Oceanic efflux of ancient marine dissolved organic carbon in primary marine aerosol.

Breaking waves produce bubble plumes that burst at the sea surface, injecting primary marine aerosol (PMA) highly enriched with marine organic carbon (OC) into the atmosphere. It is widely assumed that this OC is modern, produced by present-day biological activity, even though nearly all marine OC is thousands of years old, produced by biological activity long ago. We used natural abundance radiocarbon (C) measurements to show that 19 to 40% of the OC associated with freshly produced PMA was refractory dissolved OC (RDOC).

Properties of Seawater Surfactants Associated with Primary Marine Aerosol Particles Produced by Bursting Bubbles at a Model Air-Sea Interface.

Surfactants account for minor fractions of total organic carbon in the ocean but can significantly influence the production of primary marine aerosol particles (PMA) at the sea surface via modulation of bubble surface tension. During September and October 2016, model PMA (mPMA) were produced from seawater by bursting bubbles at two biologically productive and two oligotrophic stations in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Total concentrations of surfactants extracted from mPMA and seawater were quantified and characterized via measurements of surface tension isotherms and critical micelle concentrations (CMCs).

Multistate Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Associated with Consumption of Fresh Spinach: United States, 2006.

During September to October, 2006, state and local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated a large, multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. Case patients were interviewed regarding specific foods consumed and other possible exposures. E.

Identification of the reactive metabolites of fenclozic acid in bile duct cannulated rats.

Fenclozic acid (Myalex) was developed by ICI pharmaceuticals in the 1960s for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and was a promising compound with a good preclinical safety profile and efficacy. While it did not show adverse hepatic effects in preclinical animal tests or initial studies in man [ Chalmers et al. Ann.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with consumption of locally grown strawberries contaminated by deer.

Background: An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 was identified in Oregon through an increase in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli cases with an indistinguishable, novel pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping pattern.

Methods: We defined confirmed cases as persons from whom E.

A norovirus outbreak related to contaminated surfaces.

We investigated an outbreak of norovirus infection affecting 12 of 16 auto dealership employees (75%) subsequent to a staff meeting. Take-out sandwiches initially seemed the likely source, but a cohort study found no association between illness and food consumption. Employees reported seeing a toddler with diarrhea in a dealership restroom shortly before the luncheon.

The stability of amitriptyline N-oxide and clozapine N-oxide on treated and untreated dry blood spot cards.

Procedures for drug monitoring based on Dried Blood Spot (DBS) sampling are gaining acceptance for an increasing number of clinical and preclinical applications, where ease of use, small sample requirement, and improved sample stability have been shown to offer advantages over blood tube sampling. However, to-date, the vast majority of this work has described the analysis of well characterized drugs. Using amitriptyline, clozapine, and their potentially labile N-oxide metabolites as model compounds, we consider the merits of using DBS for discovery pharmacokinetic (PK) studies where the metabolic fate of test compounds are often unknown.

Outbreak of salmonellosis linked to live poultry from a mail-order hatchery.

Background: Outbreaks of human salmonella infections are increasingly associated with contact with live poultry, but effective control measures are elusive. In 2005, a cluster of human salmonella Montevideo infections with a rare pattern on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (the outbreak strain) was identified by PulseNet, a national subtyping network.

Methods: In cooperation with public health and animal health agencies, we conducted multistate investigations involving patient interviews, trace-back investigations, and environmental testing at a mail-order hatchery linked to the outbreak in order to identify the source of infections and prevent additional illnesses.

A point-source norovirus outbreak caused by exposure to fomites.

We investigated a norovirus outbreak (genotype GII.2) affecting 9 members of a soccer team. Illness was associated with touching a reusable grocery bag or consuming its packaged food contents (risk difference, 0.

Sapovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities, Oregon and Minnesota, USA, 2002-2009.

We tested fecal samples from 93 norovirus-negative gastroenteritis outbreaks; 21 outbreaks were caused by sapovirus. Of these, 71% were caused by sapovirus genogroup IV and 66% occurred in long-term care facilities. Future investigation of gastroenteritis outbreaks should include multi-organism testing.

The etiology of severe acute gastroenteritis among adults visiting emergency departments in the United States.

Background: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) remains a common cause of clinic visits and hospitalizations in the United States, but the etiology is rarely determined.

Methods: We performed a prospective, multicenter emergency department-based study of adults with AGE. Subjects were interviewed on presentation and 3-4 weeks later.

Specimen collection and confirmation of norovirus outbreaks.

We evaluated data from gastroenteritis outbreaks in Oregon to assess sensitivity of stool testing for norovirus and determine number of specimens needed to confirm norovirus as the cause. Norovirus can be readily confirmed if 3-6 specimens are collected any time ≤7 days after onset of diarrhea and for almost that long after symptoms resolve.

Taenia solium Tapeworm Infection, Oregon, 2006-2009.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by Taenia solium larval cysts. Its epidemiology in cysticercosis-nonendemic regions is poorly understood, and the role of public health institutions is unclear. To determine the incidence of NCC and to pilot screening of household contacts for tapeworms, we conducted population-based active surveillance in Oregon.

Shigellosis from an interactive fountain: implications for regulation.

In July 2003, the authors investigated an outbreak of Shigella sonnei infections in Marion County, Oregon. Nineteen confirmed and 37 presumptive cases, mostly young children, were identified. A case-control study implicated play in an interactive fountain in a city park (matched odds ratio undefined; p < .

Comparison of survey methods in norovirus outbreak investigation, Oregon, USA, 2009.

We compared data from an Internet-based survey and a telephone-based survey during a 2009 norovirus outbreak in Oregon. Survey initiation, timeliness of response, and attack rates were comparable, but participants were less likely to complete Internet questions. Internet-based surveys permit efficient data collection but should be designed to maximize complete responses.

Epidemiological and genetic characteristics of norovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities, 2003-2006.

To identify the epidemiological and genetic characteristics of norovirus (NoV) outbreaks and estimate the impact of NoV infections in an older population, we analysed epidemiological and laboratory data collected using standardized methods from long-term care facilities (LTCFs) during 2003-2006. Faecal specimens were tested for NoV by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. NoV strains were genotyped by sequencing.

Tri-county comprehensive assessment of risk factors for sporadic reportable bacterial enteric infection in children.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for childhood sporadic reportable enteric infection (REI) caused by bacteria, specifically Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, or Shigella (REI-B).

Methods: Matched case-control study. Case patients aged <19 years who were reported to 3 Washington State county health departments and matched control subjects were interviewed from November 2003-November 2005.

Salmonella infections associated with mung bean sprouts: epidemiological and environmental investigations.

We investigated an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infections linked to raw mung bean sprouts in 2000 with two case-control studies and reviewed six similar outbreaks that occurred in 2000-2002. All outbreaks were due to unusual phage types (PT) of SE and occurred in the United States (PT 33, 1, and 913), Canada (PT 11b and 913), and The Netherlands (PT 4b). PT 33 was in the spent irrigation water and a drain from one sprout grower.

Risk factors for sporadic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 infections in FoodNet sites, 1999-2000.

To monitor risk factors for illness, we conducted a case-control study of sporadic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157) infections in 1999-2000. Laboratory-confirmed cases of STEC O157 infection were identified through active laboratory surveillance in all or part of seven states. Patients and age-matched controls were interviewed by telephone using a standard questionnaire.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in juvenile detention entrants, Oregon, 1994-1996.

We tested sera originally collected from 1335 juvenile detention entrants for an HIV study in 1994-1996 for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies; we found that the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV antibody was 2% and 1%, respectively. HBV was associated with Asian race, whereas HCV infection was associated with injection drug use and female gender.

Factors affecting surveillance data on Escherichia coli O157 infections collected from FoodNet sites, 1996-1999.

To determine the burden of illness caused by Escherichia coli O157 infections in populations in Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance areas, we initiated active, laboratory-based surveillance and surveyed laboratories, physicians, and the general public regarding the factors associated with the diagnosis and surveillance of infection with E. coli O157. We evaluated survey responses and site-specific incidence, outbreak, and demographic data during 1996-1999.

Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections caused by commercial piercing of upper ear cartilage.

Context: Sporadic infections following ear piercing are well documented, but common-source outbreaks are rarely recognized.

Objective: To investigate reports of auricular chondritis subsequent to commercial ear piercing.

Design, Setting, And Subjects: Outbreak investigation by Oregon public health agencies, including cohort study of persons pierced at a jewelry kiosk in August-September 2000, environmental sampling, and molecular subtyping of isolates.