Emerging Infectious Diseases

In this podcast, Dr. Lynne Sehulster discusses Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease. This disease is caused by a pathological accumulation in the brain of an abnormal protein known as prions.

CDC's Dr. Jon Gentsch discusses rotaviruses, the most important cause of severe gastroenteritis in children less than five years of age. Essentially, all children around the world get the disease during the first few years of life.

CDC's Dr. Oliver Morgan discusses how the use of masks and other protective gear impacted whether workers dealing with an outbreak of bird flu in England became sick. The paper is published in the January 2009 issue of CDC’s journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases.

In this podcast, Dr. King discusses zoonoses and how foxes, raccoons, and bats play an important role in the ecology of infectious diseases, such as rabies.

Rabies has been eliminated from dogs in the United States through efforts to promote annual vaccination, but it's still a problem in wildlife in the U.S. and in wild and domesticated animals abroad. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Charles Rupprecht discusses a study which provides proof of the elimination of rabies in dogs and what this means for the average American.

In this podcast, Dr. Oeltmann discusses multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. An outbreak occurred in Thailand, which led to 45 cases in the U.S. This serious illness can take up to 2 years to treat. MDR TB is a real threat and a serious condition.

In this podcast, Dr. David Swerdlow discusses prophylaxis after exposure to Coxiella burnetii. It is important to know who should be treated and how they should be treated after an intentional release with possible bioterrorism agents, including Coxiella burnetii.

Cryptosporidium is a waterborne bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. In this podcast, Dr. Vita Cama, CDC microbiologist, discusses an article in the October 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The paper examines Cryptosporidium infections among children in Peru, including the number of infections, symptoms experienced, and what species of Crypto were responsible.

During the past 20 years, the global food trade has increased and, with it, the potential for the spread of foodborne illnesses caused by imported foods. The World Health Organization in 2007 implemented new International Health Regulations which help guide reporting of foodborne outbreaks. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Scott McNabb discusses a study in the September 2008 issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases which analyzed foodborne outbreaks in Australia in the early part of this decade and assessed how many would have been reported under the current health regulations.

In this podcast, Ted Pestorius speaks with Dr. Marian McDonald, Associate Director for Minority and Women’s Health at CDC about an article in September 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases on infectious diseases in the homeless. There are an estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide today, and this number is likely to grow. The homeless population is vulnerable to many diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Dr. McDonald discusses why this population is so vulnerable.