CDC Announces $5 Million in New Awards to Fight Emerging Infectious

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CDC Announces $5 Million in New Awards to Fight Emerging Infectious

Diseases

11/10/2004 3:12:00 PM

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39623

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State Desk, Health Reporter

Contact: Morcone of the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 404-639-1690

ATLANTA, Nov. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention today announced $5 million in new grants to support

infectious disease research in five major areas including influenza

vaccine effectiveness, antimicrobial resistance, Clostridium

difficile-associated diarrheal disease, West Nile virus infection,

and organ transplant-associated infections.

" The primary objective of CDC's peer-reviewed research grants is to

support high quality studies whose findings can be applied by public

health practitioners and policy makers to improve health, " said Dr.

M. , director of CDC's National Center for Infectious

Diseases. " Each study aims to address an important public health

concern with substantial potential disease impact. "

Listed below are brief descriptions of the studies, along with the

names of the principal investigators and their institutions.

Annual influenza vaccine effectiveness:

A. Belongia, M.D., Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation,

Marshfield, Wisconsin. This project aims to provide a rapid analysis

of influenza vaccine effectiveness throughout influenza season to

better understand how vaccination protects those who receive

vaccine.

Applied research on antimicrobial resistance:

Engemann, M.D., Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. The

investigators will study the impact of methicillin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus on length of hospitalization and cost of

treatment.

Ruth Lynfield, M.D., Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis,

Minnesota. This work will determine the economic costs of

methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections.

J. Fraser, M.D., Washington University, St. Louis,

Missouri. This research will measure the economic costs of

infections caused by several antibiotic-resistant pathogens in a

hospital setting.

R. , M.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,

Minnesota. This study will address the transmission of antibiotic-

resistant E. coli organisms from poultry to humans.

E. Wittum, Ph.D., Ohio State University Research Foundation,

Columbus, Ohio. The goal of this research is to assess the public

health risk of the antibiotic drug ceftiofur's use in food chain

animals.

Prevention epicenters: Studies within this program are designed to

develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of

epidemiologically-based strategies to improve healthcare quality and

ensure patient safety by preventing healthcare-associated infections

and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

Fraser, M.D., Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

This research will examine the effect of antimicrobial agents on the

incidence of Clostridium difficile associated diahrrheal disease,

its impact on the cost of healthcare, and the influence that the use

of different disinfection agents have on its incidence.

Loreen Herwaldt, M.D., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. This

group will analyze errors that resulted in incorrect identification

of infectious disease agents from blood cultures from laboratories

in several states in order to develop interventions that will

successfully reduce these errors and improve patient outcomes from

bloodstream infections.

Trish Perl, M.D., s Hopkins University, Baltimore, land.

This study will examine whether the use of proper hand and

environmental cleaning agents will decrease the incidence of

Clostridium difficile colonization.

Research into the public health aspects of West Nile Virus (WNV) in

the United States:

B. Arciniegas, M.D., University of Colorado Health Sciences

Center, Denver, Colorado. The investigator will conduct a

prospective study of the neuropsychiatric manifestations of WNV to

help clarify the clinical presentation of this condition and to

guide future investigations in the diagnosis, treatment, and neuro-

rehabilitation of persons with this condition.

C. Brault, Ph.D., the University of California , ,

California. This work will generate fundamental data on the basis of

replication in the avian reservoir and insect vector of WNV to fill

gaps in knowledge of transmission and to improve existing

surveillance strategies.

Margo A. Brinton, Ph.D., Georgia State University Research

Foundation, Inc. The investigators will study genetic polymorphisms

that confer West Nile Virus resistance in humans, and horses with

either asymptomatic or overt WNV disease.

P. Busch, M.D., Blood Systems Inc., Blood Systems Research

Institute. This study proposes to utilize blood banks to identify

asymptomatic individuals with the virus and to track the natural

history of WNV infection with clinical, virologic and immunologic

markers to provide additional information on the epidemiology and

dynamics of WNV infection and risk assessment parameters.

Wayne A. Rowley, Ph.D., Iowa State University. This study will

address the possibility that cottontail rabbits may play a role in

the ecology of WNV and serve as a potential source of WNV for

mosquitoes.

R. Unnasch, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham,

Birmingham, AL. The study will focus on the epidemiology and

transmission of WNV in urban areas of the southeastern United States

to increase understanding of the ecology of WNV transmission.

Organ Transplant Infection and Detection and Prevention Program:

G. Pappas, M.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham,

Birmingham, Alabama. The investigators will improve surveillance of

invasive fungal infections in transplant patients in order to make

recommendations for prevention of these infections.

L. Paterson, M.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania. This study will explore the epidemiology of fungal

infections in transplant recipients in order to develop strategies

for prevention of such infections.

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