Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O103:H2 outbreak in Germany after school trip to Austria due to raw cow milk, 2017 - The important role of international collaboration for outbreak investigations.

Following a school ski-trip to Austria from 10 to 18/02/2017, nine of 25 participants of the group from Lower Saxony (Germany) developed gastroenteritis. The students and teachers (17-41 years) shared meals in a hotel. Active case finding revealed further cases among German school groups from North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, staying at the same hotel in February 2017.

[Tuberculosis Contact Investigation: Eight Years of Experience with the QuantiFERON-TB®Gold In-Tube in Lower Saxony, Germany].

Since the beginning of the 21 century, beside tuberculin skin tests (TST) and chest X-rays, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) have become available for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection. In 2006, the Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (NLGA) established the IGRA in its laboratory, using the QuantiFERON-TBGold In-Tube (QFT). A cohort of 19 309 contact persons who were investigated during contact tracing by local public health departments (LPHD) was analyzed.

Seroprevalence of Antibodies against Measles, Rubella and Varicella among Asylum Seekers Arriving in Lower Saxony, Germany, November 2014-October 2015.

The number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany has increased rapidly since 2014 and cases of vaccine-preventable diseases at reception centres were reported. Asylum seekers 12 years and older arriving in Lower Saxony were serologically screened for antibodies against measles, rubella and varicella between November 2014 and October 2015. We calculated the seroprevalence from the screening data by disease, country of origin and age group and compared them to literature-based herd immunity thresholds in order to identify immunisation gaps.

[Antimicrobial resistance monitoring in Lower Saxony (ARMIN): first trends for MRSA, ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and VRE from 2006 to 2010].

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most important health topics of the past few years. To identify regional trends of antimicrobial resistance in inpatient and outpatient care, the Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (Germany) launched the sentinel system ARMIN (Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring in Lower Saxony). Currently 9 laboratories participate as sentinel sites and contribute single case data of their microbiological results.

Time trends and individual characteristics associated with polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk samples 2006-2009 in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Background: Since 2006 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations have been analyzed within the scope of the breast milk project conducted by the Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony.

Objectives: Temporal trends and regional distributions of the resident population as well as the relevance of individual factors influencing PBDE concentration were to be determined.

Methods: Four PBDE congeners (BDE-47, BDE-153, BDE-99, BDE-100) have been analyzed.

Long-term biomonitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in human milk from mothers living in northern Germany.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides are persistent organic pollutants that have a widespread distribution in the environment. Human biomonitoring is a suitable tool to assess the burden of humans with these substances. Over a time span of 8 years, a free analysis of their milk was offered to lactating mothers residing in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

[Regionally increased incidence of notified cryptosporidiosis cases due to different laboratory methods].

Introduction: In Lower Saxony, during 2001 to 2005, 744 cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported according to the Protection against Infection Act to the Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony. The yearly incidence rate of 1.9 notified cases per 100,000 population exceeded the German mean incidence rate of 1.

[Surveillance of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) in Lower Saxony: first experience from the years 2005-2006].

In the context of influenza pandemic preparedness planning, a surveillance system for influenza and other acute respiratory illnesses was implemented in Lower Saxony at the beginning of the influenza season 2004/2005 and coordinated by the Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony. This surveillance system represents an addition to already existing national monitoring systems. The goal of this surveillance system is to have available prompt information on the beginning, course and end of the influenza season and to recognise the spectrum of pathogens and identify outbreaks of other viral acute respiratory illnesses (ARI).

[Spread of a drug-resistant strain of mycobacterium tuberculosis among homeless people in a German city].

Background: Cases of active pulmonary tuberculosis are much more common among homeless people because of their personal risk factors than in the average population; it is assumed that there are about 500 000 homeless people in the Federal Republic of Germany. Several sputum samples were sent from the tuberculosis advice center of the public health office in Hannover to the governmental institute of public health services of Lower Saxony in fall 1996 in order to carry out laboratory tests for mycobacteria. The isolates found revealed an unusual pattern of drug resistance to streptomycin and rifampin.