Publications by authors named "Shawn M Richards"

On December 11, 2015, the Fort Wayne-Allen County (Indiana) Department of Health was notified by a local hospital laboratory of a suspected case of meningococcal meningitis based on Gram stain results of cerebrospinal fluid. The county health department interviewed close family members and friends of the patient to establish an infectious period, timeline of events, and possible exposures. Close medical and household contacts were offered chemoprophylaxis (1).

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Given the potential worsening clinical severity of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1) infection from spring to fall 2009, we conducted a clinical case series among patients hospitalized with pH1N1 infection from September through October 2009. A case patient was defined as a hospitalized person who had test results positive for pH1N1 virus by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Among 255 hospitalized patients, 34% were admitted to an intensive care unit and 8% died.

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Background: During March 2004, a large outbreak of legionnaires disease and Pontiac fever occurred among hotel guests in Oklahoma. An investigation was conducted to identify the source and evaluate the utility of the Legionella urine antigen assay and serologic testing for the identification of Pontiac fever.

Methods: A retrospective cohort investigation of hotel guests and employees and an environmental evaluation were performed.

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