Last data update: Sep 16, 2024. (Total: 47680 publications since 2009)
Records 1-8 (of 8 Records) |
Query Trace: Beesley C [original query] |
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Notes from the field: Anthrax on a sheep farm in winter - Texas, December 2023-January 2024
Thompson JM , Spencer K , Maass M , Rollo S , Beesley CA , Marston CK , Hoffmaster AR , Bower WA , Candela MG , Barr JR , Boyer AE , Weiner ZP , Negrón ME , Swaney E , O'Sullivan B . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024 73 (22) 517-520 |
Locally acquired melioidosis linked to environment - Mississippi, 2020-2023
Petras JK , Elrod MG , Ty MC , Dawson P , O'Laughlin K , Gee JE , Hanson J , Boutwell C , Ainsworth G , Beesley CA , Saile E , Tiller R , Gulvik CA , Ware D , Sokol T , Balsamo G , Taylor K , Salzer JS , Bower WA , Weiner ZP , Negrón ME , Hoffmaster AR , Byers P . N Engl J Med 2023 389 (25) 2355-2362 Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease endemic to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It is typically acquired through contact with contaminated soil or fresh water. Before this investigation, B. pseudomallei was not known to have been isolated from the environment in the continental United States. Here, we report on three patients living in the same Mississippi Gulf Coast county who presented with melioidosis within a 3-year period. They were infected by the same Western Hemisphere B. pseudomallei strain that was discovered in three environmental samples collected from the property of one of the patients. These findings indicate local acquisition of melioidosis from the environment in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. |
Persistent Bacillus cereus bacteremia in 3 persons who inject drugs, San Diego, California, USA
Schaefer G , Campbell W , Jenks J , Beesley C , Katsivas T , Hoffmaster A , Mehta SR , Reed S . Emerg Infect Dis 2016 22 (9) 1621-3 Bacillus cereus is typically considered a blood culture contaminant; however, its presence in blood cultures can indicate true bacteremia. We report 4 episodes of B. cereus bacteremia in 3 persons who inject drugs. Multilocus sequence typing showed that the temporally associated infections were caused by unrelated clones. |
Contact investigation of melioidosis cases reveals regional endemicity in Puerto Rico
Doker TJ , Sharp TM , Rivera-Garcia B , Perez-Padilla J , Benoit TJ , Ellis EM , Elrod MG , Gee JE , Shieh WJ , Beesley CA , Ryff KR , Traxler RM , Galloway RL , Haberling DL , Waller LA , Shadomy SV , Bower WA , Hoffmaster AR , Walke HT , Blaney DD . Clin Infect Dis 2014 60 (2) 243-50 BACKGROUND: Melioidosis results from infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei, and is associated with case-fatality rates up to 40%. Early diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antimicrobials can improve survival rates. Fatal and non-fatal melioidosis cases were identified in Puerto Rico in 2010 and 2012, respectively, which prompted contact investigations to identify risk factors for infection and evaluate endemicity. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered and serum specimens were collected from co-workers, neighborhood contacts within 250 meters of both patients' residences, and injection drug use (IDU) contacts of the 2012 patient. Serum specimens were tested for evidence of prior exposure to B. pseudomallei by indirect hemagglutination assay. Neighborhood seropositivity results guided soil sampling to isolate B. pseudomallei. RESULTS: Serum specimens were collected from contacts of the 2010 (n=51) and 2012 (n=60) patients, respectively. No co-workers had detectable anti-B. pseudomallei antibody, whereas seropositive results among neighborhood contacts was 5% (n=2) for the 2010 patient and 23%(n=12) for the 2012 patient, as well as 2 of 3 IDU contacts for the 2012 case. Factors significantly associated with seropositivity were having skin wounds, sores, or ulcers (OR=4.6; 95% CI: 1.2-17.8) and IDU (OR=18.0; 95% CI: 1.6-194.0). B. pseudomallei was isolated from soil collected in the neighborhood of the 2012 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, isolation of B. pseudomallei from a soil sample and high seropositivity among patient contacts suggest at least regional endemicity of melioidosis in Puerto Rico. Increased awareness of melioidosis is needed to enable early case identification and early initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. |
Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates in 2 pet iguanas, California, USA
Zehnder AM , Hawkins MG , Koski MA , Lifland B , Byrne BA , Swanson AA , Rood MP , Gee JE , Elrod MG , Beesley CA , Blaney DD , Ventura J , Hoffmaster AR , Beeler ES . Emerg Infect Dis 2014 20 (2) 304-6 Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, was isolated from abscesses of 2 pet green iguanas in California, USA. The international trade in iguanas may contribute to importation of this pathogen into countries where it is not endemic and put persons exposed to these animals at risk for infection. |
Lethal factor toxemia and anti-protective antigen antibody activity in naturally acquired cutaneous anthrax
Boyer AE , Quinn CP , Beesley CA , Gallegos-Candela M , Marston CK , Cronin LX , Lins RC , Stoddard RA , Li H , Schiffer J , Hossain MJ , Chakraborty A , Rahman M , Luby SP , Shieh WJ , Zaki S , Barr JR , Hoffmaster AR . J Infect Dis 2011 204 (9) 1321-7 Cutaneous anthrax outbreaks occurred in Bangladesh from August to October 2009. As part of the epidemiological response and to confirm anthrax diagnoses, serum samples were collected from suspected case patients with observed cutaneous lesions. Anthrax lethal factor (LF), anti-protective antigen (anti-PA) immunoglobulin G (IgG), and anthrax lethal toxin neutralization activity (TNA) levels were determined in acute and convalescent serum of 26 case patients with suspected cutaneous anthrax from the first and largest of these outbreaks. LF (0.005-1.264 ng/mL) was detected in acute serum from 18 of 26 individuals. Anti-PA IgG and TNA were detected in sera from the same 18 individuals and ranged from 10.0 to 679.5 mcg/mL and 27 to 593 units, respectively. Seroconversion to serum anti-PA and TNA was found only in case patients with measurable toxemia. This is the first report of quantitative analysis of serum LF in cutaneous anthrax and the first to associate acute stage toxemia with subsequent antitoxin antibody responses. |
Serologic surveillance of anthrax in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, 1996-2009
Lembo T , Hampson K , Auty H , Beesley CA , Bessell P , Packer C , Halliday J , Fyumagwa R , Hoare R , Ernest E , Mentzel C , Mlengeya T , Stamey K , Wilkins PP , Cleaveland S . Emerg Infect Dis 2011 17 (3) 387-394 Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, is responsible for varying death rates among animal species. Difficulties in case detection, hazardous or inaccessible carcasses, and misdiagnosis hinder surveillance. Using case reports and a new serologic assay that enables multispecies comparisons, we examined exposure to and illness caused by B. anthracis in different species in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania during 1996-2009 and the utility of serosurveillance. High seroprevalence among carnivores suggested regular nonfatal exposure. Seropositive wildebeest and buffalo showed that infection was not invariably fatal among herbivores, whereas absence of seropositivity in zebras and frequent detection of fatal cases indicated high susceptibility. Exposure patterns in dogs reflected known patterns of endemicity and provided new information about anthrax in the ecosystem, which indicated the potential of dogs as indicator species. Serosurveillance is a valuable tool for monitoring and detecting anthrax and may shed light on mechanisms responsible for species-specific variability in exposure, susceptibility, and mortality rates. |
Identification and characterization of clinical Bacillus spp. isolates phenotypically similar to Bacillus anthracis
Beesley CA , Vanner CL , Helsel LO , Gee JE , Hoffmaster AR . FEMS Microbiol Lett 2010 313 (1) 47-53 Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is a gram-positive, spore-forming rod, with colonies exhibiting a unique ground-glass appearance, and lacking hemolysis and motility. In addition to these phenotypes, several others traits are characteristic of B. anthracis such as susceptibility to gamma phage, the presence of two virulence plasmids (pX01 and pX02), and specific cell wall and capsular antigens that are commonly detected by direct fluorescent-antibody assays. We report on the identification and characterization of 14 Bacillus megaterium and four Bacillus sp. clinical isolates that are nonhemolytic, nonmotile, and produce a capsule antigenically similar to B. anthracis. This work furthers our understanding of Bacillus diversity and the limitations of the assays and phenotypes that are used to differentiate species in this genus. Further work is necessary to understand whether these strains are opportunistic pathogens or just contaminates. |
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