Reptile-associated salmonellosis in New York State.

To determine the association between reptile ownership and salmonellosis caused by certain rare serotypes of Salmonella, we reviewed 1993 New York State Salmonella case reports and conducted a matched case-control study. Cases were persons identified from 1993 New York State laboratory records who had salmonellosis caused by Salmonella serotypes commonly isolated from reptiles. Controls were selected from 1993 New York State shigellosis cases and matched for age and date of diagnosis. Of 674 Salmonella case reports 27 (4%) noted reptile exposure before onset of illness. For the case-control study we identified 42 persons with selected Salmonella serotypes, of whom we contacted 24 (57%). Twelve of 24 case patients and 2 of 28 controls owned reptiles (matched odds ratio, 6.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 31.0). Ten case-patients but no controls owned iguanas (MOR = undefined; 95% confidence interval, 2.24-infinity). Ten of 12 case patients who owned reptiles were < or = 6 months of age. Salmonellosis caused by certain serotypes is associated with reptile exposure. Reptiles may be unfit pets for homes with infants.

Pleurodynia among football players at a high school. An outbreak associated with coxsackievirus B1.

OBJECTIVE: Enteroviral outbreaks involving athletic teams have been described, although the mode of transmission has been unclear. In September 1991, an outbreak of pleurodynia among high school football players provided an opportunity to identify possible modes of transmission. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort outbreak investigation. SETTING: Public high school in upstate New York. RESULTS: Illness was reported by 17 (20%) of the football players. Behaviors involving contact with common water containers were associated with illness, including eating ice cubes from the team ice chest (relative risk [RR], 9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 65.5) and drinking water from the team cooler (RR, 6.3; 95% CI, 1.5 to 25.7). Coxsackievirus B1 was isolated in four (50%) of the eight stool specimens collected. CONCLUSIONS: Contamination of common water containers by an infected player may have contributed to or initiated the outbreak. In addition to discouraging direct oral contact with common drinking containers, use of individual water containers and ice packs for injuries was recommended.

Poliomyelitis, rubella, and dengue antibody survey in Barbados. A follow-up study.

A follow-up study of poliomyelitis, rubella, and dengue antibodies has been made in light of results obtained in a 1972 health and serological survey in Barbados, W.I. Poliomyelitis antibody neutralization tests performed on sera from 307 children under age 15 using overnight serum/virus mixtures on microtiter plates at low serum dilutions revealed the absence of polio antibody at 1:2 dilution in 13.7% for type 1, 6.5% for type 2, and 14.3% for type 3 virus. A significant correlation of the presence or absence of poliomyelitis antibody to types 2 and 3 was seen with the response to immunization histories. Forty-three of 49 girls (88%) given rubella vaccine (RA 27/3) in 1972 had demonstrable haemagglutination-inhibition antibody 4 years later. Neutralization tests for dengue antibody confirmed the results of the complement-fixation tests and indicated that type 2 was probably the sole infecting strain.