EID

EID News Synopsis for October 2009

Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus Infection Reflected in Intravenous Immune Globulins Made from Plasma of U.S. Blood and Plasma Donors

Christina B. Planitzer et al.

How do you track a virus that can infect without causing symptoms? Although West Nile virus causes illness in hundreds of people in the United States each year, it also can cause silent infection with no symptoms whatsoever.  But researchers have found a way to track these silent infections by testing donated blood products for signs of past infection. They found that each year more and more people have been exposed to West Nile virus and have produced protective antibodies against it. Not only do these blood products tell us how many people have truly been infected, providing public health information important for planning upcoming West Nile vaccine clinical trials, but those products with high levels of protective antibodies may have a role in prevention or treatment of West Nile infection.

Contact via:
Laura Grossmann
Baxter International, Inc.
(847) 948-3026
laura_grossmann@baxter.com

Chris Bona
Baxter International, Inc.
(847) 948-2815
christopher_bona@baxter.com

Sentinel Ducks as an Effective Tool for Active Avian Influenza Surveillance in Wild Birds

Anja Globig, et al.

The sooner we know about an emerging disease outbreak, the sooner we can take steps to prevent its spread.  Bird flu (influenza H5N1) is no exception. Early detection in birds is the best defense for people. Therefore, scientists have been monitoring flu in wild birds: healthy, sick, or dead. But monitoring wild birds is expensive, time-consuming, and results can depend on which birds are easiest to catch. So researchers have come up with a more practical system. By confining healthy young Mallard ducks in bodies of water where they are exposed to wild birds and then monitoring monthly blood samples from these ducks for flu, they can detect whether bird flu is circulating. They can detect new infection in the ducks even before wild birds start to die, which greatly improves the early warning system for humans.

Contact via:
Elke Reinking, Public Relations
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Germany
011-49-38351-7-244
elke.reinking@fli.bund.de

A Model-Based Assessment of Oseltamivir Prophylaxis Strategies to Prevent Influenza in Nursing Homes

Carline van den Dool, et al.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is becoming a costly problem. Before the year 2000, MRSA skin infections acquired outside of healthcare settings were relatively rare. Now, they are a major public health problem. A study of United States data from 2000 through 2004 showed that during these five years, the number of people hospitalized for community-acquired MRSA infections increased by 29 percent. Reasons for this marked increase may be more resistance to the antibiotics that are prescribed for outpatients and more doctor awareness of the seriousness of these infections. Thus, doctors may be more likely to recommend aggressive approaches to the infections such as hospitalization.

Contact via:
Communications Office
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, the Netherlands
011-31-88 -75-57483

Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: An Emerging Cause of Invasive Infections in Iowa,

Philip Van De Griend, et al.

What we know about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) keeps changing. Originally limited to mainly hospitalized patients, it now infects young, healthy people, usually through associated contact sports, sharing towels or athletic equipment, using illegal intravenous drugs, or living in crowded areas (e.g., prisons, hurricane evacuee centers). However, the MRSA strains acquired in hospitals differ from those found in the community. The type of infection is changing too, from mostly localized skin infections to severe invasive infections throughout the body. A study in Iowa found that the number of invasive infections increased significantly from 1999–2005 to 2006. During 2006, most invasive infections occurred during the summer and in people younger than 69. These infections can be severe and pose a unique public health problem.

Contact via:
Tom Moore, Media Relations Coordinator
University of Iowa Health Care
(319) 356-3945
thomas-moore@uiowa.edu

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES