Lyme Disease Hall of Shame

Matthew L. Cartter, MD

Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection caused by a tick bite and affects humans and animals.

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This page contains citations and abstracts for medical and scientific articles from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) MEDLINE database about Lyme disease by Matthew L. Cartter, MD.

Table of Contents

General information about Matthew L. Cartter, MD
MEDLINE search link for Lyme disease citations and abstracts with Cartter as author
Summaries of all MEDLINE citations on Lyme disease for Matthew L. Cartter, MD
Complete text of all MEDLINE citations on Lyme disease for Matthew L. Cartter, MD

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General information about Matthew L. Cartter, MD

Matthew L. Cartter, MD
------------------------------------
(860)509-7994
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Epidemiology
410 Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Phone: (860)509-8000

The following link was used to find all MEDLINE citations and abstracts pertaining to Lyme disease with Cartter as one of the authors:

MEDLINE - Cartter AND Lyme disease - 10 citations found on 2 Feb 00

Summaries of all MEDLINE citations on Lyme disease for Matthew L. Cartter, MD

COMMENT: I mean, who would have thunk?

Who would have thunk that...
1 - "The incidence of Lyme disease was positively correlated with tick abundance...". Furthermore, "...the number of I. scapularis ticks infected by B. burgdorferi ...was highly correlated with the incidence of Lyme disease in Connecticut."

Who would have thunk that the...
2 - Incidence of Lyme disease is dependent on where one resides.

Who would have thunk that...
3 - One's prevention practices regarding Lyme disease are dependent on what one knows about Lyme disease.

Who would have thunk that...
4 - "Physician underreporting of Lyme disease underestimates the public health impact of Lyme disease."

Who would have thunk that...
5 - "Lyme disease is an important health problem in school-aged children living in southeastern Connecticut." COMMENT: And this "brillant" fact was determined in 1995, 20 years after Lyme disease was discoverd in southeastern Connecticut - in children - who were misdiagnosed as having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis - by rheumatiods.

6 - "Borrelia burgdorferi is widely distributed in I. scapularis populations in Connecticut."

7 - Title: Reinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi. [No abstract available.]

Who would have thunk that...
8 - "Students who believed a specific behavior was preventive were 3-6 times more likely than others to practice that behavior. Schools in endemic areas should educate students about Lyme disease."

9 - Title: Lyme disease and pregnancy. [No abstract available.]

Who would have thunk that...
10 - "Continued reporting of cases with supporting clinical information is needed to improve Lyme disease surveillance and establish disease trends."

Complete text of all MEDLINE citations on Lyme disease for Matthew L. Cartter, MD

1
TITLE:
Temporal correlations between tick abundance and prevalence of ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and increasing incidence of Lyme disease.
AUTHORS: Stafford KC 3rd; Cartter ML; Magnarelli LA; Ertel SH; Mshar PA
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504-1106, USA. kcstaff@caes.state.ct.us
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 9574684 NLM CIT. ID: 98233871
SOURCE: J Clin Microbiol 1998 May;36(5):1240-4
ABSTRACT:
The abundance of host-seeking Ixodes scapularis nymphs, the principal vector for the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, in Old Lyme, Lyme, and East Haddam, Connecticut, was compared with the incidence of reported human Lyme disease in the 12-town area around the Connecticut River and the State of Connecticut for the period 1989 to 1996. Ticks were sampled from lawns and woodlands by dragging flannel over the vegetation and examined for the presence of B. burgdorferi by indirect fluorescent antibody staining. The infection rate of the nymphal ticks by B. burgdorferi during the 9-year period was 14.3% (of 3,866), ranging from 8.6% (1993) to 24.4% (1996). The incidence of Lyme disease was positively correlated with tick abundance in the 12 town area (r = 0.828) and the State of Connecticut (r = 0.741). An entomological risk index based upon the number of I. scapularis ticks infected by B. burgdorferi was highest in 1992, 1994, and 1996 and was highly correlated with the incidence of Lyme disease in Connecticut (r = 0.944). The number of Lyme disease cases has been influenced, in part, by annual changes in population densities of I. scapularis and, presumably, a corresponding change in the risk of contact with infected ticks. Based upon tick activity and spirochetal infection rates, epidemiologically based Lyme disease case reports on a regional scale appear to reflect real trends in disease.

2
TITLE:
Residential setting as a risk factor for Lyme disease in a hyperendemic region.
AUTHORS: Cromley EK; Cartter ML; Mrozinski RD; Ertel SH
AUTHOR AFFILIATION:
Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-2148, USA.
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 9525534 NLM CIT. ID: 98184446
SOURCE: Am J Epidemiol 1998 Mar 1;147(5):472-7
ABSTRACT:
The hypothesis that residence in a uniform medium-density residential development is associated with lower incidence of Lyme disease is tested with data from a rural, 12-town region of south-central Connecticut where the disease is hyperendemic. The residential setting for 424 cases identified by active surveillance from 1993 through 1995 was determined. Cases located within the Eastern Coastal ecologic region, where tick densities are known to be higher than inland and where most of the population in the region resides, were selected for further analysis. Within this region, residence in a homogeneous area of medium-density development at least 30 acres (12 ha) in size was associated with a two- to 10-fold lower level of risk than residence in surrounding less developed areas, depending on the estimate of residential population. Type of residential development may be an important factor to consider, in addition to other environmental variables, in studies of peridomestic vector-borne disease in human populations.

3
TITLE:
Predisposing factors for individuals' Lyme disease prevention practices: Connecticut, Maine, and Montana.
AUTHORS: Herrington JE Jr; Campbell GL; Bailey RE; Cartter ML Adams M; Frazier EL; Damrow TA; Gensheimer KF
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80522, USA.
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 9431299 NLM CIT. ID: 98093327
SOURCE: Am J Public Health 1997 Dec;87(12):2035-8
ABSTRACT:
OBJECTIVES: This study examined factors that predispose individuals to protect against Lyme disease. METHODS: Knowledge, attitude, and practice questions concerning Lyme disease prevention were included in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance surveys in Connecticut, Maine, and Montana. A total of 4246 persons were interviewed. RESULTS: Perceived risk of acquiring Lyme disease, knowing anyone with Lyme disease, knowledge about Lyme disease, and believing Lyme disease to be a common problem were significantly associated with prevention practices. CONCLUSIONS: Predisposing factors differ substantially between states and appear related to disease incidence. Personal risk, knowing someone with Lyme disease, and cognizance about Lyme disease and acting on this information are consistent with social learning theories.

4
TITLE:
Underreporting of Lyme disease by Connecticut physicians, 1992.
AUTHORS: Meek JI; Roberts CL; Smith EV Jr; Cartter ML
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Connecticut Department of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 10186700 NLM CIT. ID: 98428329
SOURCE: J Public Health Manag Pract 1996 Fall;2(4):61-5
ABSTRACT:
To determine the magnitude of underreporting of Lyme disease, a random sample of Connecticut physicians was surveyed in 1993. The magnitude of underreporting was assessed by comparing physician estimates of Lyme disease diagnoses with reports of Lyme disease sent by physicians to the Connecticut Lyme disease surveillance system. Complete questionnaires were returned by 59 percent (412/698) of those surveyed. Of the 224 respondents who indicated that they had made a diagnosis of Lyme disease in 1992, only 56 (25 percent) reported a case of Lyme disease that year. Survey results suggested that, at best, only 16 percent of Lyme disease cases were reported in 1992. Physician underreporting of Lyme disease underestimates the public health impact of Lyme disease.

5
TITLE:
Prospective assessment of Lyme disease in a school-aged population in Connecticut.
AUTHORS: Feder HM Jr; Gerber MA; Cartter ML; Sikand V; Krause PJ
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030-3960, USA.
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 7751720 NLM CIT. ID: 95271085
SOURCE: J Infect Dis 1995 May;171(5):1371-4
ABSTRACT:
To determine the incidence and cumulative frequency of Lyme disease in a school-aged population in an area in which Lyme disease is endemic, serum specimens were obtained before and after the 1990-1992 tick seasons from 410 middle and high school students in southeastern Connecticut. Sera were tested for serologic evidence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, and students were questioned about physician- confirmed episodes of clinical Lyme disease. At enrollment, 29 (7%) students had a history of Lyme disease, and of these, 12 (41%) were seropositive for B. burgdorferi infection. Seronegative students (397) were followed prospectively over a total of 796 person years. At enrollment, 381 students (93%) had no history of Lyme disease, and of these, 1 (0.3%) was seropositive. During this period, 8 students developed clinical Lyme disease and 3 had asymptomatic infections with B. burgdorferi. The incidences of clinical Lyme disease and asymptomatic B. burgdorferi infection were 10.1 and 3.8 cases/1000 person-years, respectively. Lyme disease is an important health problem in school-aged children living in southeastern Connecticut.

6
TITLE:
Geographic distribution of white-tailed deer with ticks and antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in Connecticut.
AUTHORS: Magnarelli LA; Anderson JF; Cartter ML
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504.
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 8256460 NLM CIT. ID: 94078601
SOURCE: Yale J Biol Med 1993 Jan-Feb;66(1):19-26
ABSTRACT:
Ticks and blood specimens were collected from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Connecticut and analyzed to identify foci for Lyme borreliosis. Males and females of Ixodes scapularis, the chief vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, were collected from deer in five of eight counties during 1989-1991. Analysis by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining of midgut tissues showed that prevalence of infection was highest (9.5% of 367 ticks) in south central and southeastern Connecticut. Infected I. scapularis also were collected from southwestern regions of the state (12.1% of 99 ticks), but prevalence of infection in northern counties was considerably lower (0.8% of 124 ticks). Deer sera, obtained in 1980 and 1989-1991, were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or by IFA staining methods. Antibodies to B. burgdorferi were detected in sera collected from all eight counties in Connecticut. Deer had been infected by this spirochete in at least 50 towns, 17 (34%) of which are in south central and southeastern parts of the state. Borrelia burgdorferi is widely distributed in I. scapularis populations in Connecticut.

7
TITLE:
Reinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi.
AUTHORS: Cartter ML; Hadler JL
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 2758830 NLM CIT. ID: 89337713
SOURCE: Conn Med 1989 Jun;53(6):376-7
[No abstract available.]

8
TITLE:
Lyme disease prevention--knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors among high school students in an endemic area.
AUTHORS: Cartter ML; Farley TA; Ardito HA; Hadler JL
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 2758823 NLM CIT. ID: 89337705
SOURCE: Conn Med 1989 Jun;53(6):354-6
ABSTRACT:
We surveyed 153 high school students in an area highly-endemic for Lyme disease. All students were familiar with Lyme disease; 14 students reported having had the disease. Ninety per cent of students believed tick-avoidance behavior could prevent Lyme disease, but fewer than half reported practicing any preventive behaviors. Students who believed a specific behavior was preventive were 3-6 times more likely than others to practice that behavior. Schools in endemic areas should educate students about Lyme disease.

9
TITLE:
Lyme disease and pregnancy.
AUTHORS: Cartter ML; Hadler JL; Gerber MA; Mofenson L
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 2758822 NLM CIT. ID: 89337701
SOURCE: Conn Med 1989 Jun;53(6):341-2
[No abstract available.]

10
TITLE:
The epidemiology of Lyme disease in Connecticut.
AUTHORS: Cartter ML; Mshar P; Hadler JL
NLM PUBMED CIT. ID: 2758819 NLM CIT. ID: 89337695
SOURCE: Conn Med 1989 Jun;53(6):320-3
ABSTRACT:
The overall incidence for Lyme disease for Connecticut residents in 1988 was 22 per 100,000. The highest rates were among residents of New London (108 per 100,000) and Middlesex Counties (72 per 100,000), although the greatest increase in incidence between 1985 and 1988 occurred among residents of Fairfield County (2 per 100,000 in 1985, 14 per 100,000 in 1988). Lyme disease is a statewide problem; in 1988 cases were reported among residents of 104 of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities. The disease burden in some communities is high with case rates approaching 1% of the population per year. Data from 1977 and 1985 suggest a three- to eightfold increase during that period in the occurrence of Lyme disease in the communities near the mouth of the Connecticut River. Continued reporting of cases with supporting clinical information is needed to improve Lyme disease surveillance and establish disease trends.



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Comments or questions concerning this page should be directed to Art Doherty.

Last updated on 6 February 2000 by
Art Doherty
Lompoc, California
doherty@utech.net


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