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Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a tickbome disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is the leading cause of death from rickettsial infections in the Western Hemisphere (1). The disease can progress [...]

Tecovirimat is an antiviral drug approved in 2018 by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat orthopoxvirus infection. Tecovirimat inhibits orthopoxvirus viral protein (VP) 37, which is involved [...]

Tickborne diseases are an increasing public health problem, accounting for [approximately equal to] 75% of reported vector-borne illnesses in the United States (1-3). Continued discovery of new tickborne pathogens in [...]

Bartonella spp. are fastidious, gram-negative intracellular bacteria that are transmitted to humans by insect vectors. The genus includes 12 species associated with human infection: B. henselae, B. quintana, B. bacilliformis, [...]

Monkeypox is a zoonotic orthopoxvirus that is endemic to West and Central Africa and has caused sporadic outbreaks elsewhere (2,2). On July 23, 2022, the World Health Organization declared the [...]

Borrelia miyamotoi, transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks, was recognized as an agent of hard tick relapsing fever in the United States in 2013. Nine state health departments in the Northeast and Midwest have conducted public health surveillance for this emerging condition by using a shared, working surveillance case definition. During 2013-2019, a total of 300 cases were identified through surveillance; 166 (55%) were classified as confirmed and 134 (45%) as possible. Median age of case-patients was 52 years (range 1-86 years); 52% were male. Most cases (70%) occurred during June-September, with a peak in August. Fever and headache were common symptoms; 28% of case-patients reported recurring fevers, 55% had arthralgia, and 16% had a rash. Thirteen percent of patients were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported. Ongoing surveillance will improve understanding of the incidence and clinical severity of this emerging disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has altered how humans interact with their environment and the healthcare system (1,2), and strained resources have limited the ability of state and local health [...]

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a complication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection; in the United States, reporting of MIS-C after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is required for vaccine safety monitoring. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for children aged 5−11 years on 29 October 2021. Covering a period when approximately 7 million children received vaccine, surveillance for MIS-C ≤ 90 days postvaccination using passive systems identified 58 children with MIS-C and laboratory evidence of past/recent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 4 without evidence. During a period with extensive SARS-CoV-2 circulation, MIS-C illness in children after COVID-19 vaccination who lacked evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was rare (<1 per million vaccinated children). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plague meningitis is a serious and often fatal manifestation of Yersinia pestis infection. In the aftermath of a bioweapon attack with Y pestis, this typically rare manifestation may develop in a substantial number of patients, particularly if treatment delays occur. Risk factors, clinical evolution, and optimal treatment strategies for plague meningitis are not well understood. We searched PubMed Central and other databases for reports of plague meningitis in any language. Articles containing descriptions of patients with plague meningitis and their treatment and outcomes were included. Among 1,496 articles identified in our search, 56 articles describing 84 cases from 1898 to 2015 met inclusion criteria. The median age of patients was 16 years (range 6 weeks to 64 years); 68% were male. Most patients (n = 50, 60%) developed meningitis following primary bubonic plague. Common signs and symptoms included fever (n = 56, 66%), nuchal rigidity (n = 38, 45%), and headache (n = 33, 36%); 29% (n = 24) of patients had focal neurologic deficits such as cranial nerve abnormalities. Almost all (n = 23, 96%) of the 24 patients who did not receive antimicrobials died, and 42% (n = 25) of the 59 patients treated with antimicrobials died. The case fatality rate of patients grouped by antimicrobial received was 50% (1 out of 2) for fluoroquinolones, 19% (4 out of 21) for aminoglycosides, 14% (2 out of 14) for sulfonamides, 11% (2 out of 18) for chloramphenicol, and 0% (0 out of 13) for tetracyclines. Plague meningitis most often occurs as a complication of bubonic plague and can cause focal neurologic deficits. Survival is more likely in patients who receive antimicrobials; tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and chloramphenicol had the lowest associated case fatality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the epidemiology of monkeypox in children aged around 12 years during the 2022 outbreak in the United States. Highlighting the transmission routes, the occurrence of cases in neonates and the importance of implementing immediate protective measures for household contacts to prevent transmission to children, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis, infection control and timely implementation of prevention strategies to reduce monkeypox transmission.

The article reports on the cases of severe monkeypox in hospitalized patients in the U.S. from August 10 to October 10, 2022. Data shows the characteristics of patients with severe manifestations of monkeypox by sex, race and ethnicity, homelessness, immunocompromising condition, clinical manifestation, treatment, intensive care and sexually transmitted infection (STI) coinfection, as well as laboratory and treatment characteristics of patients with HIV infection and severe monkeypox.

Background In Spring 2021, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.7 (Alpha) became the predominant variant in the United States. Research suggests that Alpha has increased transmissibility compared with non-Alpha lineages. We estimated household secondary infection risk (SIR), assessed characteristics associated with transmission, and compared symptoms of persons with Alpha and non-Alpha infections. Methods We followed households with SARS-CoV-2 infection for 2 weeks in San Diego County and metropolitan Denver, January to April 2021. We collected epidemiologic information and biospecimens for serology, reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and whole-genome sequencing. We stratified SIR and symptoms by lineage and identified characteristics associated with transmission using generalized estimating equations. Results We investigated 127 households with 322 household contacts; 72 households (56.7%) had member(s) with secondary infections. SIRs were not significantly higher for Alpha (61.0% [95% confidence interval, 52.4–69.0%]) than non-Alpha (55.6% [44.7–65.9%], P  = .49). In households with Alpha, persons who identified as Asian or Hispanic/Latino had significantly higher SIRs than those who identified as White (P  = .01 and.03, respectively). Close contact (eg, kissing, hugging) with primary cases was associated with increased transmission for all lineages. Persons with Alpha infection were more likely to report constitutional symptoms than persons with non-Alpha (86.9% vs 76.8%, P  = .05). Conclusions Household SIRs were similar for Alpha and non-Alpha. Comparable SIRs may be due to saturation of transmission risk in households due to extensive close contact, or true lack of difference in transmission rates. Avoiding close contact within households may reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission for all lineages among household members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Prostatic abscesses are rare and have been most commonly associated with gram-negative bacteria; however, Staphylococcus aureus has emerged as a leading cause, particularly in persons who are immunocompromised. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients discharged from Ben Taub Hospital with a diagnosis of prostatic abscess during January 2011–January 2019. Demographic, clinical, microbiologic, and radiographic data were abstracted from the patients' charts and analyzed for comorbidities, causative organisms, clinical course, and outcomes. Results We identified 32 patients with a prostatic abscess during the study period. S. aureus was the most common causative organism (18/32, 56%). Most patients (24/32, 75%) were admitted to a general medicine service, and the median length of stay was 9 days. Twenty-one patients (66%) were treated with a combination of surgical drainage and antibiotic therapy; 11 (34%) were treated with antibiotics alone. All patients treated with antibiotics alone had full clinical recovery. Two patients (6.3%) died, both of whom had septic shock secondary to disseminated S. aureus infection. Conclusions Prostatic abscesses are rare and can be difficult to diagnose, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. S. aureus is a frequent causative organism especially in persons with diabetes mellitus or other immunocompromising conditions. Hematogenous spread of S. aureus infection to the prostate appears common. Prostatic abscesses can serve as the nidus of disseminated S. aureus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is a major cause of illness and death in children in sub-Saharan Africa (1,2). Neisseria meningitidis is the most common cause of ABM in the meningitis [...]

by Calvin R. Stapert Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2000. 250 pp. $t6.00. ISBN 0-8028-4472-3. THE 20TH CENTURY'S SEARCH for historical 'truth' seemed to delight in chipping away at the perhaps idealized [...]

by Suzanne Haik-Vantoura. Translated by Dennis Weber, edited by John Wheeler. BIBAL Press, Berkeley/ King David's Harp, Inc., San Francisco, 1991. 547 pp. $29. 95 (paper). ISBN 0-941037-10-X For centuries [...]

Showerheads support the development of multi-species biofilms that can be unsightly, produce malodor, and may harbor pathogens. The outer-surface spray-plates of many showerheads support visible biofilms that likely contain a mixture of bacteria from freshwater and potentially from human users. Coaggregation, a mechanism by which genetically distinct bacteria specifically recognize one another, may contribute to the retention and enrichment of different species within these biofilms. The aim of this work was to describe the bacterial composition of outer spray-plate biofilms of three domestic showerheads and to determine the intra- and inter-biofilm coaggregation ability of each culturable isolate. The bacterial composition of the three biofilms was determined by using bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP) and by culturing on R2A medium. An average of 31 genera per biofilm were identified using bTEFAP and a total of 30 isolates were cultured. Even though the microbial diversity of each showerhead biofilm differed, every cultured isolate was able to coaggregate with at least one other isolate from the same or different showerhead biofilm. Promiscuous coaggregating isolates belonged to the generaBrevundimonas, Micrococcus, andLysobacter. This work suggests that coaggregation may be a common feature of showerhead biofilms. Characterization of the mechanisms mediating coaggregation, and the inter-species interactions they facilitate, may allow for novel strategies to inhibit biofilm development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]