Madhusoodanan J. 2015. Outbreak observatory. Scientist (July):37–43.
Moore PS, Chang Y. 2014. The conundrum of causality in tumor virology: the cases of KSHV and MCV. Semin Cancer Biol 26:4–12.
Moran KR, Fairchild G, Generous N, Hickmann K, Osthus D, Priedhorsky R, Hyman J, Del Valle SY. 2016. Epidemic forecasting is messier than weather forecasting: the role of human behavior and internet data streams in epidemic forecasts. J Infect Dis 214(suppl_4):S404–S408.
Read AF, Kerr PJ. 2017. Protection at a price. Scientist (October):41–47.
Sancho-Shimizu V, Zhang SY, Abel L, Tardieu M, Rozenberg F, Jouanguy E, Casanova JL. 2007. Genetic susceptibility to herpes simplex virus 1 encephalitis in mice and humans. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 7:495– 505.
Sejvar JJ. 2003. West Nile virus: an historical overview. Ochsner J 5:6–10.
Sharp PM, Hahn BH. 2011. Origins of HIV and the AIDS pandemic. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 1:a006841.
Takada A, Kawaoka Y. 2001. The pathogenesis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Trends Microbiol 9:506–511.
Virgin HW. 2007. In vivo veritas: pathogenesis of infection as it actually happens. Nat Immunol 8:1143–1147.
Papers of Special Interest
Bodian D. 1955. Emerging concept of poliomyelitis infection. Science 122:105–108.
A classic paper that considered the basis of polio-based paralysis.
Brockmann D, Helbing D. 2013. The hidden geometry of complex, network-driven contagion phenomena. Science 342:1337–1342.
This paper shows that complex spatiotemporal patterns can be reduced to surprisingly simple, homogeneous wave propagation patterns.
Dalziel BD, Kissler S, Gog JR, Viboud C, Bjørnstad ON, Metcalf CJE, Grenfell BT. 2018. Urbanization and humidity shape the intensity of influenza epidemics in U.S. cities. Science 362:75–79.
The spread and impact of influenza epidemics are influenced by both population density and humidity; this observation may have an impact on public health policies.
Gibbs SE, Wimberly MC, Madden M, Masour J, Yabsley MJ, Stallknecht DE. 2006. Factors affecting the geographic distribution of West Nile virus in Georgia, USA: 2002–2004. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 6:73–82.
Variables including temperature, housing density, urban/suburban land use, and mountain physiographic region were found to be important variables in predicting the distribution of West Nile virus in the state of Georgia.
Lowen AC, Mubareka S, Steel J, Palese P. 2007. Influenza virus transmission is dependent on relative humidity and temperature. PLoS Pathog 3:1470–1476. PubMed
Evidence to support the role of weather conditions in the dynamics of influenza.
McLean AR. 2013. Epidemiology. Coming to an airport near you. Science 342:1330–1331.
A clear discussion about how our global community accelerates worldwide transmission of viruses.
Moran KR, Fairchild G, Generous N, Hickmann K, Osthus D, Priedhorsky R, Hyman J, Del Valle SY. 2016. Epidemic forecasting is messier than weather forecasting: the role of human behavior and internet data streams in epidemic forecast. J Infect Dis 214(suppl_4):S404–S408.
This study presents a useful, real-world description of the challenges of epidemiological fieldwork.
O’Neill SL, Ryan PA, Turley AP, Wilson G, Retzki K, Iturbe-Ormaetxe I, Dong Y, Kenny N, Paton CJ, Ritchie SA, Brown-Kenyon J, Stanford D, Wittmeier N, Anders KL, Simmons CP. 2018. Scaled deployment of Wolbachia to protect the community from dengue and other Aedes transmitted arboviruses. Gates Open Res 2:36.
The development and deployment of bacterially infected mosquitos to prevent transmission of arboviral infections.
Quick J, et al. 2016. Real-time, portable genome sequencing for Ebola surveillance. Nature 530:228–232.
This paper shows that real-time genomic surveillance is possible in resource-limited settings and can be established rapidly to monitor outbreaks.
Rivers TM. 1937. Viruses and Koch’s postulates. J Bacteriol 33:1–12.
A thoughtful and prescient assessment of the powers and limitations of Koch’s postulates.
Smieszek T, Salathé M. 2013. A low-cost method to assess the epidemiological importance of individuals in controlling infectious disease outbreaks. BMC Med 11:35.
Mapping personal networks offers a highly effective method to develop sentinel surveillance systems and prevention strategies.
Smith W, Andrewes CH, Laidlaw PP. 1933. A virus obtained from influenza patients. Lancet 222:66–68.
This is a classic study describing the isolation of influenza virus.
Thézé J, Li T, du Plessis L, Bouquet J, Kraemer MUG, Somasekar S, Yu G, de Cesare M, Balmaseda A, Kuan G, Harris E, Wu CH, Ansari MA, Bowden R, Faria NR, Yagi S, Messenger S, Brooks T, Stone M, Bloch EM, Busch M, Muñoz-Medina JE, González-Bonilla CR, Wolinsky S, López S, Arias CF, Bonsall D, Chiu CY, Pybus OG. 2018. Genomic epidemiology reconstructs the introduction and spread of Zika virus in Central America and Mexico. Cell Host Microbe 23:855–864.
A historical account of the origins of the Zika virus epidemic that led to widespread infection and microcephaly in neonates.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1 Imagine that you are an epidemiologist in a small, remote village in Epidemistan. Epidemistan is located in the high mountains, and the roads to access it are treacherous. Therefore, it takes over a week to reach it by car, and no other transportation in or out of the village is available.On Tuesday of your worst week ever, a child experiencing high fever, a bright pustular rash, and unremitting diarrhea comes into your clinic. You’ve seen these symptoms before, but not all at once, and not to this degree. You hydrate the child, provide fever-relieving drugs, and put the child under watchful surveillance.On Thursday, three more children appear with the same symptoms, and on Friday, one of the villagers who provides care to the children of the community also develops the same symptoms. The village leaders come to you for guidance.You have all the equipment for a modest molecular biology laboratory. You call the nearest clinic for help, and they are on the way, but because of your remote location, you are on your own for at least a week. What is your first step? Of all the things you could consider in this emergency, defend why this action is more paramount than others.
PUZZLE CLUES
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