Prolonged Detection of Zika Virus in Vaginal Secretions and Whole Blood.

Infection with Zika virus is an emerging public health crisis. We observed prolonged detection of virus RNA in vaginal mucosal swab specimens and whole blood for a US traveler with acute Zika virus infection who had visited Honduras. These findings advance understanding of Zika virus infection and provide data for additional testing strategies.

Development of a Spanish version of the parent attitudes about childhood vaccines survey.

The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey is a validated instrument for identifying vaccine-hesitant parents; however, a Spanish version is not available. Utilizing the WHO framework for translating survey instruments, we used an iterative process for developing the Spanish PACV that included forward translation, expert panel review, back translation and pre-testing that utilized cognitive interviewing. We made revisions to the Spanish PACV at each step, focusing on addressing inclusivity, readability, clarity and conceptual equivalence. The expert panel was comprised of 6 Spanish-speaking medical and research professionals who worked alongside 3 study team members. Pre-testing was conducted using convenience sampling of Spanish-speaking parents (N = 35) who had a child receiving care at the residents' continuity clinic at Texas Children's Hospital. Most pre-testing participants were married (80.6%), mothers (97.1%), ≥30 years of age (88.2%) and had a high school education or less (70.6%). While the majority of participants stated the survey was easy to complete, the translation of 5 PACV items was further revised to improve interpretability. We conclude that the final Spanish PACV is conceptually equivalent and culturally appropriate for most Hispanic populations.

Meningitis caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in a patient with leukemia.

We report a case of 15-year-old girl with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had fever, neutropenia, and severe headache while receiving maintenance chemotherapy. Cerebrospinal fluid testing revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis and no evidence of relapsed leukemia. Meningitis caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus was identified serologically. The patient's course was complicated by hydrocephalus requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and by an intracranial hemorrhage. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a rare cause of aseptic meningitis that should be considered in the symptomatic immunocompromised patient with an appropriate exposure history.

Incidence of tuberculosis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1990-2001.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare the incidence and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, among US-born and foreign-born persons. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, of all residents of Olmsted County (2000 population: 124,277) diagnosed as having tuberculosis between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2001. Potential cases were identified with use of a computerized diagnostic coding database and microbiological laboratory data; all identified medical records were abstracted. Definite cases were those in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis was recovered in culture. Probable cases were those that met predefined clinical or radiographic evidence of tuberculosis and other criteria. Age-specific, sex-specific, and country of origin-specific incidence rates were calculated with use of Olmsted County census data. Variables were compared among risk groups using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: During a 12-year period, 71 cases of tuberculosis (53 definite, 18 probable) were identified, for an incidence of 5.3 per 100,000 person-years. Of these cases, 54 (76%) occurred during the second half of the study (incidence: 7.7 per 100,000 person-years). The incidence among US-born persons was similar throughout the study period; however, the Incidence among foreign-born persons increased more than 3-fold during the second half of the study period. Twenty-five patients (35%) were former refugees. All isoniazid-resistant infections (12% of isolates) and multidrug-resistant infections (6% of isolates) occurred among foreign-born persons. CONCLUSION: The incidence of tuberculosis increased substantially in Olmsted County between 1990 and 2001, primarily because of an increase in the number of cases among foreign-born persons.

Cat-scratch disease occurring in three siblings simultaneously.

We report for the first time three siblings with cat-scratch disease occurring simultaneously. Case 1 was an 8-year-old boy with enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes and fever. Case 2 was the 11-year-old sister whose presentation was a prolonged febrile illness. Case 3 was a 13-year-old male adolescent with adenitis of the neck and thigh. All three patients were treated with rifampin with improvement of their symptoms.

Treatment of childhood tuberculosis with a six month directly observed regimen of only two weeks of daily therapy.

BACKGROUND: Recommended treatment of childhood tuberculosis is 6 months in duration with at least 3 drugs. We studied a regimen requiring as few as 58 doses, given entirely by directly observed therapy (DOT), under program conditions. METHODS: An observational trial was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a completely DOT 6-month regimen for pulmonary, pleural and lymph node tuberculosis in children with the use of 2 weeks of daily isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide therapy; then 6 weeks of twice weekly isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide therapy; followed by 16 weeks of twice weekly isoniazid and rifampin. All therapy was given by workers from the health department, and patients were followed by the Children's Tuberculosis Clinic in Houston, TX. Patients were evaluated for changes in symptoms, weight, clinical or radiographic findings and adherence to therapy. RESULTS: Of the 175 evaluable children (159 pulmonary/thoracic node, 4 pleural, 12 cervical lymph node), 81% of children completed treatment in 6 months. Of the 33 patients who received extended treatment, 3 did so because of physician choice, 17 had an inadequate response to initial therapy, 2 had significant adverse reactions to drugs and 16 had poor adherence to the DOT. Only 37% of patients had complete resolution of disease at the end of treatment, but all continued to improve after therapy was stopped. There was only 1 patient who relapsed after 4 years. CONCLUSION: This regimen had results comparable with those of 6-month regimens with longer durations of daily therapy. Determining treatment response in pediatric tuberculosis is difficult because of the slow resolution of chest radiograph abnormalities. DOT is an important aspect of treatment but does not solve all problems with treatment adherence.

Tuberculosis among adult visitors of children with suspected tuberculosis and employees at a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE: Few children with tuberculosis (TB) have communicable disease, and most do not require isolation within the hospital. However, parents or adult visitors with unrecognized pulmonary TB may be a threat to hospital staff and other patients. We prospectively evaluated adults accompanying children hospitalized for suspected TB at a children's hospital to determine the frequency of undiagnosed, potentially contagious disease. METHODS: From 1992 to 1998, chest radiographs were obtained from adult caretakers accompanying 59 consecutive children admitted to Texas Children's Hospital with suspected TB. A child and his or her family were placed under Airborne Precautions only if the child or the accompanying adult exhibited characteristics of potentially contagious disease. Annual rates of tuberculin skin test conversion in hospital employees were obtained for the same period. RESULTS: Of the 105 screened adults, 16 (15%) had previously undetected pulmonary TB. These adults were associated with 14 (24%) of the 59 children. In all instances in which the adult was the patient's parent, he or she was the source of infection to the child. Only 8 (13.5%) of the 59 children required isolation. Tuberculin skin test conversion from a negative to a positive reaction occurred in 127 employees (8 per 1,000 employee-years at risk). Only 4 of these 127 employees performed activities involving direct patient contact. None was in contact with families with a known potentially contagious adult or pediatric patient. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of infection of healthcare workers from pediatric patients with primary TB appeared to be minimal, and most children with TB did not need isolation. Infection control efforts should be focused on accompanying adults and adult visitors.

A report of cutaneous tuberculosis in siblings.

Cutaneous tuberculosis is rarely seen in the United States, and we are unaware of any reports of siblings sharing the diagnosis. We report an instance of cutaneous tuberculosis affecting two sisters. The first sibling had skin biopsy specimen findings suggestive of an infectious source, but special stains and cultures were negative. Only with further evaluation using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was the diagnosis established. The second sibling had positive staining for acid-fast bacilli, though her cultures were also negative. A high level of suspicion for tuberculosis should be maintained in otherwise healthy children with nonspecific, granulomatous disorders of the skin. PCR may be a useful tool for selected cases in which a high level of clinical suspicion exists, but special stains and cultures are negative.