Geographic Distribution of Rabies Virus and Genomic Sequence Alignment of Wild and Vaccine Strains, Kenya.

Rabies, a viral disease that causes lethal encephalitis, kills ≈59,000 persons worldwide annually, despite availability of effective countermeasures. Rabies is endemic in Kenya and is mainly transmitted to humans through bites from rabid domestic dogs. We analyzed 164 brain stems collected from rabid animals in western and eastern Kenya and evaluated the phylogenetic relationships of rabies virus (RABV) from the 2 regions.

Comparing Methods to Genetically Engineer Bacteriophage and Increase Host Range.

Introduction: Antibacterial resistance is an emerging problem in military medicine. Disruptions to the health care systems in war-torn countries that result from ongoing conflict can potentially exacerbate this problem and increase the risk to U.S.

Cost effectiveness and decision analysis for national airport screening options to reduce risk of COVID-19 introduction in Uganda, 2020.

Introduction: Early during the COVID-19 outbreak, various approaches were utilized to prevent COVID-19 introductions from incoming airport travellers. However, the costs and effectiveness of airport-specific interventions have not been evaluated.

Methods: We evaluated policy options for COVID-19-specific interventions at Entebbe International Airport for costs and impact on COVID-19 case counts, we took the government payer perspective.

Genomic Surveillance of Rabies Virus in Georgian Canines.

Rabies is a fatal zoonosis that is considered a re-emerging infectious disease. Although rabies remains endemic in canines throughout much of the world, vaccination programs have essentially eliminated dog rabies in the Americas and much of Europe. However, despite the goal of eliminating dog rabies in the European Union by 2020, sporadic cases of dog rabies still occur in Eastern Europe, including Georgia.

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 on the Army Combat Uniform and Recommendations for Cleaning.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the disease that is known as COVID-19. While there have been numerous studies detailing the survival rates of SARS-CoV-2 on various materials, there are currently no published data regarding whether this virus is stable on standard military uniforms. Consequently, there are no standard operating procedures for washing uniforms once exposed to the virus.

Patient flow time data of COVID-19 vaccination clinics in 23 sites, United States, April and May 2021.

Introduction: Public health department (PHD) led COVID-19 vaccination clinics can be a critical component of pandemic response as they facilitate high volume of vaccination. However, few patient-time analyses examining patient throughput at mass vaccination clinics with unique COVID-19 vaccination challenges have been published.

Methods: During April and May of 2021, 521 patients in 23 COVID-19 vaccination sites counties of 6 states were followed to measure the time spent from entry to vaccination.

Lessons Learned From the U.S. Military Experience With Hantavirus During the Korean War.

Introduction: The Korean War (1950-1953) consisted of two phases. The first was a rapid mobile phase, and the second was a slow and stationary phase. During the stationary phase, approximately 3,000 UN troops became infected with a then unknown agent.

Assessment of the Costs of Implementing COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in 34 Sites, United States, March 2021.

Objectives: To estimate the costs to implement public health department (PHD)-run COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Design: Retrospectively reported data on COVID-19 vaccination clinic characteristics and resources used during a high-demand day in March 2021. These resources were combined with national average wages, supply costs, and facility costs to estimate the operational cost and start-up cost of clinics.

Estimated COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Averted by Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in the US.

Importance: Evidence of the impact of COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) programs is lacking, but policy makers need this evidence to assess the value of such programs.

Objective: To estimate COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations averted nationwide by US states' CICT programs.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This decision analytical model study used combined data from US CICT programs (eg, proportion of cases interviewed, contacts notified or monitored, and days to case and contact notification) with incidence data to model outcomes of CICT over a 60-day period (November 25, 2020, to January 23, 2021).

An Introduction to the Processionary Caterpillar, An Underrecognized Threat to US Military Personnel in Australia.

Processionary caterpillars are well-described threats to human and animal health. They are found throughout Central Asia, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe. However, US military personnel may not be familiar with the threat that these organisms pose in Australia.

A sustained release cysteamine microsphere/thermoresponsive gel eyedrop for corneal cystinosis improves drug stability.

Cystinosis is a rare, metabolic, recessive genetic disease in which the intralysosomal accumulation of cystine leads to system wide organ and tissue damage. In the eye, cystine accumulates in the cornea as corneal cystine crystals and severely impacts vision. Corneal cystine crystals are treated with cysteamine eyedrops when administrated 6 to 12 times day and used within 1 week.

as a Potential Reservoir of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes on the Island of O'ahu.

The problem of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has not been adequately explored in the tropical island environment. To date, there has not been a systematic investigation into the prevalence and distribution of antimicrobial resistance determinants in the Hawaiian Islands. Urinary isolates are the most common bacterial pathogens encountered in the clinical laboratory.

A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Bacterial Pathogens Colonizing Chronic Non-Healing Wound Sites at a United States Military Treatment Facility in the Pacific Region.

Purpose: The biology of chronic wounds is complex and many factors act concurrently to impede healing progress. In this study, the dynamics of microflora changes and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns were evaluated longitudinally over 30 days using data from 28 patients with a total of 47 chronic lower extremity wounds.

Materials And Methods: In this study, colonized wound isolates were characterized using cultural, biochemical, and VITEK 2 methods.

Human Bocavirus as a Possible Contributor to Respiratory Disease in the Georgian Military Population.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated that new and devastating respiratory pathogens can emerge without warning. It is therefore imperative that Special Operations medical personnel be aware of the presence of emerging pathogens within their area of operation. Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly described member of a family of viruses known as the Parvovirinae that are often associated with acute respiratory illness.

Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and Military Hygiene at the United States Military Academy between 1890 and 1910.

Introduction: Military installations are at increased risk for the transmission of infectious disease. Personnel who live and train on military installations live and train near one another facilitating disease transmission. An understanding of historical sanitation and hygiene can inform modern practices.

CARD19, the protein formerly known as BinCARD, is a mitochondrial protein that does not regulate Bcl10-dependent NF-κB activation after TCR engagement.

After T cell receptor (TCR) engagement, the CARD11-Bcl10-Malt1 (CBM) complex oligomerizes to transduce NF-κB activating signals. Bcl10 is then degraded to limit NF-κB activation. The cDNA AK057716 (BinCARD-1) was reported to encode a novel CARD protein that interacts with Bcl10 and modestly inhibits NF-κB activation.

The cost of influenza-associated hospitalizations and outpatient visits in Kenya.

Background: We estimated the cost-per-episode and the annual economic burden associated with influenza in Kenya.

Methods: From July 2013-August 2014, we recruited patients with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) or influenza-like illness (ILI) associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza from 5 health facilities. A structured questionnaire was used to collect direct costs (medications, laboratory investigations, hospital bed fees, hospital management costs, transportation) and indirect costs (productivity losses) associated with an episode of influenza.

Stunting: an overlooked problem in Myanmar - an economic evaluation.

Objectives: Stunting increases a child's susceptibility to diseases, increases mortality, and is associated over long term with reduced cognitive abilities, educational achievement, and productivity. We aimed to assess the most effective public health nutritional intervention to reduce stunting in Myanmar.

Methods: We searched the literature and developed a conceptual framework for interventions known to reduce stunting.

An evaluation of the impact of clinical bacterial isolates on epithelial cell monolayer integrity by the electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) method.

Virulence is the relative capacity of a pathogenic microorganism to cause damage in susceptible host cells such as those found in airway passages and the gut. In this study, the effect of clinical bacterial isolates on the monolayer integrity of cultured human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549) was evaluated using the Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) system. ECIS is a morphological biosensor which records electrical properties of cell-covered microelectrodes in an AC circuit including impedance (ohm), resistance (ohm), and capacitance (μFarad).

Reconciling as a Primary Pastoral Act of Spiritual Care.

Hiltner's shepherding perspective offered a primary reference point for pastoral theologians. This paper examines how the reconciling function of that perspective guides the care proceeding from it for Black persons experiencing medical crises. I analyze connections in the work of Archie Smith with Black persons involved in the healthcare system to show how Black persons draw upon spiritual resources and other resources implicit to the Black community itself in order to reconcile lived experiences with sickness.

Comparative genomic analysis of four multidrug-resistant isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from Georgia.

Objectives: This study reports the draft genomes of four newly isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) isolates (0830, 0365, 4022, and 2846) from western Georgia to identify putative antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and to determine the clonal subtypes of local clinical isolates.

Methods: An Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used to perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Multivariate relationships between epidemiologic risk factors and zoonotic infections among military personnel in the country of Georgia: A non-linear canonical correlation analysis.

Zoonotic diseases are endemic in the country of Georgia. Using the non-linear canonical correlation (NCC) method, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between thirteen epidemiological risk factors and seropositivity to five zoonotic infections (anthrax, Q fever, tularemia, leptospirosis, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF]) among Georgian military recruits during 2014-2016. According to this multivariate statistical technique, which is suitable for the analysis of two or more sets of qualitative variables simultaneously, two canonical variables were identified.

An Unusual Wound Infection Due to Acinetobacter junii on the Island of Oahu: A Case Report.

The genus Acinetobacter has long been associated with war wounds. Indeed, A baumannii was responsible for so many infected wounds during Operation Iraqi Freedom that it was given the nickname "Iraqibacter." Therefore, it is important to monitor the occurrence and spread of Acinetobacter species in military populations and to identify new or unusual sources of infection.