Surveillance outcomes of respiratory pathogen infections during the 2021-2022 season among U.S. Military Health System beneficiaries, October 3, 2021-October 1, 2022.

The Department of Defense Global Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance Program conducts continuous surveillance for influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and other respiratory pathogens at 104 sentinel sites across the globe. These sites submitted 65,475 respiratory specimens for clinical diagnostic testing during the 2021-2022 surveillance season. The predominant influenza strain was influenza A(H3N2) (n=777), of which 99.9% of strains were in clade 3C.2a1b.2a2. A total of 21,466 SARSCoV-2-positive specimens were identified, and 12,225 of the associated viruses were successfully sequenced. The Delta variant predominated at the start of the season, until December 2021, when Omicron became dominant. Most circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses were subsequently held by Omicron sublineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 during the season. Clinical manifestation, obtained through a self-reported questionnaire, found that cough, sinus congestion, and runny nose complaints were the most common symptoms presenting among all pathogens. Sentinel surveillance can provide useful epidemiological data to supplement other disease monitoring activities, and has become increasingly useful with increasing numbers of individuals utilizing COVID-19 rapid self-test kits and reductions in outpatient visits for routine respiratory testing.

Influenza Surveillance Trends and Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Among Department of Defense Beneficiaries During the 2019-2020 Influenza Season.

Laboratory-based influenza surveillance was conducted in the 2019-2020 influenza season among Department of Defense (DoD) beneficiaries through the DoD Global Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance Program (DoDGRS). Sentinel and participating sites submitted 28,176 specimens for clinical diagnostic testing. A total of 5,529 influenza-positive cases were identified. Starting at surveillance week 45 (3-9 November 2019), influenza B was the predominant influenza type, followed by high activity of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 three weeks thereafter. Both influenza B and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 were then highly co-circulated through surveillance week 13 (22-28 March 2020). End-of-season influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated using a test-negative case-control study design. The adjusted end-of-season VE for all beneficiaries, regardless of influenza type or subtype, was 46% (95% confidence interval: 40%-52%). The influenza vaccine was moderately effective against influenza viruses during the 2019-2020 influenza season.

Respiratory pathogen surveillance trends and influenza vaccine effectiveness estimates for the 2018-2019 season among Department of Defense beneficiaries.

This report primarily focuses on the data collected and analyzed from the worldwide network of sentinel military treatment facilities chosen to participate in the Department of Defense Global Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance (DoDGRS) program. Sites that participated in the 2018-2019 DoDGRS program submitted 24,320 respiratory specimens for diagnostic testing. Clinical results showed a total of 5,968 positive influenza cases. In the beginning of the season, starting in surveillance week 48, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was the predominant subtype. The predominant subtype switched to influenza A(H3N2) beginning in week 6 and continued through the end of the season. Influenza B virus detection was less common during the surveillance period (i.e., 1% of total submitted specimens and 5% of total influenza detected). In addition to routine surveillance, the DoDGRS program also conducts vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies twice per year to determine interim and end of season estimates. Overall, the adjusted end of season VE for all dependents regardless of influenza type was 30% (95% CI: 22%-38%).

Keratin-based antimicrobial textiles, films, and nanofibers.

The combination of appealing structural properties, biocompatibility, and the availability of renewable and inexpensive raw materials, make keratin-based materials attractive for a variety of applications. In this paper, we report on the antimicrobial functionalization of keratin-based materials, including wool cloth and regenerated cellulose/keratin composite films and nanofibers. The functionalization of these materials was accomplished utilizing a facile chlorination reaction that converts the nitrogen-bearing moieties of keratin into halamine compounds. Halamine-charged wool cloth exhibited rapid and potent bactericidal activity against several species of bacteria and induced up to a 5.3 log (i.e., 99.9995%) reduction in the colony forming units of Bacillus thuringiensis spores within 10 min. Keratin-containing composites were prepared by the spin coating and coaxial electrospinning of extracted/oxidized alpha-keratin and cellulose acetate (CA) solubilized in formic acid, followed by CA deacetylation. Regenerated cellulose/keratin materials chlorinated to display halamines were also effective in killing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Electrospun core/shell nanofibers engineered to maximize keratin-Cl surface area displayed higher activity against S. aureus than films composed of the same materials. The halamine-based antimicrobial functionalization methods demonstrated for keratin-based materials in this paper are anticipated to translate to other protein biopolymers of interest to the biomaterials community.

Sporicidal/bactericidal textiles via the chlorination of silk.

Bacterial spores, such as those of the Bacillus genus, are extremely resilient, being able to germinate into metabolically active cells after withstanding harsh environmental conditions or aggressive chemical treatments. The toughness of the bacterial spore in combination with the use of spores, such as those of Bacillus anthracis, as a biological warfare agent necessitates the development of new antimicrobial textiles. In this work, a route to the production of fabrics that kill bacterial spores and cells within minutes of exposure is described. Utilizing this facile process, unmodified silk cloth is reacted with a diluted bleach solution, rinsed with water, and dried. The chlorination of silk was explored under basic (pH 11) and slightly acidic (pH 5) conditions. Chloramine-silk textiles prepared in acidified bleach solutions were found to have superior breaking strength and higher oxidative Cl contents than those prepared under caustic conditions. Silk cloth chlorinated for ≥1 h at pH 5 was determined to induce >99.99996% reduction in the colony forming units of Escherichia coli, as well as Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam (B. anthracis simulant) spores and cells within 10 min of contact. The processing conditions presented for silk fabric in this study are highly expeditionary, allowing for the on-site production of protein-based antimicrobial materials from a variety of agriculturally produced feed-stocks.