中国疾病预防控制中心周报最新文献

What is already known about this topic?: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a serious tick-borne disease in East Asia with high mortality, particularly affecting the elderly. Since its discovery in 2010, inconsistencies in small-scale studies and the lack of decade-long research on antibody levels in large population samples after natural infection, along with the absence of an effective vaccine, highlight the need for large-scale, long-term data in high-incidence regions of China.

What is added by this report?: This study of 1,410 serum samples from SFTS patients in high-incidence regions of China reveals that immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels peak at 8-14 days post-infection, declining to nearly undetectable levels by 180 days. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) levels peak at 22-180 days, persisting up to 10 years. IgM levels correlate with viral load and various immune and coagulation parameters, with lower levels observed in fatal cases. During convalescence, elderly patients have lower IgG levels, whereas females exhibit higher IgG levels compared with males.

What are the implications for public health practice?: The study's findings on long-term antibody dynamics in SFTS patients can significantly improve vaccine development, optimize therapy scheduling, inform public health policies, and enhance diagnostic tools, leading to better disease management and prevention in high-incidence areas.

What is already known about this topic?: Monkeypox, first identified in Africa in 1958, is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV). Since January 2022, a global outbreak of mpox has spread to over 100 non-endemic countries. As of June 30, 2024, there have been 99,176 confirmed cases and 535 probable cases across 116 countries, resulting in 208 deaths.

What is added by this report?: This report presents an analysis of the whole genome sequences of seven MPXVs from Anhui Province. We discovered that, compared to the reference sequence (NC_063383.1), these genomes exhibit 91 nucleotide substitutions and 42 amino acid mutations. They are highly similar to genomes of MPXVs that emerged simultaneously in China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Portugal, and are classified within the IIb C.1.1 lineage, with multiple transmission chains and no new branch.

What are the implications for public health practice?: The MPXV in Anhui Province has undergone mutations in areas critical for viral replication, transcription, and immune escape, posing a risk of recurrent outbreaks. Therefore, vigilant mutation monitoring of MPXV is imperative.

What is already known about this topic?: Recently, tick-borne pathogens transmitted through blood transfusions have posed new risks to blood safety.

What is added by this report?: We developed a quality control system for nucleic acid testing (NAT) for Babesia, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, evaluated five Triplex-NAT kits, and conducted external quality assessments of blood centers. This study screened 92,700 blood donors from Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang provincial-level administrative divisions during 2022-2023. A donor in Hegang, Heilongjiang, tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, marking the first detection of this infection in Chinese blood donors.

What are the implications for public health practice?: Quality control of NAT is vital for managing tick-borne pathogen outbreaks. To ensure blood transfusion safety, screening should be strengthened in high-risk areas outside national borders.

Introduction: Biological age (BA) can represent the actual state of human aging more accurately than chronological age (CA).

Methods: Using hematological data from 112,925 participants in southwestern China, collected between 2015 and 2021, this study constructed BA predictors using 7 machine learning (ML) methods (tailored separately for male and female populations). This study then analyzed the association between BA acceleration and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) within this data using logistic regression. Additionally, it examined the impact of glycemic control on BA in individuals with diabetes.

Results: Among all ML models, deep neural networks (DNN) delivered the best performance in male [mean absolute error (MAE)=6.89, r=0.75] and female subsets (MAE=6.86, r=0.74). BA acceleration showed positive correlations with T2DM in both male [odds ratio (OR): 2.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.77-2.77] and female subsets (OR: 3.10, 95% CI: 2.16-4.46), while BA deceleration showed negative correlations in both male (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.27-0.39) and female subsets (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.33-0.53). Individuals with diabetes with normal fasting glucose had significantly lower BAs than those with impaired fasting glucose in all CA groups except for patients older than 80.

Discussion: Artificial intelligence (AI)-based hematological BA predictors show promise as advanced tools for assessing aging in epidemiological studies. Implementing AI-based BA predictors in public health initiatives could facilitate proactive aging management and disease prevention.

What is already known about this topic?: Lipooligosaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) have a mimicry antigen structure with gangliosides, which explains the mechanism by which C. jejuni caused Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

What is added by this report?: All 12 C. jejuni strains with class R LOSs and specific serotypes were isolated from seagulls in south China. These emerging C. jejuni strains had ganglioside-mimicry antigen structures and possessed a high potential for triggering GBS.

What are the implications for public health practice?: Sialylated lipooligosaccharides (LOS) class R with GBS-associated serotypes isolated from seagulls highlight the risk of induced GBS around coastal or lakeside areas.

What is already known about this topic?: The early onset of puberty increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Limited research has focused on the association between the onset of puberty, based on sudden increases in height, and obesity in late adolescence.

What is added by this report?: This report assessed the age at take-off and age at peak height velocity for children and adolescents in China from 2012 to 2020. The results indicated that age at take-off and age at peak height velocity were negatively associated with the risk of late adolescence obesity in boys, independent of childhood body mass index; however, no similar association was found in girls.

What are the implications for public health practice?: Puberty timing influences adiposity. Effective monitoring and management of pubertal development are necessary, and attention should be paid to sex differences.

Introduction: Kidney disease represents a significant public health issue in China, yet there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding national and regional trends in its mortality and causes. This study evaluated the mortality, causes, and regional distribution of major kidney diseases in China from 2014 to 2021.

Methods: Data pertaining to kidney disease were obtained from the National Death Cause Surveillance System. Estimates were made for both the mortality rates and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) for kidney cancer, glomerular disease, tubulointerstitial nephritis, and kidney failure. Additionally, the average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated to illustrate trends by sex, urban/rural distinctions, and regional differences from 2014 to 2021.

Results: There was a significant reduction in the ASMR for all kidney diseases combined from 2014 to 2021. Analysis of age-specific mortality rates reveals a gradual increase beginning at age 35, with a sharp rise after age 60. However, the ASMR for glomerular disease and kidney failure in females, as well as for tubulointerstitial nephritis in males, displayed a notable decrease. Regionally, the ASMR for glomerular disease in the eastern region and kidney failure in the western region significantly decreased by AAPC of -4.6% and -2.3%, respectively. Conversely, the ASMR for kidney cancer in the central region rose significantly (AAPC=2.1%).

Conclusion: From 2014 to 2021, the ASMR for major kidney diseases remained high among men, urban residents, and individuals in western China. Future prevention and control initiatives should prioritize these disparities to mitigate the impact of kidney diseases.

What is already known about this topic?: Candida auris (C. auris) is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen classified as a global public health threat with notable mortality and nosocomial transmission capacity. In China, the first C. auris case was reported from Beijing in 2018. However, large cases of nosocomial transmission have rarely been identified in this municipality.

What is added by this report?: During March-September 2023, C. auris was isolated from 17 patients admitted to CY Hospital in Beijing. All strains were resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B. In addition, three isolates were resistant to echinocandins. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed that all strains found in this hospital belonged to C. auris Clade I. These strains were genetically closely related to the C. auris strains reported in two other hospitals in Beijing since 2021, forming a new sublineage different from the Clade I strains causing previous outbreaks in the Eastern Provincial-level administrative divisions and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

What are the implications for public health practice?: The dissemination of C. auris has become an increasing threat to healthcare facilities in China. The WGS analysis indicates the spread of a unique sublineage of C. auris Clade I isolates in Beijing. Further, enhanced surveillance and hospital infection control of C. auris are warranted to resolve the public health challenge.

What is already known about this topic?: The investigations and analyses limited to epidemiological characteristics are insufficient to analyze the spread patterns of norovirus outbreaks in schools.

What is added by this report?: Norovirus outbreaks in primary schools are a dynamic process that spreads through social networks. The use of a social network analysis method to measure and identify key nodes for simulating control evolution was proven effective.

What are the implications for public health practice?: Infected students exhibit priority connection characteristics at different developmental stages in the network topology. Identifying and deliberately targeting key nodes could destroy network connectivity and help reduce the spread of the outbreak.

Brucellosis poses a significant threat to public health in China. This study utilized a range of epidemiological indices, including seroprevalence and the number of reported cases, to illustrate the epidemic profile of the disease. Although the seroprevalence of brucellosis in animals (including sheep, goats, cattle, and swine) steadily decreased from a severe epidemic level in the 1950s to a low endemic level by 1989, the disease reemerged in 2000. Subsequently, there has been a persistent increase in the frequency of outbreaks and the number of reported cases from 2006 to 2021, with over 98% of reported cases occurring in sheep and cattle. During this period, the culling rate declined, while infection rates increased, nearly reversing their respective trajectories. The decrease in the culling rate of positive animals coincided with an increase in infection rates, indicating that infection among these animals was persistent and circulating. In the southern regions of China, 6.34% (34,070 of 537,797) of cases were reported between 2006 and 2021, whereas in the northern regions, 93.67% (503,727 of 537,797) of cases occurred during the same timeframe. Each time cases increased in the south, they lagged 2 to 5 years behind those in the north, suggesting that stringent control measures for sheep and cattle in the north should be prioritized. These findings provide critical insights into developing control strategies to mitigate the spread of the disease.