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Monkeypox is caused by a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, first identified as the cause of disease in captive cynomolgus monkeys in 1959 (1). Twelve years later, the virus was [...]

African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys) are native to tropical Africa, where they range from Senegal and Gambia east across West Africa and the Congo Basin to the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa. Ecological niche models show that Cricetomys species differ in their invasive potential. Although neither of the presently recognized Cricetomys species appears to have genuinely broad distributional potential in North America, models predict that C. emini would have extremely restricted distributional potential, whereas C. gambianus would have a broader potential across the southeastern United States. Key words: African giant pouched rat, Cricetomys, ecological niche modeling, Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction, invasive species, rodent ecology

During May and June 2003, the first cluster of human monkeypox cases in the United States was reported. Most patients with this febrile vesicular rash illness presumably acquired the infection [...]

A detailed examination of the first cases of monkeypox in the US is presented, focusing on 11 people and one prairie dog in Wisconsin. DNA tests showed that the patients and the prairie dog were all infected with the monkeypox virus. The prairie dog was believed to be exposed to a rat that had been imported from West Africa.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Detailed presentation of the many meaningful contributions made by primary researchers, microbiologists, and primary care and specialized clinicians towards an understanding of cat-scratch disease is beyond the scope [...]

The causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) appears to be the bacteria Bartonella henselae rather than Afipia felis, as first thought. The principal symptom of CSD is swollen lymph nodes. Fever, weight loss, fatigue, and headaches are common symptoms. Diagnosis often requires biopsy to exclude other diagnoses such as cancer. A blood test for antibodies to the infective agent would be useful. Eighty patients were diagnosed with CSD based on clinical symptoms. Blood serum antibody levels to A felis and B henselae were compared with antibody levels in 57 healthy volunteers. Antibody levels for A felis were similar between CSD patients and healthy volunteers. By contrast, antibody levels for B henselae were markedly higher in CSD patients. This means that an accurate blood test for diagnosing CSD is possible., Objective. To assess the serologic response to Afipia and Bartonella, previously named Rochalimaea, in patients with cat scratch disease (CSD) and a healthy control group. Design. Prospective, controlled trial. Setting. Referral clinic and hospitalized patients in a university medical center. Participants. Eighty patients with CSD and 57 healthy control subjects of similar age. Main Outcome Measures. The immune responses to Afipia felis and Bartonella henselae were evaluated by a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with CSD and healthy control subjects. Responses to B henselae were also measured by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests. Antibody levels to Bartonella quintana were measured by ELISA and IFA in a limited number of patients and control subjects. Results. Of the 80 patients with clinical CSD, 56 had positive results of CSD skin tests. ELISA antibody levels to A felis did not differ between patients and control subjects, but immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG ELISA antibodies to B henselae and B quintana were significantly higher in patients than in control subjects. IFA responses to B henselae and B quintana were also significantly higher in patients than in control subjects. Conclusion. Patients with CSD had significant serologic responses to B henselae and B quintana but not to A felis, suggesting that the causative agent of CSD is antigenically related to the Bartonella genus and not to Afipia. The Bartonelia Igm ELISA and IFA assay were both sensitive and specific and may be used to establish the diagnosis of CSD. Pediatrics 1995;96:1137-1142; cat scratch disease, lymphadenopathy, Bartonelia henselae, Rochalimaea henselae, Afipia felis., ABBREVIATIONS. CSD, cat scratch disease; IFA, indirect fluorescent antibody; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; ATCC, American Type Culture Collection; SBA, sheep blood plate antigen; PBS-T-T, phosphate-buffered saline-thimerosal-Tween 20; Ig, immunoglobulin; OD, [...]

The factors most strongly associated with cat scratch disease are owning a kitten, being scratched or bitten by a kitten and owning a kitten with fleas. Cat scratch disease, a disease of the lymph nodes, usually runs a benign course but can sometimes lead to serious consequences. Risk factors for the disease in Connecticut were studied in 56 children who developed cat scratch disease and in 56 children who did not. Evidence of infection with the bacterium Rochalimaea henselae was found in blood samples of kittens implicated in transmission of cat scratch disease as well as in 84% of the patients with the disease. Other factors associated with the disease were the age and sex of the cats. Patients were more likely to own younger, male cats than the comparison group. No significant association was found between the ownership of an adult cat and development of the disease.

The in vitro susceptibilities of Bartonella henselae, B. quintana and B. elizabethae were evaluated in Vero cell cultures to different concentrations of chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Bartonella spp. were allowed to initiate infection of the antibiotic-free Vero cell monolayers in the absence of antibiotics at 32°C in a CO2-enriched atmosphere. After inoculation, inocula were replaced and tested ten times in replicate with media containing twelve different concentrations of each antibiotic. Five days later, when antibiotic-free, control-infected cell monolayers demonstrated significant fluorescence, media were removed for all cell monolayers, the monolayers were fixed, and all specimens were stained with standard indirect immunofluorescent antibody reagents. Growth was determined by counting immunofluorescent staining foci. The effective antibiotic dilution endpoints for inhibition of Bartonella spp. proliferation were enumerated on random fields with an epi-fluorescent microscope to determine the number of cell culture chambers at various antibiotic dilutions that were negative/positive for significant Bartonella-specific fluorescent foci. All three species were susceptible to all three antibiotics, but B. elizabethae was only intermediately susceptible. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We describe a case of aggressive Bartonella henselae endocarditis in an immunocompetent man who owned a cat. Aortic valve replacement was required, and his infection was diagnosed by histology, serology, and polymerase chain reaction analysis. The manifestations of his disease included mediastinal lymphadenopathy, glomerulonephritis, myocarditis, and a petechial rash; the unusual finding of a positive titer of c-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies was noted. Serological titers were markedly elevated for > 1 year despite clinical improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]