Emerging Infectious Diseases

During the past 20 years, the global food trade has increased and, with it, the potential for the spread of foodborne illnesses caused by imported foods. The World Health Organization in 2007 implemented new International Health Regulations which help guide reporting of foodborne outbreaks. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Scott McNabb discusses a study in the September 2008 issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases which analyzed foodborne outbreaks in Australia in the early part of this decade and assessed how many would have been reported under the current health regulations.

In this podcast, Ted Pestorius speaks with Dr. Marian McDonald, Associate Director for Minority and Women’s Health at CDC about an article in September 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases on infectious diseases in the homeless. There are an estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide today, and this number is likely to grow. The homeless population is vulnerable to many diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Dr. McDonald discusses why this population is so vulnerable.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that is typically associated with infections in healthcare settings. In the past couple of decades, MRSA has emerged in the community, most often causing skin infections in healthy people who haven't recently been hospitalized. After an increase in community cases in Uruguay in 2004, health officials investigated to learn more about what was happening and found some interesting trends. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Stephen Benoit discusses what they learned, the results of which are published in the August 2008 issue of CDC's journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases.

In this podcast, Dan Rutz speaks with Dr. Manish Patel, a medical officer with the Division of Viral Diseases at CDC, about an article in August 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases reporting on nororviruses. Dr. Patel reviewed 235 studies and identified 31 original studies about noroviruses. Norovirus is the leading cause of epidemic gastroenteritis.

Clostridium difficile is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes serious intestinal illnesses. In recent years, C. difficile infections have been increasing in number and severity, including among some people outside healthcare settings. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Michael Jhung discusses his recent study that looked at a new, increasingly prevalent strain of C. difficile in people and compared it to a strain historically found in animals to see whether the two might be linked. The study is published in the July 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

In this podcast, Dr. Peter Drotman, Editor-In-Chief of the Emerging Infectious Disease journal speaks with Dr. Jim Hughes, about an article in the June 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. They discuss Dr. Joshua Lederberg, globally recognized scientist, educator, national and Presidential scientific advisor, and Nobel Laureate who recently died at the age of 82. Dr Lederberg's early work in bacterial genetics virtually established the discipline of molecular biology, earning him a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 when he was only 33 years old.

In this podcast, Dan Rutz speaks with Dr. Joan Shields, a guest researcher with the Healthy Swimming Program at CDC, about an article in June 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases reporting on the results of a test of swimming pools in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area. Dr. Shields tested 160 pools in metro Atlanta last year for Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These germs cause most recreational water associated outbreaks.

Pneumonia is a common illness that affects millions of people in the United States every year. In some people, particularly the elderly and those who are ill from pre-existing conditions, bacterial pneumonia may follow influenza or even a common cold. Dr. Martin Meltzer, discusses two articles in the May 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases journal about increased pneumonia-related hospitalizations of elderly patients in England.

During the next influenza pandemic, it will take time to develop a vaccine and there may be limited medication to treat or prevent illness. To slow the spread of disease, CDC and other public health officials will likely ask Americans to decrease contact with others through altering work schedules, school dismissals and other measures. Researchers recently surveyed the public to see whether people could follow those recommendations and what kind of impact they might have.

Life at the top of the globe is drastically different. Harsh climate devoid of sunlight part of the year, pockets of extreme poverty, and lack of physical infrastructure interfere with healthcare and public health services. Learn about the challenges of people in the Arctic and how research and the International Polar Year address them.

The possibility of an avian flu pandemic has given Tamiflu attention. Because of fear of a pandemic, this drug has been in high demand. Unfortunately, this demand has prompted production of counterfeit Tamiflu. CDC's Dr. Mike Green discusses a test that is simple and affordable and can test the quality of products purported to be oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

Dengue fever is both endemic and underrecognized along a section of the southern Texas–Mexico border, and low income is a primary risk factor for infection. As part of a special section on Global Poverty and Human Development, Dr. Joan Marie Brunkard discusses a dengue seroprevalence survey in this region and what can be done to help prevent infection and to identify and treat those who are infected.

Deaths related to Clostridium difficile are on the rise in the United States. Matthew Redelings from the Los Angeles County Department of Health discusses the increase and what can be done to prevent this infection.

Smallpox was eradicated more than 25 years ago, but live viruses used in vaccines may have survived to cause animal and human illness today. Dr. Inger Damon, Acting Branch Chief of the Poxvirus and Rabies Branch at CDC, discusses efforts to determine origins and spread of vaccinia viruses in Brazil.

US consumers were warned not to eat raw spinach during a 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, but additional warnings about person-to-person transmission could have reduced bacteria spread. Dr. Martin Meltzer discusses the research methods and findings and the authors' success in presenting them clearly and accurately.