Publications by authors named "Kevin M Bakker"
Article Synopsis
- * This study provides longitudinal data on fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from 48 infected individuals, revealing that a significant number (77%) had positive samples over time, showcasing the variability in individual shedding patterns.
- * The research also details the detection of fecal indicators like PMMoV RNA and crAssphage DNA, emphasizing their potential role in improving estimates of COVID-19 prevalence in wastewater, thus enhancing public health monitoring efforts.
Article Synopsis
- Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the best evidence for infectious disease interventions, but their results are often not directly applicable to different contexts or populations.
- To address this, researchers developed an infectious disease transmission model (IDTM) framework to generalize RCT findings, specifically applied to a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) trial.
- The IDTM model successfully accounted for various factors like transmission pathways and intervention adherence, and it reproduced reported outcomes from the WASH Benefits Bangladesh RCT, thereby demonstrating its potential to enhance the generalizability of RCT results.
Article Synopsis
- Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox upon initial infection and shingles upon reactivation, with separate vaccines available for each, but vaccination debates persist due to concerns about its effect on immune boosting from natural infections.
- *Researchers modeled chickenpox and shingles notifications in Thailand, a non-vaccinating country, to analyze the long-term impacts of VZV vaccination through various simulated scenarios.
- *While introducing the chickenpox vaccine reduces its incidence, coverage above 35% may lead to an increase in shingles cases; optimal vaccination strategies need to balance coverage levels to minimize overall disease burden effectively.
Wastewater-based epidemiology has gained attention throughout the world for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater to supplement clinical testing. Raw wastewater consists of small particles, or solids, suspended in liquid. Methods have been developed to measure SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the liquid and the solid fraction of wastewater, with some studies reporting higher concentrations in the solid fraction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaricella zoster virus (VZV) is a herpesvirus that causes chickenpox and shingles. The biological mechanisms underpinning the multidecadal latency of VZV in the body and subsequent viral reactivation-which occurs in approximately 30% of individuals-are largely unknown. Because chickenpox and shingles are endemic worldwide, understanding the relationship between VZV transmission and reactivation is important for informing disease treatment and control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines that autonomously transfer among individuals have been proposed as a strategy to control infectious diseases within inaccessible wildlife populations. However, rates of vaccine spread and epidemiological efficacy in real-world systems remain elusive. Here, we investigate whether topical vaccines that transfer among individuals through social contacts can control vampire bat rabies-a medically and economically important zoonosis in Latin America.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPublic health surveillance systems are important for tracking disease dynamics. In recent years, social and real-time digital data sources have provided new means of studying disease transmission. Such affordable and accessible data have the potential to offer new insights into disease epidemiology at national and international scales.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMore than a century of ecological studies have demonstrated the importance of demography in shaping spatial and temporal variation in population dynamics. Surprisingly, the impact of seasonal recruitment on infectious disease systems has received much less attention. Here, we present data encompassing 78 years of monthly natality in the USA, and reveal pronounced seasonality in birth rates, with geographical and temporal variation in both the peak birth timing and amplitude.
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