ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated trends in non-Lyme disease tick-borne disease (NLTBI) testing at a national reference laboratory. METHODS: Testing data performed at Quest Diagnostics during 2010 to 2016 were analyzed nationally and at the state level. RESULTS: Testing and positivity for most NLTBIs increased dramatically from 2010 through 2016 based on testing from a large reference laboratory. The number of positive cases, though not as stringent as criteria for public health reporting, generally exceeds that reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The frequency of NLTBI in the US is seasonal but testing activity and positive test results are observed throughout all months of the year. Positive results for NLTBI testing mostly originated from a limited number of states, indicating the geographic concentration and distribution of NLTBIs reported in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This report provides an important complementary source of data to best understand trends in and spread of NLTBI.
Subject(s)
Disease Notification , Tick-Borne Diseases/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anaplasmosis/blood , Anaplasmosis/diagnosis , Babesiosis/blood , Babesiosis/diagnosis , Child , Child, Preschool , Colorado Tick Fever/blood , Colorado Tick Fever/diagnosis , Ehrlichiosis/blood , Ehrlichiosis/diagnosis , Epidemiological Monitoring , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Middle Aged , Relapsing Fever/blood , Relapsing Fever/diagnosis , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/blood , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/diagnosis , Tick-Borne Diseases/blood , Tularemia/blood , Tularemia/diagnosis , Young AdultABSTRACT
A quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for the detection of Colorado Tick Fever (CTF) viral RNA in human clinical samples is presented. The sensitivity of this assay has been shown to be greater than that of the isolation of virus in Vero cells by standard plaque assay in a direct comparison. The specificity of the CTF quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay was determined by the exclusive detection of CTF viral RNAs when applied to a diverse panel of CTF viral isolates and reference strain agents known to circulate in areas of CTF virus transmission. Lastly, the quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay demonstrated exceptional sensitivity for the detection of CTF viral RNA in acute human serum. The quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay is efficient, sensitive and specific and as such is useful for the detection of CTF viral RNA in the diagnostic or research laboratory.
Subject(s)
Colorado Tick Fever/diagnosis , Colorado Tick Fever/virology , Colorado tick fever virus/genetics , Colorado tick fever virus/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Colorado Tick Fever/blood , Humans , RNA, Viral/blood , Sensitivity and Specificity , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Many infections have an impact on the hematologic system. There also are many noninfectious processes associated with abnormalities of the blood and iatrogenic causes such as pharmacologic therapy that also may affect the marrow or circulating cellular elements. Viral disease may impact on one or more components of blood, and familiarity with these associations can assist in anticipating the course of disease and reducing the need to seek out other etiologies for the usually transient hematologic abnormalities that often occur in patients with viral infections.
Subject(s)
Hematologic Diseases/virology , Virus Diseases/complications , Child , Colorado Tick Fever/blood , Colorado Tick Fever/diagnosis , Colorado Tick Fever/physiopathology , Erythema Infectiosum/blood , Erythema Infectiosum/diagnosis , Erythema Infectiosum/physiopathology , HIV Infections/blood , HIV Infections/diagnosis , HIV Infections/physiopathology , Hematologic Diseases/diagnosis , Herpesviridae Infections/blood , Herpesviridae Infections/diagnosis , Herpesviridae Infections/physiopathology , Herpesvirus 4, Human , Humans , Tumor Virus Infections/blood , Tumor Virus Infections/diagnosis , Tumor Virus Infections/physiopathology , Virus Diseases/diagnosisABSTRACT
When a traveler returns from abroad with a febrile illness, clinicians appropriately concern themselves with a potentially vast array of diagnostic exotica. The patient we describe herein did not leave the United States but nevertheless posed the same clinical dilemma after returning home to New York City from the western United States. This case of Colorado tick fever, acquired on the Utah-Colorado border and first expressed in Manhattan, serves as a useful reminder of the importance of taking a careful travel history for national as well as international travelers.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Colorado Tick Fever/diagnosis , Colorado tick fever virus/immunology , Travel , Colorado Tick Fever/blood , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neutralization Tests , New York CitySubject(s)
Colorado Tick Fever/microbiology , Interferons/blood , Reoviridae Infections/microbiology , Adult , Child , Colorado Tick Fever/blood , Colorado Tick Fever/complications , Fever/etiology , Humans , Interferons/biosynthesis , L Cells/microbiology , Leukocyte Count , Leukopenia/etiology , Neutralization Tests , Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virusABSTRACT
Eight patients with Colorado tick fever were studied to determine whether alterations in the production of granulopoietic stimulatory or inhibitory factors (or both) could be found in association with the leukopenic state of the disease. The studies demonstrate that in the patients with Colorado tick fever the mononuclear cell production of colony-stimulating factor is decreased and that there is an increase in circulating inhibitory factors in the serum of such patients. The depressed mononuclear cell colony-stimulating activity does not appear to be reversible by addition of either endotoxin or normal human serum. Characterization of these serum inhibitory factors may facilitate understanding of leukopenia in human disease.
