Publications by authors named "Monteville M"

Background: Infectious travelers' diarrhea (TD) is a well-appreciated problem among service members serving abroad, particularly where infrastructure is limited due to ongoing combat operations, and efforts at sanitation and hygiene may not be considered an immediate priority. Bacterial and viral causes of travelers' diarrhea are well-described among deployed service members, however, gastrointestinal protozoan infections among deployed service members are less well documented. This study's purpose was to identify potential risk factors for, and clinical presentations of, enteric protozoan infections in an active duty military population deployed to combat operations in the Southwest Asia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Knowledge of disease burden attributable to functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGD) in travelers is lacking, despite the high incidence of travelers' diarrhea (TD) associated with increased FGD risk. One tool for assessing the impact of disease on health-related quality of life is the health utility index (HUI), which values health states based on preferential health outcomes. Health utilities can be used as preference weights in the estimation of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study assessed the efficacy of education and self-treatment with loperamide on diarrhea morbidity and healthcare utilization in a deployed military setting.

Method: In this prospective, controlled study, volunteers from military personnel deployed to Incirlik Air Base received either travelers' diarrhea education (non-loperamide group) or education plus a supply of loperamide (loperamide group). Volunteers were surveyed to determine frequency and outcomes of diarrheal illness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We used a seroepidemiologic study to estimate Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) seroprevalence, seroincidence, and risk factors for seroconversion in two deployed military populations in 2005. The first study group resided in an area with a known Q fever outbreak history (Al Asad, Iraq). Of this population, 7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: One approach to control enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infections has been to develop vaccines focused on inducing protective immunity against surface expressed antigenic factors. One such factor is coli surface antigen 6 (CS6); ETEC isolates expressing CS6 may also simultaneously co-express surface antigens CS4 or CS5. However, there is little information regarding the inter-relationships of isolates expressing the CS6 antigen alone or in combination with CS4 or CS5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: Mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are important health impact measures following military deployment. While conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are known to adversely affect QOL, little is known about the effect of post-infectious functional gastrointestinal disorders (PI-FGID). Our aim was to evaluate the risk of PI-FGID and its impact on HRQOL among military personnel returning from deployment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To better understand the epidemiology of diarrhea in deployed personnel to the Middle East, a prospective cohort study of travelers' diarrhea (TD) was conducted between May 2004 and January 2005 at the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) camp in the southern Sinai. A baseline entry questionnaire and stool specimen was provided on study entry, and volunteers were followed every 6 weeks. Of 211 volunteers, 145 (68.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Campylobacter spp are the major cause of enteritis in humans and more than 90% of reported infections are caused by Campylobacter jejuni. Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin are the antibiotics of choice for treatment. An increase in the frequency of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter has been reported globally due to a single base mutation (C-257 to T) in codon 86 of the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) of the gyrA gene altering the amino acid sequence from threonine at position 86 to isoleucine (Thr-86 to Ile).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Zoonotic microbes have historically been, and continue to emerge as, threats to human health. The recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in bird populations and the appearance of some human infections have increased the concern of a possible new influenza pandemic, which highlights the need for broad-spectrum detection methods for rapidly identifying the spread or outbreak of all variants of avian influenza virus. In this study, we demonstrate that high-density resequencing pathogen microarrays (RPM) can be such a tool.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In December 2006, three human specimens were received that were suspected positive for influenza A(H5N1). The specimens were tested using real time PCR. And the presence of A(H5N1) virus was confirmed in 2 patients (16F and 26M), The NA sequence from A(H5N1) positive specimens collected before and after antiviral therapy revealed a mutation (N294S) (N295S according to N1 numbering), previously associated with resistance to oseltamivir.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hospital surveillance was established in the Nile River Delta to increase the understanding of the epidemiology of diarrheal disease among Egyptian children. Between September 2000 and August 2003, samples obtained from children less than 5 years of age who had diarrhea and who were seeking hospital care were cultured for enteric bacteria. Colonies from each culture with a morphology typical of that of Escherichia coli were tested for the heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) toxins by a GM-1-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colonization factor (CF) antigens by an immunodot blot assay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The recommended treatment for traveler's diarrhea is the combination of an appropriate antibiotic (usually a fluoroquinolone) and loperamide. Azithromycin compared favorably with fluoroquinolones in trials that did not include the use of loperamide, but combination therapy has not, to our knowledge, been studied to date.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind trial was conducted at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, fromJ une 2003 through August 2004.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the fall 2005, approximately 7,500 US military personnel participated in an exercise in the Egyptian desert. The epidemiology of disease and noncombat injury among deployed troops is important in the context of assessing current mitigation strategies and the development of future ones.

Methods: To assess the prevalence and impact of diarrhea and enteropathogen distribution, we conducted a case series study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding the epidemiology of current health threats to deployed U.S. troops is important for medical assessment and planning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Effective influenza surveillance requires new methods capable of rapid and inexpensive genomic analysis of evolving viral species for pandemic preparedness, to understand the evolution of circulating viral species, and for vaccine strain selection. We have developed one such approach based on previously described broad-range reverse transcription PCR/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (RT-PCR/ESI-MS) technology.

Methods And Principal Findings: Analysis of base compositions of RT-PCR amplicons from influenza core gene segments (PB1, PB2, PA, M, NS, NP) are used to provide sub-species identification and infer influenza virus H and N subtypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A health assessment survey was collected from US military personnel deployed to the Middle East taking part in the "Rest and Recuperation" program or on temporary assignment to Camp As Sayliyah Doha, Qatar, from January to December 2004. In addition, a concurrent clinic-based observational study was conducted to determine pathogen etiology and potential risk factors. From 28,322 health assessment surveys, overall self-reported incidence of diarrhea was 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ninety-seven isolates of Shigella flexneri from children seeking medical care from three sites in Egypt were characterized. Overall, 46.4% of children (median age 17 months) were febrile or reported blood in their stools, 25.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In a cross-sectional study of children <60 months old from Fayoum, Egypt, presenting with diarrhea, 46% (162/356) had detectable enteric pathogens. Bacterial pathogens were identified in 25% (89/356), whereas rotavirus and Cryptosporidium were detected in 21% (54/253) and 15% (39/253), respectively. Cryptosporidium is an important pathogen in this region.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Infectious diarrhea is among the most common medical problems associated with military deployments and has been reported as a frequent problem for troops currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lacking is information describing clinical presentation, risk behaviors, and treatment of travelers' diarrhea in this population.

Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted among 15,459 US military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia during 2003 to 2004.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Operation Bright Star (OBS) is a biennial, multinational exercise in Egypt involving 15000 US troops. Consistent with past observations in deployed troops, diarrhea is the most significant cause of morbidity. Focused efforts are ongoing to develop vaccines against the most common pathogens affecting our troops.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Historically, non-combat injuries and illnesses have had a significant impact on military missions. We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence and impact of common ailments among U.S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The binding of Campylobacter jejuni to fibronectin (Fn), a component of the extracellular matrix, is mediated by a 37 kDa outer membrane protein termed CadF for Campylobacter adhesion to Fn. Previous studies have indicated that C. jejuni binds to Fn on the basolateral surface of T84 human colonic cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Campylobacter jejuni, a gram-negative motile bacterium, secretes a set of proteins termed the Campylobacter invasion antigens (Cia proteins). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the flagellar apparatus serves as the export apparatus for the Cia proteins. Mutations were generated in five genes encoding three structural components of the flagella, the flagellar basal body (flgB and flgC), hook (flgE2), and filament (flaA and flaB) genes, as well as in genes whose products are essential for flagellar protein export (flhB and fliI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The binding of Campylobacter jejuni to fibronectin (Fn), a component of the extracellular matrix, is mediated by a 37 kDa outer-membrane protein termed CadF for Campylobacter adhesion to fibronectin. The specificity of C. jejuni binding to Fn, via CadF, was demonstrated using antibodies reactive against Fn and CadF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies have indicated that the ability to bind to fibronectin is a key feature in successful cell invasion by Campylobacter jejuni. Given the spatial distribution of fibronectin and the architecture of the epithelium, this suggests the possibility that C. jejuni cell invasion might preferentially occur at the basolateral cell surface.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF