Serologic Evidence Of Prior Infection Research Articles

IgM and IgG antibody response in two immunosuppressed patients with Legionnaires' disease: Evidence of reactivation of latent infection

Two patients in whom pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila developed while they were receiving immunosuppressive therapy had serologic evidence of prior infection with the same serogroup of L. pneumophila two and eight months prior to their clinical pneumonia. This suggests that the pneumonia in these patients may have been due to the reactivation of a latent infection, possibly due to their immunosuppressed state. A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect IgG and IgM antibodies to L. pneumophila, and the kinetics of these antibody responses were useful diagnostically.

Foodborne hepatitis A at a family reunion use of IgM-specific hepatitis a serologic testing.

A cluster of cases of hepatitis A that occurred among 46 participants in a family reunion in Utah in August 1980 was investigated with epidemiologic and serologic techniques. No index patient with clinical illness had been present at the reunion. Twenty-three cases of hepatitis A were ultimately identified; 14 developed clinical hepatitis. Immunoglobulin M-specific hepatitis A virus antibody testing identified nine recently infected asymptomatic subjects. Eight additional individuals had serologic evidence of prior infection. Detection of these asymptomatically infected and nonsusceptible subjects among presumably well individuals led to the alteration of the food questionnaire analysis, ultimately implicating the green salad. The green-salad maker was identified as an asymptomatically infected individual and was thought to be the probable index case. Determination of hepatitis A virus antibody status of study subjects revealed age-related differences in clinical manifestations and disease susceptibility between individuals exposed to foodborne hepatitis A.

Intensive screening for gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis B in a gay bathhouse does not lower the prevalence infection.

An attempt was made to reduce the rate of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae among homosexual men who visit a bathhouse in Denver, Colorado, by the offer of screening cultures during the 24 hr per week of maximal use of the bathhouse. A total of 543 men were screened (646 tests). The rate of infection did not decline significantly (P less than 0.80) from the first month (31 of 272 men; 11.4%) to the third month (19 of 180 men; 10.6%) of the program. Early syphilis was detected in five (0.8%) of 606 men and hepatitis B surface antigen in 13 (3.3%) of 389 men tested. Serologic evidence of prior infection with Treponema pallidum and hepatitis B virus was found in 96 (19.3%) of 498 and 226 (58.1%) of 389 men tested, respectively. It was concluded that patrons of a gay bathhouse have a high risk of contracting gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Although intensive screening is a cost-effective method of detecting cases of gonorrhea, the screening program did not reduce the prevalence of infection.