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Culex quinquefasciatus is the principal vector of West Nile virus (WNV) in the South Central United States, yet limited data on host utilization are available. We evaluated host utilization over a 3-month period in 2013 in a residential landscape in College Station, Texas. PCR sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene permitted molecular identification of vertebrate bloodmeals to the species level. Forage ratio analysis identified bird species that were overutilized and underutilized by comparing community feeding index values to expected relative abundance values of bird species, derived from eBird data. Community feeding index values were also used in conjunction with reservoir competence data from the literature to generate reservoir capacity index values, a means of identifying relative importance of vertebrate reservoir hosts. Of 498 blood-engorged Cx. quinquefasciatus, 313 (62.9%) were identified to vertebrate species. The majority (95.5%) of bloodmeals originated from avian species with the remainder from mammals, but not humans. Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was the principal host for mosquito feeding in June and July, but northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) became primary host in August. Forage ratio analysis revealed the overutilization of house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), American robin (Turdus migratorius), northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica), and mourning dove (Zenaida macroura). Great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), and Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) were under-utilized relative to availability. Reservoir capacity calculations suggested that northern mockingbird and northern cardinal were the principal amplifiers in the study area. These data identify the primary avian species contributing to the enzootic amplification of WNV in East-Central Texas and reveal that the heavy feeding on moderately competent hosts and no feeding on humans likely limit epidemics in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently described fibroinflammatory condition with a characteristic histology. While IgG4-RD can affect a great variety of anatomical sites, it has been seldom described in the temporal bone. Methods: Herein, a case IgG4-RD occurring in the temporal bone of a 35-year-old woman is reported. Discussion: This case of IgG4-RD of the temporal bone proved a uniquely challenging diagnosis due to slightly atypical histology falling outside of "highly suggestive" criteria. Conclusions: We suggest that IgG4-RD remains a challenging diagnosis to reach despite increased awareness of the condition. We further suggest that clinicopathologic correlation remain the cornerstone of diagnosis as the spectrum of presentations of this newly described disease may be wider than previously anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study is to report a case of otopolyposis and middle ear allergic mucin in a patient with allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) and no history of middle ear disease and introduce these as possible otologic manifestations of the AFRS. Methods: A case of a 31-year-old female with the aforementioned findings is reported. A review of the pertinent literature was performed. Results: We report a case of a 31-year-old female with a history of AFRS but no history of middle ear disease or hearing loss who presented to our institution complaining of aural fullness. Physical exam was significant for middle ear masses of unknown etiology. Surgical exploration revealed the presence of allergic mucin and middle ear polyposis histologically identical to tissue sampled during prior sinonasal surgeries at the same institution. Aspiration of the middle ear space did not resolve the otologic symptoms. Conclusion: Otopolyposis and middle ear allergic mucin are extremely rare but possible otologic manifestations of AFRS. We encourage otolaryngologists to consider this in the clinical differential diagnosis of patients with a history of AFRS with new onset otologic symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background As with all systems in the body, the nose and paranasal sinuses change in time as we age. Some of these changes have been individually studied, but a unified description of current research has not been published since 1996. Since that time, a great deal has changed in our understanding of the aging nose. Methods The English language literature was examined using a combination of PubMed and Google Scholar search inquiries. The focus was on articles published since 1996 that described sinonasal changes or disease processes within the advanced-age population. Results Publications since 1996 were prioritized for discussion. Of the 50 articles selected, manuscripts were grouped into categories of allergy and cellular-level change, rhinorrhea, mechanical and airflow change, olfactory change, and sinusitis. Conclusion Understanding the normal aging process is essential for otolaryngologists for patient education. We propose use of the term presbynasalis for description of the aging nose, paranasal sinuses, and olfactory system. Several points are consistent across the literature. The immune system becomes less responsive with age, a process known as immunosenescence. The incidence of rhinorrhea increases as the population ages. Though nasal volumes increase with age, other age-related changes may result in the perception of increasing nasal obstruction with age. There is a trend toward diminished olfaction in the elderly, and in some patients, this may be an early manifestation of neurodegenerative conditions. Sinusitis treatment should be similar in the elderly population, and the data demonstrates the safety of surgery when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective—To estimate West Nile virus (WNV)infection rates, assess environmental variables that correlated with seropositivity in dogs and cats, and assess whether pets should be considered as possible sentinels for WNV and therefore of potential human exposure. Design—Cross-sectional serosurvey. Animals—442 dogs and 138 cats. Procedure—Serum samples were screened for seropositivity against WNV by use of the plaque reduction neutralization test. Results—116 (26%) dogs and 13 (9%) cats yielded positive results. The odds of seropositivity against WNV for outdoor-only family dogs were almost 19 times as great as those for indoor-only family dogs and almost twice as great for stray dogs as for family dogs. Family dogs not receiving heartworm medication were 2.5 times as likely to yield positive results for antibodies against WNV as family dogs receiving heartworm medication. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Seropositivity was greater for outdoor family dogs than for indoor family dogs. Further investigation of the potential use of stray dogs as sentinel indicators for WNV infection and the potential risk of human exposure is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of an investigation of an encephalitis outbreak in New York City, we sampled 430 birds, representing 18 species in four orders, during September 13-23, 1999, in Queens and surrounding counties. Overall, 33% were positive for West Nile (WN) virus-neutralizing antibodies, and 0.5% were positive for St. Louis encephalitis virus-neutralizing antibodies. By county, Queens had the most seropositive birds for WN virus (50%); species with the greatest seropositivity for WN virus (sample sizes were at least six) were Domestic Goose, Domestic Chicken, House Sparrow, Canada Goose, and Rock Dove. One sampled bird, a captive adult Domestic Goose, showed signs of illness; WN virus infection was confirmed. Our results support the concept that chickens and House Sparrows are good arbovirus sentinels. This study also implicates the House Sparrow as an important vertebrate reservoir host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the VecTest WNV antigen assay with standard methods of West Nile virus (WNV) detection in swabs from American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). The VecTest detected WNV more frequently than the plaque assay and was comparable to a TaqMan reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated West Nile (WN) virus seroprevalence in healthy horses, dogs, and cats in New York City after an outbreak of human WN virus encephalitis in 1999. Two (3%) of 73 horses, 10 (5%) of 189 dogs, and none of 12 cats tested positive for WN virus-neutralizing antibodies. Domestic mammals should be evaluated as sentinels for local WN virus activity and predictors of the infection in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laryngeal angiomyolipoma is a rare tumor with few reported cases in the literature. The case report explains a 62‐year‐old man who presents with dyspnea and found to have a laryngeal angiomyolipoma staining CD34 positive, but HMB45 and Melan‐A negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research being done on adjustable gastric band prolapse leading to near-fatal hemorrhage. It references the study "Safety of the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band: 7-Year Data From a U.S. center of Excellence," by AM Carelli and colleagues published in a 2010 issue of "Surgical Endoscopy." The study examined 2,909 patients who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands (LAGB).

Widespread deaths of American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were associated with the 1999 outbreak of West Nile (WN) virus in the New York City region. We compared six organs from 20 crow carcasses as targets for WN virus detection. Half the carcasses had at least one positive test result for WN virus infection. The brain was the most sensitive target organ; it was the only positive organ for three of the positive crows. The sensitivity of crow organs as targets for WN virus detection makes crow death useful for WN virus surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flanders virus (FLAV; family Rhabdoviridae) is a mosquito-borne hapavirus with no known pathology that is frequently isolated during arbovirus surveillance programs. Here, we document the presence of FLAV in Culex tarsalis mosquitoes and a Canada goose (Branta canadensis) collected in western North America, outside of the currently recognized range of FLAV. Until now, FLAV-like viruses detected in the western United States were assumed to be Hart Park virus (HPV, family Rhabdoviridae), a closely related congener. A re-examination of archived viral isolates revealed that FLAV was circulating in California as early as 1963. FLAV also was isolated in Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan, Canada. Phylogenetic analysis of the U1 pseudogene for 117 taxa and eight nuclear genes for 15 taxa demonstrated no distinct clustering between western FLAV isolates. Assuming the range of FLAV has been expanding west, these results indicate that FLAV likely spread west following multiple invasion events. However, it remains to be determined if the detection of FLAV in western North America is due to expansion or is a result of enhanced arbovirus surveillance or diagnostic techniques. Currently, the impact of FLAV infection remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, reported human cases of Colorado tick fever in the western United States have decreased dramatically. The goal of this study was to conduct surveillance for Colorado tick fever virus (CTFV) in Dermacentor ticks in recreational sites in Colorado, Wyoming, and California to determine whether the virus is still present in Dermacentor ticks from these states. Surveillance focused on regions where surveys had been conducted in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Adult Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni), Pacific Coast ticks (Dermacentor occidentalis), and winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) were tested by PCR. A subset of PCR-positive D. andersoni ticks (n = 7) were cultured in Vero cells. CTFV-positive Rocky Mountain wood ticks were found in all states: Colorado (58% prevalence), Wyoming (21%), and California (4%). Although no winter ticks tested positive, Pacific Coast ticks tested positive in one county (Siskiyou County, 15% prevalence) and were positive only in a location that also maintained Rocky Mountain wood ticks and golden mantled ground squirrels, a known CTFV host. In summary, CTFV is prevalent in D. andersoni and D. occidentalis in regions where they are sympatric in California and in D. andersoni in Colorado and Wyoming. Although the number of human CTFV cases has declined dramatically, this decrease in reported disease does not appear to be due to the disappearance or even the decline in prevalence of this virus in ticks in historically endemic regions of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, four clusters of local mosquitoborne Zika virus transmission were identified in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, generating "red zones" (areas into which pregnant women were advised against traveling). The Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control Division initiated intensive control activities, including property inspections, community education, and handheld sprayer applications of larvicides and adulticides. For the first time, the Mosquito Control Division used a combination of areawide ultralow-volume adulticide and low-volume larvicide spraying to effectively control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary Zika virus vector within the county. The number of mosquitoes rapidly decreased, and Zika virus transmission was interrupted within the red zones immediately after the combination of adulticide and larvicide spraying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first isolated in 2014 from a resident of Bourbon County, Kansas, USA, who died of the infection. In 2015, an ill Payne County, Oklahoma, resident tested positive for antibodies to BRBV, before fully recovering. We retrospectively tested for BRBV in 39,096 ticks from northwestern Missouri, located 240 km from Bourbon County, Kansas. We detected BRBV in 3 pools of Amblyomma americanum (L.) ticks: 1 pool of male adults and 2 pools of nymphs. Detection of BRBV in A. americanum, a species that is aggressive, feeds on humans, and is abundant in Kansas and Oklahoma, supports the premise that A. americanum is a vector of BRBV to humans. BRBV has not been detected in nonhuman vertebrates, and its natural history remains largely unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Nile virus (WNV)-associated deaths of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) chicks have been recognized at various nesting colonies in the United States since 2002, We evaluated American white pelican nesting colonies in Sheridan County, Montana, USA, for an association between WNV-positive pelican carcasses and human West Nile neuroinvasive disease, Persons in counties hosting affected colonies had a 5x higher risk for disease than those in counties with unaffected colonies, We also investigated WNV infection and blood meal source among mosquitoes and pelican tissue type for greatest WNV detection efficacy in carcasses. WNV-infected Culex tarsalis mosquitoes were detected and blood-engorged Cx. tarsalis contained pelican DNA. Viral loads and detection consistency among pelican tissues were greatest in feather pulp, brain, heart, and skin. Given the risks posed to wildlife and human health, coordinated efforts among wildlife and public health authorities to monitor these pelican colonies for WNV activity are potentially useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Nile virus (WNV), first recognized in North America in 1999, has been responsible for the largest arboviral epiornitic and epidemic of human encephalitis in recorded history. Despite the well-described epidemiological patterns of WNV in North America, the basis for the emergence of WNV-associated avian pathology, particularly in the American crow (AMCR) sentinel species, and the large scale of the North American epidemic and epiornitic is uncertain. We report here that the introduction of a T249P amino acid substitution in the NS3 helicase (found in North American WNV) in a low-virulence strain was sufficient to generate a phenotype highly virulent to AMCRs. Furthermore, comparative sequence analyses of full-length WNV genomes demonstrated that the same site (NS3-249) was subject to adaptive evolution. These phenotypic and evolutionary results provide compelling evidence for the positive selection of a mutation encoding increased viremia potential and virulence in the AMCR sentinel bird species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crow deaths were observed after West Nile virus (WNV) was introduced into North America, and this phenomenon has subsequently been used to monitor the spread of the virus. To investigate potential differences in the crow virulence of different WNV strains, American Crows were inoculated with Old World strains of WNV from Kenya and Australia (Kunjin) and a North American (NY99) WNV genotype. Infection of crows with NY99 genotype resulted in high serum viremia levels and death; the Kenyan and Kunjin genotypes elicited low viremia levels and minimal deaths but resulted in the generation of neutralizing antibodies capable of providing 100% protection from infection with the NY99 strain. These results suggest that genetic alterations in NY99 WNV are responsible for the crow-virulent phenotype and that increased replication of this strain in crows could spread WNV in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La Crosse virus (LAC), a California serogroup bunyavirus, is the leading cause of pediatric arboviral encephalitis in the United States and an emerging disease in Tennessee, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Human cases of LAC encephalitis in Tennessee and North Carolina have increased above endemic levels during 1997 to 1999 and may represent an expansion of a new southeastern endemic focus. This report describes the isolation of LAC virus from the exotic mosquito Aedes albopictus. The discovery of LAC virus in wild populations of Ae. albopictus, coupled with its expanding distribution in the southeastern United States, suggests that this mosquito may become an important accessory vector, potentially increasing the number of human cases in endemic foci or expanding the range of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its recent discovery, Bourbon virus has been isolated from a human and ticks. To assess exposure of potential vertebrate reservoirs, we assayed banked serum and plasma samples from wildlife and domestic animals in Missouri, USA, for Bourbon virus-neutralizing antibodies. We detected high seroprevalence in raccoons (50%) and white-tailed deer (86%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A number of arboviruses have previously been isolated from naturally-infected East African bats, however the role of bats in arbovirus maintenance is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the exposure history of Ugandan bats to a panel of arboviruses. Materials and methods: Insectivorous and fruit bats were captured from multiple locations throughout Uganda during 2009 and 2011-2013. All serum samples were tested for neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus (WNV), yellow fever virus (YFV), dengue 2 virus (DENV-2), Zika virus (ZIKV), Babanki virus (BBKV), and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Sera from up to 626 bats were screened for antibodies against each virus. Results and Discussion: Key findings include the presence of neutralizing antibodies against RVFV in 5/52 (9.6%) of little epauletted fruit bats (Epomophorus labiatus) captured from Kawuku and 3/54 (5.6%) Egyptian rousette bats from Kasokero cave. Antibodies reactive to flaviviruses were widespread across bat taxa and sampling locations. Conclusion: The data presented demonstrate the widespread exposure of bats in Uganda to arboviruses, and highlight particular virus-bat associations that warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]