Drug use and COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and infection among underserved, minority communities in Miami, Florida.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted people who use drugs (PWUD). This study explored relationships between drug use, COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and infection. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Miami, Florida between March 2021 and October 2022 as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) initiative and the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort.

Community-Engaged Research: COVID-19 Testing, Infection, and Vaccination among Underserved Minority Communities in Miami, Florida.

Community collaboration is a cornerstone of modern public health efforts. This work aimed to use community-engaged research to explore COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and infection in a minoritized community. This study was conducted in Miami, Florida, from March 2021 to February 2022 in community partner sites and the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort.

Disability and COVID-19: Challenges, testing, vaccination, and postponement and avoidance of medical care among minoritized communities.

Background: People with disabilities face heightened vulnerability to COVID-19.

Objective: This study investigated (1) the relationships between disability and COVID-19-related challenges, testing, vaccination, and infection and (2) predictors of loss of healthcare coverage and postponement and avoidance of medical care during the pandemic.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Miami, Florida, between March 2021 and February 2022 as part of the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations initiative.

Examining COVID-19 testing and vaccination behaviors by heritage and linguistic preferences among Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish RADx-UP participants.

The Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish (hereafter, "Hispanic") populations in the U.S. bear a disproportionate burden of COVID-19-related outcomes, including disease incidence and mortality.

Diet Quality and Liver Health in People Living with HIV in the MASH Cohort: A Multi-Omic Analysis of the Fecal Microbiome and Metabolome.

The gut-liver axis has been recognized as a potential pathway in which dietary factors may contribute to liver disease in people living with HIV (PLWH). The objective of this study was to explore associations between dietary quality, the fecal microbiome, the metabolome, and liver health in PLWH from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 50 PLWH from the MASH cohort and utilized the USDA Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 to measure diet quality.

Multiomic analysis reveals microbiome-related relationships between cocaine use and metabolites.

Objective: Over 19 million individuals globally have a cocaine use disorder, a significant public health crisis. Cocaine has also been associated with a pro-inflammatory state and recently with imbalances in the intestinal microbiota as compared to nonuse. The objective of this pilot study was to characterize the gut microbiota and plasma metabolites in people with HIV (PWH) who use cocaine compared with those who do not.

Cocaine use associated gut permeability and microbial translocation in people living with HIV in the Miami Adult Study on HIV (MASH) cohort.

Objective: Determine if cocaine use impacts gut permeability, promotes microbial translocation and immune activation in people living with HIV (PLWH) using effective antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 100 PLWH (ART ≥6 months, HIV-RNA <200 copies/mL) from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort. Cocaine use was assessed by self-report, urine screen, and blood benzoylecgonine (BE).

Stress Increases the Association between Cigarette Smoking and Mental Disorders, as Measured by the COVID-19-Related Worry Scale, in the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) Cohort during the Pandemic.

Background: Smoking has been associated with mental disorders (MD). People who smoke are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing more severe symptoms of the illness. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and MD before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether it was influenced by COVID-19-related stress in the MASH cohort.

Agritourism and Kidding Season: A Large Outbreak of Human Shiga Toxin-Producing O157 (STEC O157) Infections Linked to a Goat Dairy Farm-Connecticut, 2016.

The objective of this study was to determine sources of Shiga toxin-producing O157 (STEC O157) infection among visitors to Farm X and develop public health recommendations. A case-control study was conducted. Case-patients were defined as the first ill child (aged <18 years) in the household with laboratory-confirmed STEC O157, or physician-diagnosed hemolytic uremic syndrome with laboratory confirmation by serology, who visited Farm X in the 10 days prior to illness.

Delayed lactose utilization among Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli of serogroup O121.

Two outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121:H19 associated with wheat flour, in the United States of America and Canada, involved strains with an unusual phenotype, delayed lactose utilization (DLU). These strains do not ferment lactose when initially cultured on MacConkey agar (MAC), but lactose fermentation occurs following subculture to a second plate of MAC. The prevalence of DLU was determined by examining the β-galactosidase activity of 49 strains of E.

COVID-19 Testing and the Impact of the Pandemic on the Miami Adult Studies on HIV Cohort.

Background: Socioeconomic disadvantages and potential immunocompromise raise particular concerns for people living with HIV (PLWH) and other marginalized communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we explored COVID-19 testing and the impact of the pandemic among participants from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV cohort, predominantly composed of low-income minorities living with and without HIV.

Methods: Between July and August 2020, a telephone survey was administered to 299 Miami Adult Studies on HIV participants to assess COVID-19 testing, prevention behaviors, and psychosocial stressors.

Genomic landscape of cutaneous follicular lymphomas reveals 2 subgroups with clinically predictive molecular features.

Primary cutaneous follicle center lymphomas (PCFCLs) are indolent B-cell lymphomas that predominantly remain skin restricted and manageable with skin-directed therapy. Conversely, secondary cutaneous involvement by usual systemic follicular lymphoma (secondary cutaneous follicular lymphoma [SCFL]) has a worse prognosis and often necessitates systemic therapy. Unfortunately, no histopathologic or genetic features reliably differentiate PCFCL from SCFL at diagnosis.

Food Safety and Invasive Cronobacter Infections during Early Infancy, 1961-2018.

Invasive infections among infants are associated with severe neurologic disabilities and death. Early reports typically featured hospitalized and preterm infants and recognized contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) as a transmission vehicle. To clarify recent epidemiology, we reviewed all cases of bloodstream infection or meningitis among infants that were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in the literature (1961–2018; n = 183).

Interlaboratory Evaluation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Escherichia coli Identification Microarray for Profiling Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Escherichia coli Identification (FDA-ECID) microarray provides rapid molecular characterization of E.

High-Quality Whole-Genome Sequences for 77 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains Generated with PacBio Sequencing.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) is an enteric foodborne pathogen that can cause mild to severe illness. Here, we report the availability of high-quality whole-genome sequences for 77 STEC strains generated using the PacBio sequencing platform.

High-Quality Whole-Genome Sequences for 59 Historical Shigella Strains Generated with PacBio Sequencing.

spp. are enteric pathogens that cause shigellosis. We report here the high-quality whole-genome sequences of 59 historical strains that represent the four species and a variety of serotypes.

Initial Public Health Laboratory Response After Hurricane Maria - Puerto Rico, 2017.

Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, causing major damage to infrastructure and severely limiting access to potable water, electric power, transportation, and communications. Public services that were affected included operations of the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH), which provides critical laboratory testing and surveillance for diseases and other health hazards. PRDOH requested assistance from CDC for the restoration of laboratory infrastructure, surveillance capacity, and diagnostic testing for selected priority diseases, including influenza, rabies, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis.