Epidemiological, social, diagnostic and economic evaluation of population screening for genital chlamydial infection.

Objectives: To investigate epidemiological, social, diagnostic and economic aspects of chlamydia screening in non-genitourinary medicine settings.

Methods: Linked studies around a cross-sectional population-based survey of adult men and women invited to collect urine and (for women) vulvovaginal swab specimens at home and mail these to a laboratory for testing for Chlamydia trachomatis. Specimens were used in laboratory evaluations of an amplified enzyme immunoassay (PCE EIA) and two nucleic acid amplification tests [Cobas polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Becton Dickinson strand displacement amplification (SDA)].

Vulvovaginal-swab or first-catch urine specimen to detect Chlamydia trachomatis in women in a community setting?

Screening for chlamydia in women is widely recommended. We evaluated the performance of two nucleic acid amplification tests for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis in self-collected vulvovaginal-swab and first-catch urine specimens from women in a community setting and a strategy for optimizing the sensitivity of an amplified enzyme immunoassay on vulvovaginal-swab specimens. We tested 2,745 paired vulvovaginal-swab and urine specimens by PCR (Roche Cobas) or strand displacement amplification (SDA; Becton Dickinson).

Borna disease virus and mental health: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Borna disease is an infectious neurological disease of horses, sheep and possibly other animals. A role for Borna disease virus (BDV) in human neurological and psychiatric illness has been proposed, but this hypothesis remains controversial.

Aim: To investigate the epidemiology of BDV in UK farming communities.

National epidemic of Lordsdale Norovirus in the UK.

Background: In early 2002 reports of outbreaks of gastroenteritis reached unprecedented levels in the UK. Forty five Norovirus outbreaks were reported in January 2002.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine whether the outbreaks were Noroviral in origin and if so whether they represented a homogeneous or heterogeneous collection of Noroviruses by applying EIA and sequence analysis to representative faecal samples.

Surveillance of norovirus infection in a study of sporadic childhood gastroenteritis in South West England and South Wales, during one winter season (1999-2000).

Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), electron microscopy (EM) and a genotype II specific antigen capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA), (Lordsdale strain) were used to establish the prevalence of Norwalk-like viruses (NLV) among sporadic cases of childhood gastroenteritis in South West England over a winter season. Samples of 3,172 stools from cases of gastroenteritis in children aged under 7 years sent to the Bristol Public Health Laboratory over the 1999/2000 winter 'season' were tested prospectively by EM, EIA and RT-PCR. The results from sporadic cases were compared with 1,360 samples from 285 outbreaks of gastroenteritis which were sent to the laboratory over the same period.