Emerging Infectious Diseases back issues from July 2007:
Brazilian vaccinia viruses and their origins.(PERSPECTIVE)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Although the World Health Organization (WHO) declared global smallpox eradicated in 1980, concerns over emergent poxvirus infections have increased. Most poxvirus infections are zoonotic; exploring their genetic diversity will illuminate the genetic and evolutionary aspects of poxvirus ...
Large water management projects and schistosomiasis control, Dongting Lake Region, China.(SYNOPSIS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Construction of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River will substantially change the ecology of the Dongting Lake in southern China. In addition, the Chinese Central and Hunan Provinces' governmental authorities have instigated a Return Land to Lake Program that will extend the ...
Thottapalayam virus, a prototype shrewborne hantavirus.(SYNOPSIS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Thottapalayam virus (TPMV) has been placed in the genus Hantavirus of the family Bunyaviridae by virtue of its morphologic features and overall genetic similarities to well-characterized rodentborne hantaviruses. This virus has been isolated from the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus); ...
Virulence characteristics of Klebsiella and clinical manifestations of K. pneumoniae bloodstream infections.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We studied 455 consecutive episodes of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia occurring in 7 countries. Community-acquired pneumonia and an invasive syndrome of liver abscess, meningitis, or endophthalmitis occurred only in Taiwan and South Africa. Infections by K1 and K2 capsular serotype, the ...
Antimicrobial drugs and community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United Kingdom.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We report results of a case-control study of the association between receipt of antimicrobial agents and diagnosis of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the United Kingdom. Eligible adults, selected from the General Practice Research Database, had no ...
Antiretroviral therapy during tuberculosis treatment and marked reduction in death rate of HIV-infected patients, Thailand (1).
Jul 01, 2007; ... Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is lifesaving in patients with advanced HIV infection, but the magnitude of benefit in HIV-infected patients receiving tuberculosis (TB) treatment remains uncertain, and population-based data from developing countries are limited. We prospectively collected ...
Ongoing genome reduction in Mycobacterium ulcerans.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Elucidation of the transmission, epidemiology, and evolution of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, is hampered by the striking lack of genetic diversity of this emerging pathogen. However, by using a prototype plasmid-based microarray that covered 10% of the ...
Rift Valley fever outbreak with East-Central African virus lineage in Mauritania, 2003.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... In October 2003, 9 human cases of hemorrhagic fever were reported in 3 provinces of Mauritania, West Africa. Test results showed acute Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) infection, and a field investigation found recent circulation of RVFV with a prevalence rate of 25.5% (25/98) and 4 deaths ...
Response to emerging infection leading to outbreak of linezolid-resistant enterococci.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Linezolid was approved in 2000 for treatment of gram-positive coccal infections. We performed a case--control study during a hospital outbreak of linezolid-resistant enterococci (LRE) infections, comparing cases of LRE infection (cases) with linezolid-sensitive enterococci infections ...
Person-to-person transmission of Nipah virus in a Bangladeshi community.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Jul 01, 2007; ... An encephalitis outbreak was investigated in Faridpur District, Bangladesh, in April-May 2004 to determine the cause of the outbreak and risk factors for disease. Biologic specimens were tested for Nipah virus. Surfaces were evaluated for Nipah virus contamination by using reverse ...
Effects of internal border control on spread of pandemic influenza.(RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We investigated the capacity of internal border control to limit influenza spread in an emergent pandemic in the context of Australia, a country with a low-population density and geopolitical boundaries that may facilitate restrictions. Mathematical models were used to study the time delay ...
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to enable use of needed products in civilian and military emergencies, United States.
Jul 01, 2007; ... The US Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is a critical new tool for medical and public health communities and is applicable for both civilian and military use. It fills the need for timely and practical medical treatment under emergency conditions and authorizes use of the best product ...
Influenza pandemics in Singapore, a tropical, globally connected city.
Jul 01, 2007; ... Tropical cities such as Singapore do not have well-defined influenza seasons but have not been spared from influenza pandemics. The 1918 epidemic in Singapore, which was then already a major global trading hub, occurred in 2 waves, June-July, and October-November, and resulted in [greater ...
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colombia.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We investigated 2 fatal cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever that occurred in 2003 and 2004 near the same locality in Colombia where the disease was first reported in the 1930s. A retrospective serosurvey of febrile patients showed that >21% of the serum samples had antibodies against ...
Human influenza A (H5N1) cases, urban areas of People's Republic of China, 2005-2006.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We investigated potential sources of infection for 6 confirmed influenza A (H5N1) patients who resided in urban areas of People's Republic of China. None had known exposure to sick poultry or poultry that died from illness, but all had visited wet poultry markets before illness. ...
Live poultry exposures, Hong Kong and Hanoi, 2006.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Since 1997, the largest epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) ever recorded has caused 172 human and several billion bird deaths. Recently administered questionnaires determined that live poultry exposures have declined by [approximately equal to] 63% in Hong Kong since 2004 ...
Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Sri Lanka.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an emerging disease in Sri Lanka. Of 116 patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of CL, 86 were confirmed positive for Leishmania donovani. Most patients had single dry lesions, usually on the face. Patients were from 5 of the 7 agroclimatic zones in Sri ...
Norovirus in captive lion cub (Panthera leo).(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... African lions (Panthera leo) are susceptible to viral diseases of domestic carnivores, including feline calicivirus infection. We report the identification of a novel enteric calicivirus, genetically related to human noroviruses of genogroup IV, in a lion cub that died of severe ...
Little evidence for genetic susceptibility to influenza A (H5N1) from family clustering data.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... The apparent clustering of human cases of influenza A (H5N1) among blood relatives has been considered as evidence of genetic variation in susceptibility. We show that, by chance alone, a high proportion of clusters are expected to be limited to blood relatives when infection is a rare ...
Point-of-use water treatment and use among mothers in Malawi.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... A national household survey was conducted in Malawi to determine awareness and use of a socially marketed water treatment product. In all, 64% of mothers were aware of the product, and 7% were using it. Both poor and rural mothers had lower awareness and use rates. Targeting promotion to ...
Blood screening for influenza.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Influenza viruses, including highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1), could threaten blood safety. We analyzed 10,272 blood donor samples with a minipool nucleic acid amplication technique. Analytical sensitivity of the method was 804 geq/mL and 444 geq/mL for generic influenza ...
Fatal coxsackievirus A-16 pneumonitis in adult.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Coxsackievirus A-16 (CVA-16) is the agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children, We report a case of fatal pneumonitis in an adult due to a CVA-16 strain with a low (78.6%) rate of sequence homology with the reference strain, A modified, more virulent, strain of CVA-16 could be ...
Estimating severe Coccidioidomycosis in California.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We used hospital discharge data to estimate incidence and distribution of coccidioidomycosis-associated hospitalizations in California. For 1997-2002, the average annual rate of hospitalization was 3.67 per 100,000 population. County of residence, older age, black race, male sex, HIV ...
Canine-origin G3P[3] rotavirus strain in child with acute gastroenteritis.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Infection by an animal-like strain of rotavirus (PA260/97) was diagnosed in a child with gastroenteritis in Palermo, Italy, in 1997. Sequence analysis of VP7, VP4, VP6, and NSP4 genes showed resemblance to a G3P[3] canine strain identified in Italy in 1996. Dogs are a potential source of ...
Possible zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E from pet pig to its owner.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Hepatitis E is transmitted mainly by water or food, but in industrialized countries, all routes of transmission have not been identified. We describe possible zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus that involved direct contact between a pet pig and its owner. ********** ...
Virus detection and monitoring of viral load in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus patients.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We developed a real-time reverse transcription--PCR that detected 1,164 copies/mL of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus per milliliter of serum at 95% probability (probit analysis) and was 100% concordant with nested PCR on 63 samples from 31 patients with confirmed infection. Infected ...
Zinc cream and reliability of tuberculosis skin testing.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... In 50 healthy Peruvian shantytown residents, zinc cream applied to tuberculosis skin-test sites caused a 32% increase in induration compared with placebo cream. Persons with lower plasma zinc had smaller skin-test reactions and greater augmentation with zinc cream. Zinc deficiency caused ...
Three rickettsioses, Darnley Island, Australia.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We report 3 rickettsioses on Darnley Island, Australia, in the Torres Strait. In addition to previously described cases of Flinders Island spotted fever (Rickettsia honei strain "marmionii"), we describe 1 case of Queensland tick typhus (R. australis) and 2 cases of scrub typhus caused by ...
Chlamydophila psittaci transmission from pet birds to humans.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We studied zoonotie transmission of Chlamydophila psittaci in 39 breeding facilities for Psittaciformes (cockatoos, parrots, parakeets, lories) that frequently used antimicrobial drugs, Genotypes A or F/B were detected in 149% of humans at these facilities. Information on antimicrobial ...
Rickettsia parkeri in Brazil.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We report finding Rickettsia parkeri in Brazil in 9.7% of Amblyomma triste ticks examined. An R. parkeri isolate was successfully established in Vero cell culture. Molecular characterization of the agent was performed by DNA sequencing of portions of the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, ompA, ...
Tickborne encephalitis, southwestern France.(DISPATCHES)
Jul 01, 2007; ... We report an autochthonous human case of tickborne encephalitis (TBE) in the Bordeaux area, southwestern France. The patient was a farmer who had severe encephalomyelitis. ELISA and neutralization assay of serum and cerebrospinal fluid established the diagnosis. This potential new endemic ...
Cell culture assay for human noroviruses.(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: We read with great interest the article on human norovirus (hNoV) by Straub et al. (1). By using 3-dimensional aggregates of a highly differentiated intestinal epithelial cell line, the investigators claimed to have established an in vitro cell culture model that "support[s] ...
Anthrax in red deer (Cervus elaphus), Italy.(LETTERS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Anthrax is hypoendemic in Italy; a few outbreaks occurred yearly involving unvaccinated herbivores on pastures in central and southern regions and the major islands. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) with 8 variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) of ...
Invasive freshwater snail, China.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Pomacea canaliculata, an invasive freshwater snail native to South America, was first introduced as a food to Taiwan in 1979 and then to Mainland China in 1981 (1). It adapted well to the environment, particularly to the southern parts of the Mainland, spreading rapidly to ...
Possible avian influenza (H5N1) from migratory bird, Egypt.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Wild migratory birds are reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses (1), but their role in transmitting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses is hotly debated and unclear (2-4). Beginning in July 2005, a clade of HPAI (H5N1) viruses rapidly ...
Community-acquired extended-spectrum [beta]-lactamase producers, United States.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Extended-spectrum [beta]-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms have become a common problem for patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities (1). Community-onset ESBL infections have recently been described in Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Canada (2,3) ....
Japanese encephalitis outbreak, Yuncheng, China, 2006.(LETTERS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Japanese encephalitis (JE) epidemics have occurred only in Asia. More than 50,000 cases of JE with [approximately equal to] 10,000 deaths have been reported since 1998 (1,2). The People's Republic of China reported 5,104 cases and 214 deaths in 2005. Most of these deaths ...
Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium vivax, Brazilian Amazon.
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Plasmodium vivax is the protozoan that causes the second most common form of malaria. Some resistant strains to chloroquine (CQ) occur in a few places in Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region (1-4). Although resistance of P. vivax to CQ has already been described in South America ...
Avian influenza risk perceptions, Laos.(LETTERS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: After the 2004 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), the Ministry of Health implemented extensive virologic surveillance (1,2). Surveillance began in July 2005, and by early 2006, only sporadic cases were ...
Norovirus GII.4 strains and outbreaks, Australia.(LETTERS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Viral gastroenteritis affects millions of people of all ages worldwide, and some seasonality has been observed in outbreak occurrences (1-3). During early 2006 in New South Wales (NSW), a marked increase in outbreaks of gastroenteritis occurred (Figure): 155 outbreaks were ...
Echinostoma malayanum infection, the Philippines.(LETTERS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: In 2002, the Department of Health-Provincial Health Team (DOH-PHT) of Surigao del Norte reported 102 cases of fasciolid-like infections in the municipality of Santa Monica, Siargao Island, the Philippines. The reports were based on characteristic large operculate eggs having ...
Zoonotic pathogens in Ixodes scapularis, Michigan.(LETTERS)(Clinical report)
Jul 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick, is the predominant vector of reportable human vectorborne disease in the United States. It transmits agents that cause Lyme borreliosis, human anaplasmosis, and human babesiosis. I. scapularis--borne disease is becoming more frequent ...
The Ghost Map.(Book review)
Jul 01, 2007; ... The Ghost Map Steven Johnson Riverhead Books, New York, New York, USA, 2006 ISBN-10:1594489254 ISBN-13:978-1594489259 Pages: 299; Price: US $26.95 Widely viewed as the "father of contemporary epidemiology," Dr. John Snow is among the most famous of public health figures (1) ....
Rowing on the Schuylkill, damming on the Yangtze.(life of Thomas Eakins)(Biography)
Jul 01, 2007; ... "Should the he-painters draw the horses and bulls, and the she-painters ... the mares and cows?" asked Thomas Eakins, when critics derided his use of nude models in the presence of women art students (1). Eakins made no bones about his teaching practices and no compromises in his pursuit ...
Upcoming infectious disease activities.(NEWS & NOTES)
Jul 01, 2007 ... July 16-18, 2007 Public Health Congress Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC, USA http://www.publichealthcongress.com July 29-31, 2007 Immunobiology of Influenza Virus Infection: Approaches for an Emerging Zoonotic Disease ...