Surveillance of hemolytic uremic syndrome in children less than 15 years of age, a system to monitor O157 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infections in France, 1996-2006.

Background: Since the 1980s, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), especially E. coli O157:H7, has been an important cause of food borne disease in industrial countries. In France, as there was no routine screening for STEC in clinical laboratories, enhanced surveillance of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children less than 15 years of age was established in 1996 to monitor trends in the incidence of STEC infections.

Evaluation of a model for efficient screening of tuberculosis contact subjects.

Rationale: Contact tracing is an important component of tuberculosis (TB) control programs. Standardization of contact investigation protocols can make them more efficient.

Objectives: To develop a model to select contact subjects for screening.

Sociodemographic factors that contribute to the development of extrapulmonary tuberculosis were identified.

Background And Objectives: The majority of cases of tuberculosis occur among males, but the majority of cases with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) occur among females. The aim of this study was to identify independent risk factors associated with EPTB.

Methods: A multivariable logistic regression model was used.

Incidence of tuberculous meningitis in France, 2000: a capture-recapture analysis.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of culture-positive and culture-negative tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in France in 2000.

Methods: Capture-recapture method using two unrelated sources of data: the tuberculosis (TB) mandatory notification system (MNTB), recording patients treated by anti-tuberculosis drugs, and a survey by the National Reference Centre (NRC) for mycobacterial drug resistance, recording culture-positive TBM.

Results: Of 112 cases of TBM reported to the MNTB, 28 culture-positive and 34 culture-negative meningitis cases were validated (17 duplicates, 3 cases from outside France, 21 false notifications, and 9 lost records were excluded).

Outbreak of tuberculosis in a migrants' shelter, Paris, France, 2002.

Setting: An overcrowded 362-bed migrants' shelter in Paris, France.

Objectives: To investigate an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB), to identify a common source of contamination and to prevent further transmission.

Methods: The outbreak was identified by radiographic screening and an active search for undeclared hospital treated cases, completed by strain phenotyping and a search for contact cases.