Emerging Infectious Diseases back issues from December 2008:
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) infection in red foxes fed infected bird carcasses.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Influenza A viruses rarely infect species of the order Carnivora. However, since 2003, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of subtype H5N1 have infected a wide range of carnivore species. Within the past 30 years, and before the emergence of HPAI viruses (H5N1), 5 documented ...
Influenza infection in wild raccoons.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The primary reservoirs of avian influenza (AI) are wild birds in the orders Anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans) and Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, and shorebirds). In these hosts, low-pathogenic forms of the virus typically cause little or no apparent disease, however, large quantities ...
Enzootic rabies elimination from dogs and reemergence in wild terrestrial carnivores, United States.(RESEARCH)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Rabies virus (RV) is the prototype member of the genus Lyssavirus, which causes acute encephalomyelitis in mammals, including humans, throughout the world. The disease is independently maintained by several species of mammals within the orders Carnivora and Chiroptera (1). Intraspecies RV ...
Genetic characterization of Toggenburg Orbivirus, a new bluetongue virus, from goats, Switzerland.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Bluetongue is a vectorborne disease affecting all ruminant species but causing clinical disease mostly in sheep; cattle and goats are usually considered asymptomatic reservoir hosts (1). The disease occurs worldwide and is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), which belongs to the genus ...
Sentinel-based surveillance of coyotes to detect bovine tuberculosis, Michigan.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The emergence and reemergence of zoonotic diseases are becoming increasingly important issues for numerous reasons, including deforestation and habitat fragmentation, increased globalization of travel and trade, urbanization, and bioterrorism concerns. Diseases such as severe acute ...
African swine fever virus isolate, Georgia, 2007.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... African swine fever (ASF), classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), causes an acute hemorrhagic fever in domestic pigs. It often results in major economic losses because of the high rates of illness and death associated with the disease. ASF has ...
Clinical characteristics and molecular subtyping of Vibrio vulnificus illnesses, Israel.(RESEARCH)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Vibrio vulnificus, a gram-negative bacterium of the family Vibrionaceae, is a worldwide inhabitant of salt water (1-3). V. vulnificus biotypes 1 and 2 are capable of causing severe human infection, including necrotizing fasciitis and septicemia; the death rate is substantial (4-6). Persons ...
Novel Borna virus in Psittacine birds with proventricular dilatation disease.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Borna disease virus (BDV) is the causative agent of Borna disease, a meningoencephalitis of horses and sheep in central Europe (1). As the prototype and only known member of the family Bornaviridae in the order Mononegavirales (nonsegmented, negative-strand RNA viruses), BDV is atypical in ...
Possible emergence of West Caucasian bat virus in Africa.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Bats are reservoir hosts of several emerging zoonotic RNA viruses (1). In particular, bats host a range of lyssaviruses, as has been reported from different continents (2). Presently, 7 species are recognized within the genus Lyssavirus (order Mononegavirales, family Rhabdoviridae): Rabies ...
Detection and phylogenetic analysis of group 1 coronaviruses in South American bats.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Bats are of particular interest as reservoirs for potentially emergent pathogens. Because of their abundance, wide distribution, and mobility, bats confer a greater risk for zoonotic transmission than other animals (1). Bats have long been known as the natural hosts for rabies virus and ...
Rickettsia parkeri in Argentina.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Argentina is a large, ecologically diverse country, with at least 10 Neotropical Amblyomma tick species that bite humans, including Amblyomma triste (1,2; Figure 1, panels A, B). Spotted fever group rickettsiae have been identified in 3 Amblyomma species in Argentina: Rickettsia amblyommii ...
Transmission of atypical bovine prions to mice transgenic for human prion protein.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The epizootic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is under control in European countries >20 years after the first cases were diagnosed in the United Kingdom. Thus far, BSE is the only animal prion disease known to have been transmitted to humans, leading to a variant form of ...
Human illnesses caused by Opisthorchis felineus flukes, Italy.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Opisthorchis felineus is a trematode that is transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. Worldwide, the number of cases of human infection has been estimated to be 1.2 million (1). A high prevalence has been reported in Byelorussia, ...
Identification of new rabies virus variant in Mexican immigrant.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Rabies is an acute, progressive, fatal encephalitis caused by viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. Globally, 11 major genotypes have been identified as etiologic agents of this zoonosis (1). Rabies virus (RV), the type species, is the most widespread and epidemiologically ...
Avian influenza outbreaks in chickens, Bangladesh.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The threat that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A virus subtype H5N1 poses to poultry and public health has intensified (1). As the virus becomes established in poultry in developing countries, the number of human cases increases (1,2). Countries in the Asian Association for ...
Outbreak of trichinellosis caused by Trichinella papuae, Thailand, 2006.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Trichinellosis is a foodborne parasitic zoonosis distributed worldwide that has not always been recognized for its importance, particularly in resource-poor countries (1). In northern Thailand, the main source of infection is domestic pigs kept by villagers (2). In addition to raising ...
Multicenter study of brucellosis in Egypt.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Brucellosis is one of the major zoonotic infections worldwide (1). It is caused by gram-negative coccobacilli of the genus Brucella and affects cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock (2,3). Since the discovery of Brucella melitensis by David Bruce in 1887, several species have been ...
Mycobacterium bovis infection in Holstein Friesian cattle, Iran.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Estimates suggest that globally >50 million cattle are infected with Mycobacterium bovis, causing an annual loss of [approximately equal to] $3 billion US (1). In Asia, 94% of the 460-million cattle herd (33% of the world's cattle) are in areas with either no or only partial tuberculosis ...
Hemoplasma infection in HIV-positive patient, Brazil.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Hemoplasmas are a group of bacteria that infect animals. They are small epicellular parasites that adhere to the host's erythrocytes. Diseases caused by these bacteria range from acute hemolytic anemia to asymptomatic infection. It is generally thought that most Mycoplasma spp. are host ...
Occupational exposure to Streptococcus suis among US swine workers.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Streptococcus suis is one of the most important pathogens affecting the swine industry. The gram-positive, encapsulated bacterium causes a wide range of clinical disease syndromes in pigs and other domestic animals. Despite the recognition that S. suis infection may result in a ...
Multiple Francisella tularensis subspecies and clades, tularemia outbreak, Utah.(DISPATCHES)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, a highly infectious, gram-negative coccobacillus found in lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), rodents, and arthropods throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Humans become infected through contact with infected animal tissues, ...
Mycobacterium bovis strains causing smear-positive human tuberculosis, southwest Ireland.(DISPATCHES)(Survey)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Bovine tuberculosis occurs worldwide (1-3). It is caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a cattle-adapted member of the M. tuberculosis complex. M. bovis has the broadest host range of pathogenic mycobacteria, infecting domestic and wild mammals, and is classified as a Hazard Group 3 infectious ...
Emergence of Francisella novicida bacteremia, Thailand.(DISPATCHES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Francisella novicida, a rare human pathogen, has recently been considered to be a subspecies of F. tularensis on the basis of DNA similarity (1,2). The reservoir and transmission route of F. novicida were not clearly defined. Since the first isolation of F. novicida, to our knowledge, only ...
Who is this man and what did he accomplish?(Photo Quiz)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The theme of this month's issue of EID is zoonotic diseases. Consistent with this theme, here is a photograph of a physician who greatly advanced medicine and public health through his investigations of diseases of animals. He and his colleagues were the ...
Bartonella henselae antibodies after cat bite.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease, which is the most common form of human bartonellosis (1). In immunocompromised patients, e.g., HIV-infected patients, B. henselae can give rise to longstanding fever, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis ...
Fatal case of Israeli spotted fever after Mediterranean cruise.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Israeli spotted fever (ISF) is caused by Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis. This recently described subspecies is genetically close to R. conorii subsp. conorii, the agent of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) (1,2). ISF is likely transmitted by the dog tick Rhipicephalus ...
Streptococcus suis meningitis without history of animal contact, Italy.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Streptococcus suis, a major swine pathogen worldwide, is emerging as a zoonotic agent capable of causing a variety of serious infections in swine as well as in persons exposed to pigs or to pork products. These infections include meningitis, septicemia, pneumonia, ...
Equine herpesvirus type 9 in giraffe with encephalitis.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Herpesviruses have been isolated from many mammals. Herpesvirus infection in natural hosts is often mild and is usually followed by a latent infection; however, cross-species herpesvirus infections cause severe and fatal diseases. Equine herpesvirus (EHV)-1 causes abortion, ...
Reexamination of human rabies case with long incubation, Australia.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Long incubation periods are an occasional feature of infection with rabies virus and should be considered in human cases of acute encephalitis in rabies-free countries where there has been a history of travel to rabies-endemic areas (1). Until 1987 Australia had recorded ...
Human case of Bartonella alsatica lymphadenitis.(LETTERS)(Case study)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Lymph node enlargement is a common medical problem that is usually caused by bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoal agents (1). Malignancies or lymphoproliferative diseases are often found, especially in elderly patients (1). Bartonella henselae, the main causative agent of ...
Molecular detection of Ehrlichia chaffeensis in Amblyomma parvum ticks, Argentina.(LETTERS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligate intracellular bacterium in the family Anaplasmataceae. It is considered an emerging pathogen in the United States because it is the causative agent of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (1), a flu-like illness that can progress to severe ...
Enzootic angiostrongyliasis in Shenzhen, China.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic parasite that causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans after they ingest infective larvae in freshwater and terrestrial snails and slugs, paratenic hosts (such as freshwater fish, shrimps, frogs, and crabs), or contaminated ...
Knowledge about avian influenza, European region.(LETTERS)(Survey)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Since the first identifications of avian influenza (H5N1) in Europe in late 2005 and early 2006, Eurobarometer survey data obtained during April-May 2006 have provided a unique opportunity to examine the knowledge of respondents across the European Union, Croatia, and Turkey ...
Human Salmonella infection yielding CTX-M [beta]-lactamase, United States.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: In the United States most third-generation cephalosporin resistance among salmonellae is due to AmpC plasmid-mediated [beta]-lactamases. Extended-spectrum [beta]-lactamases (ESBLs) have rarely been reported (1). The CTX-M [beta]-lactamases constitute a group of ESBL enzymes ...
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O:1 traced to raw carrots, Finland.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Illness caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is mainly characterized by fever and acute abdominal pain due to mesenteric lymphadenitis that mimics appendicitis. Secondary manifestations include erythema nodosum and reactive arthritis (1). Outbreaks have been reported in the ...
Antibodies against Rickettsia spp. in hunters, Germany.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: A number of emerging Rickettsia species have been recently described (1). One of these, R. helvetica, was first isolated in Switzerland in 1979 and was implicated in perimyocarditis and nonspecific febrile disease in humans (2-5). PCR showed its prevalence in 1,187 Ixodes ...
Rickettsia sp. in Ixodes granulatus ticks, Japan.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: The genus Rickettsia consists of obligate intracellular bacteria that cause spotted fever and typhus fever; these bacteria are usually transmitted by an arthropod vector. We report isolation of a Rickettsia honei--like organism from the Ixodes granulatus tick; this organism ...
Sin Nombre virus infection in deer mice, Channel Islands, California.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a highly virulent strain of hantavirus associated with rodent hosts in North America (1,2). Documenting the prevalence of SNV in wild rodent populations is an important component of determining risk for exposure and ultimately providing sound ...
Parachlamydia acanthamoebae infection and abortion in small ruminants.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Abortion in ruminants is of worldwide economic importance. Moreover, several abortigenic agents have a zoonotic potential, i.e., Brucella abortus, Coxiella burnetii, and Chlamydophila abortus. C. abortus, which causes ovine enzootic abortion, may also infect pregnant women ...
Candidate new species of Kobuvirus in porcine hosts.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Picornaviruses (family Picornaviridae) are small, nonenveloped viruses with single-stranded, positive-sense genomic RNA, currently divided into 8 genera: Enterovirus, Aphthovirus, Cardiovirus, Hepatovirus, Parechovirus, Erbovirus, Teschovirus, and Kobuvirus (1). To date, the ...
Human case of Rickettsia felis infection, Taiwan.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Rickettsia felis, the etiologic agent of flea-borne spotted fever, is carried by fleas worldwide (1). In the past decade, several human cases of R. felis infection have been reported (1-3). Clinical symptoms and biological data for R. felis infections are similar to those ...
Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia felis in fleas, Democratic Republic of Congo.(LETTERS)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Bartonella and Rickettsia species are pathogens of humans and domestic mammals that may be transmitted by fleas and other arthropods. Rickettsia felis causes flea-borne spotted fever in humans who come into contact with flea-infested domestic and peridomestic animals; ...
Antibodies to Nipah or Nipah-like viruses in bats, China.(LETTERS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV), the only known members of the genus Henipavirus, are 2 emerging paramyxoviruses that are highly pathogenic in a variety of vertebrate animals, including humans (1). Since the initial discovery of the viruses in Australia and Malaysia ...
Erratum--vol. 14, no. 9.(LETTERS)(Correction notice)
Dec 01, 2008 ... The article Obligations to Report Outbreaks of Foodborne Disease under the International Health Regulations (2005) (MD. Kirk et al.) contained incorrect figures in the abstract and conclusion The text stated that 7 (50%) of 14 outbreaks would ...
Campylobacter, 3rd Edition.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Irving Nachamkin, Christine M. Szymanski, Martin J. Blaser, editors American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, DC, USA, 2008 ISBN: 978-1-55581-437-3 Pages: 732; Price: US $169.95 This valuable new ...
Eye to eye in the village.(ABOUT THE COVER)(Cover story)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "One fine day as my mother was putting the bread in the oven," recounted Marc Chagall, "I went up to her and taking her by her flour-smeared elbow I said to her, 'Mama I want to be a painter.'" This wish was out of line with the circumstances. The oldest ...