The aim of the present study is to describe the occurrence of
sp. detection among asymptomatic subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome in order to evaluate the potential association ...between irritable bowel syndrome and the parasitic infection.
Cross-sectional study where adult patients with irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed according to Rome IV criteria were included. A control group was formed by asymptomatic subjects older than 18 years. Exclusion criteria were: immunosuppressive condition or having received any drug with demonstrated activity against
sp. within the last 6 months before study inclusion. Epidemiological and clinical information was collected from all included participants. Two stool samples were obtained from all participants: one sample for microscopic examination and one sample for
sp. PCR detection.
sp. infection was defined by the positivity of any of the diagnostic techniques.
Seventy-two participants were included (36 asymptomatic subjects and 36 patients with irritable bowel syndrome). Thirty-five (48.6%) were men, and median age of participants was 34 (IQR 29-49) years. The overall rate of
sp. carriage was 27.8% (20/72). The prevalence assessed through microscopic examination was 22.2% (16/72), while the prevalence measured by PCR was 15.3% (11/72). When comparing the presence of
sp. between asymptomatic subjects and IBS patients, we did not find any statistically significant difference (36.1% vs. 19.4% respectively,
= 0.114).
regarding the occurrence of
sp., no differences were found between asymptomatic participants and patients with irritable bowel disease irrespective of the diagnostic technique performed.
Chagas disease is a protozoan infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease has a chronic course in which 20-30% of the patients would develop progressive damage to the cardiovascular system and ...the gastrointestinal tube. We are still unable to predict who will develop end-organ damage but there are some acquired and genetic risk factors already known.
We reviewed data from 833 patients with serologically confirmed Chagas disease in this retrospective study. Patients were classified as siblings or non-siblings (controls) and the results of pre-treatment blood PCR assay, end-organ damage (cardiac and/or gastrointestinal), and the presence of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin involvement in patients treated with benznidazole were analyzed. Siblings were grouped by family and we randomly generated groups of 2 or 3 persons with the remaining controls. We classified the results of each variable as concordant or discordant and compared the concordance in these results among the sibling groups with that among control groups. We identified 71 groups of siblings and randomly generated 299 groups of non-related patients. Pre-treatment blood PCR concordance was significantly higher (19%) among siblings compared to controls (P = 0.02), probably due to a higher frequency in pre-treatment positive results. No other statistically significant differences were found.
A significant difference was found in the concordance of pre-treatment blood PCR for T. cruzi among siblings compared to non-related controls.
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually-transmitted pathogen for which there is no vaccine. We previously demonstrated that the degree of phosphate substitution in an aluminum ...hydroxide adjuvant in a TLR-4-based C. trachomatis serovar E (Ser E) recombinant major outer membrane protein (rMOMP) formulation had an impact on the induced antibody titers and IFN-γ levels. Here, we have extended these observations using outbreed CD-1 mice immunized with C. trachomatis Ser E rMOMP formulations to evaluate the impact on bacterial challenge. The results confirmed that the rMOMP vaccine containing the adjuvant with the highest phosphate substitution induced the highest neutralizing antibody titers while the formulation with the lowest phosphate substitution induced the highest IFN-γ production. The most robust protection was observed in mice vaccinated with the formulation containing the adjuvant with the lowest phosphate substitution, as shown by the number of mice with positive vaginal cultures, number of positive cultures and number of C. trachomatis inclusion forming units recovered. This is the first report showing that vaccination of an outbred strain of mice with rMOMP induces protection against a vaginal challenge with C. trachomatis.
The objective of this study is to assess the risk of newly acquired RNA detection-proven SARS-CoV-2 infection after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is a prospective study conducted from March to ...September 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. Healthcare workers caring for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients were divided in two cohorts: (a) previously RNA-proven SARS-CoV-2 infected cohort with mild symptoms (IC) and (b) healthy cohort (HC). Weekly SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection assays from nasopharyngeal swabs were performed. Serology status was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Twenty participants were included in each group. The median age was 30 (IQR 27–34.75) years, and 55% were female. The median time of follow up was 49 (IQR 49–51) days. Fifteen out of 246 (6%) nasopharyngeal swab samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2, all in the IC. The percentage of participants in the IC with a probable newly acquired SARS-CoV-2 RNA-proven infection was 20% (95% IC 5.7–43.6%) at the end of the 7-week follow up period. The incidence reinfection rate was 28.6 (95% IC 7.8–73.2) cases per 1000 person-week. Despite detectable IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 participants highly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 may develop a newly acquired SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection episode during the first months after the initial infection.
Chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the most important complication of patients with Chagas disease (CD). The role of persistent detection of DNA in peripheral blood and its association to CCC ...is unknown. We performed a systematic review up to July 2021, including studies that reported ratios of CCC and PCR positivity among non-treated adult patients. We identified 749 records and selected 12 for inclusion corresponding to 1,686 patients. Eight studies were performed in endemic countries and 4 in non-endemic countries. Only two studies showed an association between CCC and
parasitemia by means of PCR detection. Six studies reported greater positive PCR ratios among patients with CCC than in the patients with indeterminate chagas disease (ICD) with no statistical significance. A significant risk of bias has been detected among most of the studies. Therefore, while we performed a meta-analysis, wide inter-study heterogeneity impeded its interpretation.
With the available information, we could not establish a correlation between PCR-detectable parasitemia and CCC.
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020216072, identifier: CRD42020216072.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a heterogeneous and unpredictable autoimmune disease which can be complicated to approach and treat. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage ...are rare disease complications. The authors describe a clinical case of a 32-year-old woman with lupus and fever of unknown origin. From the investigations performed, the myelogram revealed hemophagocytosis and Leishmania parasites, therefore liposomal amphotericin B was then started. In addition to directed therapy, she maintained fever that evolved with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. The myelogram was repeated and showed that she still had hemophagocytosis but now without parasites. Corticotherapy was increased and intravenous Immunoglobulin was started, with improvement. Rituximab was started as a result of macrophage activation syndrome and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Months after discharge, she began once again to have sustained fever and Leishmania parasites were found again, therefore liposomal amphotericin B was started once more associated with miltefosine. She continues being followed-up as she is asymptomatic and using steroidsin weaning scheme.
Schistosomiasis remains a public health major problem and little is known in many areas, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To assess the burden and risk factors of schistosomiasis and intestinal ...parasitic helminthes in the children of Cubal, Angola, and to compare different diagnostic approaches for urinary schistosomiasis under field conditions.
A cross-sectional study was conducted. Urine and faeces samples of school children were microscopically studied. A random sample of children was obtained from an alphabetically arranged list of children, taking one of two children. Urine dipstick, colorimetric test and macrohaematuria were considered as indirect diagnostic methods and compared to direct urine examination. Possible risk factors for the infection were sex, age, distance to the river and previous treatment with praziquantel; the assessment was performed using Chi-square test.
A total of 785 (61.18%) children showed S. haematobium eggs in urine; children living within 500 meters from the river had a higher odds for infection: Odds ratio 1.97 (1.45-2.7 CI 95%); urine dipstick showed sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 61.3%, with a positive predictive value; colorimetric test showed sensitivity of 52.5%, specificity of 74.6% and a positive predictive value of 77%. Proteinuria was present in 653 (51.1%) children, being more frequent in children with S. haematobium in urine (75.2%); 32 of 191 stool samples (16%) showed the presence of other intestinal parasites and 8 (4%) for S. haematobium.
Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in our study area is much higher than the national average, considering it as a high-risk community. Proximity to a source of water was a risk factor for the infection. Indirect tests, as urine dipstick and colorimetric test, were useful tools for diagnosis, due to ease of use and low cost. Proteinuria was a common finding, probably showing an early structural damage due to schistosomiasis in this group of children.
The main goal of this study was to verify the best combination of density, moisture content, and feed speed on the surface quality of Pinus elliottii boards aimed at deck manufacturing. The secondary ...goal was to compare three methods of surface quality assessment. Tangential boards were sampled and sorted by density (level 1: 414 kg·m–³ to 525 kg·m–³; level 2: 526 kg·m–³ to 668 kg·m–³) and moisture content (level 1: 13.5% to 17.5%; level 2: 17.6% to 20.0%). A four-side planer molder was used, at three levels of feed speed (15, 20, and 25 m·min-1). Surface quality was assessed immediately after machining by visual-tactile analysis, stylus surface profilometer reading (parameters Ra, Rz, and Rt), and feed per tooth (fz) measurement. The best surface quality results were obtained with denser (526 kg·m–³ to 668 kg·m–³) and wetter boards (17.6% to 20.0% moisture content) at feed speed 20 m•min-1. This recommendation represents an optimal balance between the quality standard of the deck boards and high productivity. Because of the low cost and because it has some correspondence with the stylus surface profilometer readings, visual-tactile analysis is recommended to assess the surface quality.
Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasite that causes strongyloidiasis, a neglected tropical disease. S. stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth that is widely distributed in tropical and ...subtropical regions of the world. Strongyloidiasis can occur without any symptoms or as a chronic infection characterized by mild, unspecific symptoms such as pruritus, abdominal pain or discomfort; respiratory impairment also may manifest as a potentially fatal hyperinfection or disseminated infection. Most studies on strongyloidiasis in Spain have been related to chronic forms in immigrants or travellers from endemic zones and have mainly analysed out-patient populations. Studies of the impact of strongyloidiasis cases admitted to hospitals in Spain are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the impact of strongyloidiasis in hospital care in Spain.
We designed a retrospective descriptive study using the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS, CMBD in Spanish) for inpatients with ICD-9: 127.2 (strongyloidiasis) diagnoses admitted to hospitals in the Spanish National Health System between 1998 and 2014.
A total of 507 hospitalizations with diagnosis of strongyloidiasis were recorded, 324 cases (63.9%) were males. The mean (±SD) age was 42.1±20.1 years. The impact of strongyloidiasis on the total population of Spain was 0.06 cases per 105 person-years, and the infection burden increased progressively over time (from 0.01 cases per 105 person-years in 1999 to 0.10 cases per 105 person-years in 2014). 40 cases (7.9%) died. The total cost was approximately €8,681,062.3, and the mean cost per patient was €17,122.4±97,968.8.
Our data suggest that strongyloidiasis is frequent in Spain and is increasing in incidence. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the oversight and surveillance of this condition. Due to the fact that strongyloidiasis can be fatal, we believe that there is a need to establish risk categories for inclusion in national guidelines/protocols for screening individuals at risk of developing strongyloidiasis.
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