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PubMedDate not supplied

Coat color genetics of Peromyscus: V. California blonde, a new recessive mutation in the deer mouse.

California blonde is a coat color mutation in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) discovered among descendants of wild-type animals collected on Santa Cruz Island, California. The phenotype is produced by the presence of brown, rather than black, eumelanin in the pelage and skin. Retinal pigmentation is also reduced. The condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The California blonde gene is nonallelic with the brown (b), blonde (bln), and platinum (plt) mutant genes in this species. California blonde represents a newly detected genetic locus in the deer mouse. The symbol cfb is provisionally assigned for this genetic locus.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Latino physician supply in California: sources, locations, and projections.

PURPOSE: To determine the number of Latino physicians in California, identify the schools and countries where they were educated, determine the percentage located in Latino areas, and project the supply of Latino physicians to 2020. METHOD: From a 1999 list of 74,345 licensed physicians, the authors identified Latino U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) by "heavily Hispanic" surnames and Latino international medical graduates (IMGs) by country and school of graduation. The 1999 license addresses of all physicians in Los Angeles County were analyzed against 1998 Latino-population data by zip code. A baseline projection of the supply of Latino physicians was based on the ten-year (1986 to 1995) average annual production of Latino physicians educated in California, out of state, and in Latin America. A worst-case projection assumed the continuation of recent trends: a 32% decrease in California-educated Latino USMGs, a 19% decrease in out-of-state Latino USMGs, and a reduction of Latino IMGs to five per year. RESULTS: In 1999, 3,578 Latino physicians comprised 4.8% of all Californian physicians. In contrast, Latinos made up 30.4% of the state's population. Latino physicians were more likely than non-Latinos to have addresses in a heavily Latino zip code. In the baseline projection, while the overall supply of Latino physicians will increase by nearly 30% by 2020, that growth will be dwarfed by the 74% growth in the Latino population over the same time. In the worst-case projection, the actual number of Latino physicians will decrease from the 1999 figure of 3,578 to 3,448 by 2020, while the Latino population continues to grow. CONCLUSIONS: (1) The Latino USMG supply must be markedly increased in the number of first-year matriculants in both California and out-of-state schools. (2) The issue of Latino IMGs requires special attention, and may provide a temporary solution to the Latino physician shortfall. (3) Non-Latino physicians need to be prepared to be culturally effective with a large and growing Latino patient population.

California↗
PubMed2005

The relationship of insurance status, hospital ownership, and teaching status with interhospital transfers in California in 2000.

PURPOSE: Public hospitals and academic medical centers may admit more poorly insured transfer patients than do other institutions. The authors investigated the relationship of patient insurance status, hospital ownership, and hospital teaching status with interhospital transfers in California. METHOD: In 2003, data were derived from the hospital discharge abstract database for the year 2000 from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Hospitals were categorized by ownership and teaching status; patients were categorized as being "good" or "poor" payers depending on the level of expected insurance reimbursement. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used to assess the number of poor payer transfers admitted by each hospital group. RESULTS: In 2000, there were 58,509 transfer and 2,320,479 direct admissions. All hospital groups admitted a higher percentage of good payer than poor payer transfer patients (85% vs. 15% respectively for all groups combined). Adjusted for total number of admissions and teaching status, the number of poor payer transfer patients admitted to county-owned and University of California hospitals was significantly higher than the statewide average (both p values < .001), while the number admitted to independent teaching hospitals was significantly lower than the statewide average (p < .001). The number of poor payer transfer patients admitted to independent teaching hospitals more closely resembled that of for-profit hospitals than that of University of California teaching hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: In 2000, the likelihood of a hospital admitting a transfer patient appears to have been affected by both the patient's insurance status and the hospital's ownership. In general, good payer patients were more likely to be transferred than were poor payer patients, with poor payer transfer patients more likely to be admitted to publicly owned hospitals.

California↗
PubMed1996

Differentiation and specialization in the California hospital industry 1983 to 1988.

This article examines changes in the service mix of California hospitals as part of their response to shifts in the system of reimbursement between 1983 and 1988. The Hospital Discharge Data Set and the Annual Hospital Disclosure Report produced by California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development were used in this study. Characteristics of inpatient hospital services in California before and after the introduction of new reimbursement mechanisms (including the Medicare Prospective Payment System [PPS] and the growth of selective contracting plans) were compared. The factors that influence two measures of hospital service mix, one focusing on specialization and the other on differentiation, were studied. The factors included hospital characteristics and changes in hospital reimbursement. Variables describing a hospital's service mix and the level in its market were constructed from data in the annual discharge abstracts. Data pertaining to average hospital costs and reimbursements under the Medicare PPS were drawn from a file containing a 20% sample of hospital stay records for the year of PPS. Other hospital data, such as ownership and bed size, were taken from the California Annual Disclosure Report data set. The results indicate that completion among hospitals tended to increase differentiation whereas higher financial PPS pressure is associated with increased specialization. Hospitals tend to adopt some high visibility services offered by their competitors while filling market niches selectively overall. It also appears that the cost savings expected for specialization may prevail only for narrowly defined services. Study of subsequent data sets should show whether the cost containment strategies used by the hospitals to achieve these results have been maintained over a period of sustained financial pressure.

California↗
PubMed1999

Grading the graders: how hospitals in California and New York perceive and interpret their report cards.

BACKGROUND: Concerns about quality of care are increasing as hospitals struggle to lower costs. Hospital report cards are controversial, but little is known about their impact. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether recent hospital report cards are viewed more favorably than pioneering federal efforts; whether a report based on clinical data is viewed more favorably than one based on administrative data; and whether attitudes toward report cards are related to hospital characteristics. DESIGN: Mailed survey of chief executives at 374 California hospitals and 31 New York hospitals listed in report cards on myocardial infarction and coronary bypass mortality. SUBJECTS: Two-hundred-and-seventy-four hospitals in California (73.3% response) and 27 in New York (87.1% response). California hospitals were categorized on ownership, size, occupancy, risk-adjusted mortality, teaching status, patient volume, and surgical capability. MEASURES: Number of hospital units that received or discussed the report card, ratings of its quality, perceptions of its usefulness, and knowledge of its methods. RESULTS: In both states, report cards were widely disseminated within hospitals. The mean quality rating was higher (P = 0.0074) in New York than in California; New York respondents appeared to be more knowledgeable about key methods. One or more hospital characteristics was associated with each outcome measure. Leaders at high-mortality hospitals were especially critical and did not find the report useful, despite limited understanding of its methods. CONCLUSIONS: Recent hospital report cards were rated better than pioneering federal efforts. A report based on clinical data was rated better, understood better, and disseminated more often to key staff than one that was based on administrative data. Barriers to constructive use of outcomes data persist, especially at high mortality hospitals.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1995

Hepatitis B virus serology in pregnant women: transmittal of results from obstetricians to pediatricians in California.

From late 1992 to early 1993, in order to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice patterns of California obstetricians regarding hepatitis B virus screening of pregnant women and how maternal hepatitis B virus serologies are communicated by obstetricians to pediatricians, we mailed questionnaires to a random sample of 801 California obstetricians and 1030 California pediatricians. Response rates were 65.7% (526) for obstetricians and 71% (732) for pediatricians. Although 99.8% of the surveyed obstetricians indicated that they routinely screened all pregnant women for hepatitis B virus, their knowledge of the correct screening tests to order and their interpretation was mixed. Only 56.3% (95% confidence interval, 51.2 to 61.2) were aware of the California law and approximately 12% did not understand that it mandated universal screening of pregnant women. There was a great difference of opinion between obstetricians and pediatricians regarding how to communicate hepatitis B virus serology results on the mother. Forty-nine percent of obstetricians report that they always request the nurse to inform the pediatrician (48.6%), 51.2% always verbally inform the pediatrician, 39.1% always place an order in the mother's chart and 5.7% always send a letter to the pediatrician. In contrast only 12.9% of pediatricians responded that they always received maternal hepatitis B virus serology results from the obstetrical or nursery nurse, only 2.6% always received a verbal communication from the obstetrician, 14.1% always retrieved it from a written report in the mother's chart and 4.2% reported that they always received a letter from the obstetrician. A uniform system should be adopted to ensure efficient transmission of maternal hepatitis B serology results from obstetricians to pediatricians to ensure prompt treatment to prevent vertical transmission of hepatitis B.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Epidemiologic characteristics of children hospitalized for Kawasaki disease in California.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiologic pattern of Kawasaki disease (KD) in California. METHODS: Statewide hospital discharge data from California from 1995 through 1999 were used. Children 0 through 17 years old who had a discharge diagnosis of KD (by ICD9-CM code 446.1) were identified. Precipitation and temperature data of climate divisions of the state were used to determine their possible association with incidences of KD. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors related to the KD incidence of the counties. RESULTS: There were 2,325 patients admitted to 194 California hospitals during the 5-year study period. The male-to-female ratio was 1.62. Median age was 30 months; peak incidence by year of age was in the second year of life. Overall annual incidence was 15.3 cases per 100,000 children <5 years old and 3.2 cases per 100,000 children 5 through 9 years old. Compared with 1995 and 1996, the incidence for children <5 years old increased by 30% in 1997 and 1998 (P < 0.01). In contrast the incidence for children 5 through 9 years old remained relatively unchanged. Asians had the highest incidence of 35.3 cases per 100,000 children <5 years old, followed by blacks (24.6) and whites (14.7) (P < 0.01). The number of cases peaked in March and had its nadir in September. In a multiple regression analysis, no association was found between KD incidence and temperature or precipitation. KD incidence was not related to average family size, proportion of Asians in the population, population density or whether the county is in northern or southern California. There was no in hospital death. The median length of hospital stay was 2 days. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of Kawasaki disease in patients <5 years old increased in 1997 and 1998. Asians had the highest KD incidence compared with other races. Peak incidence was in March, and the lowest incidence was in September. KD incidence was not associated with temperature, precipitation, family size or population density.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Regional variations in breast cancer among california teachers.

BACKGROUND: Observed regional differences in breast cancer incidence could provide valuable clues to the etiology of this disease. The pattern of historically higher breast cancer rates among residents of California's San Francisco Bay and Southern Coastal areas is evident in the disease experience among members of the California Teachers Study. This large cohort study has followed female professional school employees for cancer incidence since 1995 and has collected extensive information on breast cancer risk factors. METHODS: Between 1996 and 1999, invasive breast cancer was diagnosed in 1562 of the 115,611 cohort members who could be geocoded to a California address in 1995 and who had no previous breast cancer diagnosis. Adjusted hazard rate ratios (HRs) were estimated through multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: Rates were higher for cohort members in the San Francisco Bay area (HR = 1.22; 95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.40) and Southern Coastal area (1.16; 1.04-1.30) compared with those in the rest of California. The distributions of variables representing socioeconomic status, urbanization, and personal risk factors were consistent with higher risks for cohort members residing in the San Francisco Bay and Southern Coastal areas. Adjustment for these factors, however, did not explain regional differences in incidence, resulting in HRs that remained elevated for these 2 areas. CONCLUSION: Regional differences in breast cancer incidence in this large, well-defined cohort are not easily explained by known risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Varicella-related mortality in California, 1988-2000.

BACKGROUND: Although surveillance for varicella in the United States has documented a reduction in cases since vaccine licensure in 1995, information is lacking on varicella-related mortality since vaccine introduction. This study identifies varicella-related mortality in California before and after vaccine introduction and assesses how high risk conditions and complications contributed to varicella deaths during this period. METHODS: California death records mentioning varicella as either an underlying or contributing cause of death were selected from the 1988-2000 multiple cause-of-death files. Pre- and postvaccine periods were compared to assess differences in varicella mortality before and after vaccine introduction. Differences in varicella mortality by age, race/ethnicity and gender were also examined. ICD codes were used to identify high risk conditions and varicella-related complications. RESULTS: A total of 228 varicella-related deaths were reported between 1988 and 2000 in California. Age-adjusted varicella mortality rates showed a downward trend during this period, dropping from a high of 0.97 per million in 1990 to a low of 0.22 per million in 1999. The average age-adjusted mortality rate declined from 0.67 per million prevaccine to 0.38 per million postvaccine. Compared with the prevaccine period, the average rate of decline in varicella mortality was greater after vaccine implementation. Infants had the highest mortality rate for the period. At least one immunocompromising condition was present in 38% of varicella-related deaths. Pneumonia was the most commonly reported complication. CONCLUSIONS: Varicella-related mortality declined in California after vaccine implementation, but potentially preventable varicella-related deaths continue to occur.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

HIV prevalence and sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men: results from a statewide population-based survey in California.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate HIV prevalence, sexual risk behaviors, and HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) between 18 and 64 years old living in California. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of a statewide population-based sample of MSM. METHODS: Using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001), 398 men who self-identified as gay or bisexual were recontacted and interviewed by telephone for a follow-up study in 2002. Study participants were interviewed regarding their demographic characteristics and sexual behavior, HIV testing history, and HIV infection status. Those who self-reported as HIV-negative or of unknown status were offered an HIV test using a home urine specimen collection kit. RESULTS: HIV prevalence among MSM in California was 19.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.8% to 25.3%) with higher rates seen among the following subgroups: high school or less education (40.4%), annual income less than dollar 20,000 (35.0%), or history of ever injecting recreational drugs (40.3%). Young age and Hispanic or African-American race/ethnicity were associated with higher proportions of risky sexual behavior and lower HIV testing rates. CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevalence among MSM living in California continues to be high across the whole state, and population-based studies are needed periodically to complement findings from surveys using other sampling designs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Open reading frame sequence of an Asian enterovirus 73 strain reveals that the prototype from California is recombinant.

Phylogenetic analysis within the VP1 region now enables molecular typing of enteroviruses consistent with neutralization results. Three untypable isolates, 2776/82, 57/99 and 22/00, from Korea, North India and Bangladesh, respectively, showed within this region 98.0-99.0% amino acid identities. These were less than 77% to the previous enterovirus prototypes, but 91.5-92.5% to CA55-1988, the recently identified enterovirus 73 (EV73) prototype from California. All three strains were, however, most similar to CA64-4454, an EV73 prime strain, to which they shared 96.5-98.5% identity. Seven compared EV73 strains formed two clusters in the VP1 dendrogram, one cluster with strains from South and East Asia and CA64-4454, and the other with strains from Oman and California including the prototype. When sequencing the complete open reading frame of 2776/82, its non-structural region was found to be divergent from all human enterovirus B (HEV-B) strains, including CA55-1988, indicating that one or other strain was recombinant. Boot scanning of the genomes showed a recombination point within the P2 region. Therefore, part of this was sequenced for 57/99 and 22/00 and was found similar to 2776/82, while CA55-1988 was similar to coxsackievirus B3, demonstrating that CA55-1988 was the recombinant. Since all strains of EV73 isolated so far outside California originate from Asia, where it has a broad geographical distribution, it seems that EV73 may have been introduced to California from Asia. Further analysis of EV73 strains will reveal if the recombination occurred in the USA or in Asia and will help to elucidate the origin of this virus.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Phylogeography of the spotted sand bass, Paralabrax maculatofasciatus: divergence of Gulf of California and Pacific Coast populations.

Have the warm tropical waters and currents of the southern Gulf of California, Mexico (also known as the Sea of Cortez), formed a barrier to gene flow, resulting in disjunct populations in the upper gulf that are isolated from the outer Pacific Coast? Phylogeographic and genetic divergences of the spotted sand bass, Paralabrax maculatofasciatus, from three Gulf of California and two outer Pacific coastal locations were tested using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences. Sequence data from two congeners that are sympatrically distributed along the outer Pacific Coast, the barred sand bass, P. nebulifer, and the kelp bass, P. clathratus, were used to gauge the levels of genetic divergences. Differences among the three species and between the northern gulf and outer Pacific coastal populations of P. maculatofasciatus also were analyzed using 40 allozymic presumptive gene loci. Allozyme and mtDNA analyses each revealed many fixed differences among the species. Three significant allozymic frequency differences and two fixed mtDNA substitutions differentiated the gulf and outer Pacific coastal populations of P. maculatofasciatus. Three unique mtDNA haplotypes and three unique allozyme alleles were identified from the outer Pacific coastal population. The gulf sites contained four unique mtDNA haplotypes and six unique allozyme alleles. Partitioning of the mtDNA variation revealed that 72% of the variance occurred between the gulf and outer Pacific Coast, 20% between sampling sites in the two regions, and 8% within the sites. There appears to be little gene flow across the waters of the southern Baja Penninsula, producing divergence estimated as 120,000 to 600,000 years between the outer Pacific coastal and the Gulf of California populations. This separation level may date to a hypothesized seaway closure near La Paz, Mexico, during the mid-Pleistocene, and characterizes other fish populations. A second pattern of deeper allopatric species-level divergences in some other fishes may date to a Pliocene closure of a mid Baja Penninsular seaway. Significant differences also were discerned in P. maculatofasciatus between the San Diego and central Baja California coastal sites and between the upper/central and the lower gulf locations. Variation between locations in the two regions may be indicative of larval retention and low adult migration, which needs to be tested further.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk in California.

Numerous studies have documented increased breast cancer risks with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but these do not give a woman her specific absolute risk for the remainder of her life. This article estimates the magnitude of the effect of HRT on breast cancer incidence in California and calculates a woman's cumulative risk of breast cancer with different formulations and durations of HRT use. The effects of HRT on the underlying breast cancer incidence were estimated using the attributable fraction method, applying HRT prevalence data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey and published rates of higher relative risk (RR) from HRT use from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study and Million Women's Survey (MWS). The annual number of breast cancers potentially attributable to HRT in California was estimated, along with individual cumulative risk of breast cancer for various ages to 79 years according to HRT use, duration, and formulation. Using the WHI data, 829 of 19,000 breast cancers (4.3%) in California may be attributable to HRT. This figure increases to 3401 (17.4%) when the MWS RRs are applied. Use of estrogen-only HRT or short-term (approximately 5 years) use of combined HRT has a minimal effect on the cumulative risk calculated to the age of 79 years; application of the MWS data to a Californian woman commencing HRT at the age of 50 years (no HRT, 8.5%; estrogen only, 8.6%; combined, 9.1%). Prolonged (approximately 10 years) use of combined HRT increases the cumulative risk to 10.3%. This article demonstrates that HRT will generate a small additional risk of breast cancer in an individual. The reduction in perimenopausal symptoms may be considered sufficient to warrant this extra risk. However, this view needs to be balanced because the small increases in individual risk will be magnified, producing a noticeable change in population cancer caseload where HRT use is high.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Genetic structure, introgression, and a narrow hybrid zone between northern and California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis).

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is a threatened subspecies and the California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) is a subspecies of special concern in the western United States. Concern for their continued viability has arisen because of habitat loss caused by timber harvesting. The taxonomic status of the northern subspecies has been the subject of continuing controversy. We investigated the phylogeographical and population genetic structure of northern and California spotted owls with special reference to their region of contact. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences confirmed the existence of two well-differentiated lineages connected by a narrow hybrid zone in a region of low population density in north central California. Maximum-likelihood estimates indicated bidirectional gene flow between the lineages but limited introgression outside the region of contact. The lengths of both the mtDNA hybrid zone and the reduced density patch were similar and slightly exceeded estimates of natal dispersal distances. This suggests that the two subspecies were in secondary contact in a hybrid zone trapped by a population density trough. Consequently, the zone of interaction is expected to be geographically stable. We discovered a third, rare clade of haplotypes, which we interpreted to be a result of incomplete lineage sorting; those haplotypes result in a paraphyletic northern spotted owl with respect to the California spotted owl. A congeneric species, the barred owl (Strix varia), occasionally hybridizes with spotted owls; our results indicated an upper bound for the frequency of barred owl mtDNA haplotypes in northern spotted owl populations of 3%.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Contrasting patterns of historical colonization in white oaks (Quercus spp.) in California and Europe.

Phylogeography allows the inference of evolutionary processes that have shaped the current distribution of genealogical lineages across a landscape. In this perspective, comparative phylogeographical analyses are useful in detecting common historical patterns by either comparing different species within the same area within a continent or by comparing similar species in different areas. Here, we analyse one taxon (the white oak, genus Quercus, subgenus Quercus, section Quercus) that is widespread worldwide, and we evaluate its phylogeographical pattern on two different continents: western North America and Western Europe. The goals of the present study are: (i) to compare the chloroplast genetic diversity found in one California oak species vs. that found in the extensively studied European oak species (in France and the Iberian Peninsula); (ii) to contrast the geographical structure of haplotypes between these two taxa and test for a phylogeographical structure for the California species. For this purpose, we used the same six maternally inherited chloroplast microsatellite markers and a similar sampling strategy. The haplotype diversity within site as well as the differentiation among sites was alike in both taxa, but the Californian species has higher allelic richness with a greater number of haplotypes (39 vs. 11 in the European white oak complex). Furthermore, in California these 39 haplotypes are distributed locally in patches while in the European oaks haplotypes are distributed into lineages partitioned longitudinally. These contrasted patterns could indicate that gene movement in California oak populations have been more stable in response to past climatic and geological events, in contrast to their European counterparts.

California↗
PubMed2001

A response to California's mandated nursing ratios.

PURPOSE: To explore the need for evidence-based health policy, as illustrated by the mandatory staffing bill passed by the California state legislature in 1999. DESIGN: Prospective data were collected from a voluntary sample of California acute care hospital representatives to describe selected patient safety and clinical outcomes and nurse staffing variables at the patient-care unit level. METHODS: Data for descriptive analysis were collected on hospital nurse staffing, patient falls, and pressure ulcers from 257 medical, surgical, medical-surgical combined, step-down, 24-hour observation units, and critical care patient care units in 38 California acute care hospitals from June 1998 to June 1999. FINDINGS: Nursing staffing ratios varied among the 257 units. RNs provided 91% of the nursing care in critical care units. Patients in medical-surgical units received 59% of their care from RNs, 11% from licensed vocational nurses, and 30% from other caregivers. Preliminary data showed no relationships between reported staffing ratios in these hospitals and the incidence of patient falls or hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. CONCLUSIONS: California Nursing Outcomes Coalition (CalNOC) data showed wide variations in staffing ratios, patient falls, and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers among nursing units and hospitals. These early findings indicate the need for additional research before determining minimal RN staffing requirements. Analysis of multiple sources of data may be necessary to determine safe staffing ratios and to provide evidence-based data for public policy.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1984

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay typing of California serogroup viruses isolated in Canada.

A procedure was developed to type California serogroup viruses by an antibody-capture, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seven California serogroup members from North America were distinguished, including snowshoe hare, La Crosse, California encephalitis, San Angelo, Jamestown Canyon, Keystone, and trivittatus. Extensive cross-reactions were observed between Jamestown Canyon and the closely related South River strain. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was successfully applied to the typing of 77 California serogroup viruses isolated in Canada, including 61 snowshoe hare, 13 Jamestown Canyon, and 3 trivittatus topotypes.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA, 444 Ep-ank, and groESL heat shock operon genes in naturally occurring Ehrlichia equi and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent isolates from Northern California.

We examined 11 naturally occurring isolates of Ehrlichia equi in horses and two human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent isolates in California for sequence diversity in three genes. Ehrlichia equi isolates were from Sierra (n = 6), Mendocino (n = 3), Sonoma (n = 1), and Marin (n = 1) counties, and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent isolates were obtained from Humboldt county. PCR with specific primers for 16S rRNA, 444 Ep-ank and groESL heat shock operon genes successfully produced amplicons for all 13 clinical samples. The 444 Ep-ank gene of the HGE agent and E. equi isolates from northern California is different from the eastern U.S. isolates BDS and USG3. The translated amino acid sequence of the groESL heat shock operon gene fragment is identical among E. equi, the HGE agent, and E. phagocytophila, with the exception of the northern Californian equine CASOLJ isolate. Microheterogeneity was observed in the 16S rRNA gene sequences of HGE agent and E. equi isolates from northern California. These results suggest that E. equi and the HGE agent found in California are similar or identical but may differ from the isolates of equine and human origin found in the eastern United States.

Animals↗