January 2014

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal

Highlights: Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 20, No. 1, (January 2014)

Click here to visit the Emerging Infectious Disease journal page

1. Raw Milk Consumption among Patients with Non–Outbreak-related Enteric Infections, Minnesota, USA, 2001–2010,  Trisha J. Robinson, et al.

Raw milk can be the source of many infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses. However, raw milk advocates tout raw milk for its purported health benefits and better taste, sometimes failing to acknowledge the associated health risks and conveying a false sense of safety. In the United States, 30 states permit sale of raw milk. A recent study in one such state, Minnesota, estimated that during the 10-year study period, 17% of those who consumed raw milk may have become ill, a higher percentage than previously recognized. This finding could be used to educate potential raw milk consumers and policy makers who might be asked to relax regulations regarding raw milk sales.

Contact:
Trisha J. Robinson
Minnesota Department of Health
651-201-5414
trisha.robinson@state.mn.us

2. Salmonellosis and Meat Purchased at Live-Bird and Animal-Slaughter Markets, United States, 2007–2012, Maho Imanishi, et al.

Each year, approximately 1.2 million Americans get salmonellosis, a diarrheal disease often associated with consuming contaminated food. A study of salmonellosis outbreaks during 2007–2012 linked some of these cases to meat or poultry purchased from live animal and live bird markets. These markets are typically found in large cities and serve people of diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Several factors increase risk of acquiring salmonellosis from live animal and live bird markets: varying food safety regulations, higher-risk cultural preferences (e.g., consuming raw or undercooked meat or animal parts more likely to be contaminated), and language and cultural barriers that can render existing food safety messages ineffective. Risk for salmonellosis among live animal and live bird market patrons might be reduced by increasing collaboration between human and animal health agencies and by tailoring educational messages for individual communities.

Contact:
CDC Press Office
404-639-3286
media@cdc.gov

3. Detection of Infectivity in Blood of Persons with Variant and Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Jean Yves Douet, et al.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare but fatal brain disease of humans. Over the past 60 years, this disease has developed in several hundred patients who had received tissue (mainly growth hormone or nervous tissue grafts) from infected cadaver donors. A variant form of CJD, primarily occurring in Europe, has been causally linked with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly known as mad cow disease). Recent research, which used a relatively new type of highly sensitive laboratory mice, enabled researchers to measure infectivity in blood. They found infectivity in the red and white blood cells and plasma of a variant CJD patient and in the plasma of two of four sporadic CJD patients tested. These findings indicate the need to continue assessing the possible risk for CJD transmission via transfusion of blood products.

Contact:
Press Relations
INRA News Office – Jeremy Zuber
+33 1 42 75 91 69
presse@inra.fr
Olivier Andreoletti
Joint Research Unit “Interactions Hosts-Pathogens” (INRA/ENVT)
o.andreoletti@envt.fr

Notice: Art in Science: Selections from Emerging Infectious Diseases, a book just published by Oxford University Press, offers a visual tour of the factors involved in disease emergence: microbial adaptation and change; climate, weather, and ecosystems; economic development and land use; human demographics and behavior; technology, industry, travel, and commerce; poverty and conflict. This interdisciplinary effort engages the reader at a creative level, demonstrating how art relates to science and to us all. The book is available on Amazon.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES