Population size, parity structure, and wing length of Coquillettidia perturbans in an Ohio focus of eastern equine encephalitis.

Adult female density, parity status, and wing length were determined weekly for a population of Coquillettidia perturbans in an area enzootic for eastern equine encephalitis virus in central Ohio. Samples were collected in CO2-baited CDC miniature light traps from the first week in June through the 2nd week of September 1992. Population density indicated a single emergence peak during the 2nd week in July. However, parity rates showed 2 peaks, occurring in the first week of August (70.9% parous) and the 2nd week of September (55.3% parous), which suggested that there was a relatively small 2nd generation. Average wing length declined significantly over the season. The decline in size was negatively correlated with average air temperature occurring at least 6 wk before the time of emergence. Despite the seasonal decline in wing length, the low coefficient of variation for the average wing length (5.5) indicated relatively little variation in size. Comparison of parous and nulliparous female wing lengths each week suggested that there was no association between size and survival in this species.

Haemaphysalis juxtakochi Cooley (Acari: ixodidae), a neotropical tick species, found in Ohio.

Haemaphysalis juxtakochi Cooley, 1946, an ectoparasite of deer and other large mammals from Mexico southward through Central and South America, was recovered from the ear of a white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginanus Zimmermann, in Ohio. This represents the first record of H. juxtakochi from the United States.

Preventive therapy for the patient with both universal indication and contraindication for isoniazid.

BACKGROUND: The delphi method of decision making was used to address an unusual clinical case in which various aspects of the case required opposing management strategies. METHODS: A panel of 30 pulmonary experts was surveyed repeatedly until a convergence of treatment approaches was reached for a patient who was considered to have both a universal indication for and a universal contraindication against prevention therapy. Participants were asked to evaluate the appropriateness of proposed treatments on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 being extremely inappropriate, 5 being equivocal, and 9 being extremely appropriate. The delphi survey data responses were compared using measures of central tendency (ie, the mean and median) and measures of variability (ie, the standard deviation and interquartile range). RESULTS: Although no treatment was wholeheartedly supported by the experts, analysis of the three-round delphi survey responses resulted in two possible treatments: rifampin, 600 mg daily, for four months, or no treatment with close observation. Interestingly, the experts working in a non-university setting favored the rifampin treatment, and those working in a university setting favored no treatment with close observation. CONCLUSIONS: The delphi method has the potential to be used for clinical decision making.

Eastern equine encephalitis virus in Ohio during 1991.

During August and September of 1991, an epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus in horses occurred in Wayne and Holmes countries, OH. This was the first recorded epizootic of EEE virus in the state. Twelve horses were confirmed positive for EEE virus through virus isolation or seroconversion, and seven additional horses with compatible symptoms were in close spatial and temporal proximity to the confirmed cases and were presumed to have died from EEE virus. The outbreak was centered around the Killbuck Wildlife Area, a 2,147-ha tract maintained by the state, half of which consists of wooded swamp and marsh. Mosquitoes were collected in upland areas before the epizootic and in the swamp basin at the end of the epizootic to identify the mosquito species involved in EEE virus transmission. We collected and tested 22,095 specimens for the presence of virus. EEE virus was isolated from one pool of the most likely epizootic vector, Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker). The minimum infection rate for EEE virus in this species was 0.1/1,000. Dense populations of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex salinarius Coquillett occurred in the area, but their densities peaked after the epizootic. It is unlikely that these species were involved in epizootic transmission. IgM antibody to EEE virus was detected in three bird species collected in the swamp.