Listeriosis outbreak caused by acid curd cheese Quargel , Austria and Germany 2009.

We report an outbreak of listeriosis in Austria and Germany due to the consumption of Quargel cheese produced by an Austrian manufacturer. At the time of writing this report, the outbreak was known to account for 14 outbreak cases in 2009, including four cases with lethal outcome. On 23 January 2010, the cheese product was voluntarily withdrawn from the market.

Measles outbreak in Styria, Austria, March-May 2009.

In the last week of March 2009, five measles cases among students of an anthroposophic school were reported to the public health authorities in the Austrian province of Styria where only five cases had been reported in the whole of 2008. A descriptive epidemiological investigation of the measles outbreak was performed. Between 2 March and 10 May 2009, 37 cases of measles were identified in Styria: 33 confirmed outbreak cases and four probable outbreak cases. The measles outbreak spread from the general population (12 cases) to an anthroposophic community (25 cases). Cases outside of the anthroposophic community were mostly over 10 years of age (10/12). Thirty-five cases were unvaccinated, and two of the 37 had received one dose of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. Following a measles outbreak in Salzburg in 2008 with 394 cases, this outbreak reemphasises the continued need for additional vaccination campaigns in population groups over the age of 10 years.

Ongoing rubella outbreak in Austria, 2008-2009.

Since October 2008, a total of 143 cases of rubella have affected the two Austrian provinces Styria and Burgenland. The index case occurred in mid-October 2008, but was not notified to the public health authorities until February 2009, when the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety was asked to investigate a cluster of 32 rubella cases (24 laboratory-confirmed and eight clinically suspected cases). No case of rubella had been reported in the two affected provinces between February 2007 - when statutory notification for rubella was implemented - and mid-October 2008. 113 of the 143 cases (79%) were confirmed: 101 (89.3% of the 113 cases) clinical-laboratory confirmed and 12 clinical-epidemiological confirmed. Thirty cases fulfilled the criteria of a probable outbreak case only (laboratory results or data on epidemiological link are pending). For 140 outbreak cases data on age was known; the median age was 19 years (range: 2-60 years). 20 cases occurred in soldiers in seven military camps in the area. 55 cases (38.5 %) were female. One case of a laboratory-confirmed rubella infection, affecting an unvaccinated pregnant 18-years old native Austrian in the early first trimenon of pregnancy, led to voluntary abortion

The influence of genetic predisposition on the prevalence of atopic diseases in Carinthian school children.

The reasons for the origin and increasing rise in incidence of atopic diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in many countries are still unknown. Our survey carried out within the frame of the ISAAC protocol comprised three districts in the Austrian province of Carinthia. A complete study of first and second year elementary school children was done in order to uncover a relationship between "presumed exposure" to different possible risk factors with that of an atopic disorder (i.e. asthma, hay fever, eczema). The results show a significant association between the occurrence of atopic disorders and genetic predisposition and the fact that a carpet which had previously been present in the child's bedroom, had been removed due to the presence of an allergic disease in a family member. The logistic regression model explains a very small part of the overall variability (R2 = 7.32%).

Comparative investigations of airborne culturable microorganisms in selected waste treatment facilities and in neighbouring residential areas.

The evaluation of airborne microorganisms in waste treatment facilities is complicated by different measuring systems, a lack of measuring standards and large variations between individual counts. In the present study, different sectors of the waste management industry were compared by determining median values of airborne culturable microorganisms from numerous parallel counts over a prolonged time period. The samples were taken during the warm season using the six-stage Andersen volumetric sampler in a large composting plant and its immediate vicinity, in an agricultural composting plant, a waste disposal site, and a sorting facility for recyclable materials. Control samples were taken at a site not influenced by the waste management industry in an open and largely uninhabited area. The highest median values for culturable bacteria (37 degrees C) found were 1.1 x 10(5) CFU/m3, for moulds (25 degrees C) 1.4 x 10(5) CFU/m3, and for A. fumigatus (37 degrees C) 1.7 x 10(4) CFU/m3 in the sorting cabins of the sorting facility (p < 0.001). The highest median values for thermophilic bacteria (actinomycetes and bacillaceae, 50 degrees C) were 7.3 x 10(3) CFU/m3 in the large composting facility. In all other facilities as well as in the neighbouring residential areas of all facilities investigated, all median values were significantly lower and corresponded to the naturally occurring levels: approx. 10(2) CFU/m3 for bacteria, approx. 10(3) CFU/m3 for moulds and approx. 10(1) CFU/m3 for A. fumigatus and thermophilic bacteria. Only in the neighbouring residential area of the large composting plant, the median values for thermophilic bacteria were approx. 10(2) CFU/m3, but an additional impact from farms cannot be excluded in this case. These results show permanent increased loads of the investigated microorganisms inside large composting facilities and especially in the sorting cabins for recyclable materials. The increasing number of reports on potential health hazards in these areas require adequate measures on the part of occupational medicine in order to limit the health risk to a minimum. The most important task is the automatization of the sorting process for recyclable materials.

[Bathing water related diseases: the Carinthian Sentinel Project as the source of epidemiological data]. / Badewasserbürtige Erkrankungen: Das Sentinel-Projekt Kärnten als Quelle epidemiologischer Daten.

The federal country of Carinthia is known for its lakes and ponds, which are extensively used for bathing. The water quality is monitored regularly in accordance to the EC-Directive 76/160/EC and especially to the more rigorous Austrian Standard M6230. Since redevelopment measures of the lakes have been nearly finished the water quality found has improved essentially. In spite of these monitored data no effective correlation to data from the concerning ambulant sector of medical care could be established. The Carinthian Sentinel Practice Network started in summer 1994 to retrieve informations about occurrence and frequency of bathing related illness of children up to 16 years old. The 26 participating primary health care and pediatric physicians, having their own independent practices spread all over the country, reported the specific doctor-patient-contracts to the coordinating base. Criteria for inclusion in the medical report were headache, sore throat, otalgia, stomach-ache, nausea, emesis, diarrhoea, fever, rhinitis, cough, cold, moreover conjunctivitis, skin rash and specific dermatitis. In addition physicians reported where, how long and how often the children had been bathing and how long they had been free of symptoms afterwards. Each case was reported to the coordinating base including a presumed diagnosis. Statistic evaluation showed that bathing related illness may be divided into three main groups according to symptom frequency. The frequency of otalgia (32.4%) was significantly higher than any other symptom asked for. Two groups of symptoms correlate with each other: on one hand rhinitis, conjunctivitis, cough and sore throat (36.5%) and on the other hand nausea, emesis, diarrhoea and fever (41.9%). These data underline conclusions drawn by other authors but are not representative enough to correlate to data from water monitoring. First results suggest that conclusions for public health authorities can be drawn from this additional information about the state of the lakes and ponds-providing a sufficient number of data is reported.

Radiocesium levels in humans over a four-year period.

Following the Chernobyl accident, Austria was one of the most contaminated Western European countries. Predictions of internal dose in humans due to this contamination were based on the average activities in major dietary products and average consumption rates. We have measured the amount of radiocesium in human adult muscle samples obtained at forensic autopsies within a limited area in Southern Austria over a period of 4 yr. From the measurements, we have estimated a mean individual effective dose equivalent of 252.2 muSv (25.2 mrem) due to internal exposure to radiocesium during this 4-yr period. This estimate, based on actual measurements, is approximately 25% of the predicted dose and is less than 50% of the dose received in the body from naturally occurring potassium-40. Comparisons of radiocesium activities measured in muscle tissues with data obtained after nuclear weapons tests and whole-body countings are given.

[The Austrian penal code and the Codex Ur-nammu--a comparison from the forensic medicine viewpoint]. / Das österreichische Strafrecht und der Codex Ur-nammu--Ein Vergleich aus gerichtsmedizinischer Sicht.

A comparison between the Mesopotamian Law (Codex Ur-nammu) and the Austrian Penal Code reveals the long-sightedness of the founder of the 3rd dynasty from Ur, called Ur-nammu. It seems extremely remarkable that at those remote times (3rd Millenium B. C.) body injuries were satisfied by simple money-penalties. The Codex Ur-nammu therefore not only represents on exceedingly piece of work from the historical point of view but also from the point of view from Legal Medicine.

[Sperm detection using monoclonal antibodies]. / Spermiennachweis mittels monoklonaler Antikörper.

Monoclonal antibodies against sperm antigens detect specifically seminal stains in forensic casework. Different monoclonal antibodies resulting from the hybridoma technique allow by means of peroxidase test-system a direct marking of the trace.

[Various forms of explosion injuries]. / Zur unterschiedlichen Ausbildung von Explosionsverletzungen.

Two different cases are reported in which a total of five persons were (mortally) injured by explosions. Although all victims were close to the region of explosion, they presented quite different patterns of injuries. These injuries allowed reconstruction of what had taken place.