Samuel L. Groseclose

Bio: Samuel L. Groseclose is an academic researcher from Johns Hopkins University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Sexually transmitted disease & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 9 publications receiving 1337 citations. Previous affiliations of Samuel L. Groseclose include Drexel University.

Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States.

Abstract: : This publication contains summary tables of the official statistics for the reported occurrence of nationally notifiable diseases in the United States for 1997. These statistics are collected and compiled from reports to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), which is operated by CDC in collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE). Because the dates of onset or diagnosis for notifiable diseases are not always reported, these surveillance data are presented by the week they were reported to CDC by public health officials in state and territorial health departments. These data are finalized and published in the MMWR Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States for use by state and local health departments; schools of medicine and public health; communications media; local, state, and federal agencies; and other agencies or persons interested in following the trends of reportable diseases in the United States. The annual publication of the Summary also documents which diseases are considered national priorities for notification and the annual number of cases of such diseases.

The Association of Syphilis With Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Patients Attending Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics

Abstract: • A serologic survey of 4863 patients attending two inner-city sexually transmitted disease clinics was conducted in 1988 1 year after an initial survey to reassess the prevalence and associated risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The HIV seroprevalence rates had not changed significantly (5.2% in 1987, 4.9% in 1988), and remained higher among men (5.6%) than among women (3.6%). The HIV seroprevalence increased steadily with age, to 34 years in women and to 39 years in men. Of patients with a reactive syphilis serologic test result, 24.3% were HIV infected compared with 3.5% of patients with a nonreactive test for syphilis. In multivariate analysis, a reactive serologic test for syphilis was significantly associated with HIV infection in all major risk behavior categories. Among heterosexuals who denied parenteral drug abuse, HIV infection rates were 6.8 and 8.7 times greater for women and men, respectively, who had a reactive serologic test for syphilis. Evidence of heterosexual transmission of HIV was further suggested by a change in HIV seroprevalence in women from 3.0% in 1987 to 3.6% in 1988, a male to female HIV infection ratio of 1.6, and a 3.0% prevalence of infection among patients who denied established risk factors. This was most evident among those younger than 25 years, in whom 72% of infected women and 46.2% of infected men denied high-risk behaviors. These data demonstrate the strong association between syphilis and HIV infection and the importance of heterosexual HIV transmission in patients attending sexually transmitted disease clinics. This study underscores the need for a more comprehensive control program for sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis and HIV infection. (Arch Intern Med.1990;150:1297-1302)

The Changing Epidemiology of Syphilis

Abstract: AFTER DECLINING EVERY YEAR since 1990, and less than 2 years after the launching of the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis in the United States, rates of primary and secondary syphilis increased slightly in 2001.1 New epidemics involving men who have sex with men (MSM) have since been detected in most major US cities. If we could identify the persons who are most likely to acquire the next syphilis infections and why, we might be able to reach them early and prevent acquisition or reach them soon after they are infected and treat them before they transmit to others. This requires identifying characteristics of persons acquiring infection, how they are meeting partners, and how they are transmitting infection. When this information is known, we can warn the population at risk so they can take precautions to avoid infection or perhaps recognize an infection when they get it. We can also more effectively target screening campaigns and alert health care workers to look for infections among persons at risk. We also want to know how large the current syphilis epidemic will become because it will help with resource allocation decisions. Interventions early in an epidemic may halt transmission that could otherwise eventually become highly magnified. However, effective interventions can be expensive, even early in an epidemic. It is easier to justify extensive interventions for an epidemic that would otherwise grow to millions of cases (e.g., acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]) than it is for an epidemic that would ultimately involve a small number of cases (e.g., hantavirus pulmonary syndrome). Finally, we want to know what this epidemic is telling us about other sexually transmitted infections, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). There has been concern that advances in antiretroviral therapy were leading to disinhibition of the sexual behaviors that were changed due to the AIDS epidemic.2,3 A relaxation of safe-sex practices could lead to resurgence of HIV and AIDS; however, increases in HIV transmission can be very difficult to identify because of the long and variable incubation period. Thus, other indicators have been used to try to identify effectiveness of HIV prevention programs.4 Some studies have suggested there have been increases in unprotected anal sex.3,5,6 Other studies suggest gonorrhea rates have increased among MSM.6,7 Is the current syphilis epidemic another indication that HIV transmission is increasing? We will address these questions by reviewing surveillance data reported to CDC and published epidemiologic research from the United States and elsewhere.

Summary of notifiable diseases - United States, 2000.

Abstract: The MMWR Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, 2000 contains, in tabular and graphical form, the official statistics for the reported occurrence of nationally notifiable diseases in the United States for 2000. These statistics are collected and compiled from reports to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), which is operated by CDC in collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE).

The Mathematics of Infectious Diseases

Abstract: Many models for the spread of infectious diseases in populations have been analyzed mathematically and applied to specific diseases. Threshold theorems involving the basic reproduction number $R_{0}$, the contact number $\sigma$, and the replacement number $R$ are reviewed for the classic SIR epidemic and endemic models. Similar results with new expressions for $R_{0}$ are obtained for MSEIR and SEIR endemic models with either continuous age or age groups. Values of $R_{0}$ and $\sigma$ are estimated for various diseases including measles in Niger and pertussis in the United States. Previous models with age structure, heterogeneity, and spatial structure are surveyed.

Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002:

Abstract: Objective.The purpose of this study was to provide a national estimate of the number of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and deaths in United States hospitals.Methods.No single source of nationally representative data on HAIs is currently available. The authors used a multi-step approach and three data sources. The main source of data was the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, data from 1990–2002, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (for 2002) and the American Hospital Association Survey (for 2000) were used to supplement NNIS data. The percentage of patients with an HAI whose death was determined to be caused or associated with the HAI from NNIS data was used to estimate the number of deaths.Results.In 2002, the estimated number of HAIs in U.S. hospitals, adjusted to include federal facilities, was approximately 1.7 million: 33,269 HAIs among newborns in high-risk nurseries, 19,059 among newborns in we...

Food-related illness and death in the United States.

Abstract: correctly identified E. faecium and E. faecalis to the species level, most (4 of 5) did not correctly identify E. gallinarum (three misidentified it as E. casseliflavus and one as E. faecalis). The results of this study are consistent with those of previous studies in the United States (4,5), South America (6), Spain (7), and Mexico (8). Although in countries like Chile, disk diffusion is practical and reliable for most susceptibility testing, detecting low-level vancomycin resistance in enterocci is difficult without supplementary testing. In Chile, as in other countries, strategies should be implemented to improve detection of these strains, including improvement of phenotypical and genotypical methods for VRE detection and species identification. Documentation of proficiency in detecting VRE is important for improving laboratory performance, detecting clinical isolates, and accurate and reliable reporting to local, national, and international surveillance systems.

The new global map of human brucellosis

Abstract: Summary The epidemiology of human brucellosis, the commonest zoonotic infection worldwide, has drastically changed over the past decade because of various sanitary, socioeconomic, and political reasons, together with the evolution of international travel. Several areas traditionally considered to be endemic—eg, France, Israel, and most of Latin America—have achieved control of the disease. On the other hand, new foci of human brucellosis have emerged, particularly in central Asia, while the situation in certain countries of the near east (eg, Syria) is rapidly worsening. Furthermore, the disease is still present, in varying trends, both in European countries and in the USA. Awareness of this new global map of human brucellosis will allow for proper interventions from international public-health organisations.