Campylobacteriosis outbreak associated with consumption of undercooked chicken liver pâté in the East of England, September 2011: identification of a dose-response risk.

A foodborne outbreak with 49 cases (22 culture positive for Campylobacter sp.) following a wedding party in the East of England was investigated. A retrospective cohort study identified an association between consumption of chicken liver pâté and infection with Campylobacter jejuni/coli. There was a statistically significant association between dose (amount of chicken liver pâté eaten) and the risk of disease ['tasted': odds ratio (OR) 1·5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·04-∞; 'partly eaten': OR 8·4, 95% CI 1·4-87·5; 'most or all eaten': OR 36·1, 95% CI 3·3-2119). The local authority found evidence that the preparation of chicken livers breached Food Standards Agency's guidelines. This epidemiological investigation established a clear dose-response relationship between consumption of chicken liver pâté and the risk of infection with Campylobacter. The continuing need to raise public awareness of the risk to human health posed by undercooked chicken liver is evident.

Typing of Aeromonas spp. by numerical analysis of immunoblotted SDS-PAGE gels.

One hundred and three isolates of Aeromonas spp., collected from both environmental sources and patients, were examined by SDS-PAGE of whole cells followed by immunoblotting with polyclonal rabbit antiserum raised against whole cells of A. sobria. All isolates were typable, yielding 15-20 well separated bands. Reproducibility of the technique was good and discrimination excellent, yielding 30 types amongst 103 isolates. Immunoblot type was not related to biochemical phenotype. Attempts to correlate immunoblot type with serotype were unsuccessful because only 42% of the strains tested could be serotyped.

Neonatal group B streptococcal infection in South Bedfordshire, 1993-1998.

BACKGROUND: Group B streptococcus (GBS) is now the leading cause of neonatal bacterial sepsis in the western world. The incidence of GBS infection in the United States has been determined, and guidelines produced and implemented for the prevention of neonatal infection. Neither incidence nor guidelines are currently established in the United Kingdom. AIM: To define the pattern of neonatal infection within one hospital (Luton and Dunstable Hospital). METHOD: A six year retrospective analysis was performed. RESULT: An incidence of early onset GBS of 1.15 per 1000 deliveries, comparable with that documented in the United States, was found.

Tuberculosis of the breast: experience of a UK breast clinic serving an ethnically diverse population.

Tuberculosis (TB) of the breast is an uncommon disease in the West but its incidence is likely to increase. Five cases of breast tuberculosis are presented. The diagnosis and management of this condition are discussed.

Evaluation of internal dose to members of the public at the Kaiga site, India, due to the ingestion of primordial radionuclide 40K.

Four 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors are under operation at Kaiga in the state of Karnataka in India. Environmental radiological survey of the surrounding areas of the Kaiga site is carried out by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. The estimated dose to the members of the public due to ingestion of radioactive isotope of potassium, a natural radionuclide, in the surroundings of the Kaiga site is 136 µSv (13.6 mrem) per year. The value indicates that the dose to the public due to operation of the nuclear reactors in Kaiga is insignificant in comparison with the dose due to unavoidable natural radioactivity.

Transfer coefficient of 137Cs from feed to cow milk in tropical region Kaiga, India.

In the transport model for the prediction of the concentration of (137)Cs in milk, the transfer coefficient from feed to milk, F(m), is an important parameter. Site-specific transfer coefficient from feed to cow's milk, for (137)Cs in the Kaiga environment, a nuclear power station site in India, determined over a period of 10 y is presented in this paper. The value is determined from (137)Cs concentration in milk and grass samples of the Kaiga region and the result ranged from 6.43E-03 to 1.09E-02 d l(-1) with a geometric mean value of 8.0E-03 d l(-1). The result is compared with that for (40)K, determined concurrently at the same region and ranged from 3.06E-03 to 3.48E-03 d l(-1) with a geometric mean value of 3.26E-03 d l(-1). This parameter is quite useful in decision-making for implementing countermeasures during a large area contamination with (137)Cs in tropical areas like Kaiga.

Vertebral osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Vertebral osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus epidermidis is extremely rare and usually occurs in the context of immunosuppression in association with an adequate portal of entry for infection. This paper reports a case of vertebral osteomyelitis due to S. epidermidis in a man with no evidence of immunosuppression or obvious portal of entry. The patient presented with severe back pain but there were no clinical signs of infection. Radiographs and computerized tomographs showed destruction of thoracic vertebral bodies and an adjacent soft tissue mass. S. epidermidis was grown from multiple blood cultures. All isolates had identical antibiograms and biochemical profiles. There was evidence of healing of the vertebral bodies and resolution of the soft tissue mass after appropriate antistaphylococcal treatment.

Enterotoxic effects of Aeromonas sobria haemolysin in a rat jejunal perfusion system identified by specific neutralization with a monoclonal antibody.

Investigations into the pathogenesis of Aeromonas diarrhoea have demonstrated that several different cell-free products of motile aeromonads show enterotoxic activity in suckling mouse, rat, and rabbit assay systems. The relative contributions made by separate cytotoxic and cytotonic activities in the mixture produced by in vitro culture remains unresolved. Using a modified rat jejunal perfusion assay, we have studied the effects of A. sobria culture filtrates containing defined levels of haemolytic and cytotoxic activity and immunoreactivity for anti-cholera toxin. This material induced net water, potassium, and sodium loss with a rapid onset (less than 5 min) that was readily differentiated from the effects of purified cholera toxin (greater than 15 min). In filtrates containing up to 128 haemolytic and cytotoxic units of activity, the enterotoxic activity was neutralized by an anti-haemolysin/cytotoxin monoclonal antibody. No specific histological changes could be found in preparations perfused with enterotoxic material for up to 65 min. These findings indicate that the cytotoxic/haemolytic component of A. sobria culture filtrate is the dominant enterotoxic activity.