Estimated Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines in Preventing Secondary Infections in Households.

Importance: Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) is commonly assessed against prevention of illness that requires medical attention. Few studies have evaluated VE against secondary influenza infections.

Objective: To determine the estimated effectiveness of influenza vaccines in preventing secondary infections after influenza was introduced into households.

Influenza virus shedding and symptoms: Dynamics and implications from a multiseason household transmission study.

Isolation of symptomatic infectious persons can reduce influenza transmission. However, virus shedding that occurs without symptoms will be unaffected by such measures. Identifying effective isolation strategies for influenza requires understanding the interplay between individual virus shedding and symptom presentation.

SARS-CoV-2 incidence, seroprevalence, and antibody dynamics in a rural, population-based cohort: March 2020 - July 2022.

Studies of SARS-CoV-2 incidence are important for response to continued transmission and future pandemics. We followed a rural community cohort with broad age representation with active surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 identification from November 2020 through July 2022. Participants provided serum specimens at regular intervals and following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination.

Effectiveness of first and second COVID-19 mRNA vaccine monovalent booster doses during a period of circulation of Omicron variant sublineages: December 2021-July 2022.

Background: US recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine boosters have expanded in terms of age groups covered and numbers of doses recommended, whereas evolution of Omicron sublineages raises questions about ongoing vaccine effectiveness.

Methods: We estimated effectiveness of monovalent COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccination versus two-dose primary series during a period of Omicron variant virus circulation in a community cohort with active illness surveillance. Hazard ratios comparing SARS-CoV-2 infection between booster versus primary series vaccinated individuals were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying booster status.

Interim Estimates of 2022-23 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness - Wisconsin, October 2022-February 2023.

In the United States, 2022-23 influenza activity began earlier than usual, increasing in October 2022, and has been associated with high rates of hospitalizations among children* (1). Influenza A(H3N2) represented most influenza viruses detected and subtyped during this period, but A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses cocirculated as well. Most viruses characterized were in the same genetic subclade as and antigenically similar to the viruses included in the 2022-23 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine (1,2).

Surveillance for multidrug resistant Escherichia coli carriage in cattle, dogs and humans reveals predominance of CMY-2, CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-9 groups of β-lactamases.

Global spread of antimicrobial multidrug resistance (MDR) in human and veterinary medicine relies upon diagnostics, surveillance and stewardship to guide mitigation. Utilizing surveillance of fecal samples from our service area for detecting MDR Escherichia coli carriage in humans (2143), dogs (627), and cattle (130), we found isolates resistant to third/fourth generation cephems present in 3.7 %, 13.

Pediatric Research Observing Trends and Exposures in COVID-19 Timelines (PROTECT): Protocol for a Multisite Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: Assessing the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and understanding the incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 illness in children are essential to inform policy and guide health care professionals in advising parents and caregivers of children who test positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Objective: This report describes the objectives and methods for conducting the Pediatric Research Observing Trends and Exposures in COVID-19 Timelines (PROTECT) study. PROTECT is a longitudinal prospective pediatric cohort study designed to estimate SARS-CoV-2 incidence and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection among children aged 6 months to 17 years, as well as differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine response between children and adolescents.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus Dynamics in Recently Infected People-Data From a Household Transmission Study.

We used daily real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results from 67 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a household transmission study, conducted April 2020-May 2021, to examine the trajectory of cycle threshold (Ct) values, an inverse correlate of viral RNA concentration. Ct values varied across RT-PCR platforms and by participant age. Specimens collected from children and adolescents had higher Ct values and adults aged ≥50 years showed lower Ct values than adults aged 18-49 years.

Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of Modified Two-Tiered Testing Algorithms for Lyme Disease Using Zeus Scientific Commercial Assays.

Modified two-tiered testing (MTTT) algorithms for Lyme disease (LD), which involve the sequential use of orthogonal enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) without immunoblotting, are acceptable alternatives to standard two-tiered testing (STTT; EIA followed by immunoblots) provided the EIAs have been FDA-cleared for this intended use. We evaluated four Zeus Scientific LD EIAs used in two distinct MTTT algorithms for FDA review. MTTT 1 used a VlsE1/pepC10 polyvalent EIA followed by a whole-cell sonicate (WCS) polyvalent EIA.

mRNA COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a prospective community cohort, rural Wisconsin, November 2020 to December 2021.

Reduced COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) has been observed with increasing predominance of SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.

COVID-19 Infection, Reinfection, and Vaccine Effectiveness in a Prospective Cohort of Arizona Frontline/Essential Workers: The AZ HEROES Research Protocol.

Background: The Arizona Healthcare, Emergency Response, and Other Essential workers Study (AZ HEROES) aims to examine the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 illness among adults with high occupational exposure risk.

Objective: Study objectives include estimating incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in essential workers by symptom presentation and demographic factors, determining independent effects of occupational and community exposures on incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, establishing molecular and immunologic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in essential workers, describing the duration and patterns of rRT-PCR-positivity, and examining post-vaccine immunologic response.

Methods: Eligible participants include Arizona residents aged 18-85 years who work at least 20 hours per week in an occupation involving regular direct contact (within three feet) with others.

Spontaneous resolution of blastomycosis symptoms caused by .

Given the propensity of blastomycosis to disseminate or reoccur and the inability to predict which infections will experience severe manifestations, nearly all cases of blastomycosis are treated. Although, spontaneous resolution of symptoms is referred to generally in the literature, to our knowledge an individual case of this has not been previously reported. We report the spontaneous resolution of blastomycosis symptoms in a 40 year-old Caucasian male.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination during Pregnancy and Effects in Infants.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the dominant cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection in infants, with the most severe cases concentrated among younger infants.

Methods: Healthy pregnant women, at 28 weeks 0 days through 36 weeks 0 days of gestation, with an expected delivery date near the start of the RSV season, were randomly assigned in an overall ratio of approximately 2:1 to receive a single intramuscular dose of RSV fusion (F) protein nanoparticle vaccine or placebo. Infants were followed for 180 days to assess outcomes related to lower respiratory tract infection and for 364 days to assess safety.

Urine Antigen Testing is Equally Sensitive to and Infections.

Introduction: Blastomycosis is endemic in Wisconsin with and responsible for infections. Urine antigen testing is a non-invasive diagnostic method for blastomycosis with up to 93% test sensitivity. However, the test's sensitivity has not been evaluated with relationship to infections.

Suspected Neuro-invasive Powassan Virus Infection in a Pediatric Patient.

Powassan virus lineage II (POWV), also known as deer tick virus, is an emerging tick-borne pathogen transmitted by , the natural vector for the organisms that causes Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis. POWV is the only tick-borne flavivirus in North America known to cause disease in humans. We present a suspected pediatric case of POWV infection in northern Wisconsin.

Racial Differences in Clinical Phenotype and Hospitalization of Blastomycosis Patients.

Background: Dimorphic fungal infections, such as blastomycosis, cause significant morbidity and mortality. Historically, blastomycosis studies have focused on non-Hispanic whites, which limits our understanding of the clinical presentation and outcomes for patients of other races and ethnicities. We evaluated whether clinical presentation and disease severity varied across racial and ethnic groups.

Adapterama I: universal stubs and primers for 384 unique dual-indexed or 147,456 combinatorially-indexed Illumina libraries (iTru & iNext).

Massively parallel DNA sequencing offers many benefits, but major inhibitory cost factors include: (1) start-up (i.e., purchasing initial reagents and equipment); (2) buy-in (i.

Underdetection of laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospital admissions among infants: a multicentre, prospective study.

Background: Since influenza often presents non-specifically in infancy, we aimed to assess the extent to which existing respiratory surveillance platforms might underestimate the frequency of severe influenza disease among infants.

Methods: The Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Infants (IRIS) study was a prospective observational study done at four hospitals in Albania, Jordan, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. We included acutely ill infants aged younger than 1 year admitted to hospital within 10 days or less of illness onset during two influenza seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) in Albania, Jordan, and Nicaragua, and over a continuous 34 week period (2015-16) in the Philippines.