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Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 cause a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms, including mild gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea (1). A subset of patients, most commonly the [...]

The reported annual incidence of invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) infection in industrialized countries is ≅ 3 cases per 100,000 persons per year (1-3). Incidence is 3-fold higher among persons [...]

Although bacteria in the genus Campylobacter commonly cause gastroenteritis, identified outbreaks are relatively rare. In England and Wales, 21 identified campylobacteriosis outbreaks during 1992-1994 (1) and 50 during 1995-1999 (2) [...]

Host association of Campylobacter jejuni was analyzed by using multilocus sequence typing data for 713 isolates from chickens and bovids (cattle and sheep). Commonly used summary measures of genotypes (sequence [...]

Selection of T-cell vaccine antigens for chronic persistent viral infections has been largely empirical. To define the relationship, at the population level, between the specificity of the cellular immune response and viral control for a relevant human pathogen, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the 160 dominant CD8[sup.+] T-cell responses in 578 untreated HIV-infected individuals from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Of the HIV proteins targeted, only Gag-specific responses were associated with lowering viremia. Env-specific and Accessory/Regulatory protein-specific responses were associated with higher viremia. Increasing breadth of Gag-specific responses was associated with decreasing viremia and increasing Env breadth with increasing viremia. Association of the specific CD8[sup.+] T-cell response with low viremia was independent of HLA type and unrelated to epitope sequence conservation. These population-based data, suggesting the existence of both effective immune responses and responses lacking demonstrable biological impact in chronic HIV infection, are of relevance to HIV vaccine design and evaluation., Author(s): Photini Kiepiela [1]; Kholiswa Ngumbela [1]; Christina Thobakgale [1]; Dhanwanthie Ramduth [1]; Isobella Honeyborne [2]; Eshia Moodley [1]; Shabashini Reddy [1]; Chantal de Pierres [1]; Zenele Mncube [1]; Nompumelelo [...]

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of serious bacterial infections in young children and is responsible for over one million deaths annually (The WHO Young Infants Study Group 1999). In [...]

In December 1997, 170 hemorrhagic fever-associated deaths were reported in Garissa District, Kenya. Laboratory testing identified evidence of acute Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Of the 171 persons enrolled in [...]

Supplementing Campylobacter spp. multilocus sequence typing with nucleotide sequence typing of 3 antigen genes increased the discriminatory index achieved from 0.975 to 0.992 among 620 clinical isolates from Oxfordshire, United [...]

To the Editor: Planning for pandemic influenza is accepted as an essential healthcare service and has included creation of national and international antiviral drug stockpiles and novel approaches to emergency [...]

The genetic diversity and structure of a large representative collection of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolates from retail poultry in the United Kingdom is described. This collection is analyzed with the collections of isolates from a range of different host species and geographical areas in order to study the affect of large-scale geographical distance on host-associated genetic differentiation.

To the Editor: Considerable progress has been made in the United Kingdom to prepare for an influenza pandemic. After public consultation, an updated national framework (1) was recently published, along [...]