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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Vector competence of California mosquitoes for California encephalitis and California encephalitis-like viruses.

Mosquitoes collected from coastal, inland valley, and alpine locations in California were evaluated for their experimental vector competence for two viruses in the California serogroup (Bunyaviridae:Bunyavirus). Aedes squamiger, a coastal salt marsh mosquito, was an efficient vector of a California encephalitis (CE)-like virus isolated from its habitat (89% of the pledget-fed females became infected and 61% transmitted virus). Aedes dorsalis, a coastal mosquito, and Ae. melanimon, an inland valley mosquito, were competent vectors of prototype CE virus (98% and 100% of the pledget-fed females became infected and 56% and 30%, respectively, transmitted virus). Aedes squamiger and Ae. dorsalis transmitted both viruses vertically to one or more of 20 of their progeny. Culiseta inornata was susceptible to infection with both viruses, but 5% or less transmitted virus perorally. Alpine mosquitoes, Ae. cataphylla, Ae. increpitus, and Ae. tahoensis, became infected with both CE and CE-like viruses, but 3% or less transmitted virus. All species of mosquitoes were more efficient vectors of both viruses following intrathoracic inoculation than following pledget feeding, suggesting the presence of mesenteronal barriers.

Animals↗

Diagnosis and seroprevalence of leptospirosis in California sea lions from coastal California.

The sensitivity and specificity of the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) as a method for detection of exposure to Leptospira spp. in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) were determined. Sera came from individuals that demonstrated clinical signs of renal disease, had lesions suggestive of leptospirosis at necropsy, and had visible leptospires in silver stained kidney sections as positive controls. Sera from unexposed captive individuals were used as negative controls. The test was 100% sensitive at 1:3,200 for confirming renal infection and 100% specific at negative < 1:100 for detection of Leptospira interrogans scrovar pomona antibodies by MAT in California sea lions. Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona was used as a screening serovar because it has been isolated previously from the kidneys and placentas of California sea lions, and there appears to be cross-reactivity between serovar pomona and other serovars. Sera from 225 free-ranging California sea lions presented to one of three participating California (USA) coastal marine mammal rehabilitation centers in 1996 were then evaluated for antibodies to serovar pomona using the MAT. The overall seroprevalence was 38.2% (86/225), although the prevalence varied among locations from 100% (38/38) in animals at the Marine Mammal Care Center (Fort MacArthur, California, USA) to 0% (0/14) at SeaWorld California (San Diego, California). At The Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, California) [prevalence 27.8% (48/173)], the majority of seropositive animals were subadults and adults, and males were 4.7 times more likely to be seropositive to serovar pomona than females. When combining results from all three centers, subadult and adult animals were more likely to be seropositive than pups and juvenile sea lions, and the highest proportion of seropositive animals presented during the autumn months. Serum elevations of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, phosphorus, and/or calcium were associated with seropositivity to serovar pomona. We found no association between potassium or sodium levels and seropositivity.

Agglutination Tests↗

Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and butyltin compounds in blubber and livers of stranded California sea lions, elephant seals, and harbor seals from coastal California, USA.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDT), chlordanes (CHLs; cis-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, and oxychlordane), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane (TCPMe), tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol (TCPMOH), and mono- (MBT), di-(DBT), and tri-butyltin (TBT) were determined in blubber and livers of 15 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), 6 northern elephant seals (Mirounga augustirostris), and 10 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) found stranded along the coasts of California, USA, during 1991-1997. Among the organochlorines analyzed, DDTs were predominant, followed in decreasing order by PCBs, CHLs, TCPMe, TCPMOH, HCHs, and HCB. The greatest concentrations of organochlorines were found in California sea lions. The highest DDT and PCB concentrations found in the blubber of California sea lions were 2,900 and 1,300 microg/g, lipid weight, respectively. Concentrations of TCPMe and TCPMOH in California sea lions were correlated significantly with DDT concentrations. Concentration ratios of various organochlorines in harbor seal livers were different from those in California sea lions and elephant seals, which suggested that the sources of exposure of harbor seals to organochlorines were different from those in the other two species. Concentrations of butyltin compounds in livers of pinniped species ranged from 2 to 99 ng/g, wet weight, which were less than those observed in cetaceans and in California sea otters.

Adipose Tissue↗

Seroepidemiology of California and Bunyamwera serogroup bunyavirus infections in humans in California.

Several human populations in California were surveyed cross-sectionally and longitudinally for neutralizing antibodies to selected arthropod-borne bunyaviruses in the California and Bunyamwera serogroups. Overall, the prevalence of antibodies to California serogroup viruses was 6.4% in 702 individuals sampled during 1963-1988. Comparative antibody titers in individual sera indicated that 4.1% and 1.6% of these infections were caused by viruses similar or identical to Jamestown Canyon and California encephalitis, respectively. Evidence of prior infection with the Jamestown Canyon serotype was found in 10% of 118 humans employed outdoors in high elevation areas and sampled in 1988, including 5 of 16 persons (31%) employed as rangers patrolling in remote forests and meadows. This probably reflects increased exposure to bites of boreal mosquitoes that breed in pools of melted snow. Antibodies to Bunyamwera serogroup viruses, including the Northway serotype, which was recently shown to be enzootic in California, were found in only 2 of 702 humans studied. No seroconversions were detected to selected California or Bunyamwera serogroup viruses in paired samples from 392 humans, including 349 patients with acute central nervous system disease or undifferentiated febrile illnesses who were sampled during 1963-1988, and thus these viruses are currently unconfirmed as human pathogens in California.

Adolescent↗

Population in trans-border regions: the Southern California-Baja California urban system.

"This article is a case study of population growth and composition in the Southern California-Baja California trans-border urban system (TBS). The central question guiding the research is how the combination of geographic proximity and economic integration in two very different regions affects population characteristics in the Southern California-Baja California TBS. We begin by briefly defining trans-border urban systems. We then specify the attributes of the Southern California-Baja California TBS, contrasting them with attributes observed elsewhere in the United States and Mexico.... The data are drawn primarily from the U.S. and Mexican censuses. Secondary data from a variety of sources also are discussed."

Americas↗

High breast cancer incidence rates among California teachers: results from the California Teachers Study (United States).

OBJECTIVE: [corrected] To determine risk factor profiles and cancer incidence rates among participants in the California Teachers Study (CTS), a study designed to document high breast cancer incidence rates of California teachers and to investigate emergent hypotheses in the etiology of breast and other cancers. METHODS: The CTS is a prospective study of 133,479 California female teachers and administrators, established in 1995-1996 with members of the California State Teachers Retirement System completing a detailed mailed questionnaire regarding possible risk factors for breast and other cancers. Cancer outcomes were identified by linkage with the California Cancer Registry. RESULTS: CTS participants have a 51% higher age-standardized invasive breast cancer incidence rate and a 67% higher in-situ breast cancer incidence rate than would be expected based on race-specific statewide rates after three years of follow-up. CTS participants also have substantially elevated rates of endometrial cancer (rate ratio, RR = 1.72), ovarian cancer (RR = 1.28), melanoma (RR = 1.59), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (RR= 1.53), and leukemia (RR = 1.28), but low rates of invasive cervix cancer (RR = 0.53) and lung cancer (RR = 0.66). CONCLUSIONS: CTS members have high rates of several major cancers, particularly breast cancer, and low rates of lung and cervix cancer. Although late age at first birth can explain a portion of the observed excess risk of breast cancer in this cohort, the unique risk factor profile of CTS members may account for much of their higher risk of breast and selected other cancers. The CTS offers a rich resource for future studies of cancer risk and of women's health, in general.

Adult↗

Monitoring and reporting alcohol and drug use trends in California: the California Substance Abuse Research Consortium meetings.

For over 15 years, a semiannual meeting sponsored by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs has served as a forum for aggregating data from a variety of sources to examine and monitor the fluctuations in the type, amount, and consequences of alcohol and drug use in California. These meetings of what is now called the Substance Abuse Research Consortium (SARC) have provided California policymakers with an ongoing mechanism for the compilation and sharing of epidemiological information on California alcohol and drug use trends. The tradition of SARC is based on collecting and reviewing epidemiological information: that is, the communication of trends and patterns of alcohol and drug use, emerging drug combinations, shifting user demographics, and new user populations. This article presents a historical perspective of the evolution of the group started under the name "The Statewide Epidemiology Work Group (SEWG)" to its current status as SARC (a more comprehensive history of SARC appears in an article by Anglin and Urada in this issue). It also provides a summary snapshot of the current substance abuse situation in California through the use of substance-related statistics and regional reports.

California↗

California's county hospitals and the University of California graduate medical education system. Current issues and future directions.

California's county hospitals train 45% of the state's graduate medical residents, including 33% of residents in the University of California system. This paper describes the interrelationships of California's county hospitals and the University of California (UC) graduate medical education (GME) programs, highlighting key challenges facing both systems. The mission of California's county health care systems is to serve all who need health care services regardless of ability to pay. Locating UC GME programs in county hospitals helps serve the public missions of both institutions. Such partnerships enhance the GME experience of UC residents, provide key primary care training opportunities, and ensure continued health care access for indigent and uninsured populations. Only through affiliation with university training programs have county hospitals been able to run the cost-effective, quality programs that constitute an acceptable safety net for the poor. Financial stress, however, has led county hospitals and UC's GME programs to advocate for reform in both GME financing and indigent care funding. County hospitals must participate in constructing strategies for GME reform to assure that GME funding mechanisms provide for equitable compensation of county hospitals' essential role. Joint advocacy will also be essential in achieving significant indigent care policy reform.

California↗

Ecology of Jamestown Canyon virus (Bunyaviridae: California serogroup) in coastal California.

This paper reports the first isolation of Jamestown Canyon (JC) virus from coastal California and the results of tests for antibody to JC virus in mammals living in coastal California. The virus isolation was made from a pool of 50 Aedes dorsalis females collected as adults from Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, California. The virus isolate was identified by two-way plaque reduction-serum dilution neutralization tests done in Vero cell cultures. Sera from the mammals were tested for antibody to JC virus by a plaque-reduction serum dilution neutralization method. A high prevalence of JC virus-specific antibody was found in horses and cattle sampled from Morro Bay. This finding is additional evidence for the presence of a virus antigenically identical or closely related to JC virus in Morro Bay and indicates that the vectors of the virus in Morro Bay feed on large mammals. A high prevalence of virus-specific antibody was also found in horses sampled from Marin and San Diego counties. This finding suggests that viruses antigenically identical or closely related to JC virus are geographically widespread in coastal California.

Aedes↗

The convergence of the California Q-set and the California Psychological Inventory: gender as a critical variable.

Clinician-report California Q-set and self-report California Psychological Inventory data were compared to explore convergence and divergence between these two modes of personality assessment. Based on responses from a sample of 215 approximately 50-year-old men and women, the self-report California Psychological Inventory data were converted to California Q-set item values using previously determined redundancy analysis formulae. These data were then correlated with composite clinicians' ratings, using the same California Q-set items. Substantial convergence was found for both genders on four of six derived components--Empowerment, Intellectuality, Nonconformity, and Outgoingness. Two additional components--Psychological Health and Bodily Concern--showed convergence for women only. We argue analysis of item content and scores must be done for each gender separately.

Adult↗

A novel protein polymorphism differentiates the California serotype of infectious bronchitis from other serotypes common to California.

The California (Cal) serotype of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was isolated from layer flocks in southern California in the early 1980s. Since then, it has spread to the broiler-producing regions of central California, where it has been implicated in respiratory disease outbreaks in vaccinated flocks. Lack of a procedure for quickly identifying IBV serotypes in commercial chicken flocks has prevented the causal association of the IBV Cal serotype with respiratory disease outbreaks. A protein polymorphism has been identified in the matrix protein of the Cal serotype; it appears to be unique among other common serotypes of infectious bronchitis virus found in California. This polymorphism can be identified on western blots using raw or concentrated infectious allantoic fluid as the source material. Identification of the Cal serotype and of serotypes in the Mass and Conn groups can be performed rapidly using field samples from suspect flocks. The identification of this polymorphism provides an alternative method for the rapid identification of the Cal serotype of IBV.

Animals↗

Distribution of neutralizing antibodies to California and Bunyamwera serogroup viruses in horses and rodents in California.

Neutralization tests were done on sera from 141 horses from high elevation regions of California. Antibody prevalences to Jamestown Canyon, snowshoe hare, and California encephalitis viruses in the California serogroup and Northway virus in the Bunyamwera serogroup were 55%, 43%, 18%, and 46%, respectively. In 51 horses from rural low elevation regions, seroprevalences were 31%, 35%, 35%, and 37%, respectively. Twenty-four horses from a suburban lowland area were seronegative, except for a single horse with a low titer to snowshoe hare virus. Seroprevalence to Jamestown Canyon and snowshoe hare viruses was associated with increasing age. Only 2 of 177 rodents from the Sierra Nevada had antibodies to Northway virus; none had antibodies to Jamestown Canyon or snowshoe hare viruses.

Animals↗

Isolates of California encephalitis (La Crosse) virus from field-collected eggs and larvae of Aedes triseriatus: identification of the overwintering site of California encephalitis.

California encephalitis is caused primarily by La Crosse virus, a mosquito-borne agent of which the vector is the mosquito Aedes triseriatus. Once La Crosse virus has been detected in a given geographical area, observations in the same area during subsequent seasons usually have revealed continuing presence of the virus. Field studies were conducted around the homes of children who had had California encephalitis in an effort to define the mechanism by which the virus survived the winter. Eggs and larvae of A. triseriatus collected from natural breeding sites during the springs and summers of 1972-1974 were processed for viral isolation. Collections made during 1972 and 1973 yielded no virus. Eggs, obtained on April 29, 1974 from a basal tree hole of an American elm located approximately 150 feet from the homes of two children who had had California encephalitis in 1970, contained virus, as did larvae aspirated on May 16, 1974, from the same tree hole. This study in Minnesota confirms previous data from Wisconsin and suggests that La Crosse virus may be passed transovarially in A. triseriatus and may overwinter in the diapause stage of eggs.

Aedes↗

California arbovirus (La Crosse) infections. III. Epidemiology of California encephalitis in Minnesota.

Mosquitoes (eggs, larvae, and adults), small woodland animals, and residents of an area where California encephalitis is endemic were studied to elucidate the host-vector cycle of La Crosse virus. Elementary schoolchildren from surrounding communities and gray squirrels from another area were tested to compare the prevelence of serum antibodies to La Crosse virus in areas where the disease is endemic with the prevalence of these antibodies in areas where the disease is not endemic. From 1971 to 1974, eight isolations of La Crosse virus were made. Three of the isolates were from adult mosquitoes, one from Aedes triseriatus eggs, and four from A. triseriatus larvae. The isolation of virus from field-collected eggs and larvae confirms previous studies from Wisconsin that suggest that La Crosse virus overwinters in eggs of the mosquite A. triseriatus. In an area where California encephalitis is endemic, 10 of 19 small woodland animals (53%), which are the natural hosts of A. triseriatus, had hemagglutination-inhibiting and neutralizing antibodies to La Crosse virus. In contrast, none of 10 squirrels from an area where the disease is not endemic had such antibodies. Fourteen of 79 residents of this area (17.7%) had both types of antibody. Eleven of the 14 seropositive residents lived in one small sector of the community studied, an indication that foci of La Crosse virus activity may be very localized. Elementary schoolchildren from surrounding communitites had a significantly lower prevalence of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody to La Crosse virus than did the residents of the area where California encephalitis was endemic.

Adult↗