Iatrogenic transmission of human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 and hepatitis C virus through parenteral treatment and chemoprophylaxis of sleeping sickness in colonial Equatorial Africa.

BACKGROUND: The simultaneous emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 group M and HIV-2 into human populations, circa 1921-1940, is attributed to urbanization and changes in sexual behavior. We hypothesized that the initial dissemination of HIV-1, before sexual transmission predominated, was facilitated by the administration, via reusable syringes and needles, of parenteral drugs against tropical diseases. As proxies for highly lethal HIV-1, we investigated risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human T cell lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) infections, blood-borne viruses compatible with prolonged survival, in an area known in 1936-1950 as the most virulent focus of African trypanosomiasis. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of individuals 55 years and older in Mbimou land and Nola, Central African Republic. Dried blood spots were used for HCV and HTLV-1 serologic testing and nucleic acid detection. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were measured by logistic regression. RESULTS: The only risk factor for HCV genotype 4 infection was treatment of trypanosomiasis before 1951 (OR, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.38-7.09). HTLV-1 infection was associated with having received 2 injections of pentamidine for trypanosomiasis chemoprophylaxis (adjusted OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.01-4.06) and with transfusions (adjusted OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.04-7.67). From historical data, we predicted that 59% of Mbimous 65 years and older would report treatment for trypanosomiasis before 1951; only 11% did so. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of trypanosomiasis before 1951 may have caused iatrogenic HCV transmission. Population-wide half-yearly intramuscular pentamidine for trypanosomiasis chemoprophylaxis in 1947-1953 may have caused iatrogenic HTLV-1 transmission. These and other interventions against tropical diseases could have iatrogenically transmitted SIV(cpz), jump-starting the HIV-1 epidemic. The excess mortality among patients with trypanosomiasis treated before 1951 supports this hypothesis.

Performance of an agar dilution method and a Vitek 2 card for detection of inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus spp.

The D-zone test detects inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus spp. Two other methods not described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) are available to test for this resistance mechanism: an agar dilution method and new Vitek 2 cards. This study evaluated the performance of both methods in detecting inducible clindamycin resistance. Nonduplicate clinical strains of Staphylococcus spp. (111 Staphylococcus aureus and 52 coagulase-negative staphylococcus strains), intermediate or resistant to erythromycin but susceptible to clindamycin, were obtained from three hospitals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Molecular analysis to detect resistance genes was conducted on all strains. A Mueller-Hinton agar containing 1 mg of erythromycin and 0.5 mg of clindamycin/liter was used for the dilution method, and two inocula were tested: 10(4) and 10(5) CFU per spot. Plates were read at 24 and 48 h. The Vitek 2 AST-P580 card was used according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The results were compared to those of the D-zone test. The D-zone test was positive in 134 of 163 (82%) strains. With the 10(4) CFU inoculum, the sensitivities were 84 and 99% at 24 and 48 h, respectively. The 10(5) CFU inoculum increased the sensitivities at 24 and 48 h to 91 and 100%, respectively. The specificity was 100% for the 10(4) CFU inoculum at 24 h and 97% for the other combinations. The sensitivity and specificity for the Vitek 2 card were 93 and 100%, respectively. The performance of both the agar dilution method and the Vitek 2 card was good, but these methods were not as sensitive as the D-zone test at 24 h.

Utility of the germ tube test for direct identification of Candida albicans from positive blood culture bottles.

We compared the germ tube test for the direct identification of Candida albicans from positive blood culture bottles, with results obtained from subcultured colonies. The direct germ tube test was 87.1% sensitive and 100% specific for the identification of C. albicans when the results obtained from fungal colonies were compared.

Autotransporter-encoding sequences are phylogenetically distributed among Escherichia coli clinical isolates and reference strains.

Autotransporters are secreted bacterial proteins exhibiting diverse virulence functions. Various autotransporters have been identified among Escherichia coli associated with intestinal or extraintestinal infections; however, the specific distribution of autotransporter sequences among a diversity of E. coli strains has not been investigated. We have validated the use of a multiplex PCR assay to screen for the presence of autotransporter sequences. Herein, we determined the presence of 13 autotransporter sequences and five allelic variants of antigen 43 (Ag43) among 491 E. coli isolates from human urinary tract infections, diarrheagenic E. coli, and avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) and E. coli reference strains belonging to the ECOR collection. Clinical isolates were also classified into established phylogenetic groups. The results indicated that Ag43 alleles were significantly associated with clinical isolates (93%) compared to commensal isolates (56%) and that agn43K12 was the most common and widely distributed allele. agn43 allelic variants were also phylogenetically distributed. Sequences encoding espC, espP, and sepA and agn43 alleles EDL933 and RS218 were significantly associated with diarrheagenic E. coli strains compared to other groups. tsh was highly associated with APEC strains, whereas sat was absent from APEC. vat, sat, and pic were associated with urinary tract isolates and were identified predominantly in isolates belonging to either group B2 or D of the phylogenetic groups based on the ECOR strain collection. Overall, the results indicate that specific autotransporter sequences are associated with the source and/or phylogenetic background of strains and suggest that, in some cases, autotransporter gene profiles may be useful for comparative analysis of E. coli strains from clinical, food, and environmental sources.