Invisible Special Dye Skin Vaccination Record: Special dye invisible skin vaccination record - Researchers report that a special dye that is injected at the time of vaccination could be an alternative to electronic or paper vaccination records.

"In areas where paper vaccination cards are often lost or missing, and electronic databases are unknown, this technology could allow for quick and anonymous detection of a patient's vaccination history to ensure that all children are vaccinated, "said Kevin McHugh, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice University in Houston.

While a post-doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McHugh and colleagues developed a dye that is invisible to the naked eye and is administered under the skin at the same time as a vaccine.

The dye consists of nanocrystals called quantum dots and emits near infrared light that can be detected by a specially equipped smartphone. The dye can remain under the skin for at least five years.

Special dye invisible skin vaccination record

The dye is administered by a micro-needle patch instead of a traditional syringe and needle. These patches are now being developed to give vaccines for measles, rubella and other diseases, and the dye could easily be incorporated into those patches, according to researchers.

The report was published on December 18 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

"To protect against most pathogens, one needs multiple vaccines," said lead author Ana Jaklenec, a research scientist at MIT's Institute for Comprehensive Cancer Research.

"In some areas of the developing world, this can be very difficult to do because of missing data on who was vaccinated and whether or not they need additional vaccines," Jaklenec said in a MIT press release.

Laboratory tests with human skin showed that the quantum dot patterns in the dye could be detected with smartphone cameras after up to five years of simulated sun exposure. Tests on rats showed that the immune response in those who received the dye with a polio vaccine to micro-needle patches was similar to the response of those who received a traditional polio-injected vaccine.

"This study confirmed that incorporation of the dye vaccine into the micro-needle patches did not affect the vaccine's effectiveness or our ability to detect the dye," said Jaklenec.

Researchers are planning more safety studies before testing the dye in humans, and not all animal studies are confirmed in humans.

Puppies can be sick to people, say the CDC

But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they are also linked to an outbreak of a multi-drug resistant infection in several states.

A Campylobacter jejuni strain was reported in 13 states and so far 30 people have been infected, the CDC said.

Four were hospitalized but no deaths were reported, the center said.

"Epidemiological and laboratory evidence indicates that puppies purchased at pet stores are the likely source of this outbreak. Many of the cases were in contact with puppies or were employees of pet stores, including Petland," he said.

The CDCs have not yet identified a common puppy supplier, he said.

Some of the illnesses date from January 2019 and the infected are between 8 months and 70 years old.

Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever and generally last about a week. People generally recover without antibiotics, the CDC said.