Sarcoptic Mange of Fox Origin in Multiple Farm Animals and Scabies in Humans, Switzerland, 2018.

Fox-derived Sarcoptes scabiei mites caused an outbreak of mange on a farm in Switzerland in 2018. Pruritic skin lesions suggestive of S. scabiei mite infestation developed in 4 humans who had direct contact with affected farm animals but not foxes. Sarcoptic mange is continuously spreading; such outbreaks affecting humans could start occurring more frequently.

Novel Echinacea formulations for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections in adults-A randomized blinded controlled trial.

Background: Echinacea purpurea has clinical antiviral activity against respiratory viruses and modulates immune functions. In this study, we compared higher doses of new Echinacea formulations with conventional formulations at lower, preventive doses for therapy of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Methods: In this randomized, blinded, controlled trial, healthy adults (n = 409) were randomized between November 2018 and January 2019 to one of four Echinacea formulations, which were taken in case of an RTI for up to 10 days. New formulations A (lozenges) and B (spray) delivered an increased dose of 16,800 mg/d Echinacea extract during days 1-3 and 2,240-3,360 mg/d afterward; as controls, conventional formulations C (tablets) and D (drops) delivered a lower daily dose of 2,400 mg, usually taken for prevention. The primary endpoint was time to clinical remission of first RTI episodes based on the Kaplan-Meier analysis of patient-reported, investigator-confirmed, respiratory symptoms assessed for up to 10 days. In a sensitivity analysis, the mean time to remission beyond day 10 was calculated by extrapolating the treatment effects observed on days 7 to 10. Results: A total of 246 participants (median age 32 years, 78% female participants) were treated for at least one RTI. Recovery by day 10 (complete absence of symptoms) was achieved in 56 and 44% of patients with the new and conventional formulations, respectively, showing a median time to recovery of 10 and 11 days, respectively (p = 0.10 in intention-to-treat analysis, p = 0.07 in per-protocol analysis). In the extrapolated sensitivity analysis, new formulations resulted in a significantly shorter mean time to remission (9.6 vs. 11.0 days, p < 0.001). Among those with an identified respiratory virus, viral clearance until day 10 based on real-time PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs was more frequent with new formulations (70 vs. 53%, p = 0.046). Tolerability and safety (adverse events: 12 vs. 6%, p = 0.19) were good and similar between formulations. There was one severe adverse event with a potential hypersensitivity reaction in a recipient of the novel spray formulation. Conclusion: In adults with acute RTI, new Echinacea formulations with higher doses resulted in faster viral clearance than conventional formulations in prophylactic dosages. The trend for faster clinical recovery was not significant by day 10 but became so upon extrapolation. A dose increase during acute respiratory symptoms might improve the clinical benefits of orally administered Echinacea formulations. Trial registration: The study was registered in the Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP000003069) and on ClinicalTrials.gov (NTC03812900; URL https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03812900?cond=echinacea&draw=3&rank=14).

Hair cortisol: a parameter of chronic stress? Insights from a radiometabolism study in guinea pigs.

Measurement of hair cortisol has become popular in the evaluation of chronic stress in various species. However, a sound validation is still missing. Therefore, deposition of radioactivity in hair and excretion into feces and urine after repeated injection of (3)H-cortisol was studied in guinea pigs (n = 8). Each animal was given intraperitoneally 243.6 kBq (3)H-cortisol/day on 3 successive days. After the first injection, all voided excreta were collected for 3 days. After the second injection, hair was shaved off the animals' back and newly grown hair was obtained on day 7. Following methanol extraction, radiolabeled and unlabeled glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) in fecal and hair samples were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme immunoassays (EIA). In feces, maximum radioactivity was reached 8 h (median) post each injection, whereas maxima in urine were detected in the first samples (median 2.5 h). Metabolites excreted into feces (13.3% ± 3.7) or urine (86.7%) returned nearly to background levels. HPLC of fecal extracts showed minor variation between individuals and sexes. In hair, small amounts of radioactivity were present. However, two EIAs detected large amounts of unlabeled GCM, including high levels at the position of the cortisol standard; radioactivity was absent in this fraction, demonstrating that (3)H-cortisol was metabolized. Furthermore, large amounts of immunoreactivity coinciding with a radioactive peak at the elution position of cortisone were found. These results show for the first time that only small amounts of systemically administered radioactive glucocorticoids are deposited in hair of guinea pigs, while measurement of large amounts of unlabeled GCM strongly suggests local production of glucocorticoids in hair follicles.