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Real-time PCR was employed to detect a conserved region of the P1 cytadhesin gene of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in combined nose and throat swabs collected from patients attending GP surgeries during 2005-2009 with symptoms of respiratory tract infection (RTI). Samples were collected as part of an annual winter epidemiological and virological linked study in England and Wales. A total of 3,987 samples were tested, 65 (1.7%, 95%CI 1.3-2.1) had detectable M. pneumoniae DNA. Positive patients were detected of both gender, aged from 9 months to 78 years, who had clinical signs of upper RTI, fever and/or myalgia, an influenza-like illness to lower RTI. Mixed infections were identified in four cases, two with influenza A H1, one with H3 and one with influenza B. Children aged 5-14 years were more likely to have detectable M. pneumoniae in samples than all other age groups (Fishers p = 0.03), attributed to the 2005-2006 season in which 6.0% (12/200, 95%CI 3.4-10.3) of 5-14 year olds had detectable M. pneumoniae in comparison to 2.2% in 2006-2007 (3/141 95%CI 0.5-6.4), 2.2% in 2007-2008 (2/89 95%CI 0.1-8.3) and 0% in 2008-2009 (0/151 95%CI 0-2.9). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National surveillance of Legionnaires' disease ( LD) is important to inform control measures and facilitate international networking for timely reporting. This study is the first to describe the molecular epidemiology of LD in Israel. Case notifications for 2006-2011, collated through mandatory reporting, were identified and demographic, clinical and laboratory data were extracted. Unrelated clinical and environmental Legionella pneumophila strains were characterized using standard procedures, Dresden panel of monoclonal antibodies and the ESCMID Study Group for Legionella Infections ( ESGLI) Sequence-Based Typing scheme. In all, 294 cases were reported (crude incidence 0.67 cases/100 000; age-standardized incidence 1/100 000). LD epidemiological trends and features largely resembled those of the EU, except for a larger proportion of nosocomial cases. Of 28 clinical and 23 environmental strains analysed, 71.4% and 21.7% were serogroup (sg) 1 and the most common immunological subgroup was OLDA/Oxford (64%). Of the clinical strains, OLDA/Oxford, ST1 was the most common (43%) followed by Allentown/ France, ST40 (14%). The unusual sg 3 ST338 was found in 17.4% of environmental strains. Novel STs were detected amongst 23.5% of strains. These findings warrant further molecular investigation. Molecular epidemiology data generated from neighbouring countries newly adopting the ESGLI typing scheme for L. pneumophila contribute to understanding of regional strain diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: AMS 10Be measurements in air filter samples have been carried out using targets of BaBeF4 and by injecting BeF− ions. As there is little interference from 10B due to the instability of BF−, it was possible to directly count 10Be2+ ions at 2MV tandem voltage for the measurements. Due to the undesirable hydroscopic nature of BeF2 targets, we describe the preparation procedure for BaBeF4 as an alternate final compound, which was found to have 100% efficiency for precipitating beryllium. The low (⩽10nA) BeF− current from the IsoTrace 834 SIMS type source was adequate for measuring 10Be in these air filters, which were exposed to 18,000m3 air during the sampling process. The direct measurement of 7Be and possibly 10Be from the same sample preparation, appears to be quite feasible using ions. The production efficiency for from BaBeF4 is 5–10 times that of BeF− and is closer to that of BeO− from BeO targets. A potential beryllium carrier-free sample preparation method of producing BeF2 by co-precipitation with a fixed quantity of CaF2, is also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]