Tripp Fenderson

Help me feed my head. Are you listening to any good podcasts? I want to know. Drop your suggestions in the comments below. Thanks!

I’ve always had a more than healthy appetite for information about infectious disease and epidemiolgy, something I squarely blame on past conversations with Dr. R. K. Anderson DVM, Diplomate ACVB and ACVPM.

I had the good fortune of working under his tutelage while employed as the Gentle Leader Product Manager at Premier Pet Products many years ago.

The appeal of the subject matter comes from its seeming unpredictability and follows the observations on the world made by Heraclitus (Greek philosopher c.535 BC - 475 BC)—that everything flows, nothing stands still. The infectious disease process is always shifting and adapting, giving constant rise to new challenges for healthcare professionals and for me, it represents an easily understood model of change and adaptability when modeling other behavioural systems—be they personal, business, or otherwise.

This past weekend, I scoured the internet looking for interesting podcasts on the subject matter and stumbled across several excellent resources, including those from the CDC and what’s turned out to be a real gem from Marc Crislip (who incidentally doesn’t understand those black glasses that everyone is wearing these days) called Persiflagers Infectious Disease Podcast.

The podcast comes with the following black box warning, letting you know this isn’t your standard medical fare (thank goodness):

The following podcasts may include sarcastic comments, snide asides, and rants off the topic of infectious diseases and may cover political, societal, and popular culture concerns. I think it is part of the charm of the podcasts, but if your aesthetic sensibilities preclude listening to commentary suggesting that, oh, I don’t know, the President’s policies are retarded and dangerous, then these podcasts may not be your cup of tea and you should go elsewhere. But you can’t say you were not warned.

In yesterday’s podcast, Marc covered a number of great topics including:

* Alternative thresholds for initiating HIV treatment
* Asymptomatic shedding of the Herpes Simplex Virus in the oral cavity (do you know where that mouth has been?)
* Adenovirus serotype 14 and the fun it’s causing in conjuction with this year’s influenza outbreak
* Candidaemia and the risk of intraocular infection

...and so much more.

If you’re looking for good info on emerging or infectious diseases, I can highly recommend the offerings from the CDC but Marc’s Persiflagers Infectious Disease Podcast is a must-listen if you love a bit of wit and snark served up with your info.