Browsing by Author "Lantos, Paul M"

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Open Access
A Systematic Review of Borrelia burgdorferi Morphologic Variants Does Not Support a Role in Chronic Lyme Disease
(Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2013-12-12) Lantos, Paul M; Auwaerter, Paul G; Wormser, Gary P
Background. Much of the controversy that surrounds Lyme disease pertains to whether it produces prolonged, treatment-refractory infection, usually referred to as chronic Lyme disease. Some have proposed that round morphologic variants of Borrelia burgdorferi, known variably as "cyst forms" and "L-forms," are responsible for the pathogenesis of chronic Lyme disease. We have undertaken a systematic review of the literature to determine if there is a documented role of these variants in Lyme disease pathogenesis or in syndromes compatible with chronic Lyme disease. Methods. Two systematic literature searches were performed to identify studies in which round morphologic variants of B. burgdorferi have been described in situ in human specimens. Results. Our primary literature search identified 6 studies that reported round morphologic variants of B. burgdorferi in specimens obtained from 32 total patients. No study described these forms in patients who had purely subjective symptom complexes (eg, fatigue or pain). No study investigated a causal relationship between morphologic variants and clinical disease or evaluated treatment of morphologic variants in vivo. Of 29 additional studies that described the morphology of B. burgdorferi from patients with Lyme disease, the organism was invariably described as having spirochetal morphology. Conclusions. In the context of the broader medical literature, it is not currently possible to ascribe a pathogenic role to morphologic variants of B. burgdorferi in either typical manifestations of Lyme disease or in other chronic disease states that are often labeled chronic Lyme disease. There is no clinical literature to justify specific treatment of B. burgdorferi morphologic variants.
Open Access
Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and Bartonella henselae bacteremia in a father and daughter with neurological disease
(2010) Breitschwerdt, Edward B; Maggi, Ricardo G; Lantos, Paul M; Woods, Christopher W; Hegarty, Barbara C; Bradley, Julie M
Background: Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii is an important, emerging, intravascular bacterial pathogen that has been recently isolated from immunocompetent patients with endocarditis, arthritis, neurological disease and vasoproliferative neoplasia. Vector transmission is suspected among dogs and wild canines, which are the primary reservoir hosts. This investigation was initiated to determine if pets and family members were infected with one or more Bartonella species. Methods: PCR and enrichment blood culture in Bartonella alpha Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM) was used to determine infection status. Antibody titers to B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotypes I-III and B. henselae were determined using a previously described indirect fluorescent antibody test. Two patients were tested sequentially for over a year to assess the response to antibiotic treatment. Results: Intravascular infection with B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype II and Bartonella henselae (Houston 1 strain) were confirmed in a veterinarian and his daughter by enrichment blood culture, followed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Symptoms included progressive weight loss, muscle weakness, lack of coordination (the father) and headaches, muscle pain and insomnia (the daughter). B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype II was also sequenced from a cerebrospinal fluid BAPGM enrichment culture and from a periodontal swab sample. After repeated courses of antibiotics, post-treatment blood cultures were negative, there was a decremental decrease in antibody titers to non-detectable levels and symptoms resolved in both patients. Conclusions: B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and B. henselae are zoonotic pathogens that can be isolated from the blood of immunocompetent family members with arthralgias, fatigue and neurological symptoms. Therapeutic elimination of Bartonella spp. infections can be challenging, and follow-up testing is recommended. An increasing number of arthropod vectors, including biting flies, fleas, keds, lice, sandflies and ticks have been confirmed or are suspected as the primary mode of transmission of Bartonella species among animal populations and may also pose a risk to human beings.
Open Access
Chronic coinfections in patients diagnosed with chronic lyme disease: a systematic review.
(Am J Med, 2014-11) Lantos, Paul M; Wormser, Gary P
PURPOSE: Often, the controversial diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease is given to patients with prolonged, medically unexplained physical symptoms. Many such patients also are treated for chronic coinfections with Babesia, Anaplasma, or Bartonella in the absence of typical presentations, objective clinical findings, or laboratory confirmation of active infection. We have undertaken a systematic review of the literature to evaluate several aspects of this practice. METHODS: Five systematic literature searches were performed using Boolean operators and the PubMed search engine. RESULTS: The literature searches did not demonstrate convincing evidence of: 1) chronic anaplasmosis infection; 2) treatment-responsive symptomatic chronic babesiosis in immunocompetent persons in the absence of fever, laboratory abnormalities, and detectable parasitemia; 3) either geographically widespread or treatment-responsive symptomatic chronic infection with Babesia duncani in the absence of fever, laboratory abnormalities, and detectable parasitemia; 4) tick-borne transmission of Bartonella species; or 5) simultaneous Lyme disease and Bartonella infection. CONCLUSIONS: The medical literature does not support the diagnosis of chronic, atypical tick-borne coinfections in patients with chronic, nonspecific illnesses.
Open Access
Chronic Lyme disease.
(Infect Dis Clin North Am, 2015-06) Lantos, Paul M
Chronic Lyme disease is a poorly defined diagnosis that is usually given to patients with prolonged, unexplained symptoms or with alternative medical diagnoses. Data do not support the proposition that chronic, treatment-refractory infection with Borrelia burgdorferi is responsible for the many conditions that get labeled as chronic Lyme disease. Prolonged symptoms after successful treatment of Lyme disease are uncommon, but in rare cases may be severe. Prolonged courses of antibiotics neither prevent nor ameliorate these symptoms and are associated with considerable harm.
Open Access
Chronic Lyme disease: the controversies and the science.
(Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther, 2011-07) Lantos, Paul M
The diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease has been embroiled in controversy for many years. This is exacerbated by the lack of a clinical or microbiologic definition, and the commonality of chronic symptoms in the general population. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that Lyme disease is the appropriate diagnosis for only a minority of patients in whom it is suspected. In prospective studies of Lyme disease, very few patients go on to have a chronic syndrome dominated by subjective complaints. There is no systematic evidence that Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiology of Lyme disease, can be identified in patients with chronic symptoms following treated Lyme disease. Multiple prospective trials have revealed that prolonged courses of antibiotics neither prevent nor alleviate such post-Lyme syndromes. Extended courses of intravenous antibiotics have resulted in severe adverse events, which in light of their lack of efficacy, make them contraindicated.
Open Access
Detection of Bartonella species in the blood of veterinarians and veterinary technicians: a newly recognized occupational hazard?
(Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 2014-08) Lantos, Paul M; Maggi, Ricardo G; Ferguson, Brandy; Varkey, Jay; Park, Lawrence P; Breitschwerdt, Edward B; Woods, Christopher W
BACKGROUND: Bartonella species are important emerging pathogens in human and veterinary medicine. In the context of their daily activities, veterinary professionals have frequent animal contact and arthropod exposures. Detection of Bartonella spp. using traditional culture methods has been limited by poor sensitivity, making it difficult to determine the prevalence of infection in this population. We have developed a detection method combining enrichment culture and molecular amplification, which increases testing sensitivity. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of detectable Bartonella spp. in the blood of veterinary personnel and nonveterinary control subjects. Bartonella was detected by enrichment blood culture with conventional PCR followed by DNA sequencing. RESULTS were correlated with epidemiological variables and symptoms. RESULTS: We detected DNA from at least one Bartonella species in 32 (28%) of the 114 veterinary subjects. After DNA sequencing, the Bartonella species could be determined for 27 of the 32 infected subjects, including B. henselae in 15 (56%), B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii in seven (26%), B. koehlerae in six (22%), and a B. volans-like sequence in one (4%). Seventy percent of Bartonella-positive subjects described headache compared with 40% of uninfected veterinarians (p=0.009). Irritability was also reported more commonly by infected subjects (68% vs. 43%, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports an emerging body of evidence that cryptic Bartonella bloodstream infection may be more frequent in humans than previously recognized and may induce symptoms. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the natural course and clinical features of Bartonella infection.
Open Access
Empiric antibiotic treatment of erythema migrans-like skin lesions as a function of geography: a clinical and cost effectiveness modeling study.
(Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 2013-12) Lantos, Paul M; Brinkerhoff, R Jory; Wormser, Gary P; Clemen, Robert
The skin lesion of early Lyme disease, erythema migrans (EM), is so characteristic that routine practice is to treat all such patients with antibiotics. Because other skin lesions may resemble EM, it is not known whether presumptive treatment of EM is appropriate in regions where Lyme disease is rare. We constructed a decision model to compare the cost and clinical effectiveness of three strategies for the management of EM: Treat All, Observe, and Serology as a function of the probability that an EM-like lesion is Lyme disease. Treat All was found to be the preferred strategy in regions that are endemic for Lyme disease. Where Lyme disease is rare, Observe is the preferred strategy, as presumptive treatment would be expected to produce excessive harm and increased costs. Where Lyme disease is rare, clinicians and public health officials should consider observing patients with EM-like lesions who lack travel to Lyme disease-endemic areas.
Open Access
Final report of the Lyme disease review panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
(Clin Infect Dis, 2010-07-01) Lantos, Paul M; Charini, William A; Medoff, Gerald; Moro, Manuel H; Mushatt, David M; Parsonnet, Jeffrey; Sanders, John W; Baker, Carol J
In April 2008, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) entered into an agreement with Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to voluntarily undertake a special review of its 2006 Lyme disease guidelines. This agreement ended the Attorney General's investigation into the process by which the guidelines were developed. The IDSA agreed to convene an independent panel to conduct a one-time review of the guidelines. The Review Panel members, vetted by an ombudsman for potential conflicts of interest, reviewed the entirety of the 2006 guidelines, with particular attention to the recommendations devoted to post-Lyme disease syndromes. After multiple meetings, a public hearing, and extensive review of research and other information, the Review Panel concluded that the recommendations contained in the 2006 guidelines were medically and scientifically justified on the basis of all of the available evidence and that no changes to the guidelines were necessary.
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Geographic and Racial Disparities in Infant Hearing Loss.
(Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2018-10-09) Lantos, Paul M; Maradiaga-Panayotti, Gabriela; Barber, Xavier; Raynor, Eileen; Tucci, Debara; Hoffman, Kate; Permar, Sallie R; Jackson, Pearce; Hughes, Brenna L; Kind, Amy; Swamy, Geeta K
Objective Approximately 1 to 2 of every 1000 American newborns has hearing loss identified by newborn screening. This study was designed to determine if infant hearing loss is more common in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Study Design In this retrospective study, we analyzed electronic medical record data using geostatistical models. Setting Infants were residents of Durham County, North Carolina, born in 2 hospitals of the Duke University Health System. This county includes the city of Durham and surrounding suburban and rural communities. Subjects and Methods Subjects were hearing-screened newborns, born between 2005 and 2016, whose residential address was in Durham County, North Carolina. This was a retrospective study using medical record data. We used Bayesian regression models with smoothing of coordinate date to identify both spatial and nonspatial predictors of infant hearing loss. Results We identified 19,348 infants from Durham County, of whom 675 had failed initial hearing screening and 191 had hearing loss confirmed on follow-up. Hearing loss was significantly associated with minority race (odds ratio [OR], 2.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.97-3.06), as well as lower gestational age and maternal sexually transmitted infections. We identified significant geographic heterogeneity, with a higher probability of hearing loss in poorer urban neighborhoods (local OR range, 0.59-1.39). Neighborhood disadvantage was a significant predictor of hearing loss, as was high local seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) among pregnant women. Conclusions Urban, low-income neighborhoods have a high prevalence of infant hearing loss compared with more affluent surrounding communities, particularly among minorities. This distribution may be attributable to congenital CMV infection.
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Geographic expansion of Lyme disease in Michigan, 2000-2014
(Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2017-01-01) Lantos, Paul M; Tsao, Jean; Nigrovic, Lise E; Auwaerter, Paul G; Fowler, Vance G; Ruffin, Felicia; Foster, Erik; Hickling, Graham
© The Author 2017.Background. Most Lyme disease cases in the Midwestern United States are reported in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In recent years, however, a widening geographic extent of Lyme disease has been noted with evidence of expansion eastwards into Michigan and neighboring states with historically low incidence rates. Methods. We collected confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease from 2000 through 2014 from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, entering them in a geographic information system. We performed spatial focal cluster analyses to characterize Lyme disease expansion. We compared the distribution of human cases with recent Ixodes scapularis tick distribution studies. Results. Lyme disease cases in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan expanded more than 5-fold over the study period. Although increases were seen throughout the Upper Peninsula, the Lower Peninsula particularly expanded along the Indiana border north along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Human cases corresponded to a simultaneous expansion in established I scapularis tick populations. Conclusions. The geographic distribution of Lyme disease cases significantly expanded in Michigan between 2000 and 2014, particularly northward along the Lake Michigan shore. If such dynamic trends continue, Michigan-and possibly neighboring areas of Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada-can expect a continued increase in Lyme disease cases.
Open Access
Geographic Expansion of Lyme Disease in the Southeastern United States, 2000-2014.
(Open Forum Infect Dis, 2015-12) Lantos, Paul M; Nigrovic, Lise E; Auwaerter, Paul G; Fowler, Vance G; Ruffin, Felicia; Brinkerhoff, R Jory; Reber, Jodi; Williams, Carl; Broyhill, James; Pan, William K; Gaines, David N
Background. The majority of Lyme disease cases in the United States are acquired on the east coast between northern Virginia and New England. In recent years the geographic extent of Lyme disease has been expanding, raising the prospect of Lyme disease becoming endemic in the southeast. Methods. We collected confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease from 2000 through 2014 from the Virginia Department of Health and North Carolina Department of Public Health and entered them in a geographic information system. We performed spatial and spatiotemporal cluster analyses to characterize Lyme disease expansion. Results. There was a marked increase in Lyme disease cases in Virginia, particularly from 2007 onwards. Northern Virginia experienced intensification and geographic expansion of Lyme disease cases. The most notable area of expansion was to the southwest along the Appalachian Mountains with development of a new disease cluster in the southern Virginia mountain region. Conclusions. The geographic distribution of Lyme disease cases significantly expanded in Virginia between 2000 and 2014, particularly southward in the Virginia mountain ranges. If these trends continue, North Carolina can expect autochthonous Lyme disease transmission in its mountain region in the coming years.
Open Access
Heterogeneity in the Effectiveness of Non-pharmaceutical Interventions During the First SARS-CoV2 Wave in the United States.
(Frontiers in public health, 2021-01) Pan, William K; Fernández, Daniel; Tyrovolas, Stefanos; Iago, Giné-Vázquez; Dasgupta, Rishav Raj; Zaitchik, Benjamin F; Lantos, Paul M; Woods, Christopher W
Background: Attempts to quantify effect sizes of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) to control COVID-19 in the US have not accounted for heterogeneity in social or environmental factors that may influence NPI effectiveness. This study quantifies national and sub-national effect sizes of NPIs during the early months of the pandemic in the US. Methods: Daily county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths during the first wave (January 2020 through phased removal of interventions) were obtained. County-level cases, doubling times, and death rates were compared to four increasingly restrictive NPI levels. Socio-demographic, climate and mobility factors were analyzed to explain and evaluate NPI heterogeneity, with mobility used to approximate NPI compliance. Analyses were conducted separately for the US and for each Census regions (Pacific, Mountain, east/West North Central, East/West South Central, South Atlantic, Middle Atlantic and New England). A stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial analysis was used, leveraging the phased implementation of policies. Results: Aggressive (level 4) NPIs were associated with slower COVID-19 propagation, particularly in high compliance counties. Longer duration of level 4 NPIs was associated with lower case rates (log beta -0.028, 95% CI -0.04 to -0.02) and longer doubling times (log beta 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.03). Effects varied by Census region, for example, level 4 effects on doubling time in Pacific states were opposite to those in Middle Atlantic and New England states. NPI heterogeneity can be explained by differential timing of policy initiation and by variable socio-demographic county characteristics that predict compliance, particularly poverty and racial/ethnic population. Climate exhibits relatively consistent relationships across Census regions, for example, higher minimum temperature and specific humidity were associated with lower doubling times and higher death rates for this period of analysis in South Central, South Atlantic, Middle Atlantic, and New England states. Conclusion and Relevance: Heterogeneity exists in both the effectiveness of NPIs across US Census regions and policy compliance. This county-level variability indicates that control strategies are best designed at community-levels where policies can be tuned based on knowledge of local disparities and compliance with public health ordinances.
Open Access
Lyme Disease Serology.
(JAMA, 2016-04-26) Lantos, Paul M; Auwaerter, Paul G; Nelson, Christina A
Open Access
Lyme disease vaccination: are we ready to try again?
(Lancet Infect Dis, 2013-08) Lantos, Paul M
Open Access
Lyme disease: authentic imitator or wishful imitation?
(JAMA Neurol, 2014-10) Melia, Michael T; Lantos, Paul M; Auwaerter, Paul G
Open Access
Mapping the distribution of Lyme disease at a mid-Atlantic site in the United States using electronic health data.
(PloS one, 2024-01) Lantos, Paul M; Janko, Mark; Nigrovic, Lise E; Ruffin, Felicia; Kobayashi, Takaaki; Higgins, Yvonne; Auwaerter, Paul G
Lyme disease is a spatially heterogeneous tick-borne infection, with approximately 85% of US cases concentrated in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Surveillance for Lyme disease and its causative agent, including public health case reporting and entomologic surveillance, is necessary to understand its endemic range, but currently used case detection methods have limitations. To evaluate an alternative approach to Lyme disease surveillance, we have performed a geospatial analysis of Lyme disease cases from the Johns Hopkins Health System in Maryland. We used two sources of cases: a) individuals with both a positive test for Lyme disease and a contemporaneous diagnostic code consistent with a Lyme disease-related syndrome; and b) individuals referred for a Lyme disease evaluation who were adjudicated to have Lyme disease. Controls were individuals from the referral cohort judged not to have Lyme disease. Residential address data were available for all cases and controls. We used a hierarchical Bayesian model with a smoothing function for a coordinate location to evaluate the probability of Lyme disease within 100 km of Johns Hopkins Hospital. We found that the probability of Lyme disease was greatest in the north and west of Baltimore, and the local probability that a subject would have Lyme disease varied by as much as 30-fold. Adjustment for demographic and ecological variables partially attenuated the spatial gradient. Our study supports the suitability of electronic medical record data for the retrospective surveillance of Lyme disease.
Open Access
Neighborhood Disadvantage is Associated with High Cytomegalovirus Seroprevalence in Pregnancy.
(J Racial Ethn Health Disparities, 2017-08-24) Lantos, Paul M; Hoffman, Kate; Permar, Sallie R; Jackson, Pearce; Hughes, Brenna L; Kind, Amy; Swamy, Geeta
BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of fetal malformations and childhood hearing loss. CMV is more common among socially disadvantaged groups, and geographically clusters in poor communities. The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) is a neighborhood-level index derived from census data that reflects material disadvantage. METHODS: We performed a geospatial analysis to determine if ADI predicts the local odds of CMV seropositivity. We analyzed a dataset of 3527 women who had been tested for CMV antibodies during pregnancy. We used generalized additive models to analyze the spatial distribution of CMV seropositivity. Adjusted models included individual-level age and race and neighborhood-level ADI. RESULTS: Our dataset included 1955 CMV seropositive women, 1549 who were seronegative, and 23 with recent CMV infection based on low avidity CMV antibodies. High ADI percentiles, representing greater neighborhood poverty, were significantly associated with the nonwhite race (48 vs. 22, p < 0.001) and CMV seropositivity (39 vs. 28, p < 0.001). Our unadjusted spatial models identified clustering of high CMV odds in poor, urban neighborhoods and clustering of low CMV odds in more affluent suburbs (local odds ratio 0.41 to 1.90). Adjustment for both individual race and neighborhood ADI largely eliminated this spatial variability. ADI remained a significant predictor of local CMV seroprevalence even after adjusting for individual race. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood-level poverty as measured by the ADI is a race-independent predictor of local CMV seroprevalence among pregnant women.
Open Access
Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina.
(Open forum infectious diseases, 2021-01) Turner, Nicholas A; Pan, William; Martinez-Bianchi, Viviana S; Panayotti, Gabriela M Maradiaga; Planey, Arrianna M; Woods, Christopher W; Lantos, Paul M
Background
Emerging evidence suggests that black and Hispanic communities in the United States are disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A complex interplay of socioeconomic and healthcare disparities likely contribute to disproportionate COVID-19 risk.
Methods
We conducted a geospatial analysis to determine whether individual- and neighborhood-level attributes predict local odds of testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We analyzed 29 138 SARS-CoV-2 tests within the 6-county catchment area for Duke University Health System from March to June 2020. We used generalized additive models to analyze the spatial distribution of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Adjusted models included individual-level age, gender, and race, as well as neighborhood-level Area Deprivation Index, population density, demographic composition, and household size.
Results
Our dataset included 27 099 negative and 2039 positive unique SARS-CoV-2 tests. The odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were higher for males (odds ratio [OR], 1.43; 95% credible interval [CI], 1.30-1.58), blacks (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.27-1.70), and Hispanics (OR, 4.25; 955 CI, 3.55-5.12). Among neighborhood-level predictors, percentage of black population (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25), and percentage Hispanic population (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.41) also influenced the odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Population density, average household size, and Area Deprivation Index were not associated with SARS-CoV-2 test results after adjusting for race.
Conclusions
The odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 were higher for both black and Hispanic individuals, as well as within neighborhoods with a higher proportion of black or Hispanic residents-confirming that black and Hispanic communities are disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2.
Open Access
Rickettsia rickettsii transmission by a lone star tick, North Carolina.
(Emerg Infect Dis, 2011-05) Breitschwerdt, Edward B; Hegarty, Barbara C; Maggi, Ricardo G; Lantos, Paul M; Aslett, Denise M; Bradley, Julie M
Only indirect or circumstantial evidence has been published to support transmission of Rickettsia rickettsii by Amblyomma americanum (lone star) ticks in North America. This study provides molecular evidence that A. americanum ticks can function, although most likely infrequently, as vectors of Rocky Mountain spotted fever for humans.
Open Access
The Excess Burden of Cytomegalovirus in African American Communities: A Geospatial Analysis.
(Open Forum Infect Dis, 2015-12) Lantos, Paul M; Permar, Sallie R; Hoffman, Kate; Swamy, Geeta K
Background. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common cause of birth defects and hearing loss in infants and opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised. Previous studies have found higher CMV seroprevalence rates among minorities and among persons with lower socioeconomic status. No studies have investigated the geographic distribution of CMV and its relationship to age, race, and poverty in the community. Methods. We identified patients from 6 North Carolina counties who were tested in the Duke University Health System for CMV immunoglobulin G. We performed spatial statistical analyses to analyze the distributions of seropositive and seronegative individuals. Results. Of 1884 subjects, 90% were either white or African American. Cytomegalovirus seropositivity was significantly more common among African Americans (73% vs 42%; odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-4.1), and this disparity persisted across the life span. We identified clusters of high and low CMV odds, both of which were largely explained by race. Clusters of high CMV odds were found in communities with high proportions of African Americans. Conclusions. Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is geographically clustered, and its distribution is strongly determined by a community's racial composition. African American communities have high prevalence rates of CMV infection, and there may be a disparate burden of CMV-associated morbidity in these communities.

Browsing by Author "Lantos, Paul M"

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