Showing papers on "Outbreak published in 1986"

Intercontinental spread of a genetically distinctive complex of clones of Neisseria meningitidis causing epidemic disease

Abstract: Strains of Neisseria meningitidis responsible for an epidemic of meningococcal disease occurring in Norway since the mid-1970s and for recent increases in the incidence of disease in several other parts of Europe have been identified by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis as members of a distinctive group of 22 closely related clones (the ET-5 complex). Clones of this complex have also colonized South Africa, Chile, Cuba, and Florida, where they have been identified as the causative agents of recent outbreaks of meningococcal disease. There is strong circumstantial evidence that outbreaks of disease occurring in Miami in 1981 and 1982 were caused in large part by bacteria that reached Florida via human immigrants from Cuba.

The Role of Parvovirus B19 in Aplastic Crisis and Erythema Infectiosum (Fifth Disease)

Abstract: In 1984, simultaneous outbreaks of aplastic crisis and erythema infectiosum occurred in northeastern Ohio. Sera were analyzed from 26 patients with aplastic crisis: 24 had IgM specific for parvovirus B19, five had B19-like particles by electron microscopy, and 13 had DNA from B19; no sera from 33 controls had evidence of recent infection with B19 (P less than .0001). DNA from B19 was also detected in specimens of throat gargle and urine from two patients with aplastic crisis. Sera from 36 of 51 children with erythema infectiosum had B19-specific IgM, compared with serum from one of 42 susceptible controls (P less than .0001). DNA from B19 was detected in sera from only two of 51 patients who had erythema infectiosum. The secondary attack rates among susceptible contacts decreased with age (overall total, 49.6%). Differential rates of asymptomatic infection were observed among black (68.8%) and white (20.0%) household members (P = .003). These were the first identified simultaneous outbreaks of aplastic crisis and erythema infectiosum. Their occurrence provided an opportunity to study the epidemiology and spectrum of B19 infection with geographically and temporally matched comparison groups; our results support the hypothesis that infection with parvovirus causes these two clinical entities.

An outbreak of dengue virus at Rio de Janeiro - 1986

Abstract: Dengue virus type 1 has been isolated in Aedes albopictus cell strain, from sera of patients living in the Nova Iguacu county, by Rio de Janeiro. The clinical picture was characterized by fever, headache, retrobulbar pain, backache, pains in the muscles and the joints and prostration. Studies in paired sera confirmed the presence of recent infection by dengue virus type 1. The outbreak reached adjacent areas, including Rio de Janeiro city (May, 1986).

Hepatitis in Day Care Centers: Epidemiology and Prevention

Abstract: Hepatitis A is a significant health problem in day care centers, causing outbreaks that average 12 cases in size and three months in duration. These outbreaks have three characteristic features: children have mild or asymptomatic infections; adults (primarily parents) are the major group with clinical hepatitis; and persons having contact with one- or two-year-old children run the highest risk of infection. Outbreaks are commonest in centers that are large, have long operating hours, and enroll children younger than the age of two years (i.e., those in diapers). The presence of such children is necessary for the rapid spread of the disease. Nationally, outbreaks occur primarily in areas with many infant/toddler centers, which often form the focus for epidemics. Prevention relies on hygiene, especially hand washing. Disease control depends on early detection of outbreaks and aggressive use of immunoglobulin. The spread of hepatitis B has not been documented in day care centers; however, when a child carrying hepatitis B virus enrolls in a center, a low risk of transmission may exist and precautions are recommended, with a focus on personal hygiene.

Epidemic campylobacteriosis associated with a community water supply

Abstract: In May 1983, an estimated 865 cases of epidemic gastrointestinal disease occurred in Greenville, Florida. Surveillance of pharmacy sales of antidiarrheal medicines suggested that the outbreak was confined to Greenville and its immediate vicinity. Surveys demonstrated that the gastrointestinal illness attack rates inside and outside the city limits were 56 per cent (72/128) and 9 per cent (7/77), respectively (relative risk (RR) = 6.2); consumption of city water was associated with illness (RR = 12); and as water consumption increased, the attack rate also increased (p less than 0.001). Four adults were hospitalized and one outbreak-related case of Guillain-Barre' syndrome was identified. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from specimens from 11 ill persons; serologic studies showed the development of Campylobacter-specific antibodies. Fecal coliforms were found in water samples, but Campylobacter was not recovered from water. The city water plant, a deep well system, had numerous deficiencies including an unlicensed operator, a failure of chlorination, and open-top treatment towers. Birds were observed perching on the open-top treatment tower. Of 38 birds trapped seven weeks later, 37 per cent harbored C. jejuni; however, plasmid and serotyping studies showed that strains were not the same as the common strain from ill persons. This outbreak suggests that water systems that are unprotected from contact with birds may become contaminated and a source of outbreaks of human campylobacteriosis.

Plant virus epidemics. Monitoring, modelling and predicting outbreaks.

Abstract: Prologue: A Basis for Control. Monitoring: Vector Intensity: A Product of Propensity and Activity. The Distribution of Virus Disease and the Migrant Vector Aphid. Wind Currents. Predators: Agents for Biological Control. Parasites and Parasite Impact on Aphid Populations. Detection, Survival and Dispersal of Soil Vectors. Surveying for Plant Viruses: Design and Considerations. Strain Identification for Monitoring Virus Distribution and Spread, with Special Reference to Molecular Hybridization Analysis. Modelling: Simulation Modelling. The Construction and Analysis of Life Tables for Natural Populations. Modelling Plant Growth and Development. Descriptions of Virus Disease Epidemics in Time and Space. Soybean Mosaic Virus Epidemiology: A Model and Some Implications. Maize Rayado Fino: A Model of a Leafhopperborne Virus Disease in the Neotropics. A Planthopper-Rice Virus Epidemiology Model: Rice Stripe and Small Brown Planthopper. Modelling the Effects of Changing Windfields on Migratory Flights of the Brown Planthopper. Predicting: Plant Virus Disease Forecasting. Forecasting Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus by Monitoring Vector Populations and Infectivity. Virus Yellows of Sugar Beet. Forecasting the Incidence of Potato Virus Y0. Predicting Disease Incidence and Yield Losses in Sugarcane in a Fiji Disease Epidemic. Models of Epidemics of Rice Dwarf. Control: Integrated Control of Insect Vectors of Plant Virus Diseases. Plant Virus Control Strategies: Future Prospects. Epilogue: A Perspective. Index.

Antitoxin Antibody Levels and the Outcome of Illness during an Outbreak of Diphtheria among Alcoholics

Abstract: During an outbreak of diphtheria among alcoholics in Goteborg, Sweden, a study was made of the diphtheria-antitoxin antibodies in serum samples from 8 clinical cases and 36 carriers of toxin-producing Corynebacterium diphtheriae. 33/36 carriers were antibody-positive and had antitoxin titres greater than 0.01 IU/ml, a level which is regarded as relative protective, while only 1/8 clinical cases had such a titre. This patient presented a mild illness with no complications. The results of the study of this outbreak stress the importance of maintaining adequate antibody levels against diphtheria in highly developed societies.

Pertussis: epidemiology and control

Abstract: Pertussis is a common highly infectious respiratory disease that predominantly affects children. As many as 60 million cases with more than a 1/2 million deaths occur annually. The highest incidence rates are observed in developing countries where immunization coverage is low. Accurate diagnosis under field conditions is hampered by current laboratory methods. The control of pertussis is accomplished largely through immunization and improvement of socioeconomic conditions. Although the adsorbed DPT vaccine is associated with some side effects its benefits outweigh the risks when the vaccine sequelae are compared with the morbidity and mortality caused by the natural disease. Surveillance of pertussis and outbreak investigations provide valuable information about the disease and its effectiveness of ongoing immunization programs. (authors) (summary in FRE)

Contaminated produce—a common source for two outbreaks of shigella gastroenteritis

Abstract: Simultaneous outbreaks of Shigella sonnei gastroenteritis occurred in October 1983 at two Texas university campuses 60 miles (96 km) apart. There were no common food handlers, recreational activities, water sources or swimming areas to explain the introduction of Shigella at both campuses. However, tossed salads were found to be associated with illness at both campuses. The investigation disclosed that both schools had received produce shipments from the same company during the week preceding these outbreaks. Shigella isolates from cases at both universities, sent to the Centers for Disease Control for plasmid analysis and colicin typing, were found to be identical. The same organism was evidently not a frequent cause of shigellosis within a 160-mile (256 km) radius of these universities since only 19% of control isolates chosen from this area were identical to the type which caused these outbreaks. This is the first report of two related outbreaks of shigellosis that were caused by a contaminated food source and not by a food handler. Simultaneous foodborne outbreaks of shigellosis should trigger a search for potential contamination at every step of food handling from farm to kitchen.

An outbreak of a herpesvirus infection in harbor seals (phoca vitulina)

Abstract: During an outbreak of a herpesvirus infection in juvenile harbor seals, 11 out of 23 seals died. The duration of the disease in these 11 animals varied from 1-6 days. Nasal discharge, inflammation of the oral mucosa, vomiting, diarrhea and fever up to 40 degrees C were observed in the first days of the disease. In later stages coughing, anorexia and lethargy occurred. Severe necrosis of the liver and interstitial pneumonia were the most striking histopathological findings.

Epidemic spastic paraparesis in Bandundu (Zaire)

Abstract: Epidemiological findings of twenty sporadic cases of epidemic spastic paraparesis (buka-buka) in three areas of Bandundu (Zaire) are reported. These findings suggest the involvement of an infectious agent and do not support the hypothesis of a dietary cyanide intoxication, which has been advanced to explain the outbreak of a very similar disease (Mantakassa) in Mozambique.

A community-wide epidemic of hepatitis a in ohio

Abstract: Between June 1, 1983 and August 30, 1984, an epidemic involving 313 cases of hepatitis A occurred in Muskingum County, Ohio. One hundred ninety-seven cases occurred in the city of Zanesville, with 34.7% of cases concentrated in two neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city. Case characteristics were similar to those reported in previous community-wide outbreaks, including a maximum attack rate among 5-9-year-olds and a very low attack rate in adults over 30 years. Case households were larger, and their members were less educated than the mean for households in the city. Forty-eight per cent of the cases reported exposures to other cases which temporally could have been the source of infection. A case-control study failed to show differences in several behavioral factors between case and control households, but did confirm that lower socioeconomic status was a risk factor for the disease. Broad use of immunoglobulin was effective in preventing clinical disease among family contacts, but did not stop the outbreak. This outbreak typifies a genre of hepatitis A epidemic transmitted from person to person in which exact routes of spread are poorly understood and control is difficult. Lower socioeconomic status may be a marker for some unidentified behaviors that promote hepatitis A transmission.

Family outbreak of gastroenteritis due to Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 0:3 from well water.

Abstract: Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 0:3, biotype 4, has been isolated from two family members with diarrhea and from the well used as a source of their drinking water.

Antigenic and molecular properties of type 3 poliovirus responsible for an outbreak of poliomyelitis in a vaccinated population.

Abstract: Summary Virus isolated from an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Finland has been examined serologically and at the molecular level. The causative agent was an antigenically unusual strain of type 3 poliovirus, which was unrelated to the strains used to manufacture either live or killed poliovaccines. It is likely that the antigenic properties of the virus played a part in establishing a limited outbreak of poliomyelitis in a vaccinated population.

Cryptosporidium plus Campylobacter: an outbreak in a semi-rural population.

Abstract: An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in a circumscribed semi-rural population is described; some cases were infected concurrently with campylobacter. The results of a detailed case-control study and environmental surveillance are discussed.

Prevalence of herpesvirus infection in British red deer and investigations of further disease outbreaks.

Abstract: A serological survey of the prevalence of a new herpesvirus isolated from red deer (Cervus elaphus), tentatively designated herpesvirus of Cervidae type 1 (HVC-1), has shown that the virus is widespread in free-living and farmed red deer. Neutralising antibodies were detected in hill deer culled at three different locations in the north of Scotland, in farmed deer on five of eight Scottish farms and in four of 12 groups of English farmed or park deer. Fifty-eight of 145 (40 per cent) hill deer, 67 of 203 (33 per cent) Scottish farmed deer and 26 of 172 (14 per cent) English deer had antibody, the overall prevalence being 29 per cent. Further outbreaks of ocular disease in farmed red deer calves caused by HVC-1 were investigated. Deer sent to an auction from one farm were found after sale to have been incubating the disease and it was thus spread to seven deer farms. Despite a high incidence of clinical disease in the calves from the original farm, few in-contact deer showed clinical signs.

Encephalomyocarditis virus disease of pigs associated with a plague of rodents.

Abstract: An epizootic of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) disease in pigs in the central west of New South Wales in association with a plague of mice (Mus musculus) in 1984 is described. The disease was confirmed in 47 outbreaks in 37 piggeries and 1152 pigs died, representing an overall death rate of 17.4% in pigs considered at risk. The disease was diagnosed in both intensively housed pigs and pigs farmed outdoors, with mortality rates higher in piggeries with less than 50 sows. The age at which pigs died ranged from 4 days to 24 weeks with higher death rates in younger pigs. Serological testing of pigs slaughtered at Blayney abattoir indicated EMCV infection to be more widespread than the disease reported. Mice were present in all piggeries reporting the disease while rats were present in 66% of the outbreaks. The role of rodents as natural reservoirs of EMCV and the possibility of variations in pathogenicity amongst strains of the virus are discussed.

Isolation of very virulent pathotypes of Marek's disease virus from vaccinated chickens in Europe.

Abstract: Two very virulent strains of Marek's disease virus were isolated from two separate farms in northern Italy that had experienced outbreaks of Marek's disease in vaccinated flocks. The isolates were similar to very virulent strains reported in the USA in terms of their enhanced pathogenicity, both for chickens vaccinated with the herpesvirus of turkeys, and for genetically resistant chickens. This first description of very virulent strains of Marek's disease virus from outside the USA suggests that at least some of the increasingly frequent disease outbreaks reported in Europe may be associated with such strains and that the adoption of bivalent or polyvalent vaccines containing, for example, attenuated Marek's disease virus plus herpesvirus of turkeys may be beneficial in the field.

[Epidemic dengue 2 on Liouchyou Shiang, Pingtung County in 1981].

Abstract: During the summer of 1981, an outbreak of dengue occurred on Liouchyou Shiang, an islet about 15 km southwest of Taiwan More than 12, 500 people, approximately 80% of the inhabitants, were estimated to be affected in this epidemic which had been the first dengue outbreak in Taiwan since 1945 Neither shock nor fatal case was found The epidemic subsided in October and there was no confirmed dengue case in Taiwan from 1982 to 1985 All the 21 virus strains isolated from the blood of patients were now identified as type 2 dengue virus and believed to be the first isolation in Taiwan The pathogen was probably introduced from the Philippines