Publications by authors named "Kay W Radford"
Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HuAHV1) causes fatal neurologic infections in captive New World primates. To determine risks for interspecies transmission, we examined data for 13 free-ranging, black-tufted marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) that died of HuAHV1 infection and had been in close contact with humans in anthropized areas in Brazil during 2012-2019. We evaluated pathologic changes in the marmosets, localized virus and antigen, and assessed epidemiologic features.
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- Rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests like BinaxNOW were evaluated for effectiveness in detecting COVID-19 during an outbreak in a nursing home, with comparisons made to RT-PCR and virus culture methods.
- The results showed a high positive agreement (95%) between BinaxNOW and virus culture, but a lower overall performance when compared to RT-PCR, especially in asymptomatic individuals.
- Though effective early in infection, the BinaxNOW test struggled to detect late infections, highlighting the challenges of accurate symptom assessment in this population.
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- Monkeypox is an emerging disease primarily seen in Central and Western Africa, and this study analyzed cases in Tshuapa Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 2011 to 2015.
- Out of 1057 confirmed cases, the annual incidence was 14.1 per 100,000, with higher rates in males, particularly those aged 10-19, who showed the most animal exposures.
- The research indicates that monkeypox incidence has doubled since the 1980s, potentially due to reduced immunity from smallpox vaccinations, highlighting demographic variations in exposure patterns related to cultural practices.
Recent enhanced monkeypox (MPX) surveillance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where MPX is endemic, has uncovered multiple cases of MPX and varicella zoster virus (VZV) coinfections. The purpose of this study was to verify if coinfections occur and to characterize the clinical nature of these cases. Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory results were used to investigate MPX/VZV coinfections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe varicella-zoster virus (VZV) genome, comprises both unique and repeated regions. The genome also includes reiteration regions, designated R1 to R5, which are tandemly repeating sequences termed elements. These regions represent an understudied feature of the VZV genome.
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- In the 2014-2015 US influenza season, 320 cases of non-mumps parotitis (NMP) were reported across 21 states, prompting an investigation by the CDC to identify viral causes and symptoms associated with this outbreak.
- A standardized questionnaire gathered demographic and clinical data, while buccal samples were tested for various viruses including influenza and herpes viruses to determine their role in NMP.
- Results showed a majority of patients were male (65%), with an average age of 14.5 years, and identified several viruses, particularly influenza A(H3N2) and HHV6B, indicating that clinicians should consider respiratory and herpes viruses as potential causes of parotitis alongside mumps.
Background: Sporadic cases of parotitis are generally assumed to be mumps, which often requires a resource-intensive public health response. This project surveyed the frequency of viruses detected among such cases.
Methods: During 2009-2011, 8 jurisdictions throughout the United States investigated sporadic cases of parotitis.
The live attenuated Oka varicella vaccine (vOka), derived from clade 2 wild-type (wt) virus pOka, is used for routine childhood immunization in several countries, including the United States, which has caused dramatic declines in the incidence of varicella. vOka can cause varicella, establish latency, and reactivate to cause herpes zoster (HZ). Three loci in varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 62 (ORF62) (106262, 107252, and 108111) are used to distinguish vOka from wt VZV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We present the largest longitudinal study to date that examines the association between Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS) disease progression and the presence and viral load of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8).
Methods: Ninety-six men were enrolled at HIV clinics in Atlanta, Georgia, who had KS (n = 47) or were without KS but seropositive for HHV-8. Visits occurred at 6-month intervals for 2 years at which the patient's KS status was evaluated and oral fluid and blood were collected for quantification of HHV-8 DNA and antibodies.
Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a leading cause of congenital illness and disability, including hearing loss and mental retardation. However, there are no nationwide estimates of CMV seroprevalence among pregnant women or the overall population of the United States.
Methods: To determine CMV prevalence in a representative sample of the US population, we tested serum samples for CMV-specific immunoglobulin G from participants aged > or =6 years (n=21,639) in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994).