Increased Immunosuppression in US Adults
JAMA Network (Martinson, M.L. and Lapham, J.) 02.15.2024, published “Prevalence of Immunosuppression Among US Adults.” In this study, researchers found that immunosuppression in adults has increased in the past 8 years (2013-2021) through self-assessment reporting. The previous national estimate from 2013 was 2.7%, while the 2021 national estimate increased to 6.6%. Authors suggest that COVID 19 may have played a role in this increase.
The patterns in the distribution were similar in 2013 and 2012 for immunosuppression by sex, race, and age. Immunosuppression prevalence for women (7.9%) was higher than for men (5.2%). The highest rates of immunosuppression were found for American Indian or Alaska Native respondents (8.4%); White respondents (7.4%); and aged 60 to 69 years respondents (9.5%).
Authors note, as this population is at increased risk from viral and bacterial infections, increase of prevalence is an important consideration for public health in the US that would benefit from further study.
For More Information:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297280
Published: February 12, 2024
Abstract
Bartonellosis refers to disease caused by the Bartonella genus of bacteria. The breadth of disease manifestations associated with Bartonella is currently expanding and includes regional lymphadenopathy, rheumatic, ocular, and neurological disorders. The dearth of knowledge regarding diagnosis, treatment and pathogenesis of this disease can be partially attributed to the lack of a reliable small animal model for the disease. For this study, Bartonella henselae, the most common species associated with human disease, was injected into Swiss Webster (SW) mice. When the outcome indicated that productive infection did not occur, SCID/Beige (immune compromised) mice were inoculated. While SW mice may potentially harbor an acute infection, less than 10 days in length, the SCID/Beige model provided a sustained infection lasting up to 30-days. These data indicate that SCID/Beige mice can provide a model to study Bartonella infection, therapeutics, and vector dynamics in the future.
For more:
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2023/11/15/bartonella-case-reports/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/19/bartonella-infection-everywhere-but-we-dont-know-about-it/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2022/07/19/how-prevalent-is-bartonella/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 