A Guide to the California Immunization Registry and Its Use to Enhance the Delivery of Immunization Services

Pharmacists in California are assuming a greater role as independent providers of immunizations for children and adults under Senate Bill 493 (SB 493). One of the requirements for pharmacists as independent providers of immunizations in California is that they must report their administered doses to the California immunization registry system (CAIR). The National Vaccine Advisory Committee Standards for Immunization Practice also supports this practice by recommending that all immunizing providers report vaccinations to their local and state immunization information systems (IIS). This document presents background and specific features of CAIR; best practice recommendations for the use of IIS lookup, forecasting, follow-up, and recall; and documentation features to enhance the delivery of immunization services

Evidence of Borrelia Autoimmunity-Induced Component of Lyme Carditis and Arthritis

We investigated the possibility that manifestations of Lyme disease in certain hosts, such as arthritis and carditis, may be autoimmunity mediated due to molecular mimicry between the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and self-components. We first compared amino acid sequences of Streptococcus pyogenes M protein, a known inducer of antibodies that are cross-reactive with myosin, and B. burgdorferi and found significant homologies with OspA protein. We found that S. pyogenes M5-specific antibodies and sera from B. burgdorferi-infected mice reacted with both myosin and B. burgdorferi proteins by Western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To investigate the relationship between self-reactivity and the response to B. burgdorferi, NZB mice, models of autoimmunity, were infected. NZB mice infected with B. burgdorferi developed higher degrees of joint swelling and higher anti-B. burgdorferi immunoglobulin M cross-reactive responses than other strains with identical major histocompatibility complex (DBA/2 and BALB/c). These studies reveal immunological cross-reactivity and suggest that B. burgdorferi may share common epitopes which mimic self-proteins. These implications could be important for certain autoimmunity-susceptible individuals or animals who become infected with B. burgdorferi