No abstract

RSV bronchiolitis was the leading cause of hospital admissions of infants younger than age 1 year for any reason between 1997 and 1999.

Adenovirus (Ad)-induced acute respiratory illnesses resurged among civilian adults and selected military training populations in the United States during the late 1990s. We examined the epidemiologic and immunologic correlates of Ad-induced respiratory illnesses during a large outbreak at an Army basic training installation in southeast United States during a 9-day period in November 1997. A total of 79 recruits hospitalized with acute respiratory illnesses were evaluated during the outbreak period; confirmation of Ad infection by isolation of Ad-like cytopathic agents from throat cultures was detected in 71 (90%) of these patients. Serotyping of 19 (27%) of these 71 isolates identified the etiologic agent to be Ad type 4 (Ad4). In addition, 30 (81%) of 37 patients in whom paired sera were collected demonstrated significant increases (i.e., 4-fold or higher) in serum anti-Ad4 neutralizing antibodies. Anti-Ad4 immunity in new recruits was found to be very low (15 to 22%). A case-control study involving 66 of the 79 hospitalized cases and 189 non-ill controls from the same units was conducted. A lower risk of hospitalization for acute respiratory illnesses was documented for female recruits (odds ratio[OR] = 0.47, P <.05) whereas, a higher risk was noted for smokers (OR = 1.89, P <.05). Unit (training company) attack rates as high as 8 to 10% per week were documented and the outbreak quickly subsided after live, oral Ad types 4 and 7 vaccination was resumed in November 1997. Re-establishment of a military Ad vaccination program is critical for control of Ad-induced acute respiratory illnesses.

Anti‐double stranded (dsDNA) antibodies are of considerable diagnostic value and are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Fluctuations in anti‐dsDNA antibody levels are also used as markers for disease activity and exacerbations. In this study we sought to evaluate the anti‐dsDNA antibody level in serum samples collected before the onset of SLE diagnosis. A total of 130 SLE patients were identified with stored serum samples available prior to diagnosis within the US Department of Defense serum repository. All 633 sera available from these patients were screened for anti‐dsDNA antibodies using an enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Within this cohort 55% of cases had detectable anti‐dsDNA antibodies prior to SLE diagnosis. The onset of anti‐dsDNA antibodies ranged from 9.3 years before to within the same month as diagnosis (with a mean onset 2.7 years before diagnosis). In order to assess for fluctuations in anti‐dsDNA levels relative to diagnosis, cases were selected with at least two positive samples, one within 6 months and a second greater than 6 months prior to diagnosis (n = 26). Seven of these cases also had samples available shortly after diagnosis (≤ 6 months) for comparison. Fifty‐eight percent of the 26 cases developed a significant rise in anti‐dsDNA antibody levels within 6 months of diagnosis. A significant decline in anti‐dsDNA levels ensued after diagnosis (and following treatment with corticosteroids) in all seven cases with samples available. Patients with a significant rise in anti‐dsDNA antibodies at diagnosis were more likely to have renal disease than those who did not (66.7% compared to 27.3%, χ2=3.94, P<0.05). These data suggest that anti‐dsDNA antibodies are present in SLE patient sera much earlier than previously suspected. In addition, the data are consistent with increases in anti‐dsDNA levels contributing to the onset of clinical illness in some patients with SLE.

Abstract. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral illness endemic to the Balkan region. United States military forces were deployed to Bosnia in early 1996 as part of Operation Joint Endeavor, a U.S.-led multinational peacekeeping operation. To counteract the TBE threat, an inactivated, parenteral vaccine (FSME-Immun Inject; Immuno AG, Vienna, Austria) was offered to soldiers at high risk on a volunteer basis in an accelerated, 3-dose schedule (0, 7, and 28 days). Passive adverse reaction surveillance was conducted on 3,981 vaccinated personnel. Paired sera from a randomly selected group of 1,913 deployed personnel (954 who received vaccine and 959 who were unvaccinated) were tested for antibodies to TBE by an ELISA. Three-dose recipients demonstrated an 80% seroconversion rate (4-fold or greater increase in anti-TBE titers). By comparison, the TBE infection rate in the unvaccinated cohort was found to be only 0.42% (4 of 959). Only 0.18% of vaccinees reported self-limited symptoms. An accelerated immunization schedule appears to be an acceptable option for military personnel or travelers on short-term notice to TBE-endemic areas.