Low prevalence of viable Toxoplasma gondii in fresh, unfrozen, American pasture-raised pork and lamb from retail meat stores in the United States

ABSTRACTDue to emerging resistance to traditional antimicrobial agents, such as ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol, azithromycin is increasingly used for the treatment of invasiveSalmonellainfections. In the present study, 696 isolates of non-TyphiSalmonellacollected from humans, food animals, and retail meats in the United States were investigated for antimicrobial susceptibility to azithromycin. Seventy-twoSalmonella entericaserotype Typhi isolates from humans were also tested. For each isolate, MICs of azithromycin and 15 other antimicrobial agents were determined by broth microdilution. Among the non-TyphiSalmonellaisolates, azithromycin MICs among human isolates ranged from 1 to 32 μg/ml, whereas the MICs among the animal and retail meat isolates ranged from 2 to 16 μg/ml and 4 to 16 μg/ml, respectively. AmongSalmonellaserotype Typhi isolates, the azithromycin MICs ranged from 4 to 16 μg/ml. The highest MIC observed in the present study was 32 μg/ml, and it was detected in three human isolates belonging to serotypes Kentucky, Montevideo, and Paratyphi A. Based on our findings, we propose an epidemiological cutoff value (ECOFF) for wild-typeSalmonellaof ≤16 μg/ml of azithromycin. The susceptibility data provided could be used in combination with clinical outcome data to determine tentative clinical breakpoints for azithromycin andSalmonella enterica.

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A Comparison of Mental Health Outcomes in the United States and Italy at Different Levels of Cumulative COVID-19 Prevalence

10.31234/osf.io/c8y3q ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anthony D Mancini ◽

Gabriele Prati

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United States ◽

New York ◽

San Francisco ◽

The United States ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

General Distress ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Low Prevalence ◽

Different Levels

How does the prevalence of COVID-19 impact people’s mental health? In a preregistered study (N = 857), we sought to answer this question by comparing demographically matched samples in four regions in the United States and Italy with different levels of cumulative COVID-19 prevalence. No main effect of prevalence emerged. Rather, prevalence region had opposite effects, depending on the country. New York City participants (high prevalence) reported more general distress, PTSD symptoms, and COVID-19 worry than San Francisco (low prevalence). Conversely, Campania participants (low prevalence) reported more general distress, PTSD symptoms, and COVID-19 worry than Lombardy (high prevalence). Consistent with these patterns, COVID-19 worry was more strongly linked with general distress and PTSD symptoms in New York than San Francisco, whereas COVID-19 worry was more strongly linked with PTSD in Campania than Lombardy. In exploratory analyses, media exposure predicted and mapped on to geographic variation in mental health outcomes.

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Smoking Among Immigrant Groups in the United States: Prevalence, Education Gradients, and Male-to-Female Ratios

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntz022 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 532-538 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fred Pampel ◽

Myriam Khlat ◽

Damien Bricard ◽

Stéphane Legleye

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

The United States ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Foreign Born ◽

Current Cigarette Smoking ◽

World Region ◽

Duration Of Residence ◽

Low Prevalence ◽

Male To Female

Abstract Introduction Immigrants in the United States are less likely to smoke than those born in the United States, but studies have not fully described the diversity of their smoking patterns. We investigate smoking by world region of birth and duration of residence in the United States, with a comprehensive approach covering current prevalence levels, education gradients, and male-to-female ratios. Methods The data originate from the National Health Interview Surveys, 2000–2015, and the sample of 365 404 includes both US-born and foreign-born respondents aged 25–70 years. World region of birth and duration of residence in the United States measure immigrant characteristics. Current cigarette smoking was analyzed using logistic regression. Results Immigrant groups were protected from smoking and had weaker education gradients in smoking and larger male-to-female smoking ratios than the US-born population. However, large differences emerged among the immigrant groups for region of birth but less so for duration of residence in the United States. For example, immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent have low prevalence, weak education gradients, and high male-to-female ratios. Immigrants from Europe have the opposite pattern, and immigrants from Latin America fall between those two extremes. Conclusion The stage of the cigarette epidemic in the region of birth helps explain the diverse group profiles. Duration of residence in the United States does less to account for the differences in smoking than region of birth. The findings illustrate the heterogeneity of immigrant populations originating from diverse regions across the world and limited convergence with the host population after immigration. Implications The study identifies immigrant groups that, because of high smoking prevalence related to levels in the host country, should be targeted for cessation efforts. It also identifies immigrant groups with low prevalence for which anti-smoking programs should encourage maintenance of healthy habits. Many immigrant groups show strong education disparities in smoking, further suggesting that smokers with lower levels of education be targeted by public health programs.

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Toxoplasma gondii Seroprevalence in the United States 2009–2010 and Comparison with the Past Two Decades

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.14-0013 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 90 (6) ◽

pp. 1135-1139 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Jeffrey L. Jones ◽

Courtney Price ◽

Patricia P. Wilkins ◽

Deanna Kruszon-Moran ◽

Hilda N. Rivera

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

The United States ◽

The Past

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Epidemiology of Escherichia coli O157 in Feedlot Cattle

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-60.5.462 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 462-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 102

Author(s):

DALE D. HANCOCK ◽

DANIEL H. RICE ◽

LEE ANN THOMAS ◽

DAVID A. DARGATZ ◽

THOMAS E. BESSER

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

The United States ◽

Feedlot Cattle ◽

Escherichia Coli O157 ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

E Coli ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Flagellar Antigen ◽

Low Prevalence

Fecal samples from cattle in 100 feedlots in 13 states were bacteriologically cultured for Escherichia coli O157 that did not ferment sorbitol, lacked beta-glucuronidase, and possessed genes coding for Shiga-like toxin. In each feedlot 30 fresh fecal-pat samples were collected from each of four pens: with the cattle shortest on feed, with cattle longest on feed, and with cattle in two randomly selected pens. E. coli O157 was isolated from 210 (1.8%) of 11,881 fecal samples. One or more samples were positive for E. coli O157 in 63 of the 100 feedlots tested. E. coli O157 was found at roughly equal prevalence in all the geographical regions sampled. The prevalence of E. coli O157 in the pens with cattle shortest on feed was approximately threefold higher than for randomly selected and longest on feed pens. Of the E. coli O157 isolates found in this study, 89.52% expressed the H7 flagellar antigen. E. coli O157 was found to be widely distributed among feedlot cattle, but at a low prevalence, in the United States.

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