Emerging Infectious Diseases back issues from March 2007:
Bird migration routes and risk for pathogen dispersion into Western Mediterranean Wetlands.(PERSPECTIVE)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Wild birds share with humans the capacity for moving fast over large distances. During migratory movements, birds carry pathogens that can be transmitted between species at breeding, wintering, and stopover places where numerous birds of various species are concentrated. We consider the ...
Human and animal vaccination delivery to remote nomadic families, Chad.(SYNOPSIS)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Vaccination services for people and livestock often fail to achieve sufficient coverages in Africa's remote rural settings because of financial, logistic, and service delivery constraints. In Chad from 2000 through 2005, we demonstrated the feasibility of combining vaccination programs for ...
Worldwide emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that are resistant to an increasing number of second-line drugs used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) are becoming a threat to public health worldwide. We surveyed the Network of Supranational Reference Laboratories for M. tuberculosis ...
Tandem repeat analysis for surveillance of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections.(RESEARCH)
Mar 01, 2007; ... In Denmark, as part of the national laboratory-based surveillance system of human enteric infections, all Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium isolates are currently subtyped by using phage typing, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). We ...
In vitro cell culture infectivity assay for human noroviruses.(RESEARCH)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Human noroviruses cause severe, self-limiting gastroenteritis that typically lasts 24-48 hours. Because of the lack of suitable tissue culture or animal models, the true nature of norovirus pathogenesis remains unknown. We show, for the first time, that noroviruses can infect and replicate ...
Surveillance of influenza a virus in migratory waterfowl in Northern Europe.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... We conducted large-scale, systematic sampling of influenza type A virus in migratory waterfowl (mostly mallards [Anas platyrhynchos]) at Ottenby Bird Observatory, southeast Sweden. As with previous studies, we found a higher prevalence in fall than spring, and among juveniles compared with ...
Risk for infection with highly pathogenic influenza a virus (H5N1) in chickens, Hong Kong, 2002.(RESEARCH)
Mar 01, 2007; ... We used epidemiologic evaluation, molecular epidemiology, and a case-control study to identify possible risk factors for the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (subtype H5N1) in chicken farms during the first quarter of 2002 in Hung Kong. Farm profiles, including stock ...
Behavioral risks for West Nile virus disease, Northern Colorado, 2003.(RESEARCH)
Mar 01, 2007; ... In 2003, residents in 2 adjacent cities in northern Colorado (Loveland and Fort Collins) had severe outbreaks of human West Nile virus (WNV) disease. Unexpectedly, age-adjusted neuroinvasive disease rates were higher in Loveland (38.6 vs. 15.9 per 100,000), which had a more extensive ...
Matrix protein 2 vaccination and protection against influenza viruses, including subtype H5N1.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Changes in influenza viruses require regular reformulation of strain-specific influenza vaccines. Vaccines based on conserved antigens provide broader protection. Influenza matrix protein 2 (M2) is highly conserved across influenza A subtypes. To evaluate its efficacy as a vaccine ...
Diversity and distribution of Borrelia hermsii.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Borrelia hermsii is the most common cause of tickborne relapsing fever in North America. DNA sequences of the 16S-23S rDNA noncoding intergenic spacer (IGS) region were determined for 37 isolates of this spirochete. These sequences distinguished the 2 genomic groups of B. hermsii ...
Population-based laboratory surveillance for AmpC [beta]-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, Calgary.(RESEARCH)(ampicillin)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... In the Calgary Health Region during 2000-2003, prospective, active, population-based laboratory surveillance for all cefoxitin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates was performed. Isolates were screened with an inhibitor-based disk test, and plasmid-mediated types were identified by ...
Effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing staff absenteeism during pandemic influenza.(RESEARCH)
Mar 01, 2007; ... We used a deterministic SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed) meta-population model, together with scenario, sensitivity, and simulation analyses, to determine stockpiling strategies for neuraminidase inhibitors that would minimize absenteeism among healthcare workers. A pandemic ...
Environmental Burkholderia cepacia complex isolates in human infections.(DISPATCHES)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), found in many environments, are associated with clinical infections. Examining diverse species and strains from different environments with multilocus sequence typing, we identified >20% of 381 clinical isolates as indistinguishable from ...
Cryptosporidium hominis infection of the human respiratory tract.(DISPATCHES)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Cryptosporidium oocysts, observed in a natural sputum sample of a patient with HIV, were further studied by using DNA markers to determine the species of the parasite. C. hominis was identified as the species infecting the patient's respiratory tract, a finding that strengthens evidence ...
Cocirculation of 2 genotypes of Toscana virus, Southeastern France.(DISPATCHES)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Toscana virus (TOSV), an arthropodborne phlebovirus transmitted by sandflies, can cause febrile illness and meningitis. The vector of TOSV in France was unknown, We detected TOSV RNA in 2 (female Phlebotomus pemiciosus) of 61 pools of sandflies captured in southeastern France. Two ...
Rapidly fatal acanthamoeba encephalitis and treatment of cryoglobulinemia.(DISPATCHES)(Author abstract)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Infection with Acanthamoeba, a free-living ameba, is a rare cause of slowly progressive granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) in immunocompromised patients. This form of encephalitis is almost universally progressive and fatal, typically within 2 months of symptom onset (1). We describe ...
Mouse-to-human transmission of variant lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.(DISPATCHES)(Author abstract)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) belongs to the genus Arenavirus in the family Arenaviridae. Mus musculus mice constitute the reservoir of LCMV in nature (1), but hamsters can also carry the virus. Humans usually become infected through direct contact with infected rodents or by ...
Leishmania donovani and cutaneous leishmaniasis, Sri Lanka.(DISPATCHES)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To investigate the relationship of cutaneous leishmaniasis isolates from Sri Lanka to known species, we performed DNA sequencing and microsatellite analyses. We identified Leishmania donovani as the agent of Sri Lanka cutaneous leishmaniasis and showed that these parasites are closely ...
Depression after infection with West Nile Virus (1).
Mar 01, 2007; ... Previous reports have noted depression after West Nile virus (WNV) infection. We further measured this outcome and found that 31% of patients reported new-onset depression and 75% of these had Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scores indicative of mild-to-severe depression ....
Detection of G12 human rotaviruses in Nepal.(DISPATCHES)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Of 731 stool specimens collected from children with diarrhea in Kathmandu, Nepal, from August 2004 through July 2005, 170 (23.3%) tested positive for rotavirus. Reverse transcription-PCR, including a revised G12-specific primer set, identified 56 (32.9%) as G2P[4] and 39 (23.0%) as G12 ...
Clostridium difficile in retail ground meat, Canada.(DISPATCHES)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Clostridium difficile was isolated from 12 (20%) of 60 retail ground meat samples purchased over a 10-month period in 2005 in Canada. Eleven isolates were toxigenic, and 8 (67%) were classified as toxinotype III. The human health implications of this finding are unclear, but with the ...
Methicillin-susceptible, doxycycline-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Cote d'Ivoire.(DISPATCHES)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... We report 2 outbreaks of Panton-Valentine leukocidin--positive, doxycycline-resistant, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections in French soldiers operating in Cote d'Ivoire. In a transssectional survey, nasal carriage of this strain was found in 2.9% of 273 soldiers about ...
Intermediate vancomycin susceptibility in a community-associated MRSA clone.(DISPATCHES)(methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... We describe a case of treatment failure caused by a strain of USA300 community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with intermediate susceptibility to vancomycin and reduced susceptibility to daptomycin. The strain was isolated from the bone of a 56-year-old man ...
Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec in MRSA, Taiwan.(DISPATCHES)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To determine the predominant staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec element in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, we typed 190 isolates from a hospital in Taiwan. We found a shift from type IV to type III SCCmec element during 1992-2003, perhaps caused by selective pressure ...
Clostridium difficile-associated disease in New Jersey Hospitals, 2000-2004 [1].(DISPATCHES)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Recent emergence of a virulent strain of Clostridium difficile demonstrates the importance of tracking C. difficile incidence locally. Our survey of New Jersey hospitals documented increases in the rates of C. difficile disease (by 2-fold), C. difficile-associated complications (by ...
Drug-resistant nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteremia, Thailand [1].(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Despite improved public health, serious infections with nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica remain a major clinical and public health concern in Thailand and worldwide (1,2). Life-threatening Salmonella infections resistant to fluoroquinolones, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, ...
Fulminant supraglottitis from Neisseria meningitidis.(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: A 68-year-old Caucasian woman with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease sought treatment at an emergency department after experiencing 2 days of pharyngitis and 1 day of fatigue and dysphagia for solid food. The morning of ...
gyrA mutations in fluoroquinolone-resistant Clostridium difficile PCR-027.(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in hospitalized patients (1). Antimicrobial drug therapy is the most important risk factor associated with the acquistion of C. difficile, and several antimicrobial agents including clindamycin, ...
New strain of influenza A virus (H5N1), Thailand.(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: During 2004-2005, 3 major waves of avian influenza outbreaks occurred in Thailand (1). The first wave was reported in early January 2004, the second in July 2004, and the third in October-December 2005. In total, 22 persons were infected and 14 died. Recently, a fourth wave ...
Kala-azar control, Uganda.(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Much of the leish-maniasis in Africa is concentrated in East Africa. In this region, visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) is caused by Leishmania donovani and is endemic in remote parts of Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda (1). In Uganda, kala-azar is ...
Chikungunya virus infection in traveler to Australia.(LETTERS)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Chikungunya is a mosquitoborne alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. Recently, a chikungunya virus epidemic that affected thousands of persons occurred in islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, including Mauritius and Reunion (1). An outbreak is ongoing in India, and ...
Avian influenza A (H5NI) age distribution in humans.(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: A total of 229 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 10 countries of Africa, Asia, and Europe in the 30 months leading up to July 4, 2006 (1). WHO has highlighted the skewed age distribution of these ...
Toxoplasma gondii, Brazil.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Recently, Jones et al. reported that past pregnancies increased risk for recent Toxoplasma gondii infection in Brazil (1). They did not, however, control for age. Previous seroepidemiologic studies have shown that age is a main confounding variable in analysis of risk ...
CTX-M extended-spectrum [beta]-lactamases, Washington State.(cefotaxime)(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: The CTX-M-type [beta]-lactamases are non-TEM and non-SHV plasmid-mediated, class A, extended-spectrum [beta]-lactamases (ESBLs). The CTX-M-type [beta]-lactamases have recently emerged as the most common type of ESBLs, with a global distribution (1). In contrast, the ...
HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection, Cameroon.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Coinfection with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is now a major public health concern worldwide, owing both to its high prevalence (4-5 million persons of 40 million infected by HIV) and to interactions between the 2 diseases in terms of their diagnosis, natural course, and ...
Amebic liver abscess in HIV-infected patients, Pepublic of Korea.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Amebic liver abscess (ALA) is the most common extraintestinal complication of amebic infection. Although loss of cellular immunity is thought to play a role in infection by the pathogen, whether HIV infection is also a risk factor for invasive amebiasis is controversial ...
Pregnancy and emerging diseases.(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: The November 2006 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases featured 2 perspectives (1,2) that highlighted the need for strategies to prevent and treat pregnant patients during outbreaks of new or emerging diseases or during bioterrorist attacks. However, neither article ...
Escherichia coli cluster evaluation.(molecular profiling as an epidemiologic tool)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Gupta et al. raise important issues regarding molecular profiling as an epidemiologic tool (1). First, since all living organisms are related, the goal of genomic profiling in public health epidemiology is not really to determine "whether such isolates are truly related" (1) ...
Novel hantavirus sequences in Shrew, Guinea.(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Hantaviruses, family Bunyaviridae, have been known as causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Asia and Europe (1,2) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in the Americas (3). Hantaviruses are spread by aerosolized rodent excreta and are strongly ...
Correction, Vol. 13, No. 1.(Parvoviruses PARV4/5 in Hepatitis C Virus-infected Persons)(Correction notice)
Mar 01, 2007 ... In "Parvoviruses PARV4/5 in Hepatitis C Virus-infected Persons," by J. F. Fryer et al., an error occurred. The originally published title incorrectly included the word "Patient." The correct title is ...
Correction, Vol. 13, No. 1.(Avian Influenza Risk Perception, Europe and Asia)(Correction notice)
Mar 01, 2007 ... In "Avian Influenza Risk Perception, Europe and Asia," by Onno de Zwart et al., an error occupied. In the abstract, the last sentence should state, "Risk perceptions were higher in Europe than in Asia; efficacy beliefs ...
Biodefense: research methodology and animal models.(Book review)
Mar 01, 2007; ... James R. Swearengen, editor CRC, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, Florida, 2006 ISBN: 9780849328367 Pages: 331; Price: US $139.95 Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, biodefense research has been increasingly emphasized. Biodefense: Research Methodology and Animal ...
The way forward is the way back:--Herakleitos of Ephesus, c. 500 BCE.(Cover story)
Mar 01, 2007; ... "The viewer should see the object as I saw it, but with a lot of room for his own interpretation .... The painting is like a very clear mirror which is barely visible but unmistakably there," reflects Spanish painter Antonio Lopez Garcia (b. 1936) (1). "I am nostalgic for an art of our ...