SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “WHO priority pathogens”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1989

Control of diarrheal diseases.

The tremendous advances made in the control of diarrheal diseases in the past few years indicate what more can be achieved. Even though the lives of an estimated three quarters of a million children are being saved each year, over three million children are still dying from readily preventable diarrheal disease. The challenge is to build on the successes thus far, to learn from experience, to promote changes in health habits that will prevent diarrhea, and to make all of these activities sustainable. From this analysis, we have three specific recommendations for CDD programs in the next decade. 1. ORT programs should move strongly toward promoting home treatment, building on local traditions of giving food-based preparations, with ORS available from health workers and health facilities for those who need it. Local assessment of people's beliefs and practices in caring for diarrhea should lead to simple methods of adapting ORT preparations that are culturally acceptable. Most of these traditional preparations have adequate amounts of the proteins and starches that are now being shown to produce better clinical results than the glucose in the standard ORS formula. Usually, the main change needed is more precision in the quantity of sodium added. Education of parents can then focus simply on how to make these adapted preparations, on starting rehydration early, and on replacing fluid volume as it is lost. The use of ORS packets in health facilities should continue, but the main indicator of progress in CDD should be ORT use including home solutions. Every packet of ORS should have printed on it the locally recommended formula for home ORT. 2. Nutritional support is just as important as rehydration. Diarrhea precipitates and accelerates the progression of malnutrition, which lowers resistance and increases the duration of diarrhea. Nutritional support through continued breast feeding and improved weaning practices using high density, easily digestible, local foods is especially important during and after episodes of diarrhea. 3. For long-term prevention, breaking the transmission cycles of the many common pathogens that cause diarrhea will be necessary. The most immediate preventive impact can be achieved by promoting hand washing with soap. Priority should also continue to be given to improving water supply, sanitation, and excreta control, especially of childrens' stools. Even with the great progress of recent years, the Child Survival and Development Revolution has just begun.

Child↗

PubMed1997

Manure and microbes: public and animal health problem?

Most environmental concerns about waste management either have focused on the effects of nutrients, especially N and P, on water quality or have emphasized odor problems and air quality. Microbes from manure are often low on the priority list for control and remediation, despite the fact that several outbreaks of gastroenteritis have been traced to livestock operations. The pathogens discussed in this paper include protozoans (Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia spp.), bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis), and some enteric viruses. Clinical symptoms, prospects for zoonotic infection, and control methods other than the use of antimicrobials are considered. Recommendations to avoid disease transmission include taking steps to ensure the provision of clean, unstressful environments to reduce disease susceptibility and the careful handling and spreading of manure from animals at high risk for infection, especially young calves. Composting and drying of manure decrease the number of viable pathogens. Environmental controls, such as filter strips, also reduce the risk of water contamination.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Psychosocially supportive design--Scandinavian health care design.

The major purpose of this paper is to discuss the basic ideas and criteria underlying contemporary health care design. Special attention is given to the growing shift in biomedical attitude from a largely pathogenic concept of disease to a more salutogenic perspective. This shift should not only lead to a stronger integration of building design and care philosophy but also result in an enhanced quality of medical care and strengthened health processes. Traditionally, the pathogenic perspective has tended to consider patients as objects and concentrated on individual "sick parts" of the human body, which were further and further divided into smaller parts and separately treated. Consistent with this perspective, health care facilities have been interpreted as medical-technical environments oriented toward the physical needs of the treated body part. From this perspective the main requirement placed on health care facilities has often been interpreted narrowly as the reduction of the risk of exposure to disease. Comparatively little priority has been given to calming the patients and making them feel relaxed in spite of traumatic hospital experiences and starkly institutional care environments. Other consequences of the pathogenic perspective have been that psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients have been largely disregarded in the design of Health care facilities, and often marginalized in the philosophy of delivering care. The emphasis on functional efficiency, together with the pathogenic conception of disease and health, has often produced health care facilities that are not psychosocially supportive. In recent years, however, a different perspective has emerged leading to a new paradigm. The modern disease concept is no longer narrowly pathogenic; rather, disease is seen as multifaceted and having a variety of causes or elements. The salutogenic perspective, which focuses on health promoting processes, has become much more central to the consideration of care philosophies and in the creation of new health care facilities. In this new paradigm, the focus is on the patients: along with their physical health needs the patients' psychological and social health needs are given major emphasis in the delivery of care activities and in the design of health care environments. Future research needs to develop care philosophies that focus on a broader concept of health, thus creating an awareness of the importance of psychosocially supportive design.

Community-Institutional Relations↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Major objectives of pathogenic therapy of septicemia].

On the bases of the published data and their own experience the authors outline the context of the functional biochemical alterations that give an orientation in the choice of the major objectives of pathogenic therapy in the course of septicemias. Analysis of the frequency and intensity of these alterations make it possible to establish therapeutical priorities. In this sense it is demonstrated that hyperazotemia, hyperalbuminemia, low alkaline reserve, elevated serum lactate and a decrease in the plasma Na+/K+ ratio are characteristic of septicemia with a state of toxiinfectious shock.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Model for simulation of HIV/AIDS and cost-effectiveness of preventing non-tuberculous mycobacterial (MAC)-disease.

Because most HIV-infected patients die of diseases caused by opportunistic pathogens, the prevention of these infections is an important clinical issue. Cost-containment in the healthcare system is a subject of high priority in public debate. Methods to determine cost-effectiveness of different therapeutic strategies are therefore needed to obtain valid data as the basis for decisions on cost reduction without a decrease in the quality of care. A disease state transition model based on a Markov process was developed to simulate the natural history of HIV infection and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Using this model survival time and treatment costs for every patient can be estimated and the results of alternative medications compared. We determined the cost-effectiveness (per life-year saved, LYS) of different strategies for prevention of Mycobacterium avium complex infections in AIDS patients whose treatment regimens include protease inhibitors. The cost-effectiveness ratios for treatment strategies vary from 13,510 euro to 46,152 euro per LYS without protease inhibitors and from 22,309 euro to 51,336 euro with protease inhibitors. When azithromycin, clarithromycin, and rifabutin were compared, azithromycin was the most cost-effective medication for preventing M. avium complex. The results were stable against a wide range of parameter variations concerning costs and incidence rates.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2004

HIV superinfection in the era of increased sexual risk-taking.

Recent reports have documented increases in unprotected intercourse (UI) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and other at-risk populations. A further consequence of persons living with HIV engaging in unprotected intercourse or shared parenteral exposures with seroconcordant partners is HIV recombination and superinfection, possibly with a drug-resistant or more pathogenic virus. The epidemiologic, clinical, and therapeutic implications of recent case reports confirming superinfection in persons living with HIV, as well as research priorities aimed at providing a more thorough understanding of the consequences of unprotected sex among HIV-infected people, are explored here.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed1993

Treatment research priorities for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Viral infections such as with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) present difficult challenges for the development of effective antiviral therapies. These viruses depend on the host cell machinery for their existence, and interference with these processes typically interferes with other important host physiology. HIV presents other challenges as well because of its inherent pathogenic destruction of the immune system. It is the goal of HIV therapeutics to attempt to cure HIV infection, or if that is not possible, to stop HIV disease progression while preserving a high quality of life for HIV-infected individuals. This may be achieved through an effective combination of interference with the viral life cycle and the pathogenic processes, and by slowing or reversing the immunologic dysfunction that leads to the complications of HIV infection. Unprecedented progress has been made in understanding the virus and HIV disease pathogenesis. This knowledge has led to the identification of viral features that have become targets for therapeutic intervention. This article reviews the most important priorities of HIV treatment research for adult HIV-infected patients for the immediate future. These priorities include the following: development of new antiretroviral compounds and their application as both monotherapies and in combination therapy approaches; immune-based therapeutic approaches; and research and treatment for acute or primary HIV infections.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMed2000

Antimicrobial resistance in the tropics.

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents is an increasing problem in many areas of the tropics. In most countries there is little information available to determine the patterns of resistance in different pathogens, nor are local data available to influence prescribing. This paper will review the development of antimicrobial resistance in the tropics, consider the current priority problems, and suggest strategies that may be taken to improve the surveillance of resistance.

Bacterial Infections↗

PubMed2002

Etiology of child mortality in Goroka, Papua New Guinea: a prospective two-year study.

OBJECTIVE: To collect accurate data on disease- and microbial-specific causes and avoidable factors in child deaths in a developing country. METHODS: A systematic prospective audit of deaths of children seen at Goroka Hospital in the highlands of Papua New Guinea was carried out. Over a 24-month period, we studied 353 consecutive deaths of children: 126 neonates, 186 children aged 1-59 months, and 41 children aged 5-12 years. FINDINGS: The most frequent age-specific clinical diagnoses were as follows: for neonates--very low birth weight, septicaemia, birth asphyxia and congenital syphilis; for children aged 1-59 months--pneumonia, septicaemia, marasmus and meningitis; and for children aged 5-12 years--malignancies and septicaemia. At least one microbial cause of death was identified for 179 (50.7%) children and two or more were identified for 37 (10.5%). Nine microbial pathogens accounted for 41% of all childhood deaths and 76% of all deaths that had any infective component. Potentially avoidable factors were identified for 177 (50%) of deaths. The most frequently occurring factors were as follows: no antenatal care in high-risk pregnancies (8.8% of all deaths), very delayed presentation (7.9%), vaccine-preventable diseases (7.9%), informal adoption or child abandonment leading to severe malnutrition (5.7%), and lack of screening for maternal syphilis (5.4%). Sepsis due to enteric Gram-negative bacilli occurred in 87 (24.6%). The strongest associations with death from Gram- negative sepsis were adoption/abandonment leading to severe malnutrition, village births, and prolonged hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in child mortality will depend on addressing the commonest causes of death, which include disease states, microbial pathogens, adverse social circumstances and health service failures. Systematic mortality audits in selected regions where child mortality is high may be useful for setting priorities, estimating the potential benefit of specific and non-specific interventions, and providing continuous feedback on the quality of care provided and the outcome of health reforms.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed1978

[Antibiotic prophylaxis in intensive care].

Of 611 prospectively studied patients in a surgical intensive care unit, 177 developed hospital infections (29%): urinary tract infections (37.2%), pneumonia (22.5%), sepsis (19.7%), wound infections (9.6%), etc. The commonest pathogens were Pseud. aeruginosa, E. coli, Staph. aureus, enterococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. In preventing and combating hospital infections in intensive care units, priority should be given not to antibiotics but to hygiene in the hospital. Systemic antibiotic prophylaxis prevents neither hospital-contracted pneumonia, sepsis nor urinary tract infections. There is an urgent need for controlled studies on the necessity and selection of locally active antibacterial and antimycotic substances to prevent germ ascension in vein and bladder catheters.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1993

[Prevention of spinal disorders].

The increasing number of people suffering from vertebral column disorders, despite great progress having been made in both diagnosis and treatment, shows the necessity of an effective prophylaxis. The therefore requisite recognition, generally and from case to case, of pathogenic factors, is of essential importance. Influencing prevailing physical conditions such as static, dynamic, muscular and other functional factors by appropriate, drilled exercises, takes priority. Later, correction and instruction for day to day living, such as standing, walking, sitting down, sitting, lifting, carrying and lying correctly, is of equal importance to taking into consideration the possible harmful effects at the place of work, and of sport and also psychosomatic mechanism. The problem with the prophylaxis is that the activities listed should be carried out all life long, but the effects, particularly by primary prevention, cannot be seen till later.

Back Pain↗

PubMed1996

Antimicrobial resistance in long-term-care facilities.

During the last quarter century, numerous reports have indicated that antimicrobial resistance commonly is encountered in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs). Gram-negative uropathogens resistant to penicillin, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, or fluoroquinolone antibiotics and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have received the greatest attention, but other reports have described the occurrence of multiply-resistant strains of Haemophilus influenzae and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in this setting. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria may enter LTCFs with colonized patients transferred from the hospital, or they may arise in the facility as a result of mutation or gene transfer. Once present, resistant strains tend to persist and become endemic. Rapid dissemination also has been documented in some facilities. Person-to-person transmission via the hands of healthcare workers appears to be the most important means of spread. The LTCF patients most commonly affected are those with serious underlying disease, poor functional status, wounds such as pressure sores, invasive devices such as urinary catheters, and prior antimicrobial therapy. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs has serious consequences not only for residents but also for LTCFs and hospitals. Experience with control strategies for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs is limited; however, strategies used in hospitals often are inapplicable. Six recommendations for controlling antimicrobial resistance in LTCFs are offered, and four priorities for future research are identified.

Cross Infection↗

PubMed2001

[Group A streptococcus-induced diseases early in the 21st century: state of the problem and prospects of prevention].

The review presents the present state of the problem due to the diseases caused by group A streptococci. Greater interest in streptococcal infections is associated with a recent rise in the incidence of these diseases in many countries of the world, including Russia, with group cases of severe generalized forms and higher death rates being notified. Of priority significance in human diseases are serogroup A beta-hemolytic streptococci among which there are those that have returned into the circulation of defunct pathogen serotypes that are noteworthy for higher toxigenicity. The specific feature of a streptococcal infection is the cyclic character of an epidemic process: in parallel with 2-4-year periods there are also 40-50-year cycles. The undulation found is attended by the appearance and disappearance of particularly severe clinical forms of streptococcal infections. Immunodiagnostic techniques based on the determination of specific antibodies to streptococcal antigen has enjoyed the widest application in diagnosing streptococcal infections today. The therapeutical measures include the use of etiotropic and pathogenetic agents and direct toward eradication of the infecting organism and towards prevention of pyoinflammatory and autoimmune complications. Penicillin is the drug of choice in treating all forms of streptococcal infections. Despite progress in streptococcal vaccine design, there is no specific prophylaxis of streptococcal infection now, which determines the high value of antiepidemic measures.

Disease Outbreaks↗

PubMed2003

[A comparative analysis of zoonosis and vector surveillance systems].

PURPOSE: To investigate zoonosis and vector surveillance systems in major countries, conducted by quarantine, health and environment authorities, and compare the results with the current Japanese systems. METHODS: We elaborated a questionnaire for zoonosis and vector surveillance systems regarding target diseases, vectors, period and area of operation, type of surveillance (active and/or positive), and feedback mechanisms which was then mailed to ten countries having strong trade and tourism links with Japan. We visited some authorities for further discussions. RESULTS: Eight countries which responded answered that all were conducting zoonosis and vector surveillance. Target diseases included those designated by the International Health Regulations and others with a higher priority for control and prevention in the individual countries. The type of surveillance was classified as: regular monitoring of the vector population, active detection of pathogens in vectors during a specific time period of a year, and intensive pathogen characterization when problems occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of zoonosis and vector surveillance was recognized through this investigation, where we found differences in target diseases, and type of operation. The results should be utilized for generation of more useful and efficient surveillance systems in Japan.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Highly pathogenic influenza A/H5N1 virus-caused epizooty among mute swans (Cygnus olor) in the lower estuary of the Volga River (November 2005)].

Molecular virological studies of the field material collected in the epicenter of epizooty with high mortality among mute swans (Cygnus olor) in the area of the lower estuary of the Volga River (November 2005) could establish the etiological role of highly pathogenic influenza A (HPAI) virus of the subtype H5N1. Ten HPAI/H5N1 strains deposited at the State Collection of Viruses of the Russian Federation with the priority dated December 1, 2005 were isolated from the cloacal/tracheal swabs and viscera of sick and freshly died mute swans. Complete nucleotide sequences of all fragments of the genome of 6 strains have been deposited in the Gene Bank. The paper discusses the molecular genetic characteristics of isolated strains.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Drug selection and use in mastitis: systemic vs local therapy.

The optimal properties of antibacterial drugs, (administered parenterally or intracisternally during clinical mastitis) required for achieving and maintaining effective drug concentrations at the site of infection are reviewed. The in vitro sensitivity of the udder pathogen, expressed as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the drug, and the physicochemical properties of the antibiotic are major determinants in the duration of effective drug concentrations in the udder. Injectable oxytetracycline and chloramphenicol possess limited IM bioavailability properties, and therefore, should be administered IV. Effective passage of drug from blood into the udder is best achieved with the macrolide antibiotics, but the antibacterial spectra of these drugs are limited to gram-positive pathogens. For intramammary treatment, drugs that are distributed throughout the udder and are quickly absorbed into the general blood circulation should be preferred. A second priority should be given to those drugs possessing more limited distribution characteristics. Some of the most active drugs in vitro are poorly and unevenly distributed in the udder and are absorbed only to a limited extent.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Phytoplasma-plant interactions: effector-mediated host reprogramming, hormonal crosstalk, metabolic alterations and plant-mediated vector manipulation.

Phytoplasmas are wall-less, phloem-restricted bacterial pathogens that infect over 1,000 plant species, causing substantial losses in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry worldwide. Despite their reduced genomes and limited metabolic autonomy, these obligate parasites colonize diverse hosts through secreted effector proteins that extensively reprogram plant development, metabolism, immune signalling, and vector interactions. Advances in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and functional studies have substantially clarified the molecular basis of phytoplasma pathogenicity and symptom development. This review synthesizes current understanding of phytoplasma-plant interactions, covering phytoplasma biology, genome evolution, and the infection cycle across plant and insect vector hosts. We examine the molecular functions of key effectors, SAP11, SAP54/PHYL1, SAP05, TENGU, SWP1, and recently identified virulence factors, focusing on how they target host transcription factors, phytohormone networks, protein degradation pathways, and immune responses to promote colonization and disease progression. We further discuss how phytoplasma infection disrupts phytohormone signalling, primary and secondary metabolism, and developmental programs to produce characteristic disease symptoms, with particular attention to pathogen-induced changes in host volatiles and nutritional quality that alter vector behaviour and enhance transmission. Finally, we summarize insights from multi-omics studies and emerging management strategies, including CRISPR-based genome editing, RNAi, rapid molecular diagnostics, resistant cultivars, microbiome-based approaches, and sustainable vector control, and highlight key knowledge gaps and priorities for developing effective, environmentally sustainable phytoplasma disease management.

Phytoplasma↗

PubMed2003

Ebola virus: from discovery to vaccine.

Ebola virus, being highly pathogenic for humans and non-human primates and the subject of former weapons programmes, is now one of the most feared pathogens worldwide. In addition, the lack of pre- and post-exposure interventions makes the development of rapid diagnostics, new antiviral agents and protective vaccines a priority for many nations. Further insight into the ecology, immunology and pathogenesis of Ebola virus will promote the delivery of these urgently required tools.

Animals↗