The following background information on Bartonellosis in Peru is abstracted from Gideon and the Gideon e-book series. [1] Primary references are available on request.

Seasonality / Distribution:
- South American bartonellosis is primarily found in the Western Andes river valleys at elevations of 500 to 3000 meters – Ancash, La Libertad, Cajamarca and Amazonas.
- Cases are reported at elevations as high as 3,375 meters (town of Huasta).
- During 2004 to 2007, 36.1% of cases were reported from Cajamarca, 30.3% Ancash, 17.3% La Libertad and 8.0% Amazonas

Indidence – see graph:

Chronology:
1871 – 7,000 workers died of bartonellosis during the building of a railway line from Lima to Oroya. (thus the term, “Oroya fever.”)
1906 – An outbreak (200 fatal cases) was reported among tunnel workers.
1959 – An outbreak (200 fatal cases) was reported in Anco.
2003 – 31 fatal cases were reported. 3,431 cases were reported in Ancash and 1,220 in La Libertad.
2004 – 4,087 cases were reported in Jaen and 3,979 in Ancash.
2007 – 1,857 cases (12 fatal) of acute infection 584 of chronic infection were reported.
2011 – A fatal case was reported in the Lambayeque region.
1987 – An outbreak (554 cases, 14 fatal) was reported in Shumpillan Village (Pomabamba Province).
1998 – Outbreaks were reported in new focus in the Urubama region (20 cases), and in Cuzco Department.
2006 – An outbreak (10 cases) was reported in a new focus in Arahuan District, Lima Province.

Vectors:
- The local sand-fly vector is Lutzomyia verrucarum.
- L. maranonensis and L. rubusta have also been implicated.

Reference:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of Peru, 2011. 401 pp, 92 graphs, 1,282 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-peru/

Despite a widespread prevalence of toxoplasmosis among humans and other vertebrates, overt outbreaks are rarely reported. The following chronology is abstracted from Gideon (www.GideonOnline.com) and the Gideon e-book series. [1] (Primary references available on request)

Outbreaks among humans:
1967 (publication year) – Brazil. An outbreak at a Paulist seminary in Braganza, Sao Paulo State.
1969 (publication year) – Brazil. An outbreak of toxoplasmosis at a university in Sao-Jose-dos Campos, Sao Paulo.
1977 – United States. An outbreak (37 cases) in Georgia among patrons of a riding stable.
1978 – United States. An outbreak (10 cases) among members of a family in California, associated with consumption of raw goat’s milk.
1979 – Italy. An outbreak (5 cases) among members of a family.
1980 (publication year) – United States. An outbreak (10 cases) in an extended family, related to cat contact.
1981 (publication year) – United States. An outbreak in Georgia.
1982 (publication year) – Brazil. An outbreak in a rural area.
1984 (publication year) – United States. An outbreak (9 cases) among family members on an Illinois farm.
1984 (publication year) – Australia. An outbreak (5 cases) among members of a Lebanese family in Australia was ascribed to contaminated Kibbi (a traditional meat dish)
1990 (publication year) – Canada. 4 cases among pregnant women in Quebec, associated with consumption of raw meat.
1993 – Brazil. An outbreak (20 cases) in Parana was ascribed to ingestion of contaminated mutton.
1995 – Canada. An outbreak (2,895 to 7,118) cases in the Greater Victoria area of British Columbia. This was the largest recorded outbreak of toxoplasmosis from water
1997 (publication year) – Republic of Korea. Two outbreaks (8 cases) associated with consumption of uncooked pork.
2001 – Brazil. A water-borne outbreak (176 cases) in Parana
2002 – Brazil. A water-borne outbreak (426 cases) in Parana
2002 – Turkey. An outbreak (171 cases) at a boarding school in Izmir.
2003 to 2004 – French Guiana. An outbreak (11 cases, 3 fatal) in Patam, among immunocompetent patients.
2010 (publication year) – India. An outbreak (248 cases) of Toxoplasma retinitis in Tamil Nadu was ascribed to ingestion of contaminated water

Veterinary outbreaks:
1953 (publication year) – Norway. An outbreak among chickens
1964 (publication year) – Canada. An outbreak (44 cases) chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) in Ontario.
1977 (publication year) – Sweden. An outbreak of among pigs.
1977 – United States. An outbreak (4 cases) among wallaroos (Macropus robustus) in a California zoo.
1986 (publication year) – United States. An outbreak among captive kangaroos, wallabies, and potaroos.
1986 (publication year) – Italy. An outbreak on an bird-farm in Vicenza involved small passerine birds (Serinus canaria, Carduelis chloris, Carduelis carduelis, Carduelis spinus, Carduelis cannabina and Pyrrhula pyrrhula).
1992 (publication year) – United States. An outbreak among wallabies on an exotic animal farm.
1992 (publication year) – United Kingdom. An outbreak of toxoplasmosis among captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)
1996 – Czezh Republic. An outbreak among Angora goats.
1999 – United States. An outbreak among Wisconsin mink (Mustela vison).
2004 – China. An outbreak among swine in Ganzu Province.
2008 (publication year) – Israel. An outbreak (19 cases) among captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) was ascribed to contaminated feed.
2008 (publication year) – South Africa. An outbreak (8 cases) among Nicobar pigeons (Caloenas nicobaria) in an aviary collection.
2009 (publication year) – Italy. An outbreak among ovines on a farm.
2009 (publication year) – Republic of Korea. An outbreak of porcine abortion due to toxoplasmosis was reported in Jeju Island.

Reference:
1. Berger SA. Toxoplasmosis: Global Status, 2011. 92 pp, 74 graphs, 950 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/toxoplasmosis-global-status/

Notwitstanding a recent outbreak in Utah, infant botulism has accounted for an growing percentage of total cases in recent years. [1,2] In the following graph, I’ve summarized trends for botulism in the United States. Note that total case numbers have been increasing since 1995, despite a decrease in the incidence of food-borne botulism.

(See the Graph tool tutorial at www.GIDEONonline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Gideon-Graphs.pps )

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of the United States, 2011. 1030 pp, 464 graphs, 8237 references. Gideon e-books, www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-the-united-states/
2. Berger SA. Botulism: Global Status, 2011. 80 pages, 86 graphs, 510 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/botulism-global-status/

Although Listeria monocytogenes is a relatively uncommon cause of food-borne infection in the United States, this species is associated with a disproportionate mortality rate. In recent years, Salmonella and Listeria have been associated with more cases of fatal bacterial food related disease than any other agent, despite the the relative rarity of listeriosis as a disease. [1,2] In fact, case-fatality rates of the most common agent, Salmonella, have not paralleled increases in disease incidence. See graphs 1 and 2.

(See the Graph tool tutorial at http://www.GIDEONonline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Gideon-Graphs.pps )

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of the United States, 2011. 1030 pp, 464 graphs, 8237 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-the-united-states
2. Berger SA. Listeriosis: Global Status, 2011. 93 pp, 103 graphs, 487 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/listeriosis-global-status/

Note disussed in Promed

The incidence of viral hepatitis in Bulgaria has actually decreased in recent years [1-3] See graph:

Nevertheless, disease rates in Bulgaria remain slightly higher than those in neighboring countries.

Graphs are generated using an interactive online system – see GIDEON Graphs

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of Bulgaria, 2011. 68 pp, 101 graphs, 967 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-bulgaria/
2. Berger SA. Hepatitis A: Global Status, 2011. 163 pp, 180 graphs, 1073 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/hepatitis-a-global-status/
3. Berger SA. Hepatitis B: Global Status, 2011. 327 pp, 405 graphs, 1517 references. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/hepatitis-b-global-status/

Note reproduced in ProMED

The following chronology of Travel-related and Cross-border outbreaks of E. coli gastroenteritis is abstracted from the Gideon e-book series. [1,2] (Primary references are available on request)

Travel-related outbreaks:
1976 – An outbreak (386 cases) of diarrhea due to Salmonella, Vibrio, Shigella, ETEC and EIEC was reported among passengers of a cruise ship following a visit to Haiti.
1981 – An outbreak (98 cases) of diarrhea due to Salmonella, Vibrio and ETEC was reported among passengers of a cruise ship following a visit to Mexico.
1997 – An outbreak was reported among tourists from Finland, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom, who acquired E. coli O157 infection (3 with HUS) at a resort hotel in the Canary Islands. No cases were registered in the local population.
1999 – An outbreak (5 cases, 2 HUS) of E. coli O157 infection was reported among British tourists in southern Turkey.
2002 – An outbreak (2 confirmed, 8 suspected cases) of E. coli O157 infection among school staff and pupils from England occurred during a visit to France. The probable source was salad prepared from Belgian cucumbers.
2004 – An outbreak (107 cases) of E. coli O111 infection was reported among Japanese students on tour in Korea.
2004 – An outbreak (9 verified and 3 secondary cases) of E. coli O157 infection was associated with an international sporting event.
2004 – An outbreak (3 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection on Okinawa, Japan was ascribed to contaminated ground beef supplied to military personnel from the United States.
2005 (publication year) – An outbreak (24 cases) of EAggEC infection was reported among Cambodian tourists in Japan.
2005 – An outbreak (10 confirmed, 5 suspected cases) was reported among Scottish tourists returning from resorts in Turkey.
2006 to 2007 – 41.9% of American travelers to Mexico developed diarrhea – 33.9% due to LT-EHEC
2007 – An outbreak (3 cases, 2 confirmed) of E. coli O157 infection was reported among Scottish tourists returning from Turkey.
2009 – An outbreak (14 cases) of E. coli O157 infection was reported among British travelers to Spain.

Cross-border outbreaks:
1983 – Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness associated with eating imported French Brie cheese occurred in the United States. The responsible organism in this case was a strain of Escherichia coli serotype O27:H20 which produced a heat-stable toxin.
1996 – Outbreaks (3 outbreaks, one fatal case) in the United States and Canada were caused by unpasteurized apple juice.
2006 – An outbreak (205 cases, 30 HUS, 3 fatal) of E. coli O157:H7 infection from contaminated California fresh spinach involved 26 states. An additional suspect case was reported in Ontario. The outbreak strain was identified in feral swine in the area of spinach production.
2006 – An outbreak (21 cases) of sorbitol fermenting E. coli O157 infection was reported in England and Scotland.
2007 – An outbreak (45 cases, 1 HUS, 0 fatal) of E. coli O157:H7 infection involving 8 states (40 cases) and Canada was caused by contaminated beef patties.
2007 – Outbreaks (50 cases, 0 HUS) of E. coli O157 in the Netherlands (41 cases) and Iceland (9 cases) may have been related to contaminated iceberg lettuce.
2008 – An outbreak (23 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported among university students in the United States was ascribed to contaminated iceberg lettuce. Ten additional cases outside of the University were epidemiologically-linked to the outbreak, including 2 suspected cases in southern Ontario.
2010 – Outbreaks (260 cases in 11 outbreaks) of Norovirus and EHEC infections in Denmark were caused by contaminated lettuce imported from France.

Extensive (100 cases or more) outbreaks:
1969 (publication year) – An outbreak (418 cases hospitalized) of E. coli O86:B7 gastroenteritis was reported in India.
1974 – An outbreak (106 cases) of infantile diarrhea caused by enteropathogenic E. coli 0111:B4 was reported in Turkey.
1975 – An outbreak (2,200 cases or more) of E. coli O6:K15:H16 infection at an American National Park was attributed to contaminated drinking water.
1981 – An outbreak (282 cases) of E. coli gastroenteritis was reported among personnel at a hospital in the United States.
1987 – An outbreak (650 cases) of E. coli O111:B4 infection was reported at a school complex in southern Finland.
1988 – An outbreak (670 cases) of E. coli O164:H- infection was associated with consumption of “Godofu (Sasayuki tofu).”
1988 – An outbreak (256 cases) of gastroenteritis in Japan was ascribed to Escherichia coli O167:H9; a second outbreak (174 cases, 14 HUS) of hemorrhagic colitis associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 was reported in a Japanese kindergarten.
1989 – An outbreak (243 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection in the United States resulted in 2 cases of HUS and 4 deaths.
1991 – An outbreak (521 cases, estimated) of verotoxin-producing E. coli infection was reported in the Canada.
1992 – An outbreak (64,699 clinical cases) of E. coli O157 infection was reported in Swaziland. The source of the outbreak was drinking water contaminated by infected cattle. This was the first known outbreak in Africa.
1992 to 1993 – An outbreak (732 cases, 151 hospitalized, 4 fatal) of hemorrhagic colitis due to Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the United States was traced to contaminated hamburger meat.
1993 – An outbreak (2,697 cases) of enteroaggregative E. coli infection in Japan was caused by contaminated school lunches.
1993 – An outbreak (121 cases) of ETEC infection in the United States was associated with salads served at a lodge buffet.
1995 to 1996 – An outbreak (100 cases, 29 HUS, 0 fatal) of E. coli O157 infection was reported in Sweden.
1996 – An outbreak (108 cases, 4 fatal) of E. coli O157 diarrhea was reported in Central African Republic. This was the first description of E. coli O157 in central Africa.
1996 – Outbreaks (17,877 cases, 12 fatal) of VTEC O157 were reported in Japan.
1996 – An outbreak (512 confirmed cases, 151 hospitalized; 34 HUS or TTP; 22 fatal) in Scotland was traced to meat from a local butcher; a second Scottish outbreak (711 cases) of Campylobacter and E. coli O157 infections was caused by contaminated water.
1997 to 1998 – An outbreak (298 cases) of bloody diarrhea due to E. coli O157, Shigella and amebiasis was reported in the Cameroon.
1998 – An outbreak (144 cases) of ETEC infection was reported in Iceland.
1998 – An outbreak (4,000 cases or more) of enterotoxic E. coli infection in the United States was associated with potato salad; and a second American outbreak (142 cases) was ascribed to coleslaw served at a restaurant.
1998 – An outbreak (175 military personnel and 54 civilians) of ETEC infection in Israel was associated with contaminated water.
1998 – An outbreak (157 cases, 4 HUS) of E. coli O157:H7 infection in the United States occurred when waste (from deer and elk) contaminated a municipal water supply. {p 11971769}
1999 – An outbreak (149 cases, total) of mixed E. coli O157 (126 cases, 11 HUS, 2 fatal) and Campylobacter (43 cases) infection in the United States was caused by contaminated well water at a fairgrounds.
1999 – An outbreak (114 confirmed cases) of E. coli O157 infection (28 hospitalized; 3 HUS) in England was caused by contaminated milk from a local dairy.
1999 – An outbreak (329 cases, 22 hospitalized) of E. coli O157:H7 infection in the United States was traced to contaminated beef eaten during a party at a cow pasture; an unrelated American outbreak (281 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was associated with a pig, steer and ostrich roast.
1999 – An outbreak (125 suspect cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported in Canada. A petting zoo was implicated as the source for infection; a second outbreak (143 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection in Canada was caused by contaminated salami.
1999 – An outbreak (177 fatal cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported in China.
1999 (publication year) – An outbreak (132 cases) of E. coli 0169 infection was reported in Japan; and a second outbreak of (126 cases) of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O118:H2 infection at a junior high school was associated with consumption of salads.
2000 – An outbreak (1,346 cases, 65 hospitalized, 27 HUS, 6 fatal) of E. coli O157 and Campylobacter infections in Canada was ascribed to contaminated drinking water.
2000 – An outbreak (181 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection (including 6 HUS, none fatal) was reported among school children and their contacts in Spain. Sausages were identified as the source.
2000 – An outbreak (1,304 cases – 58 confirmed) of E. coli O157:H7 infection due to barbecued beef was reported following an outdoor event in Japan; a second outbreak (842 cases – 87 confirmed) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported in a hospital and home for the aged; and a third outbreak (743 cases – 15 confirmed) of E. coli O157:H7 infection in a Japanese hospital.
2000 – An outbreak (1,521 cases) of presumed ETEC infection in Mexico was caused by sewage overflow.
2001 – An outbreak (264 cases) of E. coli O157 infection from contaminated meat was reported in Japan; and a second food-borne outbreak (195 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported in the country.
2002 (publication year) – An outbreak (162 cases) of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Canada was related to exposure to goats and sheep at a fair.
2002 – An outbreak (113 cases, 4 fatal) of E. coli O157 infection was reported in a hospital and a nursery home in Japan; a second Japanese outbreak (123 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection involved a hospital and home for the aged; and a third outbreak (328 cases) caused by heat stable ETEC-producing E. coli O25 was related to contaminated box lunches.
2003 – An outbreak (141 cases) of E. coli O26:H11 infection in Japan was ascribed to contaminated food.
2003 – An outbreak (463 cases, 56 fatal, 32 confirmed) of E. coli O157 infection was reported among children in Kenya.
2004 – An outbreak (111 cases) of ETEC infection caused by three serotypes of E. coli was reported among employees of a company in the United States; and a second American outbreak (130 cases) of ETEC infection was associated with a sushi restaurant.
2005 – An outbreak (401 cases) of E. coli O6:H16 food poisoning involved two prisons in Japan.
2005 – An outbreak (135 cases, 11 HUS) of E. coli O157 infection in Sweden was related to contaminated lettuce.
2005 – An outbreak (160 cases, 1 fatal) of E. coli O157 infection affecting over 40 schools in Wales was ascribed to contaminated meat.
2006 – An outbreak (205 cases, 30 HUS, 3 fatal) of E. coli O157:H7 infection from contaminated fresh spinach was reported in the United States.
2006 – An outbreak (217 cases) of Salmonella anatum and ETEC infections among guests at a high school dinner in Denmark was caused by contaminated pesto.
2007 – An outbreak (467 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported at a school refrectory in Japan; and a second outbreak (314 cases) of E. coli O157:H7 infection was reported in a Japanese restaurant.
2007 – An outbreak (117 cases) of gastroenteritis at a camp site in Romania was caused by Salmonella enteritidis and EPEC.
2007 to 2008 – An outbreak (1,000 cases) in Finland of gastroenteritis related to contaminated drinking water included cases of STEC infection.
2008 – An outbreak (341 cases, 26 HUS, 1 fatal) of E. coli O111 infection was associated with a restaurant in the United States.
2009 – An outbreak (235 cases) of E. coli O157 infections in Canada was associated with onions served in a restaurant.

References:
1. Berger SA. Escherichia coli Diarrhea: Global Status, 2011. 139 pages, 148 graphs, 1,316 references. Gideon E-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/escherichia-coli-diarrhea-global-status/
2. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of the World, 2011. 987 pages, 383 graphs, 12,492 references. Gideon E-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-the-world/

An ongoing outbreak in Istanbul reminds us that measles rates in Turkey have decreased significantly only during the past five years, in parallel with achievement of >90 vaccination coverage in the country (WHO estimates) [1,2] In the attached graph, measles rates (green line) are contrasted with vaccination coverage estimates.

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of Turkey, 2011. 420 pp. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-turkey/
2. Berger SA. Measles: Global Status, 2011. 386 pp. Gideon e-books, http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/measles-global-status/

Update: Posted in ProMED

Los Angeles, Calif. (PRWEB) May 5, 2009 — The first recorded outbreak of influenza occurred in 1580, according to GIDEON (www.gideononline.com), the online infectious disease database used by medical professionals worldwide. As of 2003, an additional 31 pandemics had been documented, including 21 million deaths estimated from an H1N1 pandemic during 1918 to 1919. From 1958 to 2005, 50 cases of swine influenza virus infection (mostly H1N1) were reported in humans (http://gideononline.com/swineflu).

GIDEON reports that up until 2006, a total of 46 cases of human infection by swine influenza (more…)

GIDEON is providing ongoing coverage of the latest outbreak of Swine Influenza (H1N1) in the Worldwide note for Influenza, and relevant affected countries.
If you’re logged in, here’s a direct link.

Update: Read about the historical cases of H1N1 Swine Influenza

Today, in the Sacramento Bee, an article about tainted pistachios quoted GIDEON and added a graph:

Reported cases of salmonella in the United States rose in the late 1980s and early 1990s but have gone down since, according to Gideon Informatics Inc., a firm that tracks infectious disease trends. Lately salmonella cases have been holding steady at around 15 to 16 per 100,000 Americans annually, the company’s data shows.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases from nuts are rare. GIDEON, a database which follows the status of all infectious diseases in all countries, has recorded sixteen such episodes. GIDEON currently contains details concerning 777 outbreaks of salmonellosis – of which nuts were implicated in only 1.2%.

Food-related outbreaks associated with nuts, in chronological order:

• 1986 – An outbreak (9 cases, 2 fatal) of botulism in Taiwan was caused by contaminated commercially preserved peanuts.
• 1991 – An outbreak (4 cases) of cholera in Maryland was associated with commercial frozen fresh coconut milk imported from Thailand.
• 1992 – An outbreak of shigellosis in Thailand was associated with consumption of a coconut milk dessert.
• (more…)