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Commercially available enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) traditionally have been used to detect rotavirus in children who have acute gastroenteritis (AGE). The rate of rotavirus detection is higher with EIAs than with [...]

Recent studies have associated human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection in children with respiratory disease of similar severity as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We studied 668 banked swab specimens (one per [...]

Background. Routine rotavirus vaccination of US infants began in 2006. We conducted active, populationbased surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis hospitalizations in 3 US counties to assess vaccine impact. Methods. Children <36 months old hospitalized with diarrhea and/or vomiting were enrolled from January through June each year during the period 2006-2009 and tested for rotavirus. Age-stratified rates of hospitalization for rotavirus infection were compared with corresponding vaccination coverage among a control group of children with acute respiratory illness. To assess direct and indirect benefits, vaccination coverage rates in the control group were multiplied by vaccine effectiveness estimates to calculate expected reductions in the rate of hospitalization for rotavirus infection. Rotavirus serotypes were compared across years. Results. Compared with 2006, a significant reduction in rates of hospitalization for rotavirus infection (P < .001) was observed in 2008 among all age groups. There was an 87% reduction in the 6-11-month-old age group (coverage, 77%), a 96% reduction in the 12-23-months-old age group (coverage, 46%), and a 92% reduction in the 24-35-month-old age group (coverage, 1%), which exceeded reductions expected on the basis of coverage and vaccine effectiveness estimates. Age-specific rate reductions were nearly equivalent to those expected on the basis of age-specific vaccine coverage in 2009. Predominant strains varied annually: G1P[8] (91%) in 2006; G1P[8] (45%) and G12P[8] (36%) in 2007; G1P[8] (89%) in 2008; and G3P[8] (43%), G2P[4] (34%), and G9P[8] (27%) in 2009. Conclusions. Rotavirus vaccination has dramatically decreased rates of hospitalization for rotavirus infection among children in these US counties. In 2008, reductions were prominent among both vaccine-eligible age groups and older, largely unvaccinated children; the latter likely resulted from indirect protection. Although rates among age groups eligible for vaccination remained low in 2009, indirect benefits disappeared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA fragments from the large tegument protein (LTP) gene of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was performed with use of uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from four mother/infant pairs. In two cases, LTP gene sequences were identical in paired mother/infant specimens, thus suggesting that mother-to-infant transmission of HHV-6 may have occurred. The genetic stability of HHV-6 strains was confirmed by the fact that there was no difference between amplified DNA fragments from sequential PBMC samples from two of two infants analyzed. In contrast, a change in the amplified viral strain was detected in an infant who had reinfection with HHV-6 variant B (HHV-6B). Furthermore, HHV-6B strains concurrently amplified from saliva and PBMCs from an adult were found to be different. The data suggest that HHV-6 may be frequently transmitted from mother-to-infant and that reinfection with HHV-6B may occur. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In June 2006, the Institute of Medicine (LoM), released a comprehensive study, Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention. The report was a result of the IoM's efforts, in particular the Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes, to better understand and prevent preterm birth and improve care for babies born prematurely. After its publication, a group of health care professionals came together in a roundtable session, "Preterm Infants: A Collaborative Approach to Specialized Care," to discuss the implications of the report. The following article captures the group's April 2007 discussion about the clinical and societal problems of preterm birth. It should be of interest to hospital administrators, pediatricians, third-party payers, policy makers, public health officials, academic researchers, funding agencies, allied health professionals, and others with a vested interest in curbing healthcare costs as well as what needs to be understood and done to safeguard the short- and long-term health of a most vulnerable population.