Publications by authors named "Eric Kontowicz"

Background: Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is the most severe form of human leishmaniosis, with an estimated 95% case fatality if left untreated. Dogs act as peridomestic reservoir hosts for the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, a causative agent for human leishmaniosis, endemic throughout the Mediterranean basin. To assure consistent and accurate surveillance of canine infection and prevent transmission to people, consistent diagnosis of canine L.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine if additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine correlate with fewer COVID-19-like symptoms six weeks after infection among health care workers.
  • A total of 2478 participants were enrolled, with 57% confirmed cases of COVID-19; symptoms like fatigue and sleep difficulties were common, especially in those infected.
  • Results indicated that those who received extra vaccine doses after their primary series experienced significantly lower odds of symptoms at six weeks post-infection compared to those who did not get boosted.
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  • The study investigates the risk of cross-species influenza transmission between pigs and humans in indoor pig farms in the Midwest US, focusing on two pathways of infection.
  • The assessment framework evaluates the likelihood of pigs infecting workers and vice versa, using data from literature and current farm conditions which typically include about 4,000 pigs and two workers.
  • Findings show very low to extremely low risk for infection transmission between species, with significant uncertainty, and highlight the need for further research on the implementation of better influenza control measures.
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Common in swine production worldwide, influenza causes significant clinical disease and potential transmission to the workforce. Swine vaccines are not universally used in swine production, due to their limited efficacy because of continuously evolving influenza viruses. We evaluated the effects of vaccination, isolation of infected pigs, and changes to workforce routine (ensuring workers moved from younger pig batches to older pig batches).

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Influenza typically causes mild infection but can lead to severe outcomes for those with compromised lung health. Flooding, a seasonal problem in Iowa, can expose many Iowans to molds and allergens shown to alter lung inflammation, leading to asthma attacks and decreased viral clearance. Based on this, the hypothesis for this research was that there would be geographically specific positive associations in locations with flooding with influenza diagnosis.

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Lyme disease is the most widely reported vector-borne disease in the United States. 95% of confirmed human cases are reported in the Northeast and upper Midwest (25,778 total confirmed cases from Northeast and upper Midwest / 27,203 total US confirmed cases). Human cases typically occur in the spring and summer months when an infected nymph Ixodid tick takes a blood meal.

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Surveillance of U.S. domestic dogs for exposure to vector-borne pathogens can identify regions of transmission that are relevant for human and animal health.

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Background: Both incidence and geographical range of tick-borne disease has increased across the USA. Similar to people, dogs are hosts for Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp.

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Better tools are necessary to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Modeling studies for regional Leishmania elimination indicate that an effective vaccine is a critical tool. Dogs are the reservoir host of L.

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