Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) is an important flavivirus infection. Although ZIKV infection is rarely fatal, risk for severe disease in adults is not well described. Our objective was to describe the spectrum of illness in U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza Other Respir Viruses
March 2018
Telephone triage (TT) is a method whereby medical professionals speak by telephone to patients to assess their symptoms or health concerns and offer advice. These services are often administered through an electronic TT system, which guides TT professionals during the encounter through the use of structured protocols and algorithms to help determine the severity of the patients' health issue and refer them to appropriate care. TT is also an emerging data source for public health surveillance of infectious and noninfectious diseases, including influenza.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During December 2013, the first locally transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections in the Americas were reported in the Caribbean. Although CHIKV infection is rarely fatal, risk for severe disease increases with age and medical comorbidities. Herein we describe characteristics of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with CHIKV infection and, among those with infections diagnosed in Puerto Rico, investigated risk factors for hospitalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagn Microbiol Infect Dis
June 2016
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection screening usually includes only HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) testing; HBV core and surface antibody (anti-HBc, anti-HBs) assays, indicating resolved infection and immunity, are not routinely performed. Yet, serum HBV DNA is measurable in approximately 10% of HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive cases, representing occult HBV infection (OBI). Patient blood samples from 2 Veterans Affairs medical center look-back investigations were screened for HBV infection using HBsAg enzyme immunoassays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although dengue is endemic in Puerto Rico (PR), 2007 and 2010 were recognized as epidemic years. In the continental United States (US), outside of the Texas-Mexico border, there had not been a dengue outbreak since 1946 until dengue re-emerged in Key West, Florida (FL), in 2009-2010. The objective of this study was to use electronic and manual surveillance systems to identify dengue cases in Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities and then to clinically compare dengue cases in Veterans presenting for care in PR and in FL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine whether improper high-level disinfection practices during endoscopy procedures resulted in bloodborne viral infection transmission.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Four Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs).
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
April 2012
We compared 2 data sources--antimicrobial orders and bar-coded medication administration (BCMA)--for calculating the number of grams used, grams used based on defined daily dose, and days of therapy at one Veterans Affairs Medical Center for 2009-2010. The number of grams used calculated from BCMA data provided the most informative antimicrobial utilization measure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Rev Anti Infect Ther
September 2009
Ceftobiprole is among the first of a new generation of cephalosporins with activity against aerobic Gram-negative bacilli, which extends to cefepime-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and activity against Gram-positive organisms, which includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Ceftobiprole is currently undergoing evaluation by the US FDA for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections, with a decision pending further evaluation of study site monitoring. It is also being evaluated for the treatment of community-acquired and healthcare-associated pneumonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 19-kb DNA region containing genes involved in the biosynthesis of the capsule of Haemophilus influenzae serotype f (Hif) has been cloned and characterized. The Hif cap locus organization is typical of group II capsule biosynthetic loci found in other H. influenzae serotype b bacteria and other gram-negative bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe complete capsule (cap) loci from three Haemophilus influenzae strains, one serotype b (Hib) and two nonencapsulated b capsule-negative variants, were sequenced. Two new open reading frames, hcsA and hcsB, were identified in region III and thought to be involved in postpolymerization modification of the capsule. The location of the cap locus in the Haemophilus influenzae chromosome was identified within section 97 of the Rd genome (chromosomal coordinates 1074542 to 1086327) and found to be the same for the Hib and two Hib(-) strains as well as some other encapsulated division I H.
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