For pathogens transmitted by biting vectors, one of the fundamental assumptions is often that vector bites are the sole or main route of host infection. Here, we demonstrate experimentally a transmission route whereby hosts (red grouse, Lagopus lagopus scoticus) became infected with a member of the tick-borne encephalitis virus complex, louping ill virus, after eating the infected tick vector. ...

Healthcare practitioners infected with blood-borne pathogens may pose a risk to patients. There is disagreement about how to best protect the health of patients without unjustifiably restricting the autonomy of infected practitioners. There are no accepted national standards to guide Canadian hospitals in policy development. We implemented a policy for practitioners infected with blood-borne pa...

To assess the potential risk for other tick-borne diseases, we collected 100 adult Ixodes scapularis in Hunterdon County, a rapidly developing rural county in Lyme disease endemic western New Jersey. We tested the ticks by polymerase chain reaction for Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, and the rickettsial agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE). Fifty-five ticks were infected with a...

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens from sharp injuries continue to pose a significant risk to healthcare workers (HCW). The number of sharps injuries sustained by HCW is still unclear, primarily due to under-reporting of events. Healthcare professionals are at risk of sustaining such injuries from hollow-bore needles. Sharps injuries are associated with risk of infection with blood-borne pathoge...

RFID systems have been used in numerous applications like asset tracking, toll collection and libraries. The following paper presents our ongoing research for the Auburn University Detection and Food Safety (AUDFS) project to use RFID technology combined with sensors for detection of pathogens in food. AUDFS aims to integrate the breakthroughs in the detection of food borne illnesses with advan...

Identifying Borrelia burgdorferi as the causative agent of Lyme disease in 1981 was a watershed moment in understanding the major impact that tick-borne zoonoses can have on public health worldwide, particularly in Europe and the USA. The medical importance of tick-borne diseases has long since been acknowledged, yet little is known regarding the occurrence of emerging tick-borne pathogens such...

The Companion Animal Parasite Council hosted a meeting to identify quantifiable factors that can influence the prevalence of tick-borne disease agents among dogs in North America. This report summarizes the approach used and the factors identified for further analysis with mathematical models of canine exposure to tick-borne pathogens.

Tick-transmitted zoonoses such as human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are endemic in several European countries, including Slovenia. Ixodes ricinus, the most prevalent species of hard ticks in Slovenia, is the principal vector for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and TBE virus [1]. Information on clinically manifest...

This study was conducted to examine the levels of food borne microbial contamination in hand made sandwich samples and their antibiotic resistance characteristics in Kerman, Iran. A total of 134 samples of three types of sandwiches ( Hamburger, sausage and Kaalbas) were purchased from 10 different fast-food restaurants of Kerman and examined for the presence of food-borne pathogens and their su...

In 1997, ticks removed from humans and received alive by the Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory of the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) were tested for pathogens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thirty-three of 222 (15%) Amblyomma americanum (L.) DNAs produced amplicons of the expected size of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Anderson, Dawson & Wilson and 26/222 (12%)...