This study evaluated the distribution of antibodies against 4 human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes and their related factors among Uygur women in Xinjiang. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2006 to May 2007 involving 883 Uygur women aged 17–54 years living in Yutian County. Demographic indicators, disease history, sexual behavior history, and other parameters were recorded at the interview using a questionnaire. A fluorescence detection method was used to quantify anti-HPV6, -11, -16, and -18 antibodies in venous blood serum. The rate of positive detection of any anti-HPV antibody (anti-HPV6, -11, -16, and -18) in the study population was 13.4%, and the individual positivity rates were 9.5%, 2.6%, 4.3%, and 0.7%, respectively. Peak rates of positivity for the anti-HPV16 antibody were found in women who were 36–40 and 46–50 years old. Seroprevalence of HPV16, which is high-risk for cervical cancer, was associated with the numbers of sexual partners. The rate of infection with high-risk HPV was low among Uygur women from rural areas, although there is a high incidence of cervical cancer in this group. Loyalty to one sexual partner decreased the risk of high-risk HPV infection. This study may provide useful reference data for the prevention and treatment of HPV and cervical cancer and for the application of HPV vaccines.

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Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is highly endemic in mainland China, where human cases account for 90% of the total global cases. Zibo City is one of the most seriously affected areas in Shandong Province, China. Therefore, there is an urgent need for monitoring and predicting HFRS incidence in Zibo to make the control of HFRS more effective. In this study, we constructed an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model for monthly HFRS incidence in Zibo from 2004 to 2013. The ARIMA (3,1,1) × (2,1,1)₁₂ model is reliable with a high validity, which can be used to predict the next year's HFRS incidence in Zibo. The forecast results suggest that the HFRS incidence in Zibo will experience a slight growth in the next year.

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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract disease in pediatric patients. Our goal was to obtain a detailed understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of RSV infections by studying the protein expression profiles in rats with pneumonia. First, we successfully established a pneumonia rat model by intranasally injecting RSV. The differentially expressed proteins in lung tissues of RSV-infected rats compared with those of the controls were analyzed by using 2-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. In total. 41 differentially expressed protein spots representing 20 unique proteins were successfully identified. Classification analysis showed that most of these proteins are implicated in metabolic processes, cellular processes, cellular component organization or biogenesis, and immune system processes. The significantly elevated expressions levels of 4 proteins namely, T-kininogen 1, T-kininogen 2, haptoglobin, and hemopexin, which might serve as the potential biomarkers of RSV-infected pneumonia, were further validated in RSV-infected rats using western blot and immunohistochemistry. These results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of RSV infection-induced pneumonia and provide important future directions for functional studies and therapeutic design.

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This study examined the size distribution of local infection clusters (referred to as clusters hereafter) of measles and rubella from 2008–2013 in Japan. When the logarithm of the cluster sizes were plotted on the x-axis and the logarithm of their frequencies were plotted on the y-axis, the plots fell on a rightward descending straight line. The size distribution was observed to follow a power law. As the size distribution of the clusters could be equated with that of local secondary infections initiated by 1 patient, the size distribution of the clusters, in fact, represented the effective reproduction numbers at the local level. As the power law distribution has no typical sizes, it was suggested that measles or rubella epidemics in Japan had no typical reproduction number. Higher the population size and higher the total number of patients, flatter was the slope of the plots, thus larger was the proportion of larger clusters. An epidemic of measles or rubella in Japan could be represented more appropriately by the cluster size frequency distribution rather than by the reproduction number.

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High-resolution melting (HRM) is a reliable and sensitive scanning method to detect variation in DNA sequences. We used this method to better understand the epidemiology and transmission of Echinococcus granulosus. We tested the use of HRM to discriminate the genotypes of E. granulosus and E. canadensis. One hundred forty-one hydatid cysts were collected from slaughtered animals in different parts of Isfahan-Iran in 2013. After DNA extraction, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene was amplified using PCR coupled with the HRM curve. The result of HRM analysis using partial the sequences of cox1 gene revealed that 93, 35, and 2 isolates were identified as G1, G3, and G6 genotypes, respectively. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found in locus 9867 of the cox1 gene. This is a critical locus for the differentiation between the G6 and G7 genotypes. In the phylogenic tree, the sample with a SNP was located between the G6 and G7 genotypes, which suggest that this isolate has a G6/G7 genotype. The HRM analysis developed in the present study provides a powerful technique for molecular and epidemiological studies on echinococcosis in humans and animals.

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We investigated the biological effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) rtA181T/sW172* point mutation on HBsAg secretion and the potential mechanisms involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. Full-length HBV wild type (wt) and HBV rtA181T/sW172* expression plasmids were transfected into HepG2 cell lines or were injected into C57BL/6 mice. The extracellular and intracellular expression levels of HBsAg and HBeAg proteins, in mouse serum and liver tissues were detected by ELISA. The localization of the truncated protein was characterized in vitro. The mRNA expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress gene GRP78 was determined. HBsAg levels were significantly higher in both supernatant of cells transfected with HBV wt and serum of mice injected with HBV wt, compared with that of HBV rtA181T/sW172* mutant. The reversed trend was observed in intracellular cells and intrahepatic liver cells. Wild type S protein alone could rescue this dysfunction. HBV rtA181T/sW172* truncated surface proteins showed a more aggregated cytoplasmic pattern which were also localized to the ER in comparison with HBV wt. Furthermore, GRP78 mRNA expression was increased 72 h post-transfection in HBV rtA181T/sW172* cells relative to HBV wt cells (P = 0.0154). The HBV sW172* truncation variant has a defect on HBsAg secretion which can lead to surface protein retention in the ER, where it may contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis through activating the ER stress signaling pathway.

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In this study, we investigated the prevalence of antibodies against 9 viral species found in umbilical cord blood from 561 neonates in 2013. Serum IgG antibodies against the following viruses were measured: herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), measles virus (MV), rubella virus (RV), mumps virus (MuV), and human parvovirus B19 (HPV B19). A survey questionnaire regarding past medical history and maternal immunization status for the vaccine-preventable diseases of varicella, measles, rubella, and mumps was simultaneously administered. The results were compared with previous data collected in 2001–2002 from 378 umbilical cord blood samples. Viral seroprevalence data were: HSV, 54%; VZV, 96%; EBV, 96%; CMV, 67%; HHV-6, 100%; MV, 95%; RV, 94%; MuV, 64%; and HPV B19, 55%. The seroprevalence of CMV, MV, and MuV were significantly lower in 2013 than in 2001–2002 (CMV, 76%; MV, 98%; MuV, 93%). Compared with the 2001–2002 data, the mean IgG antibody values of the 4 vaccine-preventable diseases were significantly lower, and vaccination coverage for those diseases among mothers was significantly higher. Thus, attention should be paid to antibody levels in women of childbearing age in the future.

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Several mosquito species are vectors of disease; however, to understand their role in disease transmission, accurate species identification is of particular importance. Morphological identification is the main method used, but molecular techniques have emerged as a tool for the identification of closely related species. In this study, mosquitoes from the West Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran were characterized on the basis of their rDNA-ITS2 sequences. Nine populations of 6 species of mosquitoes belonging to the genera Anopheles, Culex, Culiseta, and Ochlerotatus were studied. To the best of our knowledge, ITS2 sequences of Culiseta longiareolata and Culex hortensis have been reported for the first time. In addition, ITS2 sequences of Culex theileri and Ochlerotatus caspius have been reported for the first time in Iran. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS2 showed that subfamilies Anophelinae and Culicinae of the family Culicidae could be differentiated successfully and subgenera Anopheles and Cellia of the genus Anopheles were separated. The analysis showed that the genera Culex, Culiseta, and Ochlerotatus have diverged separately.

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In the present study, we examined the prevalence of Providencia spp. in retail meats and in stool samples from diarrheal patients in Thailand. Providencia-specific (Psp)-PCR amplification was positive for 58% (15/26) of the chicken, 64% (16/25) of the pork, and 68% (17/25) of the beef samples. Subsequently, Providencia strains were isolated from 65% (17/26) of the chicken, 68% (17/25) of the pork, and 72% (18/25) of the beef samples. Although P. alcalifaciens (40–58%) was the most prevalent Providencia strain, P. rettgeri, P. stuartii, and P. rustigianii were also isolated. Of the patient stool samples tested, 7.5% (16/214) had Psp-PCR products, of which 4 were P. alcalifaciens (1.9%), 4 were P. rettgeri (1.9%), and 1 was P. stuartii (0.5%). In conclusion, retail meats were substantially contaminated with Providencia, especially P. alcalifaciens. Therefore, retail meats are possibly the source of Providencia infections in humans.

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Human rotavirus samples from 54 children with acute gastroenteritis in Myanmar in 2011 were subjected to reverse transcription-PCR to determine their G and P types. On G typing, G2 (24/54; 44.4%) was found to be the most prevalent, followed by G12 (17/54; 31.5%) and G1 (1/54; 1.9%). Mixed cases with G2 and G12 were found in 12 of the 54 (22.2%) samples. On P typing, P[4] was found to be the most predominant (29/54; 53.7%), followed by P[8] (17/54; 31.5%) and P[6] (4/54; 7.4%). Mixed cases with P[4] and P[8] were detected in 4 of 54 (7.4%) samples. Thus, occurrence of G2 and unusual G12 in high proportions was characteristic of human rotaviruses in Myanmar in this study setting.

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Tick-borne rickettsioses are endemic in Greece; however, until recently, only Rickettsia typhi and R. conorii were tested routinely in human samples arriving at the National Reference Center. During the last few years, the identification of different rickettsia species in ticks led to the introduction of other spotted fever group rickettsiae in routine analysis. Under the new scheme, R. massiliae is now tested routinely in human samples; herein, we describe a human case of this infection.

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Human rotavirus infection was studied over a 13-month period (January 2004 to January 2005) in children <5 years of age admitted with severe diarrhea at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. During this period, 206 hospitalizations for diarrhea were recorded, with 34.0% (70/206) being positive for rotavirus infection. Infection occurred throughout the year, with peak rotavirus infection occurring during the month of March. Hospitalization associated with rotaviruses was most common in the 6–8 month age group. The case fatality rate of rotavirus infection was 2.9% (2/70) and occurred in children <12 months of age. Four rotavirus VP7 genotypes (G1, G2, G3, and G9) were detected. The predominant genotypes were G2 (22.9%), G1 (17.1%), G9 (17.1%) and G3 (12.9%). Mixed G types were also detected. The predominant VP4 genotypes (P types) were P[6] (38.6%), P[8] (21.4%), P[4] (4.3%) and P[9] (1.4%). The predominant rotavirus strains infecting children in Accra were G9P[6] (10.0%) and G1P[8] (8.6%). Strains with unusual genotypes such as G2P[8] and G(2/3)P[6] were also detected.

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Although tick-borne rickettsiosis is endemic in Greece, until recently, human samples arriving at the National Reference Centre under suspicion of rickettsial infection were routinely tested only for Rickettsia typhi and R. conorii. However, identification of additional rickettsia species in ticks prompted revision of the protocol in 2010. Until that year, all human samples received by the laboratory were tested for antibodies against R. conorii and R. typhi only. Now, tests for R. slovaca, R. felis, and R. mongolotimonae are all included in routine analysis. The current description of a human R. slovaca case is possible as a result of these changes in routine testing.

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We identified hypervirulent Streptococcus pyogenes in 27 and 420 isolates from patients with invasive and non-invasive diseases, respectively, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, between 2003 and 2012, in an attempt to understand why the prevalence of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) suddenly increased in this location during 2011. Hypervirulent strains belong to the emm1 genotype, with a mutation in the covR/S genes that regulate many other genes, encoding virulence determinants and resulting in the absence of the proteinase streptococcal exotoxin B and the production of virulence factors such as the superantigen streptococcal exotoxin A, the nuclease streptococcal DNase, the cytotoxin NAD-glycohydrolase, and the hemolysin streptolysin O. We found 1 strain from invasive disease and 1 from non-invasive disease with traits similar to those of hypervirulent strains, except that the sda1 gene was absent. We also found 1 non-emm1 strain with phenotypic and genetic traits identical to those of the emm1 hypervirulent strains except that it did not belong to emm1 genotype, from non-invasive diseases cases in 2011. These findings suggested that hypervirulent and hypervirulent-like strains from invasive and non-invasive disease cases could have at least partially contributed to the sudden increase in the number of patients with STSS in Aichi during 2011.

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Volume 69, no. 2, p. 143–148, 2016. Page 143, Title should appear as shown below.

An Epidemiological Investigation of a Nosocomial Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a Critical Care Center in Japan, 2011–2012

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