American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
September 2015; 93 (3)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

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Perspective Piece
Ebola Virus Disease: Rapid Diagnosis and Timely Case Reporting are Critical to the Early Response for Outbreak Control
Lola V. Stamm
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 93:438-440; Published online July 14, 2015, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0229

Articles
A Phase II, Randomized, Safety and Immunogenicity Trial of a Re-Derived, Live-Attenuated Dengue Virus Vaccine in Healthy Children and Adults Living in Puerto Rico
Kristen Bauer, Ines O. Esquilin, Alberto Santiago Cornier, Stephen J. Thomas, Ana I. Quintero del Rio, Jorge Bertran-Pasarell, Javier O. Morales Ramirez, Clemente Diaz, Simon Carlo, Kenneth H. Eckels, Elodie Tournay, Jean-Francois Toussaint, Rafael De La Barrera, Stefan Fernandez, Arthur Lyons, Wellington Sun, and Bruce L. Innis
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 93:441-453; Published online July 14, 2015, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.14-0625
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
Abstract
This was a double-blind, randomized, controlled, phase II clinical trial, two dose study of re-derived, live-attenuated, tetravalent dengue virus (TDEN) vaccine (two formulations) or placebo in subjects 1–50 years of age. Among the 636 subjects enrolled, 331 (52%) were primed, that is, baseline seropositive to at least one dengue virus (DENV) type. Baseline seropositivity prevalence increased with age (10% [< 2 years], 26% [2–4 years], 60% [5–20 years], and 93% [21–50 years]). Safety profiles of TDEN vaccines were similar to placebo regardless of priming status. No vaccine-related serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported. Among unprimed subjects, immunogenicity (geometric mean antibody titers [GMT] and seropositivity rates) for each DENV increased substantially in both TDEN vaccine groups with at least 74.6% seropositive for four DENV types. The TDEN vaccine candidate showed an acceptable safety and immunogenicity profile in children and adults ranging from 1 to 50 years of age, regardless of priming status. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00468858.

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating Safety and Immunogenicity of the Killed, Bivalent, Whole-Cell Oral Cholera Vaccine in Ethiopia
Sachin N. Desai, Zenebe Akalu, Samuel Teshome, Mekonnen Teferi, Lawrence Yamuah,
Jae Seung Yang, Jemal Hussein, Ju Yeong Park, Mi Seon Jang, Chalachew Mesganaw, Hawult Taye, Demissew Beyene, Ahmed Bedru, Ajit Pal Singh, Thomas F. Wierzba, and Abraham Aseffa
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 93:527-533; Published online June 15, 2015, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.14-
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
Abstract.
Killed whole-cell oral cholera vaccine (OCV) has been a key component of a comprehensive package including water and sanitation measures for recent cholera epidemics. The vaccine, given in a two-dose regimen, has been evaluated in a large number of human volunteers in India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, where it has demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, and clinical efficacy. We conducted a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in Ethiopia, where we evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in 216 healthy adults and children. OCV was found to be safe and elicited a robust immunological response against Vibrio cholerae O1, with 81% adults and 77% children demonstrating seroconversion 14 days after the second dose of vaccine. This is the first study to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in a population outside Asia using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study design.

Multinational Disease Surveillance Programs: Promoting Global Information Exchange for Infectious Diseases
Aiden K. Varan, Robson Bruniera-Oliveira, Christopher R. Peter, Maureen Fonseca-Ford, and Stephen H. Waterman
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 93:668-671; Published online June 1, 2015, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0097
Abstract.
Cross-border surveillance for emerging diseases such as Ebola and other infectious diseases requires effective international collaboration. We surveyed representatives from 12 multinational disease surveillance programs between January 2013 and April 2014. Our survey identified programmatic similarities despite variation in health priorities, geography, and socioeconomic context, providing a contemporary perspective on infectious disease surveillance networks.