ABSTRACT
UEFA Euro 2020 tournament was scheduled to take place in 2020, but due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was rescheduled to start on 11 June 2021. Approximately 4500 Finnish spectators participated, travelling between Finland and Russia during the period of 16 to 30 June to attend matches played on 16 and 21 June. A total of 419 persons returning from Russia or with a connection to Russia were detected positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Of the 321 sequenced samples 303 turned out to be of the Delta variant. None of these cases was hospitalised. In the following weeks findings of the Delta variant increased rapidly. Thus, EURO 2020 travel-related imported cases likely facilitated this rapid surge of Delta variant, but this impact would likely have been seen with the typical increase in the number of travellers entering Finland later in the summer.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Finland/epidemiology , Humans , Russia/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Travel , Travel-Related IllnessABSTRACT
In May 2013, Italy declared a national outbreak of hepatitis A, which also affected several foreign tourists who had recently visited the country. Molecular investigations identified some cases as infected with an identical strain of hepatitis A virus subgenotype IA. After additional European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries reported locally acquired and travel-related cases associated with the same outbreak, an international outbreak investigation team was convened, a European outbreak case definition was issued and harmonisation of the national epidemiological and microbiological investigations was encouraged. From January 2013 to August 2014, 1,589 hepatitis A cases were reported associated with the multistate outbreak; 1,102 (70%) of the cases were hospitalised for a median time of six days; two related deaths were reported. Epidemiological and microbiological investigations implicated mixed frozen berries as the vehicle of infection of the outbreak. In order to control the spread of the outbreak, suspected or contaminated food batches were recalled, the public was recommended to heat-treat berries, and post-exposure prophylaxis of contacts was performed. The outbreak highlighted how large food-borne hepatitis A outbreaks may affect the increasingly susceptible EU/EEA general population and how, with the growing international food trade, frozen berries are a potential high-risk food.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Food Contamination , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Fruit/poisoning , Hepatitis A virus/genetics , Hepatitis A/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Child, Preschool , Contact Tracing , Epidemiologic Studies , Europe/epidemiology , European Union , Female , Foodborne Diseases/diagnosis , Foodborne Diseases/virology , Frozen Foods/poisoning , Frozen Foods/virology , Fruit/virology , Hepatitis A/virology , Hepatitis A virus/isolation & purification , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and QuestionnairesSubject(s)
Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Frozen Foods/microbiology , Fruit/microbiology , Hepatitis A virus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis A/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Databases, Genetic , Denmark/epidemiology , Environmental Exposure , Female , Finland/epidemiology , Foodborne Diseases/etiology , Hepatitis A/etiology , Hepatitis A virus/genetics , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) effects on expression of CD14 and CD18 cell surface receptors and lectin/carbohydrate-mediated nonopsonic phagocytosis of E coli. DESIGN: Cell isolation, monoclonal antibody, phagocytosis, and flow cytometric studies. ANIMALS: 4 clinically normal lactating Holstein cows for studies on CD14 and CD18, and 2 for phagocytosis studies. PROCEDURE: Binding of CD14 and CD18 monoclonal antibodies to blood and milk neutrophils and mononuclear leukocytes was studied by flow cytometry before and after intramammary injection of LPS, and nonopsonic phagocytosis of E coli by blood neutrophils was determined. Presence of intracellular CD14 was determined after in vitro incubation of neutrophils in skimmed milk and after fixation and permeabilization of freshly isolated neutrophils. RESULTS: Before LPS injection, percentages of blood neutrophils and large mononuclear (LMO) cells expressing CD14 averaged 3 and 63% and 68 and 35% for mammary neutrophils and LMO cells, respectively. After LPS injection, CD14 was only detected on blood and mammary LMO cells (61 and 25%); receptor expression increased by 1.8- and threefold, respectively. In vitro incubation of neutrophils in skimmed milk increased the percentage of neutrophils expressing CD14. The number of blood neutrophils staining positive for CD14 increased after permeabilization of the plasma membrane, which was blocked by unlabeled anti-CD14 monoclonal antibodies. Before LPS, percentages of blood neutrophils and LMO cells expressing CD18 averaged 93 and 95% and was 88 and 55% for mammary neutrophils and LMO cells, respectively. After LPS, percentages of mammary neutrophils and LMO cells expressing CD18 increased to 100 and 95%, respectively. Expression of CD18 was 2.6-fold higher for mammary neutrophils before injection of LPS, compared with blood neutrophils, either before or after LPS. In absence of opsonins, neutrophils with adherent and phagocytosed E coli averaged 83 and 14%. CONCLUSIONS: LPS modulated expression of CD14 and CD18 and lectin-carbohydrate interactions mediated nonopsonic phagocytosis of E coli. An intracellular pool of CD14 exists in bovine neutrophils and is capable of translocating to the cell surface. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Development of methods to maximize expression of CD14 receptors on mammary neutrophils involved in production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and nonopsonic phagocytosis could result in reducing prevalence of mastitis in dairy cows.
