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Incidence of respiratory cryptosporidiosis in Georgia broilers: 1987-92.

The temporal incidence of respiratory cryptosporidiosis in Georgia broilers was established for 1987-92. Analyzed data showed that, for some years, the incidence of respiratory cryptosporidiosis was higher in southern Georgia than in northern Georgia. The incidence of respiratory cryptosporidiosis was never higher in northern Georgia than in southern Georgia. Because there was a significant (Z[rho] = 3.02, P = 0.003) relationship between the number of days < or = 0 C and the diagnostic frequency of respiratory cryptosporidiosis in the present study, we concluded that as the number of days below freezing increases, the diagnostic frequency of respiratory cryptosporidiosis in broilers decreases.

Animals↗

Flood-related mortality--Georgia, July 4-14, 1994.

On July 3, 1994, tropical storm Alberto struck the Florida panhandle with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. On July 4, as the center of the storm deteriorated over Columbus, Georgia, a cold front pushed through Alabama and southwestern Georgia from the northwest, producing warm, moist air and unstable weather resulting in heavy, prolonged thunderstorms. Rainfall totals in some areas of south central Georgia were 12-15 inches during a 24-hour period; Americus, Georgia, recorded 24 inches on July 6 (W. Zaleski, National Weather Service, personal communication, 1994). Several rivers, cresting up to 20 feet above flood stage, inundated major portions of the state. Flood waters forced closure of 175 roads in 30 counties, and more than 100 dams and recreational watersheds were either damaged or destroyed. Forty-three (27%) of Georgia's 159 counties were declared federal disaster areas, and seven additional counties were declared state disaster areas. This report summarizes preliminary findings of surveillance for deaths associated with the floods.

Adolescent↗

Degradation of chicken feathers by Chrysosporium georgiae.

Using a baiting technique, Chrysosporium georgiae was isolated from chicken feathers. Twenty-eight different fungal isolates were evaluated for their ability to produce keratinase enzymes using a keratin-salt agar medium containing either white chicken feathers or a prepared feather keratin suspension (KS). The Chrysosporium species were able to use keratin and grow at different rates. Chrysosporium georgiae completely degraded the added keratin after 9 days of incubation. Degradation of feathers by C. georgiae was affected by several cultural factors. Highest keratinolytic activity occurred after 3 weeks of incubation at 6 and 8 pH at 30 degrees C. Chrysosporium georgiae was able to degrade white chicken feathers, whereas bovine and human hair and sheep wool were not degraded and did not support fungal growth. Addition of 1% glucose to the medium containing keratin improved fungal growth and increased enzyme production. Higher keratin degradation resulted in high SH accumulation and the utilization of the carbohydrate carbon in the medium resulted in high keto-acid accumulation but decreased ammonia accumulation. Supplementation of the keratin-salt medium with minerals such as NH4Cl and MgSO4 slightly increased mycelial growth, but decreased production of extracellular keratinase. Keratinase enzymes were very poorly produced in the absence of keratin, indicating its inducible nature. Analysis of endocellular keratinases in the mycelial homogenate indicated higher activity of intracellular keratinase as compared to the extracellular enzyme in culture filtrates. Chrysosporium georgiae was the most superior for keratinase production among the Chrysosporium species tested in the presence or absence of glucose. It produced more of the intracellular enzymes than the exocellular ones.

Animals↗

The burden of out-of-pocket payments for health care in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.

CONTEXT: In the 1990s, the Republic of Georgia instituted health care reforms to convert the centralized, state-operated health care system inherited from the Soviet Union to a decentralized, market-driven system of health care delivery. Under the new system, 87% of health care expenditures are financed through out-of-pocket payments at the point of service. OBJECTIVE: To describe the effects of health care reforms on access to care and health care financing among ill residents of Tbilisi, Georgia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A probability-proportionate-to-size cluster survey conducted in 1999 of 248 households containing 306 household members who had been ill in the past 6 months in Tbilisi, Georgia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported health care utilization, out-of-pocket expenditures, and financing practices. RESULTS: Of sick household members, 51% used official health care services at hospitals and clinics; 49% did not use official services and sought advice from relatives or friends, used traditional medicines, or did nothing. Those with serious illness were more likely to seek care through official services (82%) than those with nonserious illness (27%). Ninety-three percent of respondents said costs were the major deterrent to obtaining health care. Ten percent of ill household members reported that they were unable to obtain health care because of high costs; 16% reported being unable to afford all the medications necessary to treat their illness. Sixty-one percent of ill household members used savings to pay for health care expenditures and 19% of those able to obtain care had to use strategies such as borrowing money or selling personal items to pay for health care. Total out-of-pocket health care expenditures (53%) were paid for by borrowing money or selling personal items. A significant portion of households with ill members (87%) reported an interest in purchasing health care insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Economic disruption and health care reforms have led to access problems and out-of-pocket financing strategies that include reliance on personal savings, selling personal items, and borrowing money. Future reforms should consider an appropriate system for health care insurance risk pooling for the population of Tbilisi, Georgia.

Cluster Analysis↗

Impact of Georgia's Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: In 1997, the Georgia General Assembly enacted the Teenage and Adult Drivers Responsibility Act (TADRA), a comprehensive legislative package that attempted to reduce fatal crashes of teenaged drivers by introducing graduated driver's licensing, "zero tolerance" of underage impaired drivers, and automatic license revocation for speeding greater than 25 miles per hour over the posted limit and other dangerous driving behaviors. To determine whether TADRA reduced teen driving fatalities, we examine fatal crash rates involving various age groups before versus after the law was enacted. METHODS: Data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System were used to calculate annualized fatal crash rates of various age groups of drivers during an 11-year interval 5 1/2 years before TADRA was enacted and 5 1/2 years afterwards. To identify potential historical effects, Georgia's experience was compared to that of Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee, states that did not adopt equally comprehensive legislation during the study period. RESULTS: During the preenactment period, 317 Georgia drivers aged 16 were involved in a fatal crash (57/100,000 person-years) compared to 230 in the postenactment period (36/100,000 person-years; risk ratio [RR] 0.63; 95% confidence interval 0.53 to 0.75). Speed-related fatal crashes were cut by 42%, and alcohol-related fatal crashes decreased nearly 60%, without displacing fatal crashes to older age groups. These reductions greatly exceeded those noted in 2 of 3 comparison states and the nation overall. CONCLUSION: TADRA markedly reduced fatal crash rates among 16-year-old Georgia drivers. Fatal crashes were not displaced to older age groups.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Presence of Neospora caninum specific antibodies in three dairy farms in Georgia and two in Texas.

Neospora caninum is known to cause abortion in cattle. This study demonstrated the presence of specific IgG to Neospora in milk and serum samples obtained from three dairy farms in Georgia and two in Texas. Samples from four hundred fourteen dairy cows were examined using a western blot assay of which 362 were milk and 87 were serum. Samples with antibodies to Neospora were identified in 32.1% (105/327) of the examined animals in Georgia, whereas in Texas it was identified in 10.3% (9/87). Positive Georgia samples were found in 24.4% from farm A (28/115), 21.6% from farm B (30/139), and 64.4% from farm C (47/73). In Texas, 13.5% (7/52) of animals in farm D and 5.71% (2/35) from farm E also had specific antibodies to Neospora. The number of animals from Georgia dairy farms with antibodies to Neospora was significantly higher than the Texas dairy farms. This may be related to the age of the animals examined in this study (more than 2 years old). Antibodies present in sera had excellent agreement with the antibodies present in milk. Collection of milk samples for serological testing is easier and less invasive than obtaining bovine sera, therefore offering an alternative for animal testing.

Animals↗

Detection of Babesia and Anaplasma species in rabbits from Texas and Georgia, USA.

Rabbits have been shown to harbor a suite of zoonotic organisms, including a Babesia species, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In this study, we conducted a molecular survey for various tick-borne pathogens in three species of rabbits from Texas and Georgia. Of 18 black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) tested from Texas, six (28%) were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for Babesia, and nucleotide sequencing revealed two distinct species or strains. Two jackrabbits were infected with a Babesia species or strain (Babesia sp. A) that was nearly identical (99.9%) to a piroplasm previously detected in humans from Washington state, and the remaining four jackrabbits were infected with a Babesia species (Babesia sp. B) that was most similar (99.7%) to a Babesia species detected in cottontail rabbits from Massachusetts and humans from Kentucky and Missouri. Eleven (61%) black-tailed jackrabbits were positive for A. bovis, and one was positive for A. phagocytophilum. Two of four desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) from Texas were positive for the Babesia sp. B, and one desert cottontail each was positive for A. bovis and A. phagocytophilum. One of these desert cottontails was coinfected with the Babesia sp. B and A. phagocytophilum, and five jackrabbits were coinfected with Babesia species and A. bovis. Of 19 eastern cottontails (S. floridanus) from Georgia, only one (5.3%) was positive for A. phagocytophilum, and three (15.8%) were positive for A. bovis. No rabbits from Texas or Georgia were positive for Borrelia species. The only tick species detected on the Texas and Georgia rabbits was the rabbit tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris. These data extend the geographic and host range of these pathogens, and because both the Babesia species and A. phagocytophilum are potential zoonotic pathogens, it is important to be aware that these organisms are enzootic in parts of the southern United States.

Anaplasma↗

The net cost of Alzheimer disease and related dementia: a population-based study of Georgia Medicaid recipients.

The objective of this study was to estimate the direct medical cost of Alzheimer disease (AD) and related dementia to the Georgia Medicaid program. A retrospective, cross-sectional, matched control group design was used. AD cases 50 years of age and older were identified by using International Classification of Diseases (9th edition, Clinical Modification) diagnosis codes from 1994 Georgia Medicaid administrative claims files. For every case, three age- and gender-matched non-AD controls were selected. Differences in average recipient Medicaid expenditures between cases and controls were estimated using weighted least squares regression analysis, adjusting for age, gender, race, Charlson comorbidity index, Medicare eligibility, and months of Medicaid eligibility. A total of 8,671 AD cases were identified (prevalence, 4.4%). The average adjusted annual Medicaid expenditure per AD recipient was $14,492 (U.S.). The net (i.e., excess) average annual Medicaid cost per AD recipient (i.e., the difference in adjusted mean expenditures between cases and controls) was estimated to be approximately $8,200. Excessive nursing home expenditures accounted for most of the additional cost of treating dementia (> 85%), although inpatient hospital, physician, outpatient, and prescription drug expenditures also were higher among patients with AD. Based on these estimates, Georgia Medicaid is projected to spend almost $70 million annually for AD and related dementia. The excessive cost attributable to AD poses a significant burden to the Georgia Medicaid program.

Aged↗

Stroke incidence and 30-day case-fatality in a suburb of Tbilisi: results of the first prospective population-based study in Georgia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although stroke is one of the main public health problems worldwide, no study of stroke incidence has been performed in Georgia, and therefore, a population-based registry was established to determine the incidence and case-fatality rates of first-ever stroke. METHODS: We identified all first-ever strokes between November 2000 and July 2003 in a defined population of 51,246 residents in the Sanzona suburb of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, using overlapping sources of information and standard diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: A total of 233 first-ever strokes occurred during the study period. The crude annual incidence rate was 165 (95% CI, 145 to 188) per 100,000 residents. The corresponding rate adjusted to the standard "world" population was 103 (95% CI, 89 to 117). In terms of stroke subtype, the crude annual incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 89 (95% CI, 74 to 106) for ischemic stroke, 44 (95% CI, 34 to 57) for intracerebral hemorrhage, 16 (95% CI, 10 to 25) for subarachnoidal hemorrhage, and 16 (95% CI, 10 to 25) for unspecified stroke, and the corresponding case-fatality rates at 1 month were 19.2%, 48.4%, 47.8%, and 69.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The overall stroke incidence rate in an urban population of Georgia is comparable to those reported in developed countries. As for the stroke subtypes, there is an excess of hemorrhagic strokes compared with other registries. Geographical and lifestyle variations may explain these findings, whereas inadequacy of the stroke care system in Georgia might contribute to the high case-fatality.

Adult↗

Consequences in Georgia of a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella infections: what you don't know might hurt you.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the impact in Georgia of a nationwide salmonellosis outbreak caused by ice cream products and the effectiveness of the subsequent warning against eating the implicated products. METHODS: A telephone survey of 250 randomly selected Georgia customers of the ice cream producer was conducted 13 to 17 days after the warning. RESULTS: Respondents from 179 households representing 628 persons were interviewed. The median date of first hearing the warning was 5 days after it was issued, and 16 respondents (9%) had not heard it. Among those who had heard the warning, 42 (26%) did not initially believe the products were unsafe. In 22 (31%) of the 72 households that had the implicated ice cream when the respondent heard the warning, someone subsequently ate the ice cream. Diarrhea was reported in 26% (121/463) of persons who had eaten the products but in only 5% (8/152) who had not (odds ratio [controlling for household clustering] = 3.8; 95% confidence interval = 2.0, 7.5). We estimate this outbreak caused 11,000 cases of diarrhea in Georgia, 1760 (16%) with exposure after the warning. CONCLUSIONS: A large outbreak occurred in Georgia, much of which might have been prevented by a more timely and convincing warning.

Cluster Analysis↗

Economic evaluation of total confinement and open range turkey production systems in Georgia.

An economic analysis of confinement and range turkey production systems was made for both tom and hen turkeys marketed in Georgia. Physical and economic differences were compared for total confinement and open range turkey production systems on a commercial scale. Georgia growers contract to grow a specified number of turkeys in total confinement to market in winter and spring months so processing plants can operate year-round. However, a larger number of turkeys are marketed during the summer and fall months. Many producers in parts of Georgia and other Southeastern states have changed from range systems to total confinement houses, which reduce any natural climatic advantages that the region has in open range production. This research revealed that total labor requirements are almost the same for the two systems. However, market weights for tom turkeys grown on range during the 1978 to 1981 period averaged .77 kg (1.7 lb) heavier with a .09 lower feed conversion than shown for total confinement flocks. Total production costs in 1981 excluding land and labor cost, with feed valued at $.22/kg ($.10/lb) for tom turkeys averaged $.0457/kg ($.0207/lb) lower for open range flocks than total confinement flocks. Performance records and cost analyses indicated that Georgia producers can grow both tom and hen turkeys to heavier weights more efficiently on open range than in total confinement for marketing during the summer, fall, and early winter months.

Animal Husbandry↗

Occupational therapy: a study of supply and demand in Georgia.

In 1986 the University of Georgia's Institute of Higher Education conducted a statewide needs assessment of the supply of and demand for health care professionals in over 25 health care fields. Of the 638 hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, and freestanding ambulatory surgical centers surveyed, 321 replied (50%). Respondents reported that occupational therapy positions have one of the highest vacancy rates and pose severe recruitment difficulties. The occupational therapy vacancies in Georgia hospitals were 16.1% and averaged 15% in all surveyed facilities. In the hospital setting, the length of time needed to hire an occupational therapist ranged from 0 to 280 days with 3 months as average. Nevertheless, the respondents projected a 41% increase in employment of occupational therapists by 1995. Occupational therapy employment opportunities in Georgia far exceed the supply, and this imbalance will continue until the turn of the century. Although much publicity has been focused on the severe nursing shortage nationwide, in Georgia and apparently in other states, the shortage of occupational therapists is also severe. A concerted effort is required to turn this situation around.

Georgia↗

School transportation modes--Georgia, 2000.

Moderate physical activity (e.g., walking or bicycling) offers substantial health benefits. Physical activity is especially important for young persons not only because of its immediate benefits but also because participation in healthy behaviors early in life might lead to healthier lifestyles in adulthood. Persons aged > 2 years should engage in > or = 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity on all or most days of the week. However, sedentary after-school activities (e.g., watching television or using computers), decreased participation in physical education, and fewer students walking or riding their bicycles to school might contribute to the high rate of childhood obesity. Walking to school provides a convenient opportunity for children to be physically active. To examine modes of transportation to school for Georgia children, the Georgia Division of Public Health analyzed data from the Georgia Asthma Survey conducted during May-August 2000. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate that < 19% of Georgia school-aged children who live < or = 1 mile from school walk to school the majority of days of the week. Statewide surveillance data of school transportation modes should be collected to monitor prevalence of walking to school.

Adolescent↗

Bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease in ruminants in Georgia: survey by serotest and virologic isolation.

The frequencies of precipitating antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) in domestic ruminants and white-tailed deer (WTD) in Georgia were 36% and 32%, respectively (n = 2,200). The frequencies of seropositivity to BTV and EHDV were high among cattle (47% and 42%, respectively [n = 1,068]) and less so in WTD (36% and 34% [n = 414]). The frequencies among sheep were 34% for BTV and 29% for EHDV (n = 286), whereas among goats, seropositivity was 8% for BTV and 7% for EHDV (n = 433). Serum samples from northeastern Georgia (1 of the 4 regions in the survey) had the highest frequency of precipitating antibodies for BTV (45%) and EHDV (38%). The lowest frequency was in southeastern Georgia, with 29% seropositivity for BTV and 24% seropositivity for EHDV. Of the 175 farms or herds in the serosurvey, 70% included animals that had BTV-precipitating antibodies, and 67% included animals which had EHDV-precipitating antibodies. Seventeen viral isolates were obtained from individual animals on 9 different farms. Fifteen of the isolates were BTV--8 from cattle, 4 from sheep, and 3 from WTD; 8 of them were serotype 11, and 7 were serotype 17. Viral isolates from each of 2 WTD were identified as EHDV serotype 1 and serotype 2. Of the total 17 isolates, 11 were from clinically healthy ruminants, and 6 were from animals with clinical signs of BT or EHD. Five of the viral isolates originated from northeastern Georgia, 7 from the northwestern region, and 5 from the southwestern region; none was obtained from specimens from the southeastern region.

Animals↗

Cancer trends unique to Georgia.

Using information from 1980 through 1991 Cancer Statistics, published by the American Cancer Society, we assigned a rank order of new cancer cases for Georgia and eight other states. Female breast, colon and rectum, lung, oral, uterus, prostate, pancreas, and leukemia are the site-specific cancers that were considered. There was an increasing trend in Georgia for colon and rectal cancer and breast cancer during this study period. This increased trend for colorectal and breast cancer in Georgia was not apparent in the other index states. Possible influences of population, physician practices, and socioeconomic factors are considered. The results of this project indicate that further study is needed to evaluate this trend, possibly by examination of regional differences within the state of Georgia, especially with regard to environmental factors.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Knowledge about folic acid and use of multivitamins containing folic acid among reproductive-aged women--Georgia, 1995.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are serious birth defects that affect an estimated 4000 pregnancies each year in the United States. However, women can substantially decrease the risk for this birth defect by consuming 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid per day before conception and during early pregnancy. In September 1992, the Public Health Service (PHS) recommended that all women of childbearing age who are capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. To characterize knowledge about the benefits of folic acid and use of multivitamins containing folic acid among Georgia women, the Division of Public Health, Georgia Department of Human Resources (GDHR), analyzed data from the 1995 Georgia Women's Health Survey (GWHS)--a comprehensive study of women's health that included questions about folic acid. This report summarizes the survey findings regarding knowledge and use of folic acid, which indicate that only 20% of Georgia women aged 15-44 years consumed a multivitamin containing > or = 400 micrograms of folic acid per day, and 71% did not know that folic acid can prevent some birth defects.

Adolescent↗

Population-based prevalence of perinatal exposure to cocaine--Georgia, 1994.

Maternal cocaine use during pregnancy is associated with adverse health effects for both the mother and the infant (e.g., intrauterine growth retardation, placental abruption, preterm delivery, congenital anomalies, and cerebral injury). Because cocaine use often occurs concurrently with use of other substances (e.g., cigarettes and alcohol) and because fear of prosecution may deter women from obtaining medical care, the occurrence of perinatal exposure to cocaine has not been well characterized. In Georgia, the routine collection of dried blood spots (DBSs) from a heelstick of newborns for screening for metabolic diseases enabled the Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR), and CDC to collaborate on a feasibility study of the use of residual DBSs for conducting low-cost population-based surveillance for perinatal cocaine exposure. This report presents the findings of the study, which indicate that, in 1994, at least 0.5% of infants in Georgia had had perinatal exposure to cocaine.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

Child fatality review in Georgia: a young system demonstrates its potential for identifying preventable childhood deaths.

BACKGROUND: Child fatality review (CFR) by interagency teams can contribute to the prevention of childhood deaths. We investigated the potential usefulness of Georgia's CFR, legislated in 1990 primarily to prevent death from child maltreatment, for identifying preventable deaths from injury and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). METHODS: Using CFR report data and death certificate data, we examined reviewed and nonreviewed childhood deaths in Georgia in 1991 and examined data by etiology, county, risk factors, and preventability. RESULTS: Injury or SIDS caused 33.2% of childhood deaths in Georgia in 1991; CFR reviewed 29.4% of these. Child fatality review was most sensitive for investigating death from intentional injury (40.5%) and SIDS (35.3%). Review teams reassigned the cause of five deaths (2.0%) to child abuse or neglect. County participation was low (31.4%). Overall, 29.0% of deaths were judged preventable. CONCLUSIONS: Georgia's CFR has potential for identifying preventable childhood deaths. Refinements in the system can increase the number and accuracy of death investigations. By participating in the system, physicians may make meaningful contributions to preventing childhood death in their own communities.

Adolescent↗