Maternal human parvovirus B19 infection and the risk of fetal death and low birthweight: a case-control study within 35 940 pregnant women.

Objectives: To assess the association between maternal parvovirus B19 infection and fetal death, birthweight and length of gestation.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Population based.

[An outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica O:9-infection].

Background: Yersiniosis is a zoonosis that is transmitted from pigs to humans. In January 2006 more cases of Yersinia enterocolitica enterocolitis than expected were reported in Norway. The fact that the isolates belonged to the O:9 serogroup, which is rare in Norway, and the geographical and temporal clustering of the cases, pointed to an outbreak.

Respiratory syncytial virus infections in congenital heart defects--hospitalizations and costs.

Aims: To register hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections and estimate costs of prophylaxis with humanized monoclonal antibodies (palivizumab) against RSV, compared to hospital care, in cases with congenital heart defects (CHDs).

Methods: Population based study with prospective registration of CHDs. Costs for hospital treatment of RSV-infections in CHD-patients calculated by means of the Norwegian Diagnosis Related Groups system.

Epstein-Barr virus infection during pregnancy and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome.

Objectives: To study the association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody status in early pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes including fetal death, length of gestation and fetal weight and length at birth.

Design: Nested control study.

Setting: Population based health registers.

Maternal antibodies against cytomegalovirus in pregnancy and the risk of fetal death and low birth weight.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody status in pregnancy on the risk of fetal death and of low birth weight.

Methods: The study of fetal death risk was a nested case-control study. Cases were all women within a cohort of 35,940 pregnant women in Norway 1992--94, who experienced fetal death after 16th week of gestation (n=281).

Extrahepatic bile duct atresia and viral involvement.

Several etiological factors have been suggested in the pathogenesis of extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA); congenital, metabolic, infectious, and multifactorial. Herein we present a study of 10 children with EHBA, the aim being to explore viral infection as a possible cause of their condition. During a period of 2 yr, all infants with EHBA were included in a study and examined on viral disease on admittance for Kasai operation.

Characterization of a recombinant type 3/type 2 poliovirus isolated from a healthy vaccinee and containing a chimeric capsid protein VP1.

A Sabin 3/Sabin 2/Sabin 3 (S3/2/3) intertypic recombinant poliovirus was isolated from a faecal specimen from a 2-year-old healthy boy approximately 12 weeks after administration of oral poliovirus vaccine. The first recombination junction was in the genomic region encoding the VP1 capsid protein between nucleotide positions 3274 and 3285 (numbering according to Sabin 3) and the second was in the RNA polymerase region (nucleotide positions 6824 and 6825). The recombination had introduced six Sabin 2-derived amino acids into the Sabin 3 capsid environment in the carboxyl terminus of VP1.

Seroepidemiology of Rickettsia africae infection in Norwegian travellers to rural Africa.

Rickettsia africae is the causative agent of African tick bite fever (ATBF), an acute febrile illness frequently accompanied by inoculation eschars, regional lymphadenitis, myalgia and severe headache. Recently, ATBF has been recognized as an emerging health problem for international travellers to rural sub-Saharan Africa. To estimate the incidence, risk factors for and proportion of symptomatic cases of travel-associated R.

[Tick-borne encephalitis in Norway].

Background: The first person reported with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Norway fell ill in 1998; the second patient caught the disease in autumn 1999. Both had been to the island of Tromøy in Aust-Agder county. Searches for TBE antibodies were intensified in persons with encephalitis and a seroprevalence study was carried out.

Is preeclampsia an infectious disease?

Background: Studies have suggested a strong paternal factor in the etiology of preeclampsia. If preeclampsia is caused by an infectious agent transmitted by the woman's partner, seronegative women who may experience primary infection in pregnancy should be at increased risk of preeclampsia as compared to previously infected women. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of being seronegative for some viruses transmitted by close contact on the risk of developing preeclampsia.

Molecular epidemiology of calicivirus infections in Norway.

The national reference laboratory for calicivirus diagnostics monitors the epidemiology of calicivirus infections in Norway. During winter 1998-1999, 406 fecal samples were received from patients with suspected calicivirus infection. Of these, 76 (19%) were calicivirus positive by a nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

[Encephalitis after acute Epstein-Barr virus infection].

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is known to cause severe neurological complications such as encephalitis.

Material And Methods: We present the history of two men, aged 17 and 22, who developed encephalitis after acute primary EBV infection. One of them survived with cerebral complications, the other died.

No sequence variation in part of the hexon and the fibre genes of adenovirus 8 isolated from patients with conjunctivitis or epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) in Norway during 1989 to 1996.

Background/aims: Several local epidemics of keratoconjunctivitis/conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus type 8 (Ad8) occurred in Norway from August 1995 to May 1996. A smaller epidemic occurred in 1992. The Ad8 hexon forms the surface of the virion and contains the hypervariable regions loop I(1) and loop I(2).

Evaluation of 12 commercial tests for detection of Epstein-Barr virus-specific and heterophile antibodies.

Ten microbiological departments in Norway have participated in a multicenter evaluation of the following commercial tests for detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific and heterophile antibodies: CAPTIA Select viral capsid antigen (VCA)-M/G/EBNA (Centocor Inc.), Enzygnost anti-EBV/immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG (Dade Behring), Vironostika EBV VCA IgM/IgG/EBNA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Organon Teknika), SEROFLUOR immunofluorescence assay and EBV Combi-Test (Institute Virion Ltd.), anti-EBV recombinant IgM- and IgG-early antigen/EBNA IgG ELISA (Biotest Diagnostics), EBV IgM/IgG/EBNA ELISA (Gull Laboratories), Paul-Bunnell-Davidsohn test (Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur), Monosticon Dri-Dot (Organon Teknika), Avitex-IM (Omega Diagnostics Ltd.

African tick-bite fever imported into Norway: presentation of 8 cases.

We report on 8 Norwegian travellers to Southern Africa with African tick-bite fever (ATBF), a recently described spotted fever group rickettsiosis. All patients had acute flu-like symptoms and developed I or multiple inoculation eschars. The patients were treated with either doxycycline or ciprofloxacin, and all recovered.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA detected in cerebrospinal fluid of 9 patients with Mollaret's meningitis.

We present clinical and virological data on 9 patients, 7 women and 2 men aged 31-56 years, with recurrent aseptic meningitis (Mollaret's meningitis). Polymerase chain reaction detected Herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA in cerebrospinal fluid samples from all patients collected during their latest attacks of meningitis. Six patients had no history of genital herpes.

[Spotted fever imported into Norway in 1997].

Tick-borne rickettsioses are important zoonoses in many tropical and subtropical areas. There has recently been an increase in the number of reported cases among tourists returning to Scandinavia. In this article we present all five serologically confirmed cases of tick-borne rickettsioses imported into Norway in 1997.

[Dengue fever imported to Norway. Serologically confirmed cases 1991-96].

With up to 100 million cases annually, dengue fever is today's most important arboviral disease. Dengue fever is endemic in many parts of South-East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Oceania and the Americas. The disease mainly affects the local population, but occasionally also visitors from non-endemic areas.

[Q-fever imported into Norway].

Q fever is an important zoonosis that occurs throughout the world. In contrast to most other European countries, there has been no evidence of endemic Q fever in Norway up to now. The disease is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a rickettsia-like bacterium.

Specific detection of Coxsackie viruses A by the polymerase chain reaction.

Background: Most of the Coxsackie virus A strains are difficult to identify using traditional diagnostic methods such as virus isolation followed by neutralization with type-specific antisera. For the laboratory diagnoses of infections with Coxsackie viruses A, inoculation into newborn mice has traditional been the method of choice. However, such investigations are complicated and time-consuming.

[Cytomegalovirus infection in neonates. Diagnosis and therapeutic experiences].

Approximately 0.5-1% of all newborns are born infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), but of these only one out of ten show symptoms at birth, most often with hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, and/or brain affection. Of the remaining nine, one may later develop sequelae with hearing loss and/or mental retardation.

[Outbreak of food-borne gastroenteritis caused by a Norwalk-like virus. Evaluation of methods for confirmation of the etiology in suspected viral gastroenteritis].

Acute gastroenteritis is a common disease and can be food-borne. We describe an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis, probably caused by Norwalk-like virus, which struck 250 people in the course of one week in a small Norwegian community. The source of the infection was probably an infected food handler in a bakery who contaminated cream cakes with the virus.

[Virological diagnostics in acute encephalitis. Experience with nucleic acid detection and ratio examination during the period 1991-94].

In every single case of acute encephalitis it is important to confirm the clinical diagnosis by means of virological investigations. Previously, examination by brain biopsy was regarded as the gold standard for detecting the presence of virus or virus antigen in suspected cases of encephalitis caused by herpes simplex virus, but the extraction of the sample material requires experience, and is not without risk. In recent years, detection of herpes simplex DNA using the polymerase chain reaction is recommended as the method of choice during the acute state of the illness, followed by ratio determination, e.

Intratypic genome variability of echovirus type 30 in part of the VP4/VP2 coding region.

The genetic relationship of 33 echovirus type 30 (E30) isolates associated with three different outbreaks of meningitis in Norway and one outbreak in USA was assessed using direct sequencing of amplicons derived from a region covering part of the capsid proteins VP4 and VP2. The E30 sequences were compared to each other, and to other enteroviruses. Less sequence variation was observed between the isolates from a single outbreak (2-3%) than between groups of isolates from different outbreaks (4-9%).

Evaluation of five commercial tests for detection of immunoglobulin M antibodies to human parvovirus B19.

The following commercial tests for detection of immunoglobulin M antibodies to human parvovirus B19 were evaluated: Ideia Parvovirus B19-IgM, MRL Diagnostics Human Parvovirus B19 IgM ELISA, Parvoscan-B19, and Biotrin Parvo B19 IgM EIA and IF. A total of 203 serum specimens from patients who probably have current B19 infections or have other viral infections and sera with rheumatoid factor were investigated. Between 75 and 79 of 102 serum samples from patients thought to have current B19 infections yielded positive results with the different tests.