Implementation of pooled saliva tests for universal screening of cCMV infection.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common intrauterine infection, leading to neurodevelopmental disabilities. Universal newborn infant screening of cCMV has been increasingly advocated. In the absence of a high-throughput screening test, which can identify all infected newborn infants, the development of an accurate and efficient testing strategy has remained an ongoing challenge.

Two decades of changing anthropogenic mercury emissions in Australia: inventory development, trends, and atmospheric implications.

Mercury is a toxic environmental pollutant emitted into the atmosphere by both natural and anthropogenic sources. In Australia, previous estimates of anthropogenic mercury emissions differ by up to a factor of three, with existing inventories either outdated or inaccurate and several lacking Australia-specific input data. Here, we develop a twenty-year inventory of Australian anthropogenic mercury emissions spanning 2000-2019 with annual resolution.

Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis subcommittee report to the Tick-borne Disease Working Group.

Ehrlichioses and anaplasmosis have undergone dramatic increases in incidence, and the geographic ranges of their occurrence and vectors have also expanded. There is marked underreporting of these diseases owing to deficient physician awareness and knowledge of the illnesses as well as limited access to appropriate diagnostic tests. Human monocytic ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are life threatening diseases with estimated case fatality rates of 2.

COVID-19 and the Consequences of Anchoring Bias.

Suspicion of coronavirus disease in febrile patients might lead to anchoring bias, causing misdiagnosis of other infections for which epidemiologic risks are present. This bias has potentially severe consequences, illustrated by cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis and Lyme disease in a pregnant woman and human granulocytic anaplasmosis in another person.