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Purpose: To describe self-reported herpes zoster (HZ) and explore factors that could impact interpretation of results from health care-based HZ studies., Methods: We performed logistic regression using data from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to evaluate risk factors for having a history of HZ and experiencing severe HZ pain, and predictors for seeking health care for HZ., Results: Among 14,564 respondents aged ≥55 years, women were more likely than men to report a history of HZ (15.7% vs. 11.6%, P < .01). Blacks (6.4% vs. 14.7% in whites, P < .01) and respondents with less than a high school diploma (12.2% vs.14.2% in respondents with at least a high school diploma, P = .01) were less likely to report a history of HZ. Women, blacks, Hispanics, and those with less than a high school diploma were more likely to report severe HZ pain. Most (91.1%) respondents sought health care for HZ; Hispanics (64.2% vs. 92.1% in whites, P < .001) and those with recurrent HZ were less likely to seek health care for HZ, whereas those with severe pain were more likely (95.4% vs. 87.9% in those without severe pain, P < .01)., Conclusions: HRS provides a new platform for studies of HZ, one which allowed us to uncover issues that warrant particular attention when interpreting results of health care-based studies., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading infectious cause of congenital hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disability in developed countries. Information on congenital CMV infection in developing countries appears to be lacking., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies from developing countries with population-based samples of at least 300 infants that used laboratory methods established as reliable for the diagnosis of congenital CMV infection., Results: Most studies were excluded due to biased samples or inadequate diagnostic methods; consequently the search identified just 11 studies that were from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The number of newborns tested ranged from 317 to 12 195. Maternal CMV seroprevalence ranged from 84% to 100%. CMV birth prevalence varied from 0.6% to 6.1%. CMV-associated impairments were not documented in most studies., Conclusions: Birth prevalence ranges were higher than for Europe and North America, as expected based on the higher maternal CMV seroprevalence. With very limited data available on sequelae, the disease burden of congenital CMV in developing countries remains largely unknown at this time., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Numerous hepatitis A outbreaks were linked to the consumption of raw molluscan shellfish in the United States between 1960 and 1989. However, there had been no major molluscan shellfish-associated hepatitis A outbreaks reported in the United States for more than a decade (1989 to 2004). Beginning in late August 2005, at least 10 clusters of hepatitis A illnesses, totaling 39 persons, occurred in four states among restaurant patrons who ate oysters. Epidemiologic data indicated that oysters were the source of the outbreak. Traceback information showed that the implicated oysters were harvested from specific Gulf Coast areas. A voluntary recall of oysters was initiated in September. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was detected in multiple 25-g portions in one of two recalled samples, indicating that as many as 1 of every 15 oysters from this source was contaminated. Comparing 315 nucleotides within the HAV VPl-2B region, 100% homology was found among four amplicons recovered from a total of six independent experiments of the implicated oysters, and an identical HAV sequence was detected in sera from all 28 patient serum specimens tested. Ten percent heterogeneity over 315 nucleotides (31 variants) was observed between the outbreak strain (subgenotype 1A) and an HM-175 strain (subgenotype 1B) used in the laboratory where the oysters were processed. To our knowledge, this investigation is the first in the United States to identify an HAV-identical strain in persons with hepatitis A as well as in the food that was implicated as the source of their infections.