| 1. |
- Rydén, Patrik, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Outbreaks of tularemia in a boreal forest region depends on mosquito prevalence
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0022-1899 .- 1537-6613. ; 205:2, s. 297-304
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. We aimed to evaluate the potential association of mosquito prevalence in a boreal forest area with transmission of the bacterial disease tularemia to humans, and model the annual variation of disease using local weather data.Methods. A prediction model for mosquito abundance was built using weather and mosquito catch data. Then a negative binomial regression model based on the predicted mosquito abundance and local weather data was built to predict annual numbers of humans contracting tularemia in Dalarna County, Sweden.Results. Three hundred seventy humans were diagnosed with tularemia between 1981 and 2007, 94% of them during 7 summer outbreaks. Disease transmission was concentrated along rivers in the area. The predicted mosquito abundance was correlated (0.41, P < .05) with the annual number of human cases. The predicted mosquito peaks consistently preceded the median onset time of human tularemia (temporal correlation, 0.76; P < .05). Our final predictive model included 5 environmental variables and identified 6 of the 7 outbreaks.Conclusions. This work suggests that a high prevalence of mosquitoes in late summer is a prerequisite for outbreaks of tularemia in a tularemia-endemic boreal forest area of Sweden and that environmental variables can be used as risk indicators.
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| 3. |
- Desvars, Amélie, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Epidemiology and Ecology of Tularemia in Sweden, 1984-2012
- 2015
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Ingår i: Emerging Infectious Diseases. - : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). - 1080-6040 .- 1080-6059. ; 21:1, s. 32-39
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The zoonotic disease tularemia is endemic in large areas of the Northern Hemisphere, but research is lacking on patterns of spatial distribution and connections with ecologic factors. To describe the spatial epidemiology of and identify ecologic risk factors for tularemia incidence in Sweden, we analyzed surveillance data collected over 29 years (1984-2012). A total of 4,830 cases were notified, of which 3,524 met all study inclusion criteria. From the first to the second half of the study period, mean incidence increased 10-fold, from 0.26/100,000 persons during 1984-1998 to 2.47/100,000 persons during 1999 2012 (p<0.001). The incidence of tularemia was higher than expected in the boreal and alpine ecologic regions (p<0.001), and incidence was positively correlated with the presence of lakes and rivers (p<0.001). These results provide a comprehensive epidemiologic description of tularemia in Sweden and illustrate that incidence is higher in locations near lakes and rivers.
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| 4. |
- Edin, Alicia, et al.
(författare)
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Development and Laboratory Evaluation of a Real-Time PCR Assay for Detecting Viruses and Bacteria of Relevance for Community-Acquired Pneumonia
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-1578 .- 1943-7811. ; 17:3, s. 315-324
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Community-acquired pneumonia may present with similar clinical symptoms, regardless of viral or bacterial cause. Diagnostic assays are needed to rapidly discriminate between causes, because this will guide decisions on appropriate treatment. Therefore, a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay with duplex reactions targeting eight bacteria and six viruses was developed. Technical performance was examined with linear plasmids. Upper and Lower respiratory tract specimens were used to compare the qPCR assay with standard microbiological methods. The limit of detection was 5 to 20 DNA template copies with approximately 1000-fold differences in concentrations of the two competing templates. SDs for positive controls were <5%. The use of the qPCR assay resulted in 113 positive identifications in 94 respiratory specimens compared with 38 by using standard diagnostics. Diagnostic accuracy of the qPCR assay varied between 60% positive agreement with standard tests for Streptococcus pneumoniae and 100% for Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Negative percentage of agreement was >95% for M. pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A virus; whereas it was only 56% for Haemophilus influenzae. Multiple microbial agents were identified in 19 of 44 sputum and 19 of 50 nasopharynx specimens. We conclude that in parallel qPCR detection of the targeted respiratory bacteria and viruses is feasible. The results indicate good technical performance of the assay in clinical specimens.
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| 5. |
- Edin, Alicia, 1985-
(författare)
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Improved diagnosis and prediction of community-acquired pneumonia
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although there is wide variation in the microbial etiology, CAP may manifest with similar symptoms, making institution of proper treatment challenging. Therefore, etiological diagnosis is important to ensure that correct treatment and necessary infection control measures are instituted. This provides a challenge for conventional microbial diagnostic methods, typically based on culture and direct antigen tests. Moreover, existing molecular biomarkers have poor prognostic value. Few studies have investigated the global metabolic response during infection and virtually nothing is known about early responses after the start of antimicrobial treatment. The aim of this work was to improve diagnostic and predictive methods for CAP.In paper I, a qPCR panel targeting 15 pathogens known to cause CAP was developed and evaluated. It combined identification of bacterial pathogens and viruses in the same diagnostic platform. The method proved to be robust and the results consistent with those obtained by standard methods. The panel approach, compared to conventional, selective diagnostics, detected a larger number of pathogens. In Paper II, whole blood samples from 65 patients with bacteremic sepsis were analyzed for metabolite profiles. Forty-nine patients with symptoms of sepsis, but later attributed to other diagnoses, were matched according to age and sex and served as a control group. Six metabolites were identified, all of which predicted growth of bacteria in blood culture. One of the metabolites, myristic acid, alone predicted bacteremic sepsis with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 95%. Paper III and IV were based on a clinical study enrolling 35 patients with suspected CAP in need of hospital care. The aim was to study the metabolic response during the early phase of acute infection. The qPCR panel developed in Paper I was used to obtain the microbial etiological diagnosis. Paper IV focused on the global metabolic response and highlighted the dynamics of changes in major metabolic pathways during early recovery. A specific metabolite pattern for M. pneumoniae etiology was found. Four metabolites accurately predicted all but one patient as either M. pneumoniae etiology or not. Paper III looked at phospholipid levels during the first 48 hours after hospital admission. It was found that all major phospholipid species, especially the lysophosphatidyl-cholines, were pronouncedly decreased during acute infection. Levels started to increase the day after admission, reaching statistical significance at 48 hours. Paper II-IV showed that metabolomics might be used to study a number of different aspects of infection, such as etiology, disease progress and recovery. Knowledge of the metabolic profiles of patients may not only be utilized for biomarker discovery, as proposed in this work, but also for the future development of targeted therapies and supportive treatment.
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| 7. |
- Johansson, Anders, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Francisella tularensis : Tularemia
- 2012
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Ingår i: BSL3 and BSL4 agents. - Weinheim, Germany : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 9783527317158 - 9783527645114 ; , s. 71-84
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia. This emerging zoonosis shows several clinical manifestations complicating its diagnosis. The chapter focus on the characteristics of this bacterium, the several forms of the disease, its diagnosis and molecular epidemiology.
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| 8. |
- Johansson, Anders, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Francisella tularensis : Tularemia
- 2012
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Ingår i: BSL3 and BSL4 agents. - Weinheim, Germany : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 9783527317158 - 9783527645114 ; , s. 309-311
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This practical guide gives some starting points to manage biological safety issues with Francisella tularensis.
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