Informing the ‘early years’ agenda in Scotland: understanding infant feeding patterns using linked datasets

Background: Providing infants with the ‘best possible start in life’ is a priority for the Scottish Government. This is reflected in policy and health promotion strategies to increase breast feeding, which gives the best source of nutrients for healthy infant growth and development. However, the rate of breast feeding in Scotland remains one of the lowest in Europe. Information is needed to provide a better understanding of infant feeding and its impact on child health. This paper describes the development of a unique population-wide resource created to explore infant feeding and child health in Scotland. Methods: Descriptive and multivariate analyses of linked routine/administrative maternal and infant health records for 731 595 infants born in Scotland between 1997 and 2009. Results: A linked dataset was created containing a wide range of background, parental, maternal, birth and health service characteristics for a representative sample of infants born in Scotland over the study period. There was high coverage and completeness of infant feeding and other demographic, maternal and infant records. The results confirmed the importance of an enabling environment—cultural, family, health service and other maternal and infant health-related factors—in increasing the likelihood to breast feed. Conclusions: Using the linked dataset, it was possible to investigate the determinants of breast feeding for a representative sample of Scottish infants born between 1997 and 2009. The linked dataset is an important resource that has potential uses in research, policy design and targeting intervention programmes

Novel real-time PCR assays for the specific detection of human infective Cryptosporidium species

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite causing gastrointestinal illness. Drinking waterborne outbreaks have been caused by C. hominis, C. parvum and C. cuniculus. Molecular detection techniques already exist for Cryptosporidium and usually target housekeeping genes. We set ourselves the task to identify species-specific genes. These genes are likely to be involved in host parasite interaction and virulence. Three subtelomeric species-specific putative virulence factor genes (Cops-2, Chos-1 and Chos-2) were identified in silico and used to develop novel real-time PCR assays. Our results show that Chos-2 is a suitable target for probe-based assays for the specific detection of C. hominis and C. cuniculus (two very closely related species) and that Cops-2 is a suitable target for specific detection of C. parvum

Sporadic Human Cryptosporidiosis Caused by Cryptosporidium cuniculus, United Kingdom, 2007–2008

To investigate sporadic human cryptosporidiosis trends in the United Kingdom, we tested 3,030 Cryptosporidium spp.–positive fecal samples, submitted for routine typing in 2007–2008, for C. cuniculus. C. cuniculus prevalence was 1.2%; cases were mostly indigenous and occurred across all age groups. Most occurred during August–October and may be linked to exposure opportunities

Swimming Pool-Related Outbreak of a Rare gp60 Subtype of Cryptosporidium hominis, England, October 2016

In October 2016, Public Health England was initially notified of four cases of cryptosporidiosis among users of two swimming pools. We investigated to identify further cases, the outbreak source, and ensure the implementation of appropriate control measures. Probable primary cases had diarrhoea and reported swimming in the pools 1–12 days prior to illness; confirmed cases were verified by the reference laboratory. Secondary cases had contact with primary cases 1–12 days prior to illness. We identified twenty-two cases: eleven were primary (eight confirmed) and eleven were secondary (five confirmed). Four cases were infected with C. parvum (different gp60 subtypes); all were primary and swam at two pools. Seven primary and secondary cases were infected with C. hominis gp60 subtype IdA16, and all were associated one pool. Failings in pool water treatment and management were identified that likely contributed to the load on the filters and their efficiency. Our investigation identified a complex outbreak, with secondary transmission, involving exposures to two swimming pools. C. hominis IdA16 is rare; it has been isolated from only three previous UK cases. We hypothesize that C. hominis cases arose from a common exposure, and the C. parvum cases were likely sporadic. This investigation highlights the value of integrating epidemiology and microbiology to investigate clusters of Cryptosporidium cases, defining the extent of the outbreak and the likely transmission pathways

Multi-locus analysis of human infective Cryptosporidium species and subtypes using ten novel genetic loci

Background: Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrheal illness in a wide range of hosts including humans. Two species, C. parvum and C. hominis are of primary public health relevance. Genome sequences of these two species are available and show only 3-5% sequence divergence. We investigated this sequence variability, which could correspond either to sequence gaps in the published genome sequences or to the presence of species-specific genes. Comparative genomic tools were used to identify putative species-specific genes and a subset of these genes was tested by PCR in a collection of Cryptosporidium clinical isolates and reference strains. Results: The majority of the putative species-specific genes examined were in fact common to C. parvum and C. hominis. PCR product sequence analysis revealed interesting SNPs, the majority of which were species-specific. These genetic loci allowed us to construct a robust and multi-locus analysis. The Neighbour-Joining phylogenetic tree constructed clearly discriminated the previously described lineages of Cryptosporidium species and subtypes. Conclusions: Most of the genes identified as being species specific during bioinformatics in Cryptosporidium sp. are in fact present in multiple species and only appear species specific because of gaps in published genome sequences. Nevertheless SNPs may offer a promising approach to studying the taxonomy of closely related species of Cryptosporidia

Cryptosporidium

The protozoan Cryptosporidium is notorious for its resistance to chlorine disinfection, a mainstay of water treatment. Human infections, mainly of the small intestine, arise from consumption of faecally contaminated food or water, environmental exposure, and person-to-person or animal-to-person spread. Acute gastrointestinal symptoms can be prolonged but are usually self-limiting. Problems arise with immune-deficient, including malnourished, people including chronic diarrhoea, hepato-biliary tree and extra-gastrointestinal site infection, and few options for treatment or prevention exist. Although genomics has enabled refined classification, identification of chemotherapeutic targets and vaccine candidates, and putative factors for host adaption and pathogenesis, their confirmation has been hampered by a lack of biological tools

Effects Of Vaping Nicotine Vs Traditional Cigarette Smoking On Periodontal Patients

Vaping is becoming increasingly popular as an attempt to decrease traditional smoking. Chemicals found in cigarettes are known to be harmful to the periodontium. Nicotine, found in both inhalants, is a vasoconstrictor that causes a reduction in the inflammatory response. This leads to less bleeding and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) flow in those that smoke cigarettes versus those that vape. Due to e-cigarettes new prevalence, additional research is required to understand its long-term effects on periodontitis.https://dune.une.edu/dh_studpost/1014/thumbnail.jp