Assessment of fomites and infection risk to seniors in recreational curling

Background: Seniors participate in sports to improve physical, mental, and social health; however, such activities may increase the risk of illness and injury. Curling is popular in this age group because it is physically manageable, strategic, and provides social connection. Certain factors in curling such as handshaking, play during the flu season, and shared contact with curling stones suggest an increased risk of disease transmission. The purpose of this study was to determine the qualitative risk of communicable enteric disease transmission due to shared contact with curling stone handles in a senior men’s curling league. Methods: 3M™ Quick Swabs were used to sample 22 curling stone handles for total coliforms before a senior’s league game. To analyze microbial shedding during gameplay, the same 22 handles were sampled after the game. Samples were plated on 3M™ Petrifilm™ Coliform Count Plates and incubated at 30ºC ± 1ºC for 24 hours ± 2 hours. Colonies were enumerated in units of CFU (colony forming units)/cm2. Ambient and handle surface temperatures were measured, and curler hygiene-related behaviours documented. Results: Total coliform counts for all samples were 0 CFU/cm2. The ambient temperature was 6.6°C pre-game, and 8.0°C post-game. Mean handle surface temperature was 3.6°C. Hygiene behaviours of concern were hand-face contact, handkerchief/tissue use, and handshaking. Conclusion: There is low risk of enteric disease transmission due to shared contact with curling stone handles by male curlers 55 years and older. Absence of coliforms may have been due to adequate player hygiene, transference of microbial load before sampling, error, or environmental conditions. Health promotion and education can reduce the infection risk elevated by poor hand hygiene, face contact, and handshaking in senior’s curling, thereby protecting the health and welfare of all participants.

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Implications of declining donor offers with increased risk of disease transmission on waiting list survival in lung transplantation

The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation ◽

10.1016/j.healun.2018.12.012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 295-305 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Morgan L. Cox ◽

Michael S. Mulvihill ◽

Ashley Y. Choi ◽

Muath Bishawi ◽

Asishana A Osho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Transplantation ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Waiting List ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Disease

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Decline of increased risk donor offers increases waitlist mortality in paediatric heart transplantation

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s104795112100353x ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jordan E. Ezekian ◽

Michael S. Mulvihill ◽

Brian Ezekian ◽

Morgan L. Cox ◽

Sonya Kirmani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Transplantation ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Survival Benefit ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Infectious Disease Transmission ◽

Competing Risks Analysis ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Waitlist Mortality

Abstract Background: Increased risk donors in paediatric heart transplantation have characteristics that may increase the risk of infectious disease transmission despite negative serologic testing. However, the risk of disease transmission is low, and refusing an IRD offer may increase waitlist mortality. We sought to determine the risks of declining an initial IRD organ offer. Methods and results: We performed a retrospective analysis of candidates waitlisted for isolated PHT using 20072017 United Network of Organ Sharing datasets. Match runs identified candidates receiving IRD offers. Competing risks analysis was used to determine mortality risk for those that declined an initial IRD offer with stratified Cox regression to estimate the survival benefit associated with accepting initial IRD offers. Overall, 238/1067 (22.3%) initial IRD offers were accepted. Candidates accepting an IRD offer were younger (7.2 versus 9.8 years, p < 0.001), more often female (50 versus 41%, p = 0.021), more often listed status 1A (75.6 versus 61.9%, p < 0.001), and less likely to require mechanical bridge to PHT (16% versus 23%, p = 0.036). At 1- and 5-year follow-up, cumulative mortality was significantly lower for candidates who accepted compared to those that declined (6% versus 13% 1-year mortality and 15% versus 25% 5-year mortality, p = 0.0033). Decline of an IRD offer was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio for mortality of 1.87 (95% CI 1.24, 2.81, p < 0.003). Conclusions: IRD organ acceptance is associated with a substantial survival benefit. Increasing acceptance of IRD organs may provide a targetable opportunity to decrease waitlist mortality in PHT.

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Reduced cellular immune response in social insect lineages

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2015.0984 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 20150984 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Margarita M. López-Uribe ◽

Warren B. Sconiers ◽

Steven D. Frank ◽

Robert R. Dunn ◽

David R. Tarpy

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Colony Size ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Cellular Immune Response ◽

Immune Systems ◽

Social Species ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Social ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Cellular Immune

Social living poses challenges for individual fitness because of the increased risk of disease transmission among conspecifics. Despite this challenge, sociality is an evolutionarily successful lifestyle, occurring in the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth—the social insects. Two contrasting hypotheses predict the evolutionary consequences of sociality on immune systems. The social group hypothesis posits that sociality leads to stronger individual immune systems because of the higher risk of disease transmission in social species. By contrast, the relaxed selection hypothesis proposes that social species have evolved behavioural immune defences that lower disease risk within the group, resulting in lower immunity at the individual level. We tested these hypotheses by measuring the encapsulation response in 11 eusocial and non-eusocial insect lineages. We built phylogenetic mixed linear models to investigate the effect of behaviour, colony size and body size on cellular immune response. We found a significantly negative effect of colony size on encapsulation response (Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model (mcmcGLMM) p < 0.05; phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that insects living in large societies may rely more on behavioural mechanisms, such as hygienic behaviours, than on immune function to reduce the risk of disease transmission among nest-mates.

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Seasonality of reported tuberculosis cases from 2006 to 2010 in Wuhan, China

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268813003142 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 142 (10) ◽

pp. 2036-2048 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

T. LUO ◽

A. SUMI ◽

D. ZHOU ◽

N. KOBAYASHI ◽

K. MISE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Control Strategy ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Least Squares Method ◽

Sputum Smear ◽

Prevalence Data ◽

Pulmonary Tb ◽

Tb Control ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Smear Negative

SUMMARYWe investigated the seasonality of tuberculosis (TB) in Wuhan, China, to evaluate the increased risk of disease transmission during each season and to develop an effective TB control strategy. We applied spectral analysis to the weekly prevalence data of sputum smear positive (SSP) and sputum smear negative (SSN) pulmonary TB reported from 2006 to 2010. Cases of both SSP and SSN feature 1·0- and 0·5-year periodic modes. The least squares method was used to fit curves to the two periodic modes for SSP and SSN data. The curves demonstrated dominant peaks in spring similar to cases reported previously for other locations. Notably for SSP, dominant peaks were also observed in summer. The spring peaks of SSP and SSN were explained in terms of poorly ventilated and humid rooms and vitamin D deficiency. For the summer peaks of SSP, summer influenza epidemics in Wuhan may contribute to the increase in TB prevalence.

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Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in slaughtered cattle and factors associated with risk of disease transmission among cattle handlers at Oko-Oba Abattoir, Lagos, Nigeria

Veterinary World ◽

10.14202/vetworld.2020.1725-1731 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1725-1731

Author(s):

Musiliu Abiodun Agbalaya ◽

Olayinka Olabisi Ishola ◽

Hezekiah Kehinde Adesokan ◽

Olufunmilayo Ibitola Fawole

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Bovine Tuberculosis ◽

Lateral Flow ◽

Control Measures ◽

Effective Control ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Human Animal

Background and Aim: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease of major public health importance, especially in many developing countries, including Nigeria, where control measures are largely not applied, and the risks of human infection are high. This study was aimed at determining the current prevalence of bTB in slaughtered cattle and identifying factors associated with the risk of disease transmission among cattle handlers toward making informed control measures to limit human-animal interface disease transmission. Materials and Methods: Serum samples at slaughter and lesions suggestive of bTB collected during postmortem examination of 187 slaughtered cattle at the Oko–Oba Abattoir, Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria, were subjected to lateral flow and Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) techniques, respectively. Furthermore, a structured questionnaire was interviewer-administered to 156 cattle handlers to investigate associated exposure factors to bTB infection. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of bTB in cattle was 25.7% and 7.0% by lateral flow technique and ZN, respectively. The seropositivity was highest in cattle with poor body condition (50.0%), then with good (36.4%) and fair (25.0%) body conditions. The questionnaire survey revealed that being in livestock handling business for >6 years (p=0.001), not knowing the mode of transmission (p=0.02) and ignoring TB lesions at slaughter (p=0.02) were exposure factors associated with increased risk of bTB infection among the cattle handlers. Further, multivariate analysis showed that those who spent more than 6 years in livestock handling were about 4 times (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.1-7.6, p=0.01) more likely to be exposed to bTB infection than those with lesser years. Again, respondents who called the attention of meat inspectors on seeing lesions in animals were about 4 times less likely to be exposed to bTB infection than those who ignored it (AOR=0.3; CI=0.1-0.8, p=0.01). Conclusion: This study has reiterated the endemicity of bTB in cattle population in Nigeria, with the prevalence of 25.7% and 7.0% of bTB by lateral flow and ZN techniques, respectively. This portends potential risk for disease transmission at the human-animal interface, particularly at the abattoir setting. The study also identified important knowledge and practice gaps which would enable informed, all-inclusive, and well-directed programs for effective control of the disease in both human and cattle populations.

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The relationship between socioeconomic indices and potentially zoonotic pathogens carried by wild Norway rats: a survey in Rhône, France (2010–2012)

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268814001137 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 143 (3) ◽

pp. 586-599 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

F. AYRAL ◽

J. ARTOIS ◽

A.-L. ZILBER ◽

F. WIDÉN ◽

K.C. POUNDER ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Low Incomes ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Wild Rats ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Socioeconomic Data ◽

The Relationship ◽

Norway Rats

SUMMARYLeptospira interrogans, hantaviruses (particularly Seoul virus), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and Toxoplasma gondii are rat-associated zoonoses that are responsible for human morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to describe the infection patterns of these four pathogens in wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) across socioeconomic levels in neighbourhoods in Lyon, France. The infection or exposure status was determined using polymerase chain reaction or serology for 178 wild rats captured in 23 locations; additionally, confirmatory culture or mouse inoculation was performed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether morphological and socioeconomic data could predict the infection status of the rats. This study revealed that the rat colony's age structure may influence the prevalence of L. interrogans, hantavirus, and HEV. In addition, areas with high human population densities and low incomes may be associated with a greater number of infected rats and an increased risk of disease transmission.

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Evaluating of the association between ABO blood groups and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Iraqi patients

Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics ◽

10.1186/s43042-020-00097-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ali H. Ad’hiah ◽

Risala H. Allami ◽

Raghdan H. Mohsin ◽

Maha H. Abdullah ◽

Ali J. R. AL-Sa’ady ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Groups ◽

Abo Blood Groups ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Fluorescence Probing ◽

Group A ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Polymorphic System ◽

Made In

Abstract Background Susceptibility to the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has recently been associated with ABO blood groups in patients of different ethnicities. This study sought to understand the genetic association of this polymorphic system with risk of disease in Iraqi patients. Two outcomes of COVID-19, recovery and death, were also explored. ABO blood groups were determined in 300 hospitalized COVID-19 Iraqi patients (159 under therapy, 104 recovered, and 37 deceased) and 595 healthy blood donors. The detection kit for 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) RNA (PCR-Fluorescence Probing) was used in the diagnosis of disease. Results Mean age was significantly increased in patients compared to controls (49.8 ± 11.7 vs. 28.9 ± 6.6 years; p < 0.001). A similar observation was made in recovered (42.1 ± 10.4 vs. 28.9 ± 6.6 years; p < 0.001) and deceased (53.6 ± 9.7 vs. 28.9 ± 6.6 years; p < 0.001) cases. The mean age was also significantly increased in deceased cases compared to recovered cases (53.6 ± 9.7 vs. 42.1 ± 10.4 years; p < 0.001). There were gender-dependent differences in COVID-19 prevalence. The percentage of COVID-19 was higher in males than in females (all cases: 59.7 vs. 40.3%; recovered cases: 55.8 vs. 44.2%). Such male-gender preponderance was more pronounced in deceased cases (67.6 vs. 32.4%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that groups AB and B + AB were significantly associated with increased risk to develop COVID-19 (OR = 3.10; 95% CI 1.59–6.05; pc = 0.007 and OR = 2.16; 95% CI 1.28–3.63; pc = 0.028, respectively). No ABO-associated risk was observed in recovered cases. On the contrary, groups A (OR = 14.60; 95% CI 2.85–74.88; pc = 0.007), AB (OR = 12.92; 95% CI 2.11–79.29; pc = 0.042), A + AB (OR = 14.67; 95% CI 2.98–72.33; pc = 0.007), and A + B + AB (OR = 9.67; 95% CI 2.02–46.24; pc = 0.035) were associated with increased risk of death in deceased cases. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that group AB may be a susceptibility biomarker for COVID-19, while group A may be associated with increased risk of death.

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Livestock movement informs the risk of disease spread in traditional production systems in East Africa

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95706-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Divine Ekwem ◽

Thomas A. Morrison ◽

Richard Reeve ◽

Jessica Enright ◽

Joram Buza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Production Systems ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Herd Size ◽

Transmission Risk ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Transmission Potential ◽

Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽

Transmission Distance ◽

Risk Of Disease

AbstractIn Africa, livestock are important to local and national economies, but their productivity is constrained by infectious diseases. Comprehensive information on livestock movements and contacts is required to devise appropriate disease control strategies; yet, understanding contact risk in systems where herds mix extensively, and where different pathogens can be transmitted at different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge. We deployed Global Positioning System collars on cattle in 52 herds in a traditional agropastoral system in western Serengeti, Tanzania, to understand fine-scale movements and between-herd contacts, and to identify locations of greatest interaction between herds. We examined contact across spatiotemporal scales relevant to different disease transmission scenarios. Daily cattle movements increased with herd size and rainfall. Generally, contact between herds was greatest away from households, during periods with low rainfall and in locations close to dipping points. We demonstrate how movements and contacts affect the risk of disease spread. For example, transmission risk is relatively sensitive to the survival time of different pathogens in the environment, and less sensitive to transmission distance, at least over the range of the spatiotemporal definitions of contacts that we explored. We identify times and locations of greatest disease transmission potential and that could be targeted through tailored control strategies.

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Genetic variants of programmed cell death 1 are associated with HBV infection and liver disease progression

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-87537-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nghiem Xuan Hoan ◽

Pham Thi Minh Huyen ◽

Mai Thanh Binh ◽

Ngo Tat Trung ◽

Dao Phuong Giang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Death ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Programmed Cell Death ◽

Disease Progression ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Hbv Infection ◽

Liver Disease Progression ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Programmed Cell Death 1

AbstractThe inhibitory effects of programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) modulates T-cell depletion. T-cell depletion is one of the key mechanisms of hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistence, in particular liver disease progression and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This case–control study aimed to understand the significance of PD-1 polymorphisms (PD-1.5 and PD-1.9) association with HBV infection risk and HBV-induced liver disease progression. Genotyping of PD-1.5 and PD-1.9 variants was performed by direct Sanger sequencing in 682 HBV-infected patients including chronic hepatitis (CHB, n = 193), liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 183), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 306) and 283 healthy controls (HC). To analyze the association of PD-1 variants with liver disease progression, a binary logistic regression, adjusted for age and gender, was performed using different genetic models. The PD-1.9 T allele and PD-1.9 TT genotype are significantly associated with increased risk of LC, HCC, and LC + HCC. The frequencies of PD-1.5 TT genotype and PD-1.5 T allele are significantly higher in HCC compared to LC patients. The haplotype CT (PD-1.5 C and PD-1.9 T) was significantly associated with increased risk of LC, HCC, and LC + HCC. In addition, the TC (PD-1.5 T and PD-1.9 C) haplotype was associated with the risk of HCC compared to non-HCC. The PD-1.5 CC, PD-1.9 TT, genotype, and the CC (PD-1.5 C and PD-1.9) haplotype are associated with unfavorable laboratory parameters in chronic hepatitis B patients. PD-1.5 and PD1.9 are useful prognostic predictors for HBV infection risk and liver disease progression.

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Effects of Extraoral Suction on Droplets and Aerosols for Infection Control Practices

Dentistry Journal ◽

10.3390/dj9070080 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 80

Author(s):

Hidenobu Senpuku ◽

Masahiko Fukumoto ◽

Toshikazu Uchiyama ◽

Chieko Taguchi ◽

Itaru Suzuki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Adenosine Triphosphate ◽

Dental Care ◽

Dental Treatment ◽

Effective Area ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Physical Characteristics ◽

Dental Hygienist ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Dental Professionals

Dental professionals are at increased risk of being infected with airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 because they are often exposed to droplets/aerosols production during dental treatment. To scientifically clear the effects of extraoral and oral suctions on the droplets and aerosols produced by dental treatments using an ultrasonic scaler was analyzed. The adenosine triphosphate and bacteria in droplets and aerosols produced during simulated scaling were quantitatively observed by reactions with luciferin/luciferase and incubation in culture plates to grow bacteria, respectively. The protection against spreading droplets and aerosols by oral and extraoral suctions was recognized, and the areas were limited to the left and posterior sides of the dental chair head when a right-handed dentist and dental hygienist performed scaling. Extraoral suction is a very useful tool for reducing the infection risk of COVID-19 in dental care, but the effective area is limited depending on physical characteristics of dentist and dental hygienist.

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