We are upgrading the repository! A content freeze is in effect until December 6, 2024. New submissions or changes to existing items will not be allowed during this period. All content already published will remain publicly available for searching and downloading. Updates will be posted in the Website Upgrade 2024 FAQ in the sidebar Help menu. Reach out to escholarship@umassmed.edu with any questions.
Influenza infection control guidance provided to staff at Veterans Affairs facilities for veterans with spinal cord injury during a pandemic(dagger)
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Health Informatics and Implementation ScienceDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2013-11-01Keywords
Hospitals, VeteransHumans
Infection Control
Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype
Influenza Vaccines
Influenza, Human
*Pandemics
Risk
*Spinal Cord Injuries
United States
Veterans
Health and Medical Administration
Health Services Administration
Infectious Disease
Influenza Humans
Nervous System Diseases
Neurology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
CONTEXT/OBJECTIVE: To assess guidance provided to staff at Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities on H1N1 influenza infection control for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional qualitative semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Thirty-three VA healthcare facilities from throughout the United States that provide care to veterans with SCI/D. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three infection control key informants, each representing a VA healthcare facility. INTERVENTIONS: None. OUTCOME MEASURES: Infection control practices, including vaccination practices, hospital preparedness, and recommendations for future pandemics, both in general and specifically to SCI/D. RESULTS: Most (n = 26, 78.8%) infection control key informants believed veterans with SCI/D were at increased risk for influenza and complications, but only 17 (51.5%) said veterans with SCI/D were treated as a priority group for vaccination at their facilities. There was little special guidance provided for treating veterans with SCI/D, and most (n = 28, 84.8%) informants said that infection control procedures and recommendations were applied universally. Yet, 10 key informants discussed 'unique challenges' to infection control in the SCI/D population. Informants discussed the potential for infectious agents to be spread through shared and common use equipment and the necessity of including caregivers in any vaccination or educational campaigns. CONCLUSION: Greater input by experts knowledgeable about SCI/D is recommended to adequately address pandemic influenza within healthcare facilities where individuals with SCI/D receive care.Source
J Spinal Cord Med. 2013 Nov;36(6):666-71. doi: 10.1179/2045772313Y.0000000112. Epub 2013 Apr 13. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1179/2045772313Y.0000000112Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/30542PubMed ID
24090346Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1179/2045772313Y.0000000112
Scopus Count
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
A human CD4+ T cell epitope in the influenza hemagglutinin is cross-reactive to influenza A virus subtypes and to influenza B virusBabon, Jenny Aurielle B; Cruz, John; Ennis, Francis A.; Yin, Liusong; Terajima, Masanori (2012-09-01)The hemagglutinin protein (HA) of the influenza virus family is a major antigen for protective immunity. Thus, it is a relevant target for developing vaccines. Here, we describe a human CD4(+) T cell epitope in the influenza virus HA that lies in the fusion peptide of the HA. This epitope is well conserved in all 16 subtypes of the HA protein of influenza A virus and the HA protein of influenza B virus. By stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a healthy adult donor with peptides covering the entire HA protein based on the sequence of A/Japan/305/1957 (H2N2), we generated a T cell line specific to this epitope. This CD4(+) T cell line recognizes target cells infected with influenza A virus seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains, a reassortant H2N1 strain, the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain, and influenza B virus in cytotoxicity assays and intracellular-cytokine-staining assays. It also lysed target cells infected with avian H5N1 virus. We screened healthy adult PBMCs for T cell responses specific to this epitope and found individuals who had ex vivo gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) responses to the peptide epitope in enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays. Almost all donors who responded to the epitope had the HLA-DRB1*09 allele, a relatively common HLA allele. Although natural infection or standard vaccination may not induce strong T and B cell responses to this highly conserved epitope in the fusion peptide, it may be possible to develop a vaccination strategy to induce these CD4(+) T cells, which are cross-reactive to both influenza A and B viruses.
-
Relationship of preexisting influenza hemagglutination inhibition, complement-dependent lytic, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity antibodies to the development of clinical illness in a prospective study of A(H1N1)pdm09 Influenza in childrenCo, Mary Dawn T.; Terajima, Masanori; Thomas, Stephen J.; Jarman, Richard G.; Rungrojcharoenkit, Kamonthip; Fernandez, Stefan; Yoon, In-Kyu; Buddhari, Darunee; Cruz, John; Ennis, Francis A. (2014-10-01)The hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titer is considered the primary immune correlate of protection for influenza. However, recent studies have highlighted the limitations on the use of the HAI titer as a correlate in at-risk populations such as children and older adults. In addition to the neutralization of cell-free virus by antibodies to hemagglutinin and interference of virus release from infected cells by antibodies to neuraminidase, influenza virus-specific antibodies specifically can bind to infected cells and lyse virus-infected cells through the activation of complement or natural killer (NK) cells, via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) or complement-dependent lysis (CDL). We evaluated preexisting HAI, CDL, and ADCC antibodies in young children enrolled in a prospective cohort study of dengue during the epidemic with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus to determine associations between preexisting antibodies and the occurrence of clinical or subclinical influenza virus infection. Though both preexisting HAI and CDL antibodies were associated with protection against clinical influenza, our data suggested that CDL was not a better correlate than HAI. We found that ADCC antibodies behaved differently from HAI and CDL antibodies. Unlike HAI and CDL antibodies, preexisting ADCC antibodies did not correlate with protection against clinical influenza. In fact, ADCC antibodies were detected more frequently in the clinical influenza group than the subclinical group. In addition, in contrast to HAI and CDL antibodies, HAI and the ADCC antibodies titers did not correlate. We also found that ADCC, but not CDL or HAI antibodies, positively correlated with the ages of the children.
-
H. influenzae Consortium: integrative study of H. influenzae-human interactionsKolker, Eugene; Purvine, Samuel; Picone, Alex F.; Cherny, Tim; Akerley, Brian J.; Munson, Robert S.; Palsson, Bernhard O.; Daines, Dayle A.; Smith, Arnold L. (2003-03-11)Developments in high-throughput analysis tools coupled with integrative computational techniques have enabled biological studies to reach new levels. The ability to correlate large volumes of diverse data types into cohesive models of organism function has spawned a new systematic approach to biological investigation. The creation of a new consortium has been proposed to investigate a single organism utilizing these comprehensive approaches. The Haemophilus influenzae Consortium (HIC) would be comprised of five laboratories, each providing separate and complementary areas of expertise in the study of Haemophilus influenzae (HI). The 5-year study proposes to develop coherent models of HI, both as a stand-alone organism, and more importantly, as a human pathogen. Studies in growth condition specificity followed by genomic, metabolic, and proteomic experimentation will be combined and integrated through computational and experimental analyses to form dynamic and predictive models of HI and its responses. Data from the HIC will allow greater understanding of cellular behavior, pathogen-host interactions, bacterial infection, and provide future scientific endeavors with a template for studies of other pathogens.