to bacteria that pollute seawater, and whether those bacteria are resistant to an antibiotic. The Beach Bums study saw a team at the University of Exeter ask 300 people, half of whom regularly surf the UK's coastline, to take rectal swabs. They then compared the faecal samples to assess whether the surfers' guts contained E. coli bacteria that were able to grow in the presence of cefotaxime, an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections. The study, published in the journal Environment International, found that 13 of 143 (9 per cent) of surfers were colonised by these resistant bacteria, compared with four out of 130 (3 per cent) of non-surfers swabbed. That meant that the bacteria would continue to grow even if treated with cefotaxime.
Researchers also found that regular surfers were four times as likely to harbour bacteria that contain mobile genes that make bacteria resistant to the antibiotic.

Middle East: The Israeli military said it destroyed an attack tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, through Israel and into Egypt, and that ran past Israeli military posts as well as gas and fuel pipelines. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the 1.5km long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza's main point of entry for humanitarian aid. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest. Conricus said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. The crossing has been closed until further notice.

Philippines: The alert level at the rumbling Mayon volcano has been raised to "level 3" after the Philippines detected lava flow and indications of activity that could lead to eruptions of magma. More than 900 families have been evacuated from villages near Mayon, a tourist attraction on Luzon Island, because of its near-perfect cone shape, following a "steam-driven eruption" on Saturday. Authorities advised people to cover their noses and mouths with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask if they were exposed to ash from the eruptions, and said aircraft must avoid flying close to the volcano's summit.
Two similar "phreatic" eruptions occurred at the volcano in central Albay province yesterday, unleashing more ash.

Philippines raises volcano alert level after lava flow https://t.co/xOMHGtgdNA

— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) January 14, 2018

Australia: Perth is set to be drenched by the tail-end of ex-Tropical Cyclone Joyce with as much as 80mm of rain forecast to hit the metropolitan area over the next few days.
The cyclone has been downgraded to a tropical low, but the Bureau of Meteorology has warned it could still bring severe weather including thunderstorms and flooding.
After soaking up the sun over the weekend, residents in Perth will be hit with five times the average monthly rainfall in 48 hours, with a deluge expected today.

Peru: A strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake off the coast of southern Peru has killed one and injured several dozen, and caused homes and roads to collapse. Authorities walked back earlier statements that a second person had died and that 17 people were missing in a mine, signs that the human toll of the quake may not be as drastic as previously feared. The quake hit offshore yesterday at a depth of around 36km, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre was in the Pacific Ocean 40km from the town of Acari.

Science: 'Baby brain' does indeed exist and particularly affects women during the third trimester of pregnancy, Australian researchers have found. The study shows 'baby brain' is a significant phenomenon that mainly manifests as minor memory lapses such as forgetting appointments. Deakin University researchers analysed 20 studies, finding overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. The study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found memory performance declined during the early stages of pregnancy, but the decline either slowed or stopped from mid-pregnancy. The magnitude of changes in overall cognition and memory during the third trimester is not only statistically but also clinically significant, the authors said. Performance remained within the normal ranges of general cognitive functioning and memory, Associate Professor Linda Byrne said.

Australia: NSW firefighters have worked through the night north of Newcastle to bring a bushfire that's burned through more than 2200ha under control in the Port Stephens area. Newcastle Airport is operating as normal after the fires forced its closure over the weekend. The bushfire, which began on Saturday, ravaged land in around Tomago, Williamtown, Raymond Terrace and Campvale and is now at an advice level, the RFS said today.

Thailand: A tourist speedboat has exploded just off Thailand's popular island of Phi Phi, injuring 16 people on board. The 31 tourists on board the speedboat, 26 of them Chinese and the rest Thai nationals, were rescued by local authorities after the boat exploded and caught fire yesterday, according to the island's police chief, Boonthawee Thoraksa. The 16 injured tourists were sent to a local hospital for treatment. The captain of the boat was among three people who suffered serious burns in the accident, Boonthawee said.

- agencies