In December 2019, cases of severe coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection rapidly progressed to acute respiratory failure. This study aims to assess the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the incidence of severe COVID-19 infection. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 210 patients with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the Central Hospital of Wuhan from 27 January 2020 to 9 March 2020. Peripheral blood samples were collected and examined for lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry. Associations between tertiles of NLR and the incidence of severe illness were analysed by logistic regression.

Of the 210 patients with COVID-19, 87 were diagnosed as severe cases. The mean NLR of the severe group was higher than that of the mild group (6.6 vs. 3.3, P < 0.001). The highest tertile of NLR (5.1–19.7) exhibited a 5.9-fold (95% CI 1.3–28.5) increased incidence of severity relative to that of the lowest tertile (0.6–2.5) after adjustments for age, diabetes, hypertension and other confounders. The number of T cells significantly decreased in the severe group (0.5 vs. 0.9, P < 0.001). COVID-19 might mainly act on lymphocytes, particularly T lymphocytes. NLR was identified as an early risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness. Patients with increased NLR should be admitted to an isolation ward with respiratory monitoring and supportive care.

The data accumulated from 1972 to 1987 on the distribution and prevalence of tuberculosis in the badger population in Great Britain is reviewed. The current information on the influence of Mycobacterium bovis infection on badger population dynamics and its clinical effect on badgers is also summarized.

1. The day-to-day records over a period of 4–6 months of 167 normal women's physical changes and subjective phenomena have been collected by a new method. These women submitted data from 780 complete menstrual cycles. In addition, a smaller group submitted data which have been used for physical changes only. One woman's individual record of certain phenomena was obtained over a period of 8 years.

2. The average length of the menstrual cycle was 27·8 days with a standard deviation of 3·4 days. Some individual's cycles were characteristically short or long, regular or irregular. No woman menstruated with complete regularity (measured in days) over a period of 6 months. Twenty-three per cent of the menstrual periods began between 7.30 and 9.30 a.m., and the average duration of the flow was about 4·5 days.

3. Records from one case of intermenstrual, probably ovulatory, bleeding were obtained over a period of 6 months (Chart 2).

4. The periodicity of each subjective phenomenon as shown by the combined results has been recorded graphically, and these figures themselves constitute a summary of the results. Thus for fatigue, abdominal pain, backache, headache, breast changes, sexual feeling and intercourse, depression, elation, tendency to cry, irritability, intellectual capacity and tension see Figs. 5–19. Individual data of interest have been discussed in the light of the combined results.

Transmission routes of Campylobacter spp. in broilers and possibilities for prevention of infections were studied on two Dutch broiler farms. The occurrence of Campylobacter spp. was studied in successive broiler flocks, in the environment of the farms and in some of the parent flocks involved. Isolates of Campylobacter spp. were typed by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The results indicate that broiler flocks become infected from environmental sources. The typing results suggest that on one farm transmission of Campylobacter spp. occurred from cattle to broilers via the farmer's footwear. After several campylobacter positive broiler cycles hygiene measures, including thorough cleaning and disinfection procedures, change of footwear at the entrance of each broiler house, control of vermin and other hygienic precautions, were introduced on both farms in order to prevent transmission of Campylobacter spp. from the farm environment to the broilers. The results indicate that the application of hygiene measures significantly reduced campylobacter infections of broiler flocks on both farms.

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging bat-borne pathogen. It was first identified 20 years ago in Malaysia and has since caused outbreaks in other parts of South and Southeast Asia. It causes severe neurological and respiratory disease which is highly lethal. It is highly infectious and spreads in the community through infected animals or other infected people. Different strains of the virus show differing clinical and epidemiological features. Rapid diagnosis and implementation of infection control measures are essential to contain outbreaks. A number of serological and molecular diagnostic techniques have been developed for diagnosis and surveillance. Difficulties in diagnosis and management arise when a new area is affected. The high mortality associated with infection and the possibility of spread to new areas has underscored the need for effective management and control. However, no effective treatment or prophylaxis is readily available, though several approaches show promise. Given the common chains of transmission from bats to humans, a One Health approach is necessary for the prevention and control of NiV infection.

Disease surveillance programmes ought to be evaluated regularly to ensure they provide valuable information in an efficient manner. Evaluation of human and animal health surveillance programmes around the world is currently not standardized and therefore inconsistent. The aim of this systematic review was to review surveillance system attributes and the methods used for their assessment, together with the strengths and weaknesses of existing frameworks for evaluating surveillance in animal health, public health and allied disciplines. Information from 99 articles describing the evaluation of 101 surveillance systems was examined. A wide range of approaches for assessing 23 different system attributes was identified although most evaluations addressed only one or two attributes and comprehensive evaluations were uncommon. Surveillance objectives were often not stated in the articles reviewed and so the reasons for choosing certain attributes for assessment were not always apparent. This has the potential to introduce misleading results in surveillance evaluation. Due to the wide range of system attributes that may be assessed, methods should be explored which collapse these down into a small number of grouped characteristics by focusing on the relationships between attributes and their links to the objectives of the surveillance system and the evaluation. A generic and comprehensive evaluation framework could then be developed consisting of a limited number of common attributes together with several sets of secondary attributes which could be selected depending on the disease or range of diseases under surveillance and the purpose of the surveillance. Economic evaluation should be an integral part of the surveillance evaluation process. This would provide a significant benefit to decision-makers who often need to make choices based on limited or diminishing resources.

The biochemical and biological properties of the flagella of Campylobacter jejuni have been investigated using two variants selected from a flagellate, motile clinical isolate (strain 81116): a flagellate, non-motile variant (SF-1) and an aflagellate variant (SF-2). Phenotypic and biochemical analysis of the strains and amino acid analysis of the isolated flagella suggest that the variants differed from the wild-type strain only in the absence of flagella and/or motility. The aflagellato variant poorly colonized the gastrointestinal tract of infant mice but the flagellate, non-motile variant colonized the mice as successfully as the wild-type strain.35S-labelled organisms were used to investigate the attachment of the variants to human epithelial cell monolayers in vitro. The flagellate, non-motile strain attached more efficiently to the cells than the wild-type strain or the aflagellate strain. Differences in attachment suggest that an adhesin is intimately associated with flagella of C jejuniand that active flagella mediate only a tenuous association with host cells. This adhesin attached most efficiently to cells of intestinal epithelial origin and was not specifically inhibited by various sugars.

The epidemiological features and clinical manifestations of adult cases of brucellosis admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Babol Medical University, Iran from 1997 to 2002 were investigated. Of 469 cases, 267 (56·9%) were males. The mean age of cases was 36·9±15 years. Most (60·8%) were from rural areas. Two thirds of cases (306, 66·3%) presented during spring or summer. Fresh cheese (22·4%), animal husbandry (11·3%), laboratory worker (8·1%) and veterinary profession (1·5%) were the main risk factors. Forty-five families (9·6%) had two cases. Sweating, fever, and arthralgia were the most frequent clinical symptoms. Complications were documented in 105 males (39·5%) and 41 females (20·3%, P=0·0001). Peripheral arthritis was seen in 24 (9%) males and 19 (9·4%) females, with knees and hips being the most common sites of infection. Sacroiliitis and spondylitis were seen in 28 (6%) and 32 (6·8%) cases respectively with spondylitis more common in males (P=0·023). Epididymo-orchitis was seen in 29 (10·9%) males. There were three cases each of endocarditis (0·6%) and neurological complications (0·6%). Most patients with brucellosis did not have any of the known risk factors for brucellosis. Thus consumption of unsafe dairy products could be the main route of infection. The disease manifested with a diversity of clinical manifestations and complications. Complications were more frequent in males than females.

A Q fever outbreak occurred in the southeast of The Netherlands in spring and summer 2007. Risk factors for the acquisition of a recent Coxiella burnetii infection were studied. In total, 696 inhabitants in the cluster area were invited to complete a questionnaire and provide a blood sample for serological testing of IgG and IgM phases I and II antibodies against C. burnetii, in order to recruit seronegative controls for a case-control study. Questionnaires were also sent to 35 previously identified clinical cases. Limited environmental sampling focused on two goat farms in the area. Living in the east of the cluster area, in which a positive goat farm, cattle and small ruminants were situated, smoking and contact with agricultural products were associated with a recent infection. Information leaflets were distributed on a large scale to ruminant farms, including hygiene measures to reduce the risk of spread between animals and to humans.

This is a case-control study aimed at identifying risk factors for intestinal infection with Campylobacter jejuni. Cases were defined as subjects with diarrhoea occurring in community cohorts or presenting to General Practitioners (GPs) with Campylobacter jejuni in stools. Controls were selected from GP lists or cohorts, matched by age, sex, and GP practice. Travel abroad and consumption of chicken in a restaurant were statistically significantly associated with being a case. There was no statistically significant risk associated with consumption of chicken other than in restaurants nor with reported domestic kitchen hygiene practices. Consumption of some foods was associated with a lower risk of being a case. Most cases remained unexplained. We suggest that infection with low numbers of micro-organisms, and individual susceptibility may play a greater role in the causation of campylobacter infection than previously thought. It is possible that in mild, sporadic cases infection may result from cross contamination from kitchen hygiene practices usually regarded as acceptable. Chicken may be a less important vehicle of infection for sporadic cases than for outbreaks, although its role as a source of infection in both settings requires further clarification in particular in relation to the effect of domestic hygiene practices. The potential effect of diet in reducing the risk of campylobacteriosis requires exploration.

The mechanisms by which Campylobacter jejuni rapidly spreads through large broiler flocks are unknown. Recent evidence suggests that the minimum infective oral dose for 100% caecal colonization is about 104 cfu, which, with such a ‘fragile’ organism, may limit transmissibility. However, the colonization potential of laboratory-adapted strains may be anomalous compared with fresh isolates or those passaged in vivo. The colonization potential of two chicken and one human C. jejuni isolates, which were minimally passaged, have been investigated using a quantitative model of chicken colonization. There was no detectable difference between these strains but all were more efficient colonizers than a laboratory-adapted strain 81116. In addition, the colonization potential of C. jejuni strain 81116 following a passage in vivo was also determined. The results indicated this increased C. 10000 fold following a single passage in vivo, such that a dose of only 40 cfu caused maximal colonization. Enhanced colonization potential may, therefore, account for the rapid rate of transmission within large flocks.

The effectiveness of various hand washing and disinfection methods in removing transient skin bacteria was studied in hospital after dry or moist contamination of the hands when nursing burn patients. The results were compared with those of laboratory tests with volunteers. A fairly good correlation of the bacterial reductions existed between hospital and laboratory tests. All other methods removed Slaph. aureus from the hands more effectively than liquid soap. Gram-negative bacilli were more easily removed than staphylococci, even with soap wash alone.

In hospital, none of the washing and disinfection methods always removed all patient-borne bacteria from the hands. After dry or moist contamination and subsequent washing with soap only, colonies of Staph. aureus were often detected in finger-print samples. Staphylococci wero more often completely removed by a 4% chlorhexidine detergent scrub and alcoholic solutions (either with or without previous soap wash) than by liquid soap, hexachlorophene or iodophor preparations. Gram-negative bacilli were more easily removed by all the washing and disinfection methods. After moist contamination, Gram-negative bacilli were more often completely removed from the hands by ethanol than by other treatments.

The results of the present study emphasize the importance of always using gloves when nursing a profuse spreader of bacteria or one who must be protected from infection.

The scope of this reflection paper was to review the latest research on the risk of MRSA infection and colonization in animals. Attention focused on occurrence, risk factors for colonization and infection, and human contact hazard for livestock, horses, and companion animals. Whereas the clonal relationship between MRSA strains of CC398 is straightforward in livestock this is less obvious in horses. Small companion animals typically share MRSA strains that seem to exchange with a human reservoir. Management and therapeutic options have been suggested for livestock, horses, companion animals, as well as instructions on safety measures for persons in contact with animals. Conclusions were drawn with emphasis on future research activities, especially to confirm the apparent evolution of the organism and to demonstrate efficiency of control strategies.

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for identifying serotypes of human and bovine rotaviruses was examined. In the identification of 115 human rotavirus samples in stools, results with PCR showed excellent agreement with results of serotyping by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, the PCR showed a much higher sensitivity (93%) than the ELISA test (82·6%). The PCR method could also be applied for identifying the serotype of bovine rotaviruses.

To determine risk factors for cholera in an epidemic-disease area in South America, a case–control investigation was performed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in July 1991. Residents > 5 years old who were hospitalized for treatment of acute, watery diarrhoea and two matched controls for each were interviewed regarding sources of water and food, and eating, drinking, and hygienic habits. Interviewers inspected homes of case-patients and controls to document water treatment, food-handling, and hygienic practices. Faecal specimens and shellfish were cultured for Vibrio cholerae O 1. Isolates were tested for susceptibility to a variety of antimicrobial agents. Drinking unboiled water (odds ratio [OR] = 4.0, confidence interval [CI] = 1.8–7.5), drinking a beverage from a street vendor (OR = 2.8, CI = 1.3–5.9), eating raw seafood (OR = 3.4, CI = 1.4–11.5), and eating cooked crab (OR = 5.1, CI = 1.4–19.2) were associated with illness. Always boiling drinking water at home (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.2–0.9) was protective against illness. The presence of soap in either the kitchen (OR = 0.3, CI = 0.2–0.8) or bathroom (OR = 0.4, CI = 0.2–0.9) at home was also protective. V. cholerae O 1 was recovered from a pooled sample of a bivalve mollusc and from 68% of stool samples from case-patients. Thirty-six percent of the isolates from stool specimens were resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents. Specific prevention measures may prevent transmission through these vehicles in the future. The appearance of antimicrobial resistance suggests the need for changes in current methods of prevention and treatment.

In April 1988, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among employees in a large company in Helsinki, Finland. A retrospective cohort study, using a self-administered questionnaire, was carried out to ascertain the cause and extent of the outbreak. To meet the case definition, employees had to have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting since 2 April, 1998. A subanalysis was made in the biggest office, consisting of 360 employees, of whom 204 (57%) completed the questionnaire. Of these 108 (53%) met the case definition. Employees who had eaten raspberry dressing were more likely to meet the case definition than those who had not (Attack Rate (AR) 65% versus AR 18% Relative Risk, (RR) 3·7, 95%, Confidence Intervals (CI) 2·0–6·7). Four stool specimens obtained from affected kitchen staff who had all eaten the raspberry dressing and who had all become ill simultaneously with the employees were positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for calicivirus. The data suggest that the primary source of the outbreak was imported frozen raspberries contaminated by calicivirus.

Acute parvovirus B19 infection is a risk for pregnant women. After vertical transmission the infected fetus may develop hydrops fetalis. Since B19 infection occurs mainly during childhood, children represent a main source for virus transmission. In order to determine whether certain groups in the German population show increased risks for B19 infection we analysed the seroprevalence using 6583 sera collected from adults in former Eastern and Western Germany during the German National Health Survey and 649 sera from healthy Thuringian children and adolescents. In adults the overall seroprevalence was 72·1%, rising from 20·4% in children (1–3 years) and 66·9% in adolescents (18–19 years) to 79·1% in the elderly (65–69 years). Significant differences were observed between females (73·3%) and males (70·9%) and between inhabitants of small (74·8%) and big cities (69·0%) but not between people of the former Eastern (72·8%) and Western states (72·0%) of Germany. For women during childbearing age (18–49 years) highest values were observed in those living together with two or more children (81·6%) and in women with occupational contact with children aged <6 years (88·9%). In contrast seroprevalence was significantly lower in age-matched female singles (64·8%) and in women with occupational contact with children aged >6 years and adolescents (63·8%).

This case control study investigated environmental factors in 74 confirmed cases of meningococcal disease (MD). In children aged under 5, passive smoking in the home (30 or more cigarettes daily) was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46–38.66). ORs increased both with the numbers of cigarettes smoked and with the number of smokers in the household, suggesting a dose–response relationship. MD in this age group was also significantly associated with household overcrowding (more than 1.5 persons per room) (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.10–32.8), with kisses on the mouth with 4 or more contacts in the previous 2 weeks (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.09–5.56), with exposure to dust from plaster, brick or stone in the previous 2 weeks (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.07–4.65); and with changes in residence (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.0–8.99), marital arguments (OR 3.0, 95 % CI 1.26–7.17) and legal disputes in the previous 6 months (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.24–7.78). These associations were independent of social class. Public health measures to lower the prevalence of cigarette smoking by parents of young children may reduce the incidence of MD. The influence of building dust and stressful life events merits further investigation.

Colonization of the intestine by putative pathogens was followed longitudinally in a cohort of 56 infants born during one calendar year in a rural Mexican village with faecal cultures taken every fortnight and every time a child had diarrhoea. The frequency of isolation of pathogens during episodes of diarrhoea was compared with that of matched controls from the same cohort. Incidence of diarrhoea during the first year of life was 98%, diminishing to 93% during the second year. The incidence curves for each year were not significantly different (P > 0·1). Isolation of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing heat-stable (ST) and/or heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins and rotaviruses was significantly higher in infants with diarrhoea during the first 2 years of life. In the case of shigella, although no significant differences were found by semester of life, 13 of 16 children in which these strains were found had diarrhoea. Isolation of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and protozoa were not significantly different in the two groups during the period studied. Strains showing localized adherence to HEp-2 cells or the presence of colonization factor antigens I or E8775 were found with significantly higher frequency in children with diarrhoea. Eighty-two percent of ST+ or LT+ ETEC strains isolated produced one of the three known colonization factors.

This article reviews the literature on the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in dogs, cats and horses. Over the past 10 years, MRSA has emerged as an important pathogen in veterinary medicine, especially in countries with a high MRSA burden in human hospitals. During the same period, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections in humans without apparent links to healthcare facilities have increased dramatically. Although animal infections occur outside human hospitals, significant epidemiological, clinical and genetic differences exist between CA-MRSA in humans and the majority of MRSA infections in the different animal species. The recognition of MRSA in animals has raised concern over their role as potential reservoirs or vectors for human MRSA infection in the community. However, available data on MRSA transmission between humans and companion animals are limited and the public health impact of such transmission needs to be the subject of more detailed epidemiological studies.