Final report of the Lyme disease review panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

In April 2008, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) entered into an agreement with Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to voluntarily undertake a special review of its 2006 Lyme disease guidelines. This agreement ended the Attorney General's investigation into the process by which the guidelines were developed. The IDSA agreed to convene an independent panel to conduct a one-time review of the guidelines.

The use of harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and geographic information system (GIS) methods to characterize distribution and locate spatial clusters of Borrelia burgdorferi and its vector Ixodes scapularis in Indiana.

Ixodes scapularis (Say) is the vector for Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) the causative agent of Lyme disease (LD). The increased number and presence of ticks in the environment pose a significant health risk to people and many domestic animals including dogs, cats, and horses. This study characterized the distribution and expansion of I.

Short report: serologic evidence of human ehrlichiosis in Peru.

A serosurvey for human ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum was performed in different regions of Peru by using indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFAs). Regions included an urban community in a shantytown in Lima (Pampas) and three rural communities located on the northern coast of Peru (Cura Mori), in the southern Peruvian Andes (Cochapata), and in the Peruvian jungle region (Santo Tomas). An overall E.

Public-health education at Kansas State University.

What are veterinary medical and public-health professionals doing to remedy the immediate and impending shortages of veterinarians in population health and public practice? This question was addressed at the joint symposium of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health, held in April 2007. Thinking locally, faculty and students at Kansas State University (KSU) asked similar questions after attending the symposium: What are we doing within the College of Veterinary Medicine to tackle this problem? What can we do better with new collaborators? Both the professional veterinary curriculum and the Master of Public Health (MPH) at KSU provide exceptional opportunities to address these questions. Students are exposed to public health as a possible career choice early in veterinary school, and this exposure is repeated several times in different venues throughout their professional education.

Molecular evidence of a new strain of Ehrlichia canis from South America.

Blood samples from dogs with clinical signs compatible with ehrlichiosis were examined for infection of Ehrlichia canis using PCR, multiplex real-time PCR, and DNA sequencing analysis. Eleven of 25 samples were positive for a new strain of E. canis.

Risk factors for canine echinococcosis in an endemic area of Peru.

An epidemiological study was conducted in a highland rural community in Peru to determine risk factors for canine echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus. Dogs were diagnosed using a coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dog owners were interviewed prior to stool collection and asked for attitudes, practices and beliefs likely to be associated with local patterns of E.

Short report: endemic focus of cystic echinococcosis in a coastal city of Peru.

No evidence of Echinococcus granulosus infection has been described in the coastal region of Peru, with the exception of the capital city of Lima. Anecdotal evidence suggests the existence of a focus of echinococcosis in the coastal city of Chincha, located south of Lima. We conducted a preliminary epidemiologic study in Chincha, which included an ultrasound, chest radiography, and serologic survey of abattoir workers, a review of medical records from local hospitals, and examination of the intestines of stray dogs to determine the presence of canine echinococcosis.

Increased arthritis severity in mice coinfected with Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti.

Increased severity of disease and persistence of symptoms have been recently reported in some patients with simultaneous infection of Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti in the northeastern and northern midwest United States. This study used a murine model to examine whether defined disease conditions such as arthritis and carditis differed in severity in mice infected solely with B. burgdorferi and in mice coinfected with B.