Emerging Infectious Diseases back issues from December 2007:
Impact of globalization and animal trade on infectious disease ecology.(COMMENTARY\)
Dec 01, 2007; ... The articles on rabies (1) and Marburg (2) virus featured in this month's Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) zoonoses issue illustrate common themes. Both discuss zoonotic diseases with serious health implications for humans, and both have a common reservoir, the bat. These articles, and ...
Effects of local anthropogenic changes on potential malaria vector Anopheles hyrcanus and West Nile virus vector Culex modestus, Camargue, France.(PERSPECTIVE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Using historical data, we highlight the consequences of anthropogenic ecosystem modifications on the abundance of mosquitoes implicated as the current most important potential malaria vector, Anopheles hyrcanus, and the most important West Nile virus (WNV) vector, Culex modestus, in the ...
Need for improved methods to collect and present spatial epidemiologic data for vectorborne diseases.(PERSPECTIVE)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Improved methods for collection and presentation of spatial epidemiologic data are needed for vectorborne diseases in the United States. Lack of reliable data for probable pathogen exposure site has emerged as a major obstacle to the development of predictive spatial risk models. Although ...
Susceptibility of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) to highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1).(RESEARCH)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Migratory birds have been implicated in the long-range spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A virus (H5N1) from Asia to Europe and Africa. Although sampling of healthy wild birds representing a large number of species has not identified possible carriers of influenza virus ...
Fishborne zoonotic intestinal trematodes, Vietnam.(RESEARCH)(Survey)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Although fishborne zoonotic trematodes that infect the liver are well documented in Vietnam, intestinal fishborne zoonotic trematodes are unreported. Recent discoveries of the metacercarial stage of these flukes in wild and farmed fish prompted an assessment of their risk to a community ...
Emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of animal origin in humans.(RESEARCH)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In 2003 in the Netherlands, a new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain emerged that could not be typed with Sma1 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (NT-MRSA). The association of NT-MRSA in humans with a reservoir in animals was investigated. The frequency of NT-MRSA ...
Hospitalizations and deaths caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 1999-2005.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Hospital-acquired infections with Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, are a major cause of illness and death and impose serious economic costs on patients and hospitals. However, the recent magnitude and trend of these infections have not ...
Studies of reservoir hosts for Marburg virus.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To determine reservoir hosts for Marburg virus (MARV), we examined the fauna of a mine in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mine was associated with a protracted outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever during 1998-2000. We found MARV nucleic acid in 12 bats, comprising ...
Invasive group a Streptococcal infection in older adults in long-term care facilities and the community, United States, 1998-2003 (1).(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Limited information exists on the incidence and characteristics of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). We reviewed cases of invasive GAS infections occurring among persons [greater than or equal to] 65 years of age ...
Pig herds free from human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica (1).(RESEARCH)(Financial report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Pork products are a substantial source of human yersiniosis, a foodborne disease caused by Yersinia enterocolitica. Thus, the ability to eliminate this agent from pig herds would be an important step in producing human pathogen-free pork. Pig herds free from Y. enterocolitica O:3/biovar 4 ...
Swine influenza (H3N2) infection in a child and possible community transmission, Canada.(RESEARCH)(Case study)
Dec 01, 2007; ... An influenza A virus (H3N2) of probable swine origin, designated A/Canada/1158/2006, was isolated from a 7-month-old hospitalized child who lived on a communal farm in Canada. The child recovered uneventfully. A serosurvey that used a hemagglutination-inhibition assay for ...
Swine workers and swine influenza virus infections.(RESEARCH)(Clinical report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In 2004, 803 rural Iowans from the Agricultural Health Study were enrolled in a 2-year prospective study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Demographic and occupational exposure data from enrollment, 12-month, and 24-month follow-up encounters were examined for association with evidence ...
Epidemiology and molecular virus characterization of reemerging rabies, South Africa.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... The incidence of dog rabies in Limpopo Province, South Africa, increased from 5 cases in 2004 to 100 in 2006. Human rabies had last been confirmed in 1981, but investigations instituted after an index case was recognized in February 2006 identified 21 confirmed, 4 probable, and 5 possible ...
Phenotypic similarity of transmissible mink encephalopathy in cattle and L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a mouse model.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Transmissible mink encepholapathy (TME) is a food-borne transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of ranch-raised mink; infection with a ruminant TSE has been proposed as the cause, but the precise origin of TME is unknown. To compare the phenotypes of each TSE, bovine-passaged TME ...
Changing epidemiology of human brucellosis, Germany, 1962-2005.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Trends in the epidemiology of human brucellosis in Germany were investigated by analyzing national surveillance data (1962-2005) complemented by a questionnaire-based survey (1995-2000). After a steady decrease in brucellosis incidence from 1962 to the 1980s, a persistent number of cases ...
Viable Newcastle disease vaccine strains in a pharmaceutical dump.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To assess the viability of discarded and buried vaccine strains, we examined vaccines that had been buried for >20 years in an industrial waste dump in the city of Milan, Italy. Viability results showed potential biological risk associated with uncontrolled burial of pharmaceutical ...
Parachlamydia spp. and related Chlamydia-like organisms and bovine abortion.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Chlamydophila abortus and Waddlia chondrophila cause abortion in ruminants. We investigated the role of Parachlamydia acanthamoebae in bovine abortion. Results of immunohistochemical analyses were positive in 30 (70%) of 43 placentas from which Chlamydia-like DNA was amplified, which ...
Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feral swine near spinach fields and cattle, Central California Coast (1).(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... We investigated involvement of feral swine in contamination of agricultural fields and surface waterways with Escherichia coli O157:H7 after a nationwide outbreak traced to bagged spinach from California. Isolates from feral swine, cattle, surface water, sediment, and soil at 1 ranch were ...
Crow deaths caused by West Nile virus during winter.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In New York, an epizootic of American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) deaths from West Nile virus (WNV) infection occurred during winter 2004-2005, a cold season when mosquitoes are not active. Detection of WNV in feces collected at the roost suggests lateral transmission through contact or ...
Seroconversion in wild birds and local circulation of West Nile virus, Spain.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... A serosurvey for neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus (WNV) in common coots (Fulica atra) was conducted in Donana, Spain. Antibody prevalence was highest in 2003, intermediate in 2004, and lowest in 2005. Some birds seroreverted <1 year after first capture. Seroconversion of ...
Risk factors for West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease, California, 2005.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... In 2005, 880 West Nile virus cases were reported in California; 305 case-patients exhibited neuroinvasive disease, including meningitis, encephalitis, or acute flaccid paralysis. Risk factors independently associated with developing neuroinvasive disease rather than West Nile fever ...
Host-feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes in relation to trap habitat.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Mosquito feeding patterns identify vertebrate species potentially involved in the amplification of West Nile virus. In New York, northern cardinals (Catalinalis catalinalis) were the predominant hosts in most habitats. Crow (Corvus sp.) blood meals were most frequently identified from ...
Human and animal infections with Mycobacterium microti, Scotland.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... During 1994-2005, we isolated Mycobacterium microti from 5 animals and 4 humans. Only 1 person was immunocompromised. Spoligotyping showed 3 patterns: vole type, llama type, and a new variant llama type. ********** Naturally occurring mycobacteria that are part of the ...
African swine fever virus DNA in soft ticks, Senegal.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... African swine fever is a highly contagious disease of pigs in Africa. Although its persistence in Senegal may be caused by asymptomatic carriers involved in the domestic transmission cycle, we demonstrated that the soft tick Ornithodoros sonrai can be naturally infected with the causative ...
Enhanced Subtyping scheme for Salmonella Enteritidis.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To improve pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based strain discrimination of 76 Salmonella Enteritidis strains, we evaluated 6 macro-restriction endonucleases, separately and in various combinations. One 3-enzyme subset, Sfil/Pacl/Notl, was highly discriminatory. Five different indices, ...
Clinical and epidemiologic characterization of WU polyomavirus infection, St. Louis, Missouri.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... WU polyomavirus is a recently described polyomavirus found in patients with respiratory infections. Of 2,637 respiratory samples tested in St. Louis, Missouri, 2.7% were positive for WU polyomavirus by PCR, and 71% were coinfected with other respiratory viruses. Persistent human infection ...
WU polyomavirus in children, Canada.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... WU polyomavirus was detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates in 2 (2.5%) of 79 children with respiratory infections (both infected with respiratory syncytial virus) and in 5 (6.4%) of 78 asymptomatic children during the same winter season in Canada. The strains were closely related to ...
Rhodococcus equi infection after alemtuzumab therapy for T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Rhodococcus equi, mainly known from veterinary medicine as a pathogen in domestic animals, can also cause infections in immunocompromised humans, especially in those with defects in cellular immunity. Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, causes lymphocytopenia by eliminating ...
Antimicrobial drug resistance in Singapore hospitals.(DISPATCHES)(Survey)
Dec 01, 2007; ... A new national antimicrobial resistance surveillance program in Singapore public hospitals that uses WHONET detected high levels of methicillin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus (35.3%), carbapenem resistance among Acinetobacter spp. (49.6%), and third-generation cephalosporin ...
Bartonella DNA in dog saliva.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Bartonella species, transmitted by arthropods or animal bites and scratches, are emerging pathogens in human and veterinary medicine. PCR and DNA sequencing were used to test oral swabs collected from dogs. Results indicated the presence of 4 Bartonella species: B. bovis, B. henselae, B ....
Use of fly screens to reduce Campylobacter spp. introduction in broiler houses.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Fly screens that prevented influx of flies in 20 broiler houses during the summer of 2006 in Denmark caused a decrease in Campylobacter spp.-positive flocks from 51.4% in control houses to 15.4% in case houses. A proportional reduction in the incidence of chicken-borne campylobacteriosis ...
Multidrug-resistant typhoid fever outbreak in travelers returning from Bangladesh.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid fever) is a systemic infection caused by several Salmonella enterica serotypes including S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A. The Indian subcontinent, which has the highest incidence of the disease worldwide, is also an epicenter of enteric ...
Human rabies cluster following badger bites, People's Republic of China.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: From February 2002 to April 2004, 7 rural residents of Coteau County (population 450,000) in western Zhejiang Province in eastern People's Republic of China died of rabies following badger bites (Figure). In this county, 89% of residents are farmers. The county covers 4,475 ...
Diphyllobothrium latum outbreak from marinated raw perch, Lake Geneva, Switzerland.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Diphyllobothrium latum, a fish tapeworm, has a complex cycle including copepods and freshwater fish as intermediate hosts. Humans are infected by eating raw or undercooked fish meat. Clinical consequences of human infection are generally absent or mild, although anemia due ...
Human papillomavirus vaccination strategies.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: An article by Elbasha et al. in the January 2007 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases showed an economic evaluation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination strategies (1). In this model, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) calculations were based on costs measured ...
Distemper in a dolphin.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Deaths caused by new members of the genus Morbillivirus, family Paramyxoviridae (1), have occurred in recent decades among phocine and cetacean species, particularly harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in 1988 (2) and 2002 (3). Endangered Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella ...
Bartonella australis sp. nov. from kangaroos, Australia.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: During April May 1999, 3 Bartonella isolates (AUST/ NH1, AUST/NH2, AUST/NH3) were cultivated and established from the blood of 5 Macropus giganteus gray kangaroos from central coastal Queensland, Australia. We used multigene sequencing to evaluate whether these Bartonella ...
Q fever in migrant workers, Scotland.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Q fever is a zoonosis caused by infection with Coxiella burnetii and is most commonly associated with occupational exposure to animal-slaughtering facilities. C. burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium and causes highly variable disease, ranging from asymptomatic ...
Fatal Streptococcus equi subsp. ruminatorum infection in a man.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Streptococcus equi belongs to the pyogenic group of streptococci and to group C of the Lancefield classification. It consists of 3 subspecies of zoonotic agents rarely reported as human pathogens (1,2): S. equi subsp, equi, S. equi subsp, zooepidemicus, and S. equi subsp, ...
Rabies prophylaxis for pregnant women.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Rabies poses a 100% risk for death to pregnant women and an indeterminate risk to the fetus (1,2). Although a theoretical risk exists for adverse effects from rabies immune globulin and killed rabies virus vaccines, several studies assessing the safety of this treatment have ...
Novel orthoreovirus from diseased crow, Finland.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: Corvids, especially American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), are reported to be highly susceptible to lineage 1 of West Nile virus (WNV), which causes them to show symptoms of encephalitis. They are regarded as indicator species in the surveillance of WNV in the United States ...
Detecting human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A (H5N1).(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007; ... To the Editor: This letter is in response to a recently published article about statistical modeling to assess human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses in 2 case clusters (1). Sporadic cases and clusters of human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza A ...
Silent victories: the history and practice of public health in twentieth-century America.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... John W. Ward, and Christian Warren, editors Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 2007 ISBN: 9780195150698 Pages: 484; Price: US $49.95 The 20th century witnessed some notable public health triumphs in America: improvements in the water supply, further control of ...
Emerging viruses in human populations.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Edward Tabor, editor Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2007 ISBN: 978-0-444-52074-6 Pages: 374; Price: US $94.95 With increasing international travel and globalization of the world's economies, changing climates, and altered human behavior and demographics, ...
Francisella tularensis: biology, pathogenicity, epidemiology, and biodefense.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Yusef Abu Kwaik, Dennis W. Metzger, Francis Nano, Anders Sjostedt, and Richard Titball, editors Blackwell Publishing Limited, New York, New York, USA 2007 ISBN-10:1573316911 Pages: 352; Price: US $145.00 I am pleased to recommend Francisella tularensis: Biology, ...
Uncommon denominators.(ABOUT THE COVER)(Cover story)
Dec 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Others will have greater skill for getting the breath of life to spring from bronze more fluidly .... But as for you, Roman, remember to impose your power upon nations. Your art is to decree the rules of peace, to spare the vanquished and subdue the ...
Upcoming infectious disease activities.(NEWS & NOTES)(Calendar)
Dec 01, 2007 ... January 23-25, 2008 International Symposium on Avian Influenza: Integration from Knowledge to Control Bangkok, Thailand hltp://www.biotec.or.th/Alconf2008 February 3-6, 2008 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Hynes Convention Center Boston, MA, USA ...