Cat scratch disease: U.S. Clinicians' experience and knowledge
Summary
Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a zoonotic infection caused primarily by the bacterium Bartonella henselae. An estimated 12,000 outpatients and 500 inpatients are diagnosed with CSD annually, yet little is known regarding clinician experience with and treatment of CSD in the United States. Questions assessing clinical burden, treatment and prevention of CSD were posed to 3,011 primary care providers (family practitioners, internists, paediatricians and nurse practitioners) during 2014–2015 as part of the annual nationwide DocStyles survey. Among the clinicians surveyed, 37.2% indicated that they had diagnosed at lea...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - July 14, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: C. A. Nelson, A. R. Moore, A. E. Perea, P. S. Mead Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Escherichia coli isolates from commercial chicken meat and eggs cause sepsis, meningitis and urinary tract infection in rodent models of human infections
Summary
The zoonotic potential of Escherichia coli from chicken‐source food products is important to define for public health purposes. Previously, genotypic and phenotypic screening of E. coli isolates from commercial chicken meat and shell eggs identified some E. coli strains that by molecular criteria resembled human‐source extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Here, to clarify the zoonotic risk of such chicken‐source E. coli, we compared selected E. coli isolates from chicken meat and eggs, stratified by molecularly defined ExPEC status, to human‐source ExPEC and to laboratory E. coli for virulence ...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - July 13, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: M. Mellata, J. R. Johnson, R. Curtiss Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
The severely under ‐recognized public health risk of strongyloidiasis in North American cities—A One Health approach
Summary
Strongyloides and other soil‐transmitted helminths represent a severely under‐recognized zoonotic public health risk, especially in North American cities. They are present throughout North America, including in urban areas, causing morbidity and mortality in human and non‐human animals. Epidemiological “masking” of strongyloidiasis due to overlapping symptoms with other systemic diseases, including allergies, and diagnostic limitations complicate our understanding of the epidemiological extent of this disease, and auto‐infection allows long‐term persistence of individual infections. Zoonotic transmiss...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - July 2, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: S. Jariwala, L. Redding, D. Hewitt Tags: REVIEW ARTICLE Source Type: research
Epidemiology of campylobacteriosis in Denmark 2000 –2015
Summary
Campylobacter is the most frequently occurring cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe. Unlike other zoonotic diseases, European‐wide incidences of Campylobacter infections have increased during the past decade, resulting in a significant disease burden. In Denmark, campylobacteriosis is notifiable by laboratory and a unique registration system of electronic transfer and storage of notified Campylobacter cases linked to the national person register of age, gender and geographical location allows collection of comprehensive case data. Using national surveillance data, we describe Campylobacter infections in D...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 9, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: K. G. Kuhn, E. M. Nielsen, K. M ølbak, S. Ethelberg Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Serologic evidence of West Nile virus and Usutu virus infections in Eurasian coots in the Netherlands
Summary
West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are arboviruses that are maintained in enzootic transmission cycles between mosquitoes and birds and are occasionally transmitted to mammals. As arboviruses are currently expanding their geographic range and emerging in often unpredictable locations, surveillance is considered an important element of preparedness. To determine whether sera collected from resident and migratory birds in the Netherlands as part of avian influenza surveillance would also represent an effective source for proactive arbovirus surveillance, a random selection of such sera was screened for WNV ...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: S. M. Lim, M. Geervliet, J. H. Verhagen, G. J. D. M. M üskens, F. A. Majoor, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, B. E. E. Martina Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Recreational sandboxes for children and dogs can be a source of epidemic ribotypes of Clostridium difficile
In conclusion, our results revealed the presence of epidemic ribotypes of C. difficile in children's and dog's sandboxes located nearby, which constitutes a major health risk. (Source: Zoonoses and Public Health)
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Cristina Orden, Carlos Neila, Jos é L. Blanco, Sergio Álvarez‐Pérez, Celine Harmanus, Ed J. Kuijper, Marta E. García Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Dogs on livestock farms: A cross ‐sectional study investigating potential roles in zoonotic pathogen transmission
The objective of this study was to quantify and qualify dog ownership among livestock owners, their dog husbandry and biosecurity practices, the dogs’ access to livestock and potential risks for zoonotic pathogen transmission. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 2,000 presumed Ohio livestock owners. Data were collected on demographics, dog husbandry practices, attitudes surrounding zoonotic diseases and attachment to and preventive veterinary care for the dogs. There were 446 responders who met the study inclusion criteria as an Ohio livestock farm owner, with 297 (67%) also owning dogs. Approximately 52% of dog...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: N. E. Moran, A. K. Ferketich, T. E. Wittum, J. W. Stull Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in pigs and jaundice among pig handlers in Bangladesh
The objectives of this study were to identify evidence of HEV infection in pigs and compare the history of jaundice between pig handlers and people not exposed to pigs and pork. Blood and faecal samples were collected from 100 pigs derived from three slaughterhouses in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh from January to June, 2011. We also interviewed 200 pig handlers and 250 non‐exposed people who did not eat pork or handled pigs in the past 2 years. We tested the pig sera for HEV‐specific antibodies using a competitive ELISA and pig faecal samples for HEV RNA using real‐time RT‐PCR. Of 100 pig sera, 82% (n = 82...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: N. Haider, M. S. U. Khan, M. B. Hossain, H. M. S. Sazzad, M. Z. Rahman, F. Ahmed, N. S. Zeidner Tags: SHORT COMMUNICATION Source Type: research
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza A virus infection associated with respiratory signs in sloth bears (Melursus ursinus)
Summary
In 2009, a pandemic influenza A virus (pH1N1) spread globally in humans and infected a broad range of captive animals with close human contact. In February 2014, a pH1N1 virus was isolated from a sloth bear with respiratory signs at a US zoo, demonstrating that recurring epidemics present an ongoing threat to animals, including threatened species. This is the first report of pH1N1 infection in sloth bears. To understand the sloth bear virus within the global context of pH1N1, phylogenetic trees were inferred including full‐length sequences from available non‐human, non‐swine hosts, representing four families ...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: N. C. Boedeker, M. I. Nelson, M. L. Killian, M. K. Torchetti, T. Barthel, S. Murray Tags: SHORT COMMUNICATION Source Type: research
Pet ownership increases human risk of encountering ticks
We examined whether pet ownership increased the risk for tick encounters and tickborne disease among residents of three Lyme disease‐endemic states as a nested cohort within a randomized controlled trial. Information about pet ownership, use of tick control for pets, property characteristics, tick encounters and human tickborne disease were captured through surveys, and associations were assessed using univariate and multivariable analyses. Pet‐owning households had 1.83 times the risk (95% CI = 1.53, 2.20) of finding ticks crawling on and 1.49 times the risk (95% CI = 1.20, 1.84) of finding ticks attached to house...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: E. H. Jones, A. F. Hinckley, S. A. Hook, J. I. Meek, B. Backenson, K. J. Kugeler, K. A. Feldman Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Hepatitis E in southern Vietnam: Seroepidemiology in humans and molecular epidemiology in pigs
Summary
Viral pathogens account for a significant proportion of the burden of emerging infectious diseases in humans. The Wellcome Trust‐Vietnamese Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (WT‐VIZIONS) is aiming to understand the circulation of viral zoonotic pathogens in animals that pose a potential risk to human health. Evidence suggests that human exposure and infections with hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes (GT) 3 and 4 results from zoonotic transmission. Hypothesising that HEV GT3 and GT4 are circulating in the Vietnamese pig population and can be transmitted to humans, we aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of HEV ex...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: A. Berto, H. A. Pham, T. T. N. Thao, N. H. T. Vy, S. L. Caddy, R. Hiraide, N. T. Tue, I. Goodfellow, J. J. Carrique ‐Mas, G. E. Thwaites, S. Baker, M. F. Boni, Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Prevention of intestinal parasites in a tri ‐border area of Latin America: Children perceptions and an integral health education strategy
Summary
To investigate knowledge of school‐aged children and their perception on intestinal parasites, and to assess knowledge reconstruction on prevention practices after specific training in the subject. We performed an activity package that included the analysis of children's drawings of intestinal parasites, and information and communication technologies (ITCs) to transfer knowledge about these pathogens and prevention measures. Retrieval learning activities were performed to fixation of general and specific prevention and control measures.Overall, we found that there is a knowledge gap in many aspects of parasite bi...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - June 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: M. R. Rivero, M. M. Salas, R. Valente, M. J. Nores, C. De Angelo, J. Arrabal, S. Costa, O. D. Salom ón Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Seroepidemiology and molecular characterization of hepatitis E virus infection in swine and occupationally exposed workers in Punjab, India
This study was designed to investigate seroprevalence, molecular detection and the characterization of HEV by nested RT‐PCR in swine as well as the occupational risk to exposed human population in Punjab state of north‐western India. The occupational risk‐exposed group comprised of swine farmers (organized – mixed feed feeders and unorganized – swill feeders), slaughterhouse workers, sewage workers and veterinary internes. During the study period, blood and faecal samples were collected from 320 swine and 360 humans with both high and low occupational exposure risks. The overall seroprevalence of swine HEV was 65...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - April 28, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: M. Bansal, S. Kaur, D. Deka, R. Singh, J. P. S. Gill Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Tick bite and Lyme disease ‐related emergency department encounters in New Hampshire, 2010–2014
Summary
Lyme disease (LD) is a common tick‐borne disease in New Hampshire (NH). While LD is a reportable condition and cases are counted for public health surveillance, many more people receive care for tick bites or diagnoses of LD than are reflected in surveillance data. NH's emergency department (ED) data system was queried for tick bite and LD‐related encounters. Chief complaint text was queried for words related to LD or tick bites. International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision (ICD‐9) codes were queried for the LD diagnosis code (088.81). Emergency department patient data were matched to reportable dise...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - April 22, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: E. R. Daly, C. Fredette, A. A. Mathewson, K. Dufault, D. J. Swenson, B. P. Chan Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
Detection of potentially novel paramyxovirus and coronavirus viral RNA in bats and rats in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam
Summary
Bats and rodents are being increasingly recognized as reservoirs of emerging zoonotic viruses. Various studies have investigated bat viruses in tropical regions, but to date there are no data regarding viruses with zoonotic potential that circulate in bat and rat populations in Viet Nam. To address this paucity of data, we sampled three bat farms and three wet markets trading in rat meat in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam. Faecal and urine samples were screened for the presence of RNA from paramyxoviruses, coronaviruses and filoviruses. Paramyxovirus RNA was detected in 4 of 248 (1%) and 11 of 222 (4.9...
Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - April 18, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: A. Berto, P. H. Anh, J. J. Carrique ‐Mas, P. Simmonds, N. Van Cuong, N. T. Tue, N. Van Dung, M. E. Woolhouse, I. Smith, G. A. Marsh, J. E. Bryant, G. E. Thwaites, S. Baker, M. A. Rabaa, Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research
