In a study of 302 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from the low-incidence Canadian-born population of Quebec, we characterized a large endemic strain family by using genomic deletions. The DS6(Quebec) deleted region (11.4 kb) defined a strain family of 143 isolates encompassing two subgroups: one characterized by pyrazinamide (PZA) susceptibility and the other marked by a PZA-monore...

Malaria is the vector-transmitted disease that causes the highest morbidity and mortality in humans. Motivated by the known influence of sickle-cell anemia on the morbidity and mortality of malaria-infected humans, we study the effect of malaria on the genetic composition of a host (human) population where sickle-cell anemia is prevalent and malaria is endemic. The host subpopulations are there...

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions of the globe with the highest measles-related morbidity and mortality. Yet only seven virus isolates from this vast region have been phylogenetically characterized on the basis of their nucleoprotein, the last one in 1991. To characterize the prevalent wild-type viruses and to understand their circulation pattern, a large panel (n = 45) of isolates was c...

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a global public health issue that has spread widely to more than 20 countries in Asia and has extended its geographic range to the south Pacific region including Australia. JE has become the most important cause of viral encephalitis in the world. Japanese encephalitis viruses (JEV) are divided into five genotypes, based on the nucleotide sequence of the envelope (...

OBJECTIVES Hydatid disease is endemic and represents a major health problem in Yemen. The aim of this study is to determine the magnitude of the problem of hydatidosis in patients attending Public and Private Hospitals at Sana'a city, Yemen. METHODS 66 patients with hydatid disease were identified during the period from August 2006 to February 2007. Complete medical history for all CE patient...

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly viral hemorrhagic disease of swine. In Zambia, ASF was first reported in 1912 in Eastern Province and is currently believed to be endemic in that province only. Strict quarantine measures implemented at the Luangwa River Bridge, the only surface outlet from Eastern Province, appeared to be successful in restricting the disease. However...

BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum the main causative agent of malaria is an important public health vector. With the use of PCR, its genetic diversity has been extensively studied with dearth information from Nigeria. METHODS In this study, 100 P. falciparum strains merozoite surface protein 1(msp-1), merozoite surface protein 2 (msp-2) and Glutamate rich protein (Glurp) from Ogun State Genera...

In this communication we have summarized and in some details extended the publications on this subject which have appeared in the Japanese literature. 1 In the course of our investigations of that endemic disease of portions of Japan, which agrees clinically with Well's disease, so called, we discovered a spiroch~etal microorganism which is now believed to be the cause of the disease. In the ex...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is endemic in large parts of the developing world. Waterborne transmission of genotypes 1 or 2 commonly causes acute hepatitis, which is usually self-limited in healthy individuals. In addition, acute HEV infections also occur outside endemic areas, mostly related to foodborne transmission of HEV genotype 3. A growing number of publications in the last decade ...

Placozoa has been a key phylum for understanding early metazoan evolution. Yet this phylum is officially monotypic and with respect to its general biology and ecology has remained widely unknown. Worldwide sampling and sequencing of the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (16S) reveals a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical waters of genetically different clades. We sampled a...