Prospectus, January 20, 1987

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1987/1001/thumbnail.jp

Estimativa rápida participativa como ferramenta de diagnóstico na Estratégia Saúde da Família

A estimativa rápida constitui-se ferramenta apropriada ao planejamento estratégico situacional para equipes de Saúde da Família, possibilitando a análise da situação de saúde do território, considerando a perspectiva dos diferentes atores sociais envolvidos na construção da realidade local. O presente estudo apresenta dados coletados no município de Pinhalzinho, oeste de Santa Catarina, por meio do Sistema de Informações da Atenção Básica (SIAB), oficinas com crianças e adolescentes de escolas locais, grupos de gestantes, idosos, hipertensos e diabéticos, bem como entrevistas com 11 lideranças e observação em campo, buscando identificar problemas e potencialidades que influenciam a saúde. Agentes comunitárias participaram do processo por meio de oito oficinas, que resultaram na construção de mapas físicos contemplando situações de interesse para o diagnóstico de saúde. Os resultados foram organizados a partir das seguintes dimensões: a) composição e capacidade de agir da população; b) fatores que influenciam as condições de vida e de saúde da comunidade; c) existência, cobertura, acesso e aceitabilidade de serviços de saúde, ambientais e sociais; e d) políticas públicas favoráveis e controle social na saúde. A estimativa rápida promove maior participação da comunidade no planejamento, mas também a intersetorialidade, gerando maior diálogo entre envolvidos e favorecendo a definição de ações e estratégias de promoção da saúde

The Eco-Epidemiology of Pacific Coast Tick Fever in California

Rickettsia philipii (type strain “Rickettsia 364D”), the etiologic agent of Pacific Coast tick fever (PCTF), is transmitted to people by the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis. Following the first confirmed human case of PCTF in 2008, 13 additional human cases have been reported in California, more than half of which were pediatric cases. The most common features of PCTF are the presence of at least one necrotic lesion known as an eschar (100%), fever (85%), and headache (79%); four case-patients required hospitalization and four had multiple eschars. Findings presented here implicate the nymphal or larval stages of D. occidentalis as the primary vectors of R. philipii to people. Peak transmission risk from ticks to people occurs in late summer. Rickettsia philipii DNA was detected in D. occidentalis ticks from 15 of 37 California counties. Similarly, non-pathogenic Rickettsia rhipicephali DNA was detected in D. occidentalis in 29 of 38 counties with an average prevalence of 12.0% in adult ticks. In total, 5,601 ticks tested from 2009 through 2015 yielded an overall R. philipii infection prevalence of 2.1% in adults, 0.9% in nymphs and a minimum infection prevalence of 0.4% in larval pools. Although most human cases of PCTF have been reported from northern California, acarological surveillance suggests that R. philipii may occur throughout the distribution range of D. occidentalis

Analysis of a poultry slaughter process: influence of process stages on the microbiological contamination of broiler carcasses

In a large-scale Swiss poultry abattoir, a microbiological process analysis of broiler carcasses was performed. At each selected process stage (scalding, plucking, evisceration, washing, and chilling), 90 carcasses from 30 flocks were sampled and examined for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and extended-spectrum β- lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae. With regard to Campylobacter counts on carcasses, plucking tended to slightly increase the results (on average by 0.4 log CFU/g), whereas mean counts from plucked and chilled carcasses were comparable (3.1 log CFU/g after plucking, 3.0 log CFU/g in the chiller). The Campylobacter results of chilled carcasses are thereby likely to comply with the newly defined requirements of the European Union (process hygiene criterion for Campylobacter). With regard to Escherichia coli and Enterobacteriaceae counts on carcasses, plucking clearly reduced the results (on average by 0.8 and 0.9 log CFU/g), whereas mean counts from plucked and chilled carcasses were comparable (3.4 and 3.5 log CFU/g after plucking, 3.4 log CFU/g in the chiller). In contrast, Salmonella spp. were not detected on broiler carcasses and extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae only rarely (1.8%). Such abattoir-specific data are of central importance for assessment of slaughter process performance and if necessary for the implementation of effective measures in the slaughter process

Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated during 2011-2013 from human infections in Switzerland

Listeria monocytogenes, an emerging foodborne pathogen, can cause in the population at risk severe infections that are associated with high case fatality rates. A total of 93 L. monocytogenes strains isolated from different patients in Switzerland from July 2011 to September 2013 were further characterized. Septicemia was reported for 74.2% of the patients, meningitis for 10.8% and abortion for 3.2%. The majority of the strains belonged to serotype 1/2a (n=58) followed by serotype 4b (n=28), 1/2b (n=5) and 1/2c (n=2). The strains represented 35 MLST sequence types (ST), 8 of which were designated for the first time. Sequence analysis of the inlA gene in the 35 sequence types showed that most of the strains encoded full-length proteins. Screening for Listeriolysin S showed the presence of this virulence factor in 29 of the 33 genetic lineage I strains. By using ApaI and AscI for PFGE, most strains showed distinguishable patterns. Charakterisierung von humanen Listeria monocytogenes Stämmen isoliert im Zeitraum von 2011 bis 2013 aus Patienten in der Schweiz Zusammenfassung Listeria monocytogenes, ein bedeutender Lebensmittelinfektionserreger, kann in Risikopopulationen schwerwiegende Infektionen, welche mit einer hohen Letalität verbunden sind, verursachen. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden insgesamt 93 L. monocytogenes Stämme, die von Juli 2011 bis September 2013 aus Listeriosepatienten in der Schweiz isoliert wurden, weitergehend charakterisiert. Anamnestisch zeigten 74.2% der Patienten Septikämien, 10.8% Meningitiden und 3.2% Aborte. Die Mehrheit der Stämme gehörte zum Serotyp 1/2a (n=58), gefolgt von den Serotypen 4b (n=28), 1/2b (n=5) und 1/2c (n=2). Die Stämme repräsentierten 35 MLST Sequenz Typen (ST), von denen 8 zum ersten Mal beschrieben wurden. Eine Sequenzanalyse des Virulenzfaktors inlA bei Stämmen der 35 unterschiedlichen ST zeigte für die meisten Stämme intakte Gene, die Internalin in seiner vollen Länge kodieren. Listeriolysin S, ein weiterer Virulenzfaktor, wurde in 29 der zur genetischen Abstammungslinie I gehörenden 33 Stämmen nachgewiesen. Unter Anwendung von ApaI und AscI als Restriktionsenzyme für die PFGE wiesen die meisten Stämme unterscheidbare Muster auf. Schlüsselwörter: Infektion mit Listeria monocytogenes; Serotyp; MLST; Virulenzfaktore

High-resolution subtyping of Staphylococcus aureus strains by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of serious illnesses in humans and animals. Subtyping of S. aureus isolates plays a crucial role in epidemiological investigations. Metabolic fingerprinting by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is commonly used to identify microbes at species as well as subspecies level. In this study, we aimed to assess the suitability of FTIR spectroscopy as a tool for S. aureus subtyping. To this end, we compared the subtyping performance of FTIR spectroscopy to other subtyping methods such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and spa typing in a blinded experimental setup and investigated the ability of FTIR spectroscopy for identifying S. aureus clonal complexes (CC). A total of 70 S. aureus strains from human, animal, and food sources were selected, for which clonal complexes and a unique virulence and resistance gene pattern had been determined by DNA microarray analysis. FTIR spectral analysis resulted in high discriminatory power similar as obtained by spa typing and PFGE. High directional concordance was found between FTIR spectroscopy based subtypes and capsular polysaccharide expression detected by FTIR spectroscopy and the cap specific locus, reflecting strain specific expression of capsular polysaccharides and/or other surface glycopolymers, such as wall teichoic acid, peptidoglycane, and lipoteichoic acid. Supervised chemometrics showed only limited possibilities for differentiation of S. aureus CC by FTIR spectroscopy with the exception of CC45 and CC705. In conclusion, FTIR spectroscopy represents a valuable tool for S. aureus subtyping, which complements current molecular and proteomic strain typing

Effects of slaughter operations on the microbiological contamination of broiler carcasses in three abattoirs

Broiler carcasses from three abattoirs were examined at selected stages of slaughter for indicator bacteria and Campylobacter spp. (pooled neck and breast skin samples). Before scalding, total viable counts (TVC) and Campylobacter counts from carcasses (n = 48) averaged out at 7.7 log CFU/g and 3.6 log CFU/g, respectively. After scalding (n = 90 at this and the following stages in each abattoir), mean values from the abattoirs ranged from 6.0 to 6.5 log CFU/g for TVC and 2.3 to 3.3 log CFU/g for Campylobacter. The abattoir-specific differences were probably related to varying scalding parameters (temperature/time exposition). Plucking reduced TVC (on average by 1.5 log CFU/g), whereas Campylobacter counts slightly increased. Enterobacteriaceae/Escherichia coli counts from plucked carcasses of the three abattoirs ranged from 2.9 to 3.3 log CFU/g. After evisceration, washing and chilling, minor changes occurred, albeit certain abattoir-specific effects were evident. In the chiller, mean TVC, Enterobacteriaceae/E. coli counts and Campylobacter counts from the abattoirs ranged from 4.2 to 4.4 log CFU/g, 2.8 to 3.5 log CFU/g and 2.5 to 3.4 log CFU/g, respectively. Such abattoir-specific data form the basis for implementing targeted and sustainable measures at selected stages of the poultry slaughter process (cost-benefit analysis)

Performance of the Assurance GDS® assay for the detection of L. monocytogenes in pure cultures and spiked food samples

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen with significant impacts on public health and economy worldwide. Reliable and fast detection of L. monocytogenes is of major importance for both diagnostic laboratories and the food industry. The current study evaluated the performance of the Assurance GDS® assay for the detection of L. monocytogenes in pure cultures and spiked food samples. In the pure culture experiments, the Assurance GDS® assay for Listeria monocytogenes accurately detected the target strains of different serotypes and was correctly negative for a variety of other Listeria species. For reliable detection of L. monocytogenes in pure culture experiments, colony counts >105 cfu/ml were required, which emphasizes the need for an adequate enrichment step. The challenge test experiments (steak tartare, bologna type sausage, Gorgonzola cheese) using a one-broth enrichment strategy showed that the Assurance GDS® assay reliably detected L. monocytogenes after 16 h of enrichment in Half-Fraser broth, provided that spiking levels of the different matrices were ≥102 cfu/g. Depending of the food matrix, longer incubation times of 24 h or 48 h were required when the initial spiking level was <102 cfu/g, as to be expected in a proportion of naturally contaminated food products. Thus, the Assurance GDS® Listeria monocytogenes assay has proven to be a reliable and easy to handle, rapid test system for the specific detection of L. monocytogenes. This system is a suitable tool for generating microbiological results used for a “positive batch release”, especially for RTE foods with short shelf lives. However, longer enrichment times (24 h or 48 h) are required in a one-broth enrichment strategy, when the contamination level of the food matrix is low (<102 cfu/g)

Local outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b sequence type 6 due to contaminated meat pâté

In January and February 2016, five cases of confirmed and two cases of probable infection due to Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b, sequence type (ST) 6 belonging to a single pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pulsotype pattern were registered in a region of southern Switzerland. L. monocytogenes was detected in blood samples (four cases) and pleural fluid (one case). Furthermore, L. monocytogenes 4b ST6 was detected in a stool sample of an asymptomatic person exposed to a common food. Forthwith, the food safety authority and a local gourmet meat producer reported L. monocytogenes contamination of meat pâté. Analysis of further food and environmental samples from the premises of the producer yielded isolates matching the clinical strains and confirmed the presence of L. monocytogenes 4b ST6 in the mincing machine as the cause of the food contamination

Salmonella enterica serovar Szentes, a rare serotype causing a 9-month outbreak in 2013 and 2014 in Switzerland

During the summer of 2013, an increase of Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serovar Szentes isolates from human clinical cases was registered by the Swiss National Centre for Enteropathogenic Bacteria and Listeria. In the course of the ensuing 9 months, 18 isolates originating from 13 patients and from one food sample were collected. Of the 13 human cases, 10 (77%) were female. The patients' ages ranged from 27 to 83 years (median age 49 years). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) performed with XbaI, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were used to type the strains. PFGE as well as MLST showed the strains as indistinguishable. The PFGE pattern and MLST sequence type (ST427) were identical to those of Salmonella enterica serovar Szentes isolated in previous years (2002-2013) from sporadic cases in Switzerland and Germany. The increased isolation frequency continued for 6 months after the detection of Salmonella Szentes in sprouts. No common food exposure could be established. Due to lack of information on the potential food source, further investigations were not possible. The outbreak of this unusual serotype was detected because of its temporal clusterin