| 1. |
- Bennet, Louise, et al.
(author)
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Effect of Gender on Clinical and Epidemiologic Features of Lyme Borreliosis
- 2007
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In: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 7:1, s. 34-41
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim is to highlight the influence of patients’ gender on Lyme borreliosis and especially erythema migrans (EM), focusing on exposure to tick bites, epidemiology, and the clinical picture. All studies were conducted in the county of Blekinge, located in southeastern Sweden. A prospective study was conducted in 235 individuals (women, n=110; men, n=125) engaged in recreational or occupational activities focusing on exposure to tick bites. A retrospective epidemiological study evaluating 123,495 electronic patients´ records (women, n=61,712; men, n=61,783) and a prospective clinical study including 118 patients (women, n=54; men, n=64) 18 years or older seeking care for EM > 5 cm in diameter with genospecies verified by polymerase chain reaction were conducted. Results: Women 40 years or older had a 48% higher risk than men 40 years or older and 42% higher risk than women younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0127 and 0.0188 versus 0.0132 tick bites respectively per hour). Additionally they had a 96% higher risk than men younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0096). The annual incidence rate of EM in women was 506 and in men 423 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (p<0.001). Significant differences in incidence rates occurred in those 40 years or older. Odds ratios for males infected with Borrelia afzelii developing nonannular EM were 0.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03 to 0.33) in comparison with females infected by Borrelia afzelii. Conclusions: Significant gender differences in the risk of contracting tick bites, incidence rates, and clinical picture of EM have been observed. Exposure to tick bites alone may not explain these observations and further studies need to be done to clarify the biologic, immunologic, and sociological mechanisms causing these differences.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Haemig, Paul D., et al.
(author)
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Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) Test Negative for Salmonella
- 2008
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In: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 8:4, s. 451-453
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Farmers around the world have been urged to eliminate barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from their buildings, based on the unproven assumption that these birds amplify and spread Salmonella to livestock, humans, and stored food. However, we tested over 500 barn swallows in Sweden and found no evidence that they carry Salmonella. Our results cast doubt on the hypothesis that barn swallows are competent reservoirs of Salmonella and suggest that their role, if any, is limited to being accidental hosts of the bacterium.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Larsson, Christer, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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First Record of Lyme Disease Borrelia in the Arctic
- 2007
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In: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 7:3, s. 453-456
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The epidemiology and ecology of Lyme disease is very complex, and its reported geographical distribution is constantly increasing. Furthermore, the involvement of birds in long distance dispersal and their role as reservoir hosts is now well established. In this study, we have shown that sea birds in the Arctic region of Norway carry Ixodes uriae ticks infected with Lyme disease Borrelia garinii spirochetes. Interestingly, DNA sequencing showed that these isolates are closely related to B. garinii previously isolated from birds, as well as from clinical specimens in northern Europe.
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| 6. |
- Olsson, Gert E, et al.
(author)
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Habitat factors associated with bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and concomitant hantavirus in northern Sweden
- 2005
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In: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 5:4, s. 315-323
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Puumala virus (PUUV), genus hantavirus, causes nephropathia epidemica, a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans. In this study, bank voles, the natural reservoir of PUUV, were captured at locations of previous human PUUV exposure and paired controls within a region of high incidence in northern Sweden. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of environmental factors on the abundance of bank voles and the occurrence of PUUV. The total number of voles and the number of PUUV-infected voles did not differ between locations of previous human PUUV exposure and paired controls. The number of bank voles expressing antibodies to PUUV infection increased linearly with total bank vole abundance implying density independent transmission. Using principal component and partial correlation analysis, we found that particular environmental characteristics associated with old-growth moist forests (i.e., those dominated by Alectoria spp., Picea abies, fallen wood, and Vaccinium myrtillus) were also associated with increased abundance of bank vole and hence the number of PUUV-infected bank voles, whereas there were no correlations with factors associated with dry environments (i.e., Pinus sylvestris and V. vitis-idea). This suggests that circulation and persistence of PUUV within bank vole populations was influenced by habitat factors. Future modeling of risk of exposure to hantavirus and transmission of PUUV within vole populations should include the influence of these factors.
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| 7. |
- Wahlgren, J., et al.
(author)
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Gene segment reassortment between American and Asian lineages of avian influenza virus from waterfowl in the Beringia area
- 2008
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In: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 8:6, s. 783-90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since prehistoric times, the Bering Strait area (Beringia) has served as an avenue of dispersal between the Old and the New Worlds. On a field expedition to this area, we collected fecal samples from dabbling ducks, geese, shorebirds, and gulls on the Chukchi Peninsula, Siberia, and Pt. Barrow, Alaska, and characterized the subtypes of avian influenza virus present in them. Four of 202 samples (2%) from Alaska were positive for influenza A virus RNA in two independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based screening assays, while all shorebird samples from the Chukchi Peninsula were negative. Subtypes H3N8 and H6N1 were recorded once, while subtype H8N4 was found in two samples. Full-length sequences were obtained from the three unique isolates, and phylogenetic analysis with representative sequences for the Eurasian and North American lineages of influenza A virus showed that one HA gene clustered with the Eurasian rather than the North American lineage. However, the closest relative to this sequence was a North American isolate from Delaware described in 2002, indicating that a H6 spillover from Asia has established itself in North America.
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