MackayIM

virologist. husband. dad. reader. writer. fixer. bad typist. learner. in no order. facts referenced. opinions mine alone. not medical advice or endorsement.
I am @MackayIM from birdsite.

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npub14y9nxf3kct8mt4hcxkk0kg733tqy9rqc05mnq7swra06gcxr5smspz4kzq

NIP-05 Address

mackayim2022_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2jzenycmv9na46murtt8my0gc4szz3sv86des0g8p7hayvrp6gdcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qfvveur

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relay.mostr.pub

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npub14y9nxf3kct8mt4hcxkk0kg733tqy9rqc05mnq7swra06gcxr5smspz4kzq

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Last Notes

2024-08-08 06:07:30

How long does immunity last after a COVID infection?
-from January 2024 - a reminder that viral variants change, nut earlier immunity remains robust.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-24/how-long-does-immunity-last-after-a-covid-infection/103380580

2024-08-08 04:47:22

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@npub1ntq…rg38 Sigh. Yep. I read the first 4 wheel of time books sunbathing

2024-08-08 04:08:20

Another round of probably sun-induced skin lesions frozen off. Stupid young person that I was. And another item ticked off from my holidays checklist!

2024-08-07 02:44:21

Fact check: Mandatory mask wearing is not a ‘war crime’ that violates the Nuremberg Code.
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/fact-check-mandatory-mask-wearing-is-not-a-war-crime-that-violates-the-nuremb-idUSKBN2A52NX/

2024-08-07 01:36:40

Stop Hijacking Definitions To Farm Anger And Clicks! https://virologydownunder.com/definitions-are-essential-to-science-but-they-are-increasingly-hijacked/

2024-08-06 10:23:46

More PCR cycles don't mean magic results https://virologydownunder.com/more-pcr-cycles-dont-mean-magic-results/

2024-08-06 08:21:18

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@npub1ntq…rg38 😞

2024-08-06 08:11:14

What's for dinner? I'm trying out an Instagram recipe for 'Filipino Coconut Pork Adobo'.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/914/051/823/231/658/original/6fc89abcfafea60c.jpg

2024-08-06 06:44:00

Update on Monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission in Australia
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) causes MPOX. A 'global outbreak' of infections and disease became noticeable in 2022. The MPOX outbreak continues, and below is an update on the ongoing MPOX cases detected in Australia, driven by an uptick in local transmission.
https://virologydownunder.com/update-on-monkeypox-virus-mpxv-transmission-in-australia/

2024-08-06 06:11:15

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@npub1nac…0mta Thanks! On it soon. Just finalising a new small post. Two in a week??? 😲😲😲

2024-08-05 10:47:16

Women are doing the heavy lifting of Australia's Paris 2024 medal haul.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/women-are-doing-the-heavy-lifting-of-australias-paris-2024-medal-haul/dqwkmpeor

2024-08-05 02:28:00

-my blogged thoughts on this quote-that-probably-isn't Mullis' "quote" didn't say cycle number created false PCR positives, in fact the quote doesn't seem to exist at all.
https://virologydownunder.com/more-pcr-cycles-dont-mean-magic-results/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/907/051/184/448/936/original/1695a47c59574923.png

2024-08-05 02:14:47

More PCR cycles don’t mean magic results
The quote below has been circulated for a while, amplified by those with no PCR understanding. Its focus is to make you believe that too many PCR cycles create false positives, directed mainly towards testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, this "quote" doesn't seem to exist as a real quote from Dr Kary Mullis. Secondly, the real part is really out of context.
https://virologydownunder.com/more-pcr-cycles-dont-mean-magic-results/

2024-08-04 22:55:25

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@npub1ntq…rg38 I believe so. Hence the bacterial load threshold mentioned in that link. In humans, you'd expect no Legionella usually, so PCR detection is meaningful.

2024-08-04 10:55:38

Culture (can take a week) appears to be used for Legionella detection in cooling towers, as it looks like PCR would be too sensitive, reading between these lines...
https://www.health.vic.gov.au/water/cooling-tower-system-maintainance-requirements

2024-08-02 09:14:10

It's terrible that someone died from the legionnaires disease outbreak in Victoria.
How many died from COVID-19 this week? No press conference for them? No news story? No effort to show concern, check aircon is suitable, demonstrate care or take preventative action at all?

2024-08-01 23:35:50

Covid cluster worsens in Australian Olympic camp as Zac Stubblety-Cook reveals infection
Covid cluster worsens in Australian Olympic camp as Zac Stubblety-Cook reveals infection https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/01/covid-cluster-worsens-in-australian-olympic-camp-as-zac-stubblety-cook-reveals-infection?CMP=share_btn_url

2024-08-01 03:46:51

Antigenic cartography using variant-specific hamster serareveals substantial antigenic variation among Omicron subvariants.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10.1073/pnas.2310917121 h/t Melvin Sanicas on LinkedIn.

2024-07-31 09:30:04

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You can find 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 anything using PCR but only 𝙞𝙛 the thing is there to begin with. PCR can't find something that isn't there or is only present in v. low amounts. Let's explore...

2024-07-31 09:29:47

There are a few loud people who love to show this video, focusing on Kary Mullis's comment that "with PCR, you can find almost anything in anybody." I don't dispute most of that sentence-but please focus on his use of "𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOJKuSKw5c&ab_channel=WouterDeHeij
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/880/397/824/916/744/original/05ee9f01e74d5abf.png

2024-07-31 01:52:47

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-31/pathway-clean-indoor-air-victoria-covid-pandemic-productivity/104155560

2024-07-31 01:52:37

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/878/600/509/455/382/original/fbbc1262fabd91b1.png

2024-07-31 00:40:19

Bumper.
Brakes.
Headlights.
Indicators.
Mirrors.
Road rules.
Airbags.
Speed limits.
Structural beams.
They all reduce the risk of harm in/from cars...in a layered way they are additive, like N95/P2 masks+vaccines+distance+**filtration**+ventilation

2024-07-30 02:35:33

When I started managing a team 3.7 years ago, I wanted to distill out the bad things I'd lived in past labs, & keep the best things. Turns out that's bloody hard. How to live up to the unwritten expectations of needing to work extra hours while telling your crew to work their hours & walk out the door in time? Ultimately, I partly succeeded. Which is probably as good as it gets in the real world.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/873/107/009/745/119/original/61bf2f8bcd9c7731.jpg

2024-07-30 01:39:24

Because I have these vague but delicious memories of Cadbury NZ making a chocolate sultana block in my youth, my wonderful wife greater a homemade a version with sultanas for my birthday a few weeks ago. And it's yum!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/872/882/386/109/039/original/1faacfff3f60288c.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/872/882/575/683/559/original/9826648676f60033.jpg

2024-07-29 23:29:24

What is a PCR cycle? 🧵
We sciencey types throw in words that we use for a specific purpose but which also have other everyday meanings among most people on the planet. We don't see that we do this ALL. THE. TIME.
'Cycle' is one of these words.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/872/386/209/070/780/original/f94229910f3c215a.mp4

2024-07-29 01:42:51

'We PCR'd all contacts'
#SeduceSomeoneInFourWords
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/867/237/378/501/759/original/fac4699373a9e80e.jpg

2024-07-27 02:34:22

Are we allowed to say 'endemic' *yet*? https://media.tenor.com/8PBVNNK4ewcAAAAM/cat-hello-cat-peek.gif

2024-07-26 21:28:26

Looking for Long Covid: A Clash of Definition and Study Design.
-a long, see-sawing read
https://undark.org/2024/07/25/long-covid-clash-of-definition-study-design/ via @undarkmag

2024-07-24 23:44:51

What’s going on with #measles? | Journal of Virology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.00758-24

2024-07-24 23:34:28

Labs that bring cakes for each other's birthdays are good labs😁
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/844/083/424/275/981/original/f255d6f7fd90c277.jpg

2024-07-10 01:47:04

I've survived another year in the goldilocks zone & completed a circuit around the star at the center of our solar system.
And there was cake! 🎂
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/759/670/011/438/810/original/d354b3df958269b6.jpg

2024-07-08 10:22:36

Rewatching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
S02 is the best of ST.
Such an amazing series.
I wish there were 50 episodes per season.
#StartrekSNW

2024-07-08 09:15:52

#ViveLaFrance indeed! Amazing collaborative effort.

2024-07-06 05:11:05

I baked a cake (baked custard really) from. An Insta recipe. 😱
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/737/822/828/060/050/original/f6647e8886d106cc.jpg

2024-07-04 02:51:23

"These data suggest that viral persistence and sustained immune activation are linked to Long COVID"
-Amazing. How could we ever have foreseen this possibility?
No, I mean *apart* from all the early data showing SARS-CoV-2 persistence. Sorry, I mean 'pieces of RNA'🙄
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adk3295

2024-07-03 02:07:26

FLiRT was dominating COVID-19 cases, now we're onto the FLuQE subvariants
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-03/covid-flirt-fluqe-new-variant-cases-rise-australia-us-uk/104035534?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

2024-07-02 21:32:57

Seweryn Bialasiewicz spoke on the respiratory microbiome & otitis media (OM) among Queensland First Nations children (part of the POPI study) among whom OM is a leading cause of hearing loss.
Haemophilus, Streptococcus & Moraxella bacterial species are key culprits.
#ASM202
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/719/034/716/710/751/original/eef76c64f4dfaa81.png

2024-07-02 21:25:59

Super-intriguing Plenary by Chris Greening is about bacteria that use H2 from the air to make energy, some fix carbon using a version of a thing shortened to RuBisCO and a subset that makes water as a product! All acquired via the air!!
#asm2024
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/719/007/318/018/251/original/b77877680a604bfb.png

2024-06-22 03:37:34

Study Confirms One Type of COVID Mask Is 'Significantly Better' Than Others.
-zero surprises here. Good work Don et al.
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-confirms-one-type-of-covid-mask-is-significantly-better-than-others

2024-06-21 23:35:24

'beset by my mind' s unrelenting interrogation of me'
-Donald Sutherland.
What an excellent description that is.

2024-06-21 23:27:31

Guess I'm old fashioned. But if you're going to say 3 human H5 cases and link to a 'Full Report', US CDC, I'd expect that to take me to a Full Report of *3* human cases.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/657/199/802/996/853/original/55caf96e1407575c.jpg

2024-06-18 06:56:27

Reminder that CO2 builds up really quickly in a closed car, even with only one occupant.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/636/315/196/888/253/original/b05ce8cb36bec99f.jpg

2024-06-12 09:20:37

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@npub1ntq…rg38 Star Trek:Strange New Worlds, Subspace Rhapsody

2024-06-11 09:48:32

Best episode of television.
Ever.
No comment will be taken at this time.
#SNW #rewatch
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/597/351/714/681/048/original/3b441660c0af0671.jpg

2024-06-07 20:43:03

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But look at that 2024 curve compared to the previous five years (2019-2023). Unlikely to be a lot of pre-existing immunity (unless testing has changed).
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/577/280/778/253/943/original/88af08add5fccdfa.jpg

2024-06-07 20:42:39

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Mainly kids...and their carers.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/577/279/171/690/056/original/b771e62973772f34.jpg

2024-06-07 20:42:14

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And let's not forget the Mycoplasma pneumoniae case load. These are data from a big private lab covering Queensland and some of NSW (SNP; https://www.snp.com.au/clinicians/results-and-reporting/infectious-disease-reports/).
Holy. Mackerel. That percent positivity.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/577/277/020/680/292/original/9f3b77a29930abf0.jpg

2024-06-06 23:23:19

If you're interested in the music *creators* seeing dollars for their efforts - this article may help you find music that pays the artist more, or less.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/which-streaming-platform-pays-musicians-most/

2024-06-05 22:25:32

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KP.3 is really thriving down under (as it has been elsewhere - we're not a different species down here!)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/566/358/956/680/578/original/2e52a8ddcd9656f6.png

2024-06-05 22:23:14

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And yes, #flu and #SARSCoV2 are also busy.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/566/344/299/135/170/original/af7e1cd127d0a8b3.png

2024-06-05 22:19:59

Rhinoviruses (about 160 of them, true common cold viruses but also major exacerbators of wheezing and asthma) are having a real moment this year. These are data from the State of New South Wales in Australia.
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/reports
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/566/336/935/878/766/original/38540524d1b42f40.png

2024-05-29 22:26:43

Orthopoxvirus monkeypox cluster in Queensland, Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-30/queensland-mpox-cluster-low-risk-to-community-monkey-pox/103907820

2024-05-29 08:51:34

Perfect from Cathy Wilcox.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/523/522/338/004/400/original/8fb9e1b836025909.jpg

2024-05-29 05:11:55

Unlikely to be popular among some, but nonetheless factual, the most common respiratory virus (those ones that transmit through the air) you have right now in Australia is mostly likely to be a rhinovirus. Likely been the case since about Feb.
That may change soon, though.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/522/657/520/995/829/original/1fd89ebc14d31d29.png

2024-05-29 03:57:33

Jeepers. It's like this is an exceptional. Virus. And like vaccine SA re really good for you.
Who'd a thunk it?
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-patients-higher-risk-respiratory-complications-well-after-infection-study-finds

2024-05-22 22:23:08

Wiley's 'fake science' scandal is just the latest chapter in a broader crisis of trust universities must address
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-21/wiley-hindawi-articles-scandal-broader-crisis-trust-universities/103868662

2024-05-22 09:12:39

Bird flu strain H7N3 detected on Victorian farm, hundreds of thousands of chickens euthanased
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-05-22/avian-influenza-bird-flu-detected-at-victorian-poultry-farm/103877560

2024-05-21 05:53:55

Has WHO defined whether birds carrying H5N1 across vast distances qualifies the disease as being 'transmitted through the air'?

2024-05-06 03:36:44

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@npub1ntq…rg38 It was a challenge, but one I was able to meet.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/392/047/980/785/503/original/0d032d8c7b777e84.jpg

2024-05-04 22:47:19

Happy Sunday moooorninngg!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/385/250/251/338/905/original/4a9645077a78c940.jpg

2024-05-02 04:40:10

The following post can be read 2 ways.
1. As written
2. Laden with expletives & name-calling directed at the deliberately misinforming group determined to convince you that SARS-CoV-2 was an entirely new form of biology & that immunity did not or could not result from it.

2024-05-01 10:56:43

Oh good. Ridiculous people who don't 'believe' in biology have found me by email again. 🙄🤦
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/365/469/541/725/021/original/2b315fa58d20a224.jpg

2024-04-20 07:41:18

Nicely written piece conveying a portion of the anger, disappointment and disillusionment I feel toward an unrepentent WHO, who failed to lead when leadership was needed.
https://healthydebate.ca/2024/04/topic/droplet-airborne-who-covid/

2024-04-16 06:08:18

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@npub1ntq…rg38 This!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/279/400/944/547/652/original/3a927c841aa8d1e5.png

2024-04-16 04:49:05

Huge piece of work by my team almost done. One of the gnarliest single pieces just fell into place with a satisfying thunk.
I'm just revelling in that feeling of satisf...okay, done.
Back to it.

2024-04-12 21:05:23

Viruses Finally Reveal Their Complex Social Life
https://www.quantamagazine.org/viruses-finally-reveal-their-complex-social-life-20240411/

2024-04-11 02:53:48

Finally. Some leadership.
'The program aims to reduce harmful pathogens and allergens in buildings nationwide to ensure indoor air is always safe and healthy'
https://arpa-h.gov/news-and-events/arpa-h-launches-breathe-monitor-and-improve-indoor-air-quality

2024-04-05 21:25:02

Why a leading bird flu expert isn’t convinced that the risk H5N1 poses to people has declined
https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/05/bird-flu-ron-fouchier-h5n1-risk-to-people/?utm_source=threads&utm_campaign=threads_organic&utm_medium=social

2024-03-31 23:05:47

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@npub1nac…0mta Absolutely. And not one of them had actual experience with PCR. Disinformation merchants of the most obvious kind.

2024-03-31 22:18:33

Where has all that outraged 'expertise' gone that used to inform us about 'fake PCR positives'?
They realise PCR has been and continues to be used for eveything from identifying STI & faceal infections, to finding flu, common cold and pneumonia causes, to tracking down measles & monkeypox viruses?