The Many Hosts of Mycobacteria 8 (MHM8): A conference report.

Mycobacteria are important causes of disease in human and animal hosts. Diseases caused by mycobacteria include leprosy, tuberculosis (TB), nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections and Buruli Ulcer. To better understand and treat mycobacterial disease, clinicians, veterinarians and scientists use a range of discipline-specific approaches to conduct basic and applied research, including conducting epidemiological surveys, patient studies, wildlife sampling, animal models, genetic studies and computational simulations. To foster the exchange of knowledge and collaboration across disciplines, the Many Hosts of Mycobacteria (MHM) conference series brings together clinical, veterinary and basic scientists who are dedicated to advancing mycobacterial disease research. Started in 2007, the MHM series recently held its 8th conference at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NY). Here, we review the diseases discussed at MHM8 and summarize the presentations on research advances in leprosy, NTM and Buruli Ulcer, human and animal TB, mycobacterial disease comorbidities, mycobacterial genetics and 'omics, and animal models. A mouse models workshop, which was held immediately after MHM8, is also summarized. In addition to being a resource for those who were unable to attend MHM8, we anticipate this review will provide a benchmark to gauge the progress of future research concerning mycobacteria and their many hosts.

The AVMA's definitions of antimicrobial uses for prevention, control, and treatment of disease.

Recent state and federal legislative actions and current recommendations from the World Health Organization seem to suggest that, when it comes to antimicrobial stewardship, use of antimicrobials for prevention, control, or treatment of disease can be ranked in order of appropriateness, which in turn has led, in some instances, to attempts to limit or specifically oppose the routine use of medically important antimicrobials for prevention of disease. In contrast, the AVMA Committee on Antimicrobials believes that attempts to evaluate the degree of antimicrobial stewardship on the basis of therapeutic intent are misguided and that use of antimicrobials for prevention, control, or treatment of disease may comply with the principles of antimicrobial stewardship. It is important that veterinarians and animal caretakers are clear about the reason they may be administering antimicrobials to animals in their care. Concise definitions of prevention, control, and treatment of individuals and populations are necessary to avoid confusion and to help veterinarians clearly communicate their intentions when prescribing or recommending antimicrobial use.

Cross-species surveillance of Leptospira in domestic and peri-domestic animals in Mahalla City, Gharbeya Governorate, Egypt.

A survey of 179 animals (black rats, dogs, sheep, buffaloes, cattle, donkeys, weasels, and cats) for Leptospira infection was conducted in Mahalla City (Lower Egypt). Blood, urine, and kidney were collected and tested by culture, microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among rats, 26% were positive by PCR, including 7% that were also positive by culture for L. interrogans serovars Grippotyphosa, Pyrogenes, and Icterohaemorrhagiae. L. borpetersenii serovar Polonica was isolated for the first time in Egypt in three rats. MAT titers ≥ 1:800 were observed in 11% of rats and 12% of dogs. L. interrogans serovar Grippotyphosa was detected in one cat. Sheep and donkeys were negative for leptospirosis by all methods. Buffaloes and cattle were seropositive in 20% and 44% of animals, respectively. Data indicate that several pathogenic serovars are circulating in the animals, which may pose exposure risks and account for high rates of acute febrile illness.

Use of patient-specific Leptospira isolates in the diagnosis of leptospirosis employing microscopic agglutination testing (MAT).

Given the protean manifestations of leptospirosis, adequate laboratory support for diagnosis is necessary. Traditionally, the gold standard is the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using a panel of Leptospira isolates representing a broad range of serogroups and serovars. It has been proposed that screening with serovars circulating in a region would enhance test performance. We assessed the diagnostic usefulness of MAT using both regionally obtained clinical Leptospira isolates and the specific isolates recovered from the tested patients. Serum obtained from 41 acute febrile patients (obtained on average 7.2 days [SD±5.2] after onset of fever) was tested using a standard panel of 24 serovars along with regional isolates recovered from human and animal blood cultures from different regions in Egypt and a patient's own isolate, if available, to establish additional MAT panels. Serum samples tested by a standard 24 panel with a cut-off of >1:800 revealed five patients with positive serology. Only one patient had a positive result using a regional panel or patient's own culture developed MAT. However, the serovar with the highest titers did not match the cultured serovar. Region-specific MATs did not appear to be reliable in detection of infection or in identifying the infecting serovar.

Concurrent infections in acute febrile illness patients in Egypt.

We report the occurrence of concurrent infections with multiple acute febrile illness (AFI) pathogens during an ongoing prospective laboratory-based surveillance in four infectious disease hospitals in urban and rural areas of Egypt from June 2005 to August 2006. Patients were screened for Leptospira, Rickettsia typhi, Brucella, or Salmonella enterica serogroup Typhi by various methods including serology, culture, and PCR. One hundred eighty-seven of 1,510 patients (12.4%) evaluated had supporting evidence for the presence of co-infections; 20 (1%) of these patients had 2 or more pathogens based upon confirmatory 4-fold rise in antibody titer, culture, and/or PCR. Most coinfected patients lived or worked in rural agricultural areas. The high coinfection rates suggest that defining the etiologies of AFI is imperative in guiding proper disease treatment, prevention, and control strategies in Egypt.

Differentiation of tuberculous meningitis from acute bacterial meningitis using simple clinical and laboratory parameters.

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is still a major cause of serious illness in many parts of the world. The newer diagnostic tests and neuroimaging methods are unlikely to be available in many developing countries. We attempt to identify simple parameters for early diagnosis. A retrospective study was performed to compare the clinical and laboratory features of cultured-confirmed, TBM (134) and other bacterial meningitis (709). Features independently predictive of TBM were studied by multivariate logistic regression to develop a diagnostic rule. Six features were found predictive: length of clinical history >5 days, headache, total cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count of <1000/mm3, clear appearance of CSF, lymphocyte proportion of >30%, and protein content of >100 mg/dL. Application of 3 or more parameters revealed 93% sensitivity and 77% specificity. Applying this diagnostic rule can help in the early diagnosis of TBM, in both children and adults.

Head and neck cancer associated with herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 and other risk factors.

We investigated whether herpes simplex viruses, HSV-1 and HSV-2, are cofactors of head and neck cancer (HNC) in association with tobacco, alcohol, or HPV-16 infection. The study included 164 HNC cases and 295 controls. Serologic tests were used to distinguish HSV-1 and HSV-2. Antibodies to anti-VLP HPV-16 and HPV-16 E6 and E7 were evaluated by ELISA. After adjusting for age, tobacco, alcohol use, and number of sexual partners, risk of cancer was not significantly increased in those with HSV-1 [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.7] or HSV-2 (OR=0.8) compared to HSV-negative patients. Although heavy use of tobacco, alcohol and HPV-16 infection was associated with an increased risk of HNC, the adjusted risk among those infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2 lowered the odds compared to those who were not infected. Heavy smokers (OR=1.7) and heavy drinkers infected with HSV-1 (OR=4.2) or HSV-2 (smokers: OR=1.6; drinkers: OR=3.2) had lower odds compared to seronegative HSV-1 heavy users (smokers: OR=2.5; drinkers: OR=5.5) or HSV-2 (smokers: OR=1.9; drinkers: OR=6.2). Those seropositive to HPV-16 E6 and/or E7 but not HSV-1 (OR=27.4) or HSV-2 (OR=18.0) had higher risk of HNC compared to those infected with HSV-1 (OR=16.7) or HSV-2 (not estimable). These findings suggest that seropositivity to HSV-1 and HSV-2, although not independent risk factors for HNC, may modify the risk of HNC associated with exposure to tobacco, alcohol, or HPV-HR.