Economic analysis of CDC's culture- and smear-based tuberculosis instructions for Filipino immigrants.

SETTING: In 2007, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its tuberculosis (TB) technical instructions for panel physicians who administer mandatory medical examinations among US-bound immigrants. Many US-bound immigrants come from the Philippines, a high TB prevalence country. OBJECTIVE: To quantify economic and health impacts of smear- vs. culture-based TB screening. DESIGN: Decision tree modeling was used to compare three Filipino screening programs: 1) no screening, 2) smear-based screening, and 3) culture-based screening. The model incorporated pre-departure TB screening results from Filipino panel physicians and CDC databases with post-arrival follow-up outcomes. Costs (2013 $US) were examined from societal, immigrant, US Public Health Department and hospitalization perspectives. RESULTS: With no screening, an annual cohort of 35 722 Filipino immigrants would include an estimated 450 TB patients with 264 hospitalizations, at a societal cost of US$9.90 million. Culture-based vs. smear-based screening would result in fewer imported cases (80.9 vs. 310.5), hospitalizations (19.7 vs. 68.1), and treatment costs (US$1.57 million vs. US$4.28 million). Societal screening costs, including US follow-up, were greater for culture-based screening (US$5.98 million) than for smear-based screening (US$3.38 million). Culture-based screening requirements increased immigrant costs by 61% (US$1.7 million), but reduced costs for the US Public Health Department (22%, US$750 000) and of hospitalization (70%, US$1 020 000). CONCLUSION: Culture-based screening reduced imported TB and US costs among Filipino immigrants.

Lipoxygenase Activation in Peanut Seed Cultivars Resistant and Susceptible to Aspergillus parasiticus Colonization.

Accumulative evidence indicates that the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway plays a significant role in the Aspergillus-seed interaction, such as interfering with activities of endogenous fungal oxylipins or producing antimicrobial compounds and signaling molecules. In this study, we characterized the LOX pathway in peanut seed during Aspergillus parasiticus colonization in a model of two cultivars distinguished as resistant ('PI337394') and susceptible ('Florman INTA') to Aspergillus spp. infection and aflatoxin contamination. The LOX activity together with the content of LOX substrate and LOX products demonstrated the presence of a differential response mechanism to A. parasiticus infection between cultivars. Our findings suggest that this mechanism is under transcriptional control of previously identified (LOX 2 and LOX 3) and novel (LOX 4 and LOX 5) LOX genes. The results of this study support the role of these enzymes in defense during fungus infection in peanut seed.

A candidate gene survey of quantitative trait loci affecting chemical composition in tomato fruit.

In tomato, numerous wild-related species have been demonstrated to be untapped sources of valuable genetic variability, including pathogen-resistance genes, nutritional, and industrial quality traits. From a collection of S. pennellii introgressed lines, 889 fruit metabolic loci (QML) and 326 yield-associated loci (YAL), distributed across the tomato genome, had been identified previously. By using a combination of molecular marker sequence analysis, PCR amplification and sequencing, analysis of allelic variation, and evaluation of co-response between gene expression and metabolite composition traits, the present report, provides a comprehensive list of candidate genes co-localizing with a subset of 106 QML and 20 YAL associated either with important agronomic or nutritional characteristics. This combined strategy allowed the identification and analysis of 127 candidate genes located in 16 regions of the tomato genome. Eighty-five genes were cloned and partially sequenced, totalling 45,816 and 45,787 bases from S. lycopersicum and S. pennellii, respectively. Allelic variation at the amino acid level was confirmed for 37 of these candidates. Furthermore, out of the 127 gene-metabolite co-locations, some 56 were recovered following correlation of parallel transcript and metabolite profiling. Results obtained here represent the initial steps in the integration of genetic, genomic, and expressional patterns of genes co-localizing with chemical compositional traits of the tomato fruit.

Aedes aegypti in Córdoba Province, Argentina.

In 1955, the area infested by Aedes aegypti in Argentina was estimated as 1,500,000 km2; and in 1963, the species was considered to be eradicated from Argentina. In 1995, the Argentine Ministry of Health reported reinfestation by Ae. aegypti. During 1994-95, the Ministry of Health of Córdoba Province, Zoonosis Department, established a surveillance system for Ae. aegypti in Córdoba Province, Argentina. This report is a summary of results obtained thus far. In total, 74 localities in Córdoba Province were sampled during August 1994-April 1996, resulting in 5 positives (6.7%): Villa María city, Villa Nueva, and Córdoba city in 1995, and Juarez Celman and Jesús María in 1996. In Villa María and Villa Nueva, Ae. aegypti was present until June 1995 (autumn) and reappeared in December 1995. In Córdoba city, Ae. aegypti was eliminated from the only positive house in May 1995, but it reappeared in March 1996. Reappearance of Ae. aegypti in this temperate area in early summer may have been due to the survival of individuals during winter and not to reintroduction during summertime. The last previous active surveillance for Ae. aegypti in Córdoba Province was carried out more than 30 years ago.