Correlated prevalence of hydrocele and microfilaremia in Amazon (Belém, 1951-2005).

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: For decades, the city of Belém in Brazil's eastern Amazon was the second city in the country with highest prevalence of cases of filariasis due to Wuchereria bancrofti infection. However, this prevalence decreased over time until reaching null records, concomitantly with a decrease in frequency of recorded hydrocele cases. In this context, we analyzed cross-sectional data to evaluate the degree of correlation between prevalence of positive blood microfilariae results during surveillance screening occurred along 54 years (1951-2005) and prevalence of hydrocele cases recorded in the same time period. METHODS: The dataset regarding hydrocele cases was obtained from two local hospitals. The Endemic Diseases Control Division of the Health Surveillance Department of the Municipal Health Department of Belém provided dataset regarding positive blood microfilariae cases. Prevalence calculus and linear correlation statistics were performed. RESULTS: Both positive blood microfilariae and hydrocele cases are well correlated statistically in absolute frequency (r = 0.871, 95%CI = 0.788 to 0.923, R2 = 0.759, p < 0.0001) and in prevalence (r = 0.835, 95%CI = 0.732 to 0.901, R2 = 0.698, p < 0.0001). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: We have concluded that blood microfilariae detection and hospitalized hydrocele cases are well correlated in our dataset. In addition, these results support the hypothesis that hydrocele prevalence can be useful to filariasis surveillance and control in endemic areas. However, limitations to hydrocele prevalence as an epidemiological indicator of filariasis are evidenced.

Diversity of metallo-ß-lactamase-encoding genes found in distinct species of Acinetobacter isolated from the Brazilian Amazon Region.

BACKGROUND: The multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype is frequently observed in Acinetobacter baumannii, the most clinically relevant pathogenic species of its genus; recently, other species belonging to the A. calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex have emerged as important MDR nosocomial pathogens. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to verify the occurrence of metallo-ß-lactamase genes among distinct Acinetobacter species in a hospital located in the Brazilian Amazon Region. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined by broth microdilution. The genetic relationships among these isolates were assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Pyrosequencing reads of plasmids carrying the bla NDM-1 gene were generated using the Ion Torrent™ platform sequencing. FINDINGS: A total of six isolates carried bla NDM-1: A. baumannii (n = 2), A. nosocomialis (n = 3), and A. pittii (n = 1); three carried bla IMP-1: A. baumannii, A. nosocomialis, and A. bereziniae. Resistance to colistin was observed for an NDM-1-producing A. nosocomialis isolate. Diverse PFGE patterns and sequence types were found among A. nosocomialis and A. baumannii isolates. The bla NDM-1 sequence was inserted in a Tn125 transposon, while the bla IMP-1 was found as a gene cassette of the class 1 integron In86. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the dissemination of bla NDM-1 among distinct Acinetobacter species recovered from the same hospital in South America.

Diversity of metallo-b-lactamase-encoding genes found in distinct species of Acinetobacter isolated from the Brazilian Amazon Region

BACKGROUND The multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype is frequently observed in Acinetobacter baumannii, the most clinically relevant pathogenic species of its genus; recently, other species belonging to the A. calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex have emerged as important MDR nosocomial pathogens. OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to verify the occurrence of metallo-β-lactamase genes among distinct Acinetobacter species in a hospital located in the Brazilian Amazon Region. METHODS Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined by broth microdilution. The genetic relationships among these isolates were assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Pyrosequencing reads of plasmids carrying the bla NDM-1 gene were generated using the Ion Torrent™ platform sequencing. FINDINGS A total of six isolates carried bla NDM-1: A. baumannii (n = 2), A. nosocomialis (n = 3), and A. pittii (n = 1); three carried bla IMP-1: A. baumannii, A. nosocomialis, and A. bereziniae. Resistance to colistin was observed for an NDM-1-producing A. nosocomialis isolate. Diverse PFGE patterns and sequence types were found among A. nosocomialis and A. baumannii isolates. The bla NDM-1 sequence was inserted in a Tn125 transposon, while the bla IMP-1 was found as a gene cassette of the class 1 integron In86. MAIN CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the dissemination of bla NDM-1 among distinct Acinetobacter species recovered from the same hospital in South America.