Complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium smegmatis phage Rummer, a subcluster A3 actinophage.

Bacteriophage Rummer is a siphovirus morphology actinophage isolated from Mycobacterium smegmatis. Rummer has a 50,908 base pair genome encoding 89 predicted protein-coding genes and three tRNAs. Based on gene content similarity to sequenced actinobacteriophages, Rummer is assigned to phage subcluster A3.

Characteristics associated with lack of HIV testing during pregnancy and delivery in 36 U.S. states, 2004-2013.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend universal prenatal HIV testing to prevent perinatal HIV transmission in the U.S.; since the 1990s perinatal HIV transmission has declined. In 2006, 74% of women with a recent live birth reported testing for HIV prenatally or at delivery. We used Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data from 36 states and New York City from 2004 to 2013 (N = 387,424) to assess characteristics associated with lack of self-reported testing and state-to-state variability in these associations. Overall, 75.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 75.0-75.5) of women with a recent live birth reported an HIV test. There were significant differences in testing prevalence by state, ranging from 91.8% (95% CI 91.0-92.6) in New York to 42.3% (95% CI 41.7-43.5) in Utah. In adjusted analysis, characteristics associated with no reported testing included being married, white, non-Hispanic, multiparous, not smoking during pregnancy, and having neither Medicaid nor Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children. White married women were 57% (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.57, 95% CI 1.52-1.63) more likely to report no test compared to white unmarried women. Multiparous married women were 57% (aPR 1.57, 95% CI 1.51-1.64) more likely to report no test compared to multiparous unmarried women. Women who were married, white, non-Hispanic, and multiparous women were 23% less likely to be tested than other women combined. Marital status was significantly associated with lower prevalence of testing in 35 of the 37 reporting areas, and race was significant in 30 of 35 states with race information. The prevalence of reported HIV testing during pregnancy or at delivery remains below 80%. Opportunities exist to increase HIV testing among pregnant women, particularly among certain subpopulations.

Prenatal HIV Testing and the Impact of State HIV Testing Laws, 2004 to 2011.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze prenatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing rates over time and describe the impact of state HIV testing laws on prenatal testing. METHODS: During 2004-2011, self-reported prenatal HIV testing data for women with live births in 35 states and New York City were collected. Prevalence of testing was estimated overall and by state and year. An annual percent change was calculated in states with at least 6 years of data to analyze testing changes over time. An attorney-coder used WestlawNext to identify states with laws that direct prenatal care providers to screen all pregnant women or direct all women to be tested for HIV and document changes in laws to meet this threshold. RESULTS: The overall prenatal HIV testing rate for 2004 through 2011 combined was 75.7%. State-level data showed a wide range of testing rates (43.2%-92.8%) for 2004 through 2011 combined. In areas with 6 years of data, 4 experienced an annual drop in testing (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, and Illinois). States that changed laws to meet the threshold generally had the highest testing rates, averaging 80%, followed by states with a preexisting law, at approximately 70%. States with no law, or no law meeting the threshold, had an average prenatal testing rate of 65%. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal HIV testing remained stable between 2004 and 2011 but remained below universal recommendations. Testing varied widely across states and was generally higher in areas that changed their laws to meet the threshold or had preexisting prenatal HIV testing laws, compared with those with no or limited prenatal HIV testing language.

Trends in Repeat Births and Use of Postpartum Contraception Among Teens - United States, 2004-2015.

Teen* childbearing (one or more live births before age 20 years) can have negative health, social, and economic consequences for mothers and their children (1). Repeat teen births (two or more live births before age 20 years) can constrain the mother's ability to take advantage of educational and workforce opportunities (2), and are more likely to be preterm or of low birthweight than first teen births (3). Despite the historic decline in the U.S. teen birth rate during 1991-2015, from 61.8 to 22.3 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years (4), many teens continue to have repeat births (3). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend that clinicians counsel women (including teens) during prenatal care about birth spacing and postpartum contraceptive use (5), including the safety and effectiveness of long-acting reversible methods that can be initiated immediately postpartum. To expand upon prior research assessing patterns and trends in repeat childbearing and postpartum contraceptive use among teens with a recent live birth (i.e., 2-6 months after delivery) (3), CDC analyzed data from the National Vital Statistics System natality files (2004 and 2015) and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS; 2004-2013). The number and proportion of teen births that were repeat births decreased from 2004 (82,997; 20.1%) to 2015 (38,324; 16.7%); in 2015, the percentage of teen births that were repeat births varied by state from 10.6% to 21.4%. Among sexually active teens with a recent live birth, postpartum use of the most effective contraceptive methods (intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants) increased from 5.3% in 2004 to 25.3% in 2013; however, in 2013, approximately one in three reported using either a least effective method (15.7%) or no method (17.2%). Strategies that comprehensively address the social and health care needs of teen parents can facilitate access to and use of effective methods of contraception and help prevent repeat teen births.