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Cryptosporidium, a parasite known to cause large drinking and recreational water outbreaks, is tolerant of chlorine concentrations used for drinking water treatment. Human laboratory-based surveillance for enteric pathogens detected a cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Baker City, Oregon during July 2013 associated with municipal drinking water. Objectives of the investigation were to confirm the outbreak source and assess outbreak extent. The watershed was inspected and city water was tested for contamination. To determine the community attack rate, a standardized questionnaire was administered to randomly sampled households. Weighted attack rates and confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Water samples tested positive for Cryptosporidium species; a Cryptosporidium parvum subtype common in cattle was detected in human stool specimens. Cattle were observed grazing along watershed borders; cattle faeces were observed within watershed barriers. The city water treatment facility chlorinated, but did not filter, water. The community attack rate was 28·3% (95% CI 22·1–33·6), sickening an estimated 2780 persons. Watershed contamination by cattle probably caused this outbreak; water treatments effective against Cryptosporidium were not in place. This outbreak highlights vulnerability of drinking water systems to pathogen contamination and underscores the need for communities to invest in system improvements to maintain multiple barriers to drinking water contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The incidence of recreational water-associated outbreaks in the United States has significantly increased, driven, at least in part, by outbreaks both caused by Cryptosporidium and associated with treated recreational water venues. Because of the parasite's extreme chlorine tolerance, transmission can occur even in well-maintained treated recreational water venues (e.g. pools) and a focal cryptosporidiosis outbreak can evolve into a community-wide outbreak associated with multiple recreational water venues and settings (e.g. childcare facilities). In August 2004 in Auglaize County, Ohio, multiple cryptosporidiosis cases were identified and anecdotally linked to pool A. Within 5 days of the first case being reported, pool A was hyperchlorinated to achieve 99·9% Cryptosporidium inactivition. A case-control study was launched to epidemiologically ascertain the outbreak source 11 days later. A total of 150 confirmed and probable cases were identified; the temporal distribution of illness onset was peaked, indicating a point-source exposure. Cryptosporidiosis was significantly associated with swimming in pool A (matched odds ratio 121·7, 95% confidence interval 27·4–∞) but not with another venue or setting. The findings of this investigation suggest that proactive implementation of control measures, when increased Cryptosporidium transmission is detected but before an outbreak source is epidemiologically ascertained, might prevent a focal cryptosporidiosis outbreak from evolving into a community-wide outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In June 2011, a cluster of suspected cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which can follow Campylobacter jejuni infection, was identified in San Luis Río Colorado (SLRC), Sonora, Mexico and Yuma County, Arizona, USA. An outbreak investigation identified 26 patients (18 from Sonora, eight from Arizona) with onset of GBS 4 May-21 July 2011, exceeding the expected number of cases (n = 1-2). Twenty-one (81%) patients reported antecedent diarrhoea, and 61% of 18 patients tested were seropositive for C. jejuni IgM antibodies. In a case-control study matched on age group, sex, ethnicity, and neighbourhood of residence, all Arizona GBS patients travelled to SLRC during the exposure period vs. 45% of matched controls (matched odds ratio 8·1, 95% confidence interval 1·5-∞). Exposure information and an environmental assessment suggested that GBS cases resulted from a large outbreak of C. jejuni infection from inadequately disinfected tap water in SLRC. Binational collaboration was essential in investigating this cross-border GBS outbreak, the first in mainland North America since 1976. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medium to high-resolution stellar spectroscopic surveys can potentially be used to build DIB databases by means of automated methods of analysis. Multiplex spectrographs increase strongly those potentialities and allow small-scale variability studies. Because measurements of the stellar parameters are generally the primary goal of the surveys, synthetic spectra can be computed and used to extract DIBs from late-type star data. Large datasets should allow deeper investigations on the DIB variability in response to stellar radiation fields, DIB reddening relationships, and help localizing interstellar clouds. Here we describe our attempts to build and test automated methods adapted to both early and late type stars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In July and August 2007, a giardiasis outbreak affected attendees of a private recreational camp in California. Twenty-six persons had laboratory-confirmed giardiasis; another 24 had giardiasis-like illness with no stool test. A retrospective cohort study determined that showering was associated with illness (adjusted odds ratio 3·1, 95% confidence interval 1·1–9·3). Two days before the outbreak began, the camp had installed a slow-sand water filtration system that included unsterilized sand. Review of historical water-quality data identified substantially elevated total coliform and turbidity levels in sand-filtered spring water used for showering during the suspected exposure period. Unfiltered spring water tested at the same time had acceptable coliform and turbidity levels, implicating the filtration system as the most likely contamination source. To prevent waterborne illness, slow-sand water filtration systems should use sterilized sand, and slow-sand-filtered water should not be used for any purpose where inadvertent ingestion could occur until testing confirms its potability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Giardiasis is a common waterborne gastrointestinal illness. In 2007, a community giardiasis outbreak occurred in New Hampshire, USA. We conducted a cohort study to identify risk factors for giardiasis, and stool and environmental samples were analysed. Consuming tap water was significantly associated with illness (risk ratio 4.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5-14.4). Drinking-water samples were coliform-contaminated and a suspect Giardia cyst was identified in a home water filter. One well was coliform-contaminated, and testing indicated that it was potentially under the influence of surface water. The well was located 12.5 m from a Giardia-contaminated brook, although the genotype differed from clinical specimens. Local water regulations require well placement at least 15 m from surface water. This outbreak, which caused illness in 31 persons, represents the largest community drinking-water-associated giardiasis outbreak in the USA in 10 years. Adherence to well placement regulations might have prevented this outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectra in the range 4000-7000 Å were obtained for a sample of bulge stars using the GMOS-Gemini low resolution spectrograph. The sample stars were selected from a VLT-FLAMES project for the observation of 1000 bulge stars, for which abundance ratios have been derived. Our aim is to study old stellar populations in external galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We spectroscopically characterize the Galactic Bulge to infer its star formation timescale, compared to the other Galactic components, through the chemical signature on its individual stars. O, Na, Mg, Al were obtained for 50 K giants in four fields towards the Galactic bulge from UVES spectra (R=45,000), while Fe was measured in more than 400 stars with a slightly low resolution (R=20,000) and the GIRAFFE spectrograph at VLT. Oxygen and Magnesium show a well defined trend with [Fe/H], with abundances larger than those measured in both thin and thick disk stars, supporting a scenario in which the bulge formed before and more rapidly than the disk. On the other hand the iron distribution peaks at solar metallicity and it is slightly narrower than that measured in previous works. Part of the present results have been published by Zoccali et al. (2006) and Lecureur et al. (2006), and part will be discussed in forthcoming papers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The chemical composition of 91 stars in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy is presented as determined from spectra taken with the FLAMES multiobject spectrograph in the Medusa mode. The analysis methods are outlined. The [±/Fe] ratios are shown for Mg, Ca, and Ti, and compared with those of Galactic stars. Heavy element abundance ratios (Y, Ba, and Eu) are also presented. Since the Sculptor dwarf galaxy has had a significantly different star formation history and chemical evolution than the Galaxy, then comparison of Sculptor's metal-poor (old) stars to similar metallicity stars in the Galaxy can be used to discuss galaxy formation scenarios, as well as test some of our fundamental assumptions in stellar nucleosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have developed a method allowing to extract DIBs from cool star spectra, based on combinations of stellar synthetic, telluric transmission (when necessary), and DIB profile models. It is applicable when the star temperature, surface gravity and metallicity have been previously estimated. Such a method aims at extracting extensive data from stellar spectroscopic surveys such as the Gaia-ESO Survey in progress at the VLT. The method has been applied to several strong DIBs detected towards stars from various programs and located at various distances from the solar neighborhood to the Galactic Bulge. Here we illustrate the extraction of the 8620 Å DIB, and compare its strength to the one of the 6284 Å band, both for nearby and bulge stars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We recently presented (Sbordone et al., 2009a) the largest sample to date of lithium abundances in extremely metal-poor (EMP) Halo dwarf and Turn-Off (TO) stars. One of the most crucial aspects in estimating Li abundances is the Teff determination, since the Li I 670.8 nm doublet is highly temperature sensitive. In this short contribution we concentrate on the Teff determination based on Hα wings fitting, and on its sensitivity to the chosen stellar gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the framework of he ESO Large Program “First Stars”, high resolution (R=45000) high S/N ratio spectra have been obtained for a sample of Extremely Metal Poor Stars (EMP stars), 35 giants and 18 turnoff stars. Among them 37 have a very low metallicity: [Fe/H]< −2.9. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Very few abundance analyses of individual stars in metal-poor globular clusters in the galactic bulge are available. The main purpose of this study is to derive abundances in individual stars of such clusters, in order to establish their abundance pattern, trying to characterize the oldest bulge stellar populations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The abundance derivation of heavy r-elements may provide a better understanding of the r-process, and the determination of several reference r-elements should allow a better determination of the star's age. The spatial ultraviolet (UV) region presents a large number of lines of heavy elements, and in some cases such as Bi, Pt, Au, detectable lines are only available in the UV. The extreme “r-process star” CS 31082-001 ([Fe/H] = −2.9) was observed in the spatial UV in order to determine abundances of the heavy elements, using STIS on board HST. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]