Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/12/news-scan-dec-07-2017
News Scan for Dec 07, 2017
New Lyme tests; Guinea worm disease
Filed Under:
Lyme disease; Misc Emerging Topics
[h=3]New Lyme tests offer faster, more accurate diagnosis, experts say[/h] A new analysis in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that new tests be used to diagnose Lyme disease, the most prevalent tick-borne illness in North America.
Each year, there are more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease diagnoses in America. When the telltale "bullseye" rash isn't present, clinicians rely on lab tests to detect antibody levels in the patient.
Unfortunately, the current tests, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than 20 years ago, can result in higher rates of false-negatives and false-positives compared with newer tests, according to a Rutgers University news release. They also require a patient's antibodies levels to rise to detachable levels over a period of 3 weeks, which delays the start of antibiotic treatment if it's required.
"New tests are more exact and are not as susceptible to the same false-positive or false-negative results associated with current tests," said Steven Schutzer, MD, of Rutgers.
A team of experts said newer diagnostic tests not yet approved by the FDA should be used, as they more accurately and quickly detect the Borrelia bacteria transmitted by ticks that cause Lyme disease. Early treatment with antibiotics leads to better patient outcomes, the authors said.
Dec 7 Rutgers University press release
[h=3]Cases of Guinea worm disease decline to 8 in first half of 2017[/h] Although cases of Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) increased slightly worldwide in 2016, officials have reported only eight cases in the first half of this year in only one country, which is promising news for potential eradication of the disease, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The number of global cases rose from 22 in four nations in 2015 to 25 in three nations in 2016. But from January to June of this year only 8 cases were reported, all in Chad. That compares with 10 cases in three countries in the same period of 2016.
In addition, the number of infected domestic dogs more than doubled from 2015 to 2016?from 503 to 1,011?but then declined to 537 during January through June 2017, compared with 653 during the same period in 2016.
"The emergence of infected dogs in Chad especially, and program disruptions caused by civil unrest and insecurity in Mali and South Sudan, are now the greatest challenges to interrupting transmission," the investigators wrote. "Rigorous implementation (including recent interventions to prevent transmission to and from dogs) must be maintained in Chad to ensure continued progress during 2017 and beyond."
Dec 8 MMWR report
News Scan for Dec 07, 2017
New Lyme tests; Guinea worm disease
Filed Under:
Lyme disease; Misc Emerging Topics
[h=3]New Lyme tests offer faster, more accurate diagnosis, experts say[/h] A new analysis in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that new tests be used to diagnose Lyme disease, the most prevalent tick-borne illness in North America.
Each year, there are more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease diagnoses in America. When the telltale "bullseye" rash isn't present, clinicians rely on lab tests to detect antibody levels in the patient.
Unfortunately, the current tests, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than 20 years ago, can result in higher rates of false-negatives and false-positives compared with newer tests, according to a Rutgers University news release. They also require a patient's antibodies levels to rise to detachable levels over a period of 3 weeks, which delays the start of antibiotic treatment if it's required.
"New tests are more exact and are not as susceptible to the same false-positive or false-negative results associated with current tests," said Steven Schutzer, MD, of Rutgers.
A team of experts said newer diagnostic tests not yet approved by the FDA should be used, as they more accurately and quickly detect the Borrelia bacteria transmitted by ticks that cause Lyme disease. Early treatment with antibiotics leads to better patient outcomes, the authors said.
Dec 7 Rutgers University press release
[h=3]Cases of Guinea worm disease decline to 8 in first half of 2017[/h] Although cases of Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) increased slightly worldwide in 2016, officials have reported only eight cases in the first half of this year in only one country, which is promising news for potential eradication of the disease, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The number of global cases rose from 22 in four nations in 2015 to 25 in three nations in 2016. But from January to June of this year only 8 cases were reported, all in Chad. That compares with 10 cases in three countries in the same period of 2016.
In addition, the number of infected domestic dogs more than doubled from 2015 to 2016?from 503 to 1,011?but then declined to 537 during January through June 2017, compared with 653 during the same period in 2016.
"The emergence of infected dogs in Chad especially, and program disruptions caused by civil unrest and insecurity in Mali and South Sudan, are now the greatest challenges to interrupting transmission," the investigators wrote. "Rigorous implementation (including recent interventions to prevent transmission to and from dogs) must be maintained in Chad to ensure continued progress during 2017 and beyond."
Dec 8 MMWR report