Haraldur Briem

Broiler Campylobacter Contamination and Human Campylobacteriosis in Iceland

ABSTRACT To examine whether there is a relationship between the degree of Campylobacter contamination observed in product lots of retail Icelandic broiler chicken carcasses and the incidence of human disease, 1,617 isolates from 327 individual product lots were genetically matched (using the flaA short variable region [SVR[) to 289 isolates from cases of human campylobacteriosis whose onset was within approximately 2 weeks from the date of processing. When there was genetic identity between broiler isolates and human isolates within the appropriate time frame, a retail product lot was classified as implicated in human disease. According to the results of this analysis, there were multiple clusters of human disease linked to the same process lot or lots. Implicated and nonimplicated retail product lots were compared for four lot descriptors: lot size, prevalence, mean contamination, and maximum contamination (as characterized by direct rinse plating). For retail product distributed fresh, Mann-Whitney U tests showed that implicated product lots had significantly (P = 0.0055) higher mean contamination than nonimplicated lots. The corresponding median values were 3.56 log CFU/carcass for implicated lots and 2.72 log CFU/carcass for nonimplicated lots. For frozen retail product, implicated lots were significantly (P = 0.0281) larger than nonimplicated lots. When the time frame was removed, retail product lots containing Campylobacter flaA SVR genotypes also seen in human disease had significantly higher mean and maximum contamination numbers than lots containing no genotypes seen in human disease for both fresh and frozen product. Our results suggest that cases of broiler-borne campylobacteriosis may occur in clusters and that the differences in mean contamination levels may provide a basis for regulatory action that is more specific than a presence-absence standard.

Eligibility and willingness of young Icelandic women to participate in a HPV vaccination trial

Background and aims. Cervical cancer is an important health problem worldwide, and the incidence of preinvasive cervical cancer is increasing among young sexually active women. The causal association between human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer makes it theoretically possible to eradicate the disease through vaccination. The aim of this study was to analyze the eligibility and willingness of 18–23‐year‐old Icelandic women to participate in a vaccination trial to prevent HPV infection and to assess knowledge of HPV.

The efficacy of HPV 16/18 vaccines on sexually active 18-23 year old women and the impact of HPV vaccination on organized cervical cancer screening.

Objective. Evaluate the efficacy of catch‐up HPV vaccination in sexually active young women and the potential impact of HPV vaccines on the practice of organized screening. Sample. (1) Women enrolled in the Future II study and (2) from a separate population‐based study in Iceland. Methods. (1) Analysis of cytological and histological results and colposcopic examinations among 710 women, aged 18–23, with less than five sexual partners, irrespectively of baseline HPV status at enrolment. (2) The impact on screening practice as determined by evaluating the distribution of 12 oncogenic HPV types in 582 cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN 2–3) and cancer cases. Main outcome measures. (1) Distribution of evaluated parameters according to age at enrolment. (2) Age distribution of four HPV groups, within age classes and HPV groups: mean time to development of lesions, mean time to development of CIN 2–3+, cumulative frequency for CIN 2–3+ lesions after the last normal smear. Results. (1) After an average 52 months of post‐enrolment follow‐up, significant reductions in all evaluated parameters were observed in women aged 18–19 at enrolment. (2) Among women <25years, the proportion of cases with only HPV 16/18 was significantly lower and the proportion containing HPV16/18 plus ≥1 out of 10 non‐vaccine HPV types (31/33/45/52/58/35/39/51/56/59) was higher than at age 25–49. The proportion of cases containing only the non‐vaccine types was the same within all age groups. Cases with HPV 16/18 and some non‐vaccine types decreased significantly with age and accumulated more slowly after the last negative smear. Conclusions. Catch‐up vaccination of younger women should be considered in the context of sexual practices and the effects of prevalent disease on observed vaccine efficacy. Current data do not support a change in the lower age limit or screening intervals for women.

TT virus infections among blood donors in Iceland:prevalence, genotypes, and lack of relationship to serum ALT levels

BACKGROUND: The TT virus (TTV) is a newly identified blood‐borne virus. Its association with disease is still unknown, and screening of blood donors has not been implemented. Several genotypes of the TTV have been identified.

1227Familiality of fatal measles infections in Iceland, 1882. Analysis of a reconstructed patient cohort from a major epidemic

1227. Familiality of fatal measles infections in Iceland, 1882. Analysis of a reconstructed patient cohort from a major epidemic Magnus Gottfredsson, MD, PhD; Sandra Gunnarsdottir, BS; Haraldur Briem, MD, PhD; Ingileif Jonsdottir, PhD; Kari Stefansson, MD, PhD; Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland; Infectious Diseases, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland; School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland; The Directorate of Health, Centre for Health Security and Communicable Disease Control, Reykjavik, Iceland; deCODE Genetics, Reykjavik, Iceland