Welcome to the world of nanobugs!

We live in a world where human beings think they rule. But within this world lies the unseen kingdom of microbes. Because microbes are invisible to the human eye, we often forget they are there. But with a little imagination, we can give life to the microbes and learn how to live in harmony with them.

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Nanobugs Blog

Sad News for Food Safety

January 3, 2013

MDP is no longer doing pathogen safety testing so our food safety net now has a big hole in it. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/01/mdp-officially-shut-down-pathogen-testing-for-produce-halted/#.UOXB4G_BGD8

Nanobugs Offers Unique Educational Toys and Gifts They Won’t Forget

November 23, 2012

So many toys and gifts don’t promote health and wellness – and if they are labeled “educational” they may end up at the bottom of that wish list for Santa. It’s hard for parents to decide between entertainment and education when selecting gifts and toys. The nanobugs were created to entertain and educate people of all ages about practical microbiology for infection prevention. Infections and sickness are not inevitable. We can teach our children how to manage their health and avoid infections. Parents may need to expand their knowledge too, by learning more about microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, the immune system, nutrition and food safety and behaviors that enhance wellness and reduce the risk of disease. It doesn’t need to be boring or academic. No need to sign up for a class at the community college. The nanobugs can teach the entire family while they entertain the young and old.

Safe serving and management of the leftovers

November 22, 2012

The primary serving rule with a turkey dinner is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold and make sure they spend very little time in between. Appropriate holding temperatures, whether hot or cold, tend to dehydrate and deteriorate the food as time goes on. But if the rule is not followed, the consequences can be nauseating!

Sabatoging Salmonella - Clean and Separate – so you don’t cross-contaminate

November 21, 2012

Cross-contamination – is a scientific term which describes the transfer of bacteria from foods, hands, utensils or food preparation surfaces to a food we plan to eat. This is a particular problem with the liquids/juices from raw meat or poultry allowing nanobugs like salmonella to end up exactly where we don’t want them and we EAT them!

Sabotaging Salmonella - It's all about temperature.

November 20, 2012

Just because a turkey is golden brown on the outside, doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat. Cooking a turkey safely is a matter of degrees! The goal is to kill the nanobugs like salmonella without overcooking and dehydrating the turkey flesh.

From Mega to Micro…

Cartoon characters representing bacteria, viruses, and fungi will teach how infections are spread and how to prevent them. After all, generations of children have been endlessly fascinated with the dinosaurs, enthusiastically learning the names of the genus and species of these mega-creatures, like Tyrannosaurus Rex. We believe the nanobugs will bring that same wonder and fascination to the world of micro-creatures (bacteria and viruses). Before long, children (and adults) will want to learn not only the genus and species of their favorite microbes, like Staphylococcus aureus, but also, how to prevent infections and stay healthy!

The Next Big Microscopic Thing…

The news is constantly filled with reports of new and emerging infections like H1N1 influenza and outbreaks of E coli O157 and Hepatitis A. Despite our attempts at prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases, the number of these infections continues to rise. Hand hygiene is preached in schools and health care settings and yet, compliance is a real issue. Health professionals face big challenges in controlling infections in hospitalized patients and the elderly in nursing homes. We hope that the nanobugs will present a fresh approach to infection prevention, stimulating everyone - young and old, teachers and students, doctors and nurses - to learn the practical microbiology needed for infection prevention.

Science + Imagination = the nanobugs

Our company utilizes the contributions of individuals with extensive experience in infection prevention and control and the boundless creativity and imagination of our design team to create captivating cartoon characters. Every effort has been made to maintain the scientific integrity of the nanobugs products. Still, as the nanobugs began to take shape, we couldn't resist the opportunity to let them show a little "attitude"!

Just for Fun

What is the difference between bird flu and swine flu?

What people are saying about nanobugs...

"Thank you for the great turkey preparation information. It will definitely come in handy this year as I roast my very first turkey. "

Russell R. of Ontario Canada

"Commenting on the nanobugs Hepatitis A video: "What a great way to educate America and the world about such a complex subject" "

Stuart H.

"My hospital-Evans Memorial Hospital in Claxton, Georgia- has a Department Director's Meeting with the CEO and CFO on a monthly basis. It is scheduled on the Tuesday following the Hospital Board meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. We meet from 1:30pm-2:30pm to discuss business, financial, and community-related hospital concerns. Also, our CEO requests that two Department Heads present a hospital topic of our choice to the group and include a team-building exercise. The objective of our presentation is to be informative, interesting and fun! I am the Director of the Laboratory. The title of our presentation was "What Bugs You at EMH?" featuring the nanobugs. We covered a combination of bacteriology information, how tests are performed at EMH and hand hygiene. The nanobugs material (powerpoint and tattoos) was really helpful in meeting our objectives. "

LaMyra R., BS, MT(ASCP) - Evans Memorial Hospital

"My kids love to play with the Nanobugs playing cards. They love the Nanobugs! "

Shawn M. – a nurse and mother

"I am a student teacher in Lincoln, NE and find these nanobugs intriguing! I introduced them to my fifth graders and they had a ball learning about the different viruses and such. The trading cards are also information for me and my roommates. This is such a neat website and will definitely pass this along! "

Rachel L. - Student Teacher

"The Nanobugs tattoos were a big hit at our hospital safety fair. My assistant took one home to put on her daughter. She said they are the best quality tattoos and it stayed on for a loooooooooooong time! "

Barbara G. – a hospital infection control professional

"I am the infection control nurse for our hospital. This is the first time that I have seen your site, but I have sent it to all my friends who have children. IT IS THE GREATEST!!!!

Keep up the great work. There is a need for this in public, private, home schooling, and specially at the Juvenile Detention Center schools. "

Deborah - Infection Control Nurse

"Just to let you know that I used the nanobug tatoos with a group of low ability\low motivation year-10 students. They proved a great incentive for answering questions and filling out the worksheet and then initiated a very productive discussion about why you had drawn them the way you had. All in all, a resounding success (apart from Patrick who kept stealing them off other students!) "

Brian in the UK

"Your rap on Hep A is cool. Your website is impressive. I'll share it with others. "

Marcia M. - Microbiologist

"Nanobugs flash cards are a great learning tool. The colorful characters and quotes with them make remembering the diseases easier and a lot more fun. I look forward to using them often in class! My favorite is C. Difficile - I don't think I'll forget to wash my hand again! "

Kristi J. - Junior Nursing Student

nanobugs, Inc