Background: Neoehrlichia mikurensis infections can cause symptomatic disease, particular among immunosuppressed persons. Long-lasting asymptomatic carriage of N. mikurensis may be common in endemic areas. This study explores possible associations between carriage of N. mikurensis DNA and persistent health complaints in persons who attribute their symptoms to a tick-borne disease.
Methods: Eleven persons tested positive for N. mikurensis DNA by PCR in a study cohort of 285 persons reporting persistent health complaints. The 11 persons were tested again in a follow-up sample. Oral doxycycline treatment was given if the confirmatory PCR-test was positive. Treatment response was assessed by telephone interview. Demographics, clinical manifestations, tick exposure, physical health, somatic symptom burden and fatigue were compared to persons with negative N. mikurensis PCR (controls, N = 274).
Results: Six persons had detectable N. mikurensis DNA in a follow-up sample up to 9.5 months after the index sample. Seven persons (one without a positive confirmative test) received doxycycline treatment. Three reported symptom restitution after completed antibiotic treatment. However, their symptoms were not clearly attributed to infection by N. mikurensis. We did not find any significant differences between infected persons and non-infected controls regarding their clinical manifestations and health burdens.
Conclusions: We corroborate previous evidence of long-term carriage of N. mikurensis, but cannot infer that to be causative of persistent health complaints.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102391 | DOI Listing |
Microbiol Spectr
January 2025
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Mycoplasma (Class: Mollicutes) contamination in cell cultures is a universal concern for research laboratories. Some estimates report contamination in up to 35% of continuous cell lines. Various commercial antibiotic treatments can successfully decontaminate clean cell lines ; however, decontamination of bacterial cultures remains challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmSphere
January 2025
Department of Food Science and Technology and Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Treatment with antibiotics is a major risk factor for infection, likely due to depletion of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Two microbiota-mediated mechanisms thought to limit colonization include the conversion of conjugated primary bile salts into secondary bile salts toxic to growth and competition between the microbiota and for limiting nutrients. Using a continuous flow model that simulates the nutrient conditions of the distal colon, we investigated how treatment with 6 clinically used antibiotics influenced susceptibility to infection in 12 different microbial communities cultivated from healthy individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrehosp Disaster Med
January 2025
Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
Background: Drowning persists as a preventable pediatric cause of severe morbidity and mortality. This study aims to investigate the risk factors, circumstances, and medical consequences associated with pediatric drowning incidents in order to identify patterns that can inform targeted interventions.
Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of a cohort of pediatric drowning cases.
CA Cancer J Clin
January 2025
Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrence and outcomes using incidence data collected by central cancer registries (through 2021) and mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (through 2022). In 2025, 2,041,910 new cancer cases and 618,120 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. The cancer mortality rate continued to decline through 2022, averting nearly 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Perioper Pract
January 2025
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, UK.
Despite the implementation of latex-free gloves, the issue of natural rubber latex hypersensitivity persists within medical practice, posing challenges for both patients and health care professionals. A comprehensive understanding of the demographic groups susceptible to this condition is essential, along with the establishment of robust perioperative assessment and management protocols aimed at minimising complications and enhancing safety. This article endeavours to delve into the intricacies of perioperative management concerning latex hypersensitivity among patients, while also elucidating its ramifications for health care practitioners.
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