SUMMARY Routine laboratory testing may not detect non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) reliably. Active clinical, epidemiological, environmental health, and laboratory collaboration probably influence successful detection and study of non-O157 STEC infection. We summarized two outbreak investigations in which such coordinated efforts identified non-O157 STEC disease and led to effective control measures. Outbreak 1 involved illness associated with consuming unpasteurized apple cider from a local orchard. Public health personnel were notified by a local hospital; stool specimens from ill persons contained O111 STEC. Outbreak 2 involved bloody diarrhoea at a correctional facility. Public health personnel were notified by the facility infection control officer; O45 STEC was the implicated agent. These reports highlight the ability of non-O157 STEC to cause outbreaks and demonstrate that a coordinated effort by clinicians, infection-control practitioners, clinical diagnostic laboratorians, and public health personnel can lead to effective identification, investigation, and prevention of non-O157 STEC disease.

In September 2004, an outbreak of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) was reported among members of a religious community. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on all 175 community members; performed a nasal carriage survey, and environmental swab testing. We identified 24 MRSA cases (attack rate 14%). In multivariate analysis, sauna use [odds ratio (OR) 19.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7-206.1] and antimicrobial use within 12 months before infection (OR 11.7, 95% CI 2.9-47.6) were risk factors for infection. MRSA nasal carriage rate was 0-6% (1/174). Nine of 10 clinical isolates and an isolate from an administrative office within the community had the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type USA300. Targeted hygiene improvement, wound care, and environmental cleaning were implemented. We describe the first reported outbreak of MRSA SSTI in a religious community. Adherence to appropriate personal and environmental hygiene might be critical factors in controlling transmission.

ABSTRACT The largest reported outbreak of waterborne Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the United States occurred in upstate New York following a county fair in August 1999. Culture methods were used to isolate E. coli O157:H7 from specimens from 128 of 775 patients with suspected infections. Campylobacter jejuni was also isolated from stools of 44 persons who developed diarrheal illness after attending this fair. There was one case of a confirmed coinfection with E. coli O157:H7 and C. jejuni. Molecular detection of stx1 and stx2 Shiga toxin genes, immunomagnetic separation (IMS), and selective culture enrichment were utilized to detect and isolate E. coli O157:H7 from an unchlorinated well and its distribution points, a dry well, and a nearby septic tank. PCR for stx1 and stx2 was shown to provide a useful screen for toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7, and IMS subculture improved recovery. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to compare patient and environmental E. coli O157:H7 isolates. Among patient isolates, 117 of 128 (91.5%) were type 1 or 1a (three or fewer bands different). Among the water distribution system isolates, 13 of 19 (68%) were type 1 or 1a. Additionally, PFGE of C. jejuni isolates revealed that 29 of 35 (83%) had indistinguishable PFGE patterns. The PFGE results implicated the water distribution system as the main source of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. This investigation demonstrates the potential for outbreaks involving more than one pathogen and the importance of analyzing isolates from multiple patients and environmental samples to develop a better understanding of bacterial transmission during an outbreak.

The H I environment of the Crab Nebula is investigated using 2.'75 and 9' resolution data from the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory Synthesis and Effelsberg 100 m Radio Telescopes, respectively. No clear evidence for an interaction between the Crab and the surrounding H I is found; the Crab probably lies within the boundaries of a large-scale, low-density void in the H I distribution. The presence of a wind-blown H I bubble near the Crab is confirmed, and it is suggested that the unidentified star that powers this bubble is responsible for the stellar wind material detected along the line of sight toward the Crab.

view Abstract Citations (73) References (17) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS A Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope 327 MHz Survey of the Galactic Plane Taylor, A. R. ; Goss, W. M. ; Coleman, P. H. ; van Leeuwen, J. ; Wallace, B. J. Abstract The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) has been used to survey the Galactic plane region 42^deg^ < l < 92^deg^ at a frequency of 327 MHz. We present images of the emission within |b| < 1.6^deg^ at resolution of 1' x 1' csc δ and detection level as low as 10 mJy beam^-1^. Inspection of the survey image has produced a catalog of nearly 4000 discrete sources with sizes less than about ~3'. The catalog of these sources and FITS files of seven images covering the survey area are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/wsrt_survey.html. Approximately 15% of the sources are resolved, with dimensions of 1'- 3'. The spatial distribution of resolved sources shows concentrations toward the spiral arms and follows the warping of the Galactic disk over the length of the survey region, indicating that a sizable fraction is Galactic. Spectral indices are calculated for 1313 sources detected in other radio surveys at frequencies greater than 408 MHz. The resolved sources exhibit a bimodal spectral index distribution, with distinct nonthermal and thermal populations. Comparison with the IRAS Point Source Catalogue results in 118 identifications between WSRT and IRAS sources. Most of these are thermal radio sources associated with compact Galactic objects such as H II regions and planetary nebulae. A search for variability among 2148 of the compact sources has resulted in 29 candidate low-frequency variable sources. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series Pub Date: November 1996 DOI: 10.1086/192363 Bibcode: 1996ApJS..107..239T Keywords: ISM: H II REGIONS; ISM: PLANETARY NEBULAE: GENERAL; RADIO CONTINUUM: GENERAL; SURVEYS full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (4051) NED (3530) CDS (2) Related Materials (1) Catalog: 1997yCat..21070239T

A survey of the region 44-degrees < l < 90-degrees, \b\ < 1.5-degrees has been nearly completed using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) at 327 MHz. The low frequency, high resolution, and high sensitivity of this survey make it ideal for detecting supernova remnants (SNR's) which previous, primarily single dish, surveys have missed. A total of 24 SNR's have been identified in the survey data, 11 of which are newly discovered. The survey thus nearly doubles the number of known SNR's in this region of the Galactic plane. Because of the characteristics of the survey, these new remnants have lower surface brightness and smaller angular size than previously detected SNR's. Some of the new remnants may be very distant, evolved SNR's. We also note a possible excess of filled-center SNR's in the survey region (compared to the general population).

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