Publications by authors named "Kristin Delea"

Article Synopsis
  • - Monkeypox virus (MPXV) can spread through direct contact with lesions, respiratory secretions, fomites, and even from the mother to fetus during pregnancy, leading to painful skin lesions in infected individuals.
  • - In 2021-2022, the CDC began investigating aircraft after reports of travelers with mpox, collecting data from a total of 113 infected individuals who traveled on 221 flights during their infectious period.
  • - Despite these investigations, no cases of mpox transmission were reported from flight exposures, suggesting air travel with an infected person poses minimal risk; however, the CDC still advises isolation for those infected and postponing travel until they are no longer contagious.
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To describe trends in the number of air travelers categorized as infectious with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; the virus that causes COVID-19) in the context of total US COVID-19 vaccinations administered, and overall case counts of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. We searched the Quarantine Activity Reporting System (QARS) database for travelers with inbound international or domestic air travel, a positive SARS-CoV-2 lab result, and a surveillance categorization of SARS-CoV-2 infection reported during January 2020 to December 2021. Travelers were categorized as infectious during travel if they had arrival dates from 2 days before to 10 days after symptom onset or a positive viral test.

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Article Synopsis
  • Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic infection mainly found in west and central Africa, caused by the Monkeypox virus, which is related to the smallpox virus.
  • After nearly four decades without cases in Nigeria, a significant outbreak occurred between 2017-2018, resulting in 118 confirmed infections, followed by sporadic cases, including six diagnoses in non-African countries between 2018 and 2021.
  • In July 2021, a traveler from Nigeria to Texas was diagnosed with monkeypox, with 74% of monitored contacts being flight contacts; the patient was treated with an antiviral and required decontamination, but the exact source of the infection remains unidentified.
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Multiple foodborne illness outbreaks have been associated with the consumption of fresh produce. Investigations have indicated that microbial contamination throughout the farm-to-fork continuum often contributed to these outbreaks. Researchers have hypothesized that handling practices for leafy greens in restaurants may support contamination by and proliferation and amplification of pathogens that cause foodborne illness outbreaks.

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A Water Safety Plan (WSP) is a preventive, risk management approach to ensure drinking water safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines place WSPs within a larger 'framework for safe drinking-water' that links WSPs to health, creating an implicit expectation that implementation of WSPs will safeguard health in areas with acceptable drinking water quality. However, many intervening factors can come between implementation of an individual WSP and ultimate health outcomes.

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Background: In May 2008, PulseNet detected a multistate outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul infections. Initial investigations identified an epidemiologic association between illness and consumption of raw tomatoes, yet cases continued. In mid-June, we investigated two clusters of outbreak strain infections in Texas among patrons of Restaurant A and two establishments of Restaurant Chain B to determine the outbreak's source.

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Epidemiological studies suggest a link between pesticide exposure and an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Although studies have been unable to clearly identify specific pesticides that contribute to PD, a few human studies have reported higher levels of the organochlorine pesticides dieldrin and DDE (a metabolite of DDT) in post-mortem PD brains. Previously, we found that exposure of mice to dieldrin caused perturbations in the nigrostriatal dopamine system consistent with those seen in PD.

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Epidemiological and laboratory studies have suggested that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential mechanisms by which PCBs may disrupt normal functioning of the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system. We utilized an environmentally relevant exposure of PCBs (7.

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