First detection of Leptospira santarosai in the reproductive track of a boar: A potential threat to swine production and public health.

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis causes significant economic losses and is an occupational risk in the swine industry, especially in developing tropical regions where social and geoclimatic conditions are favorable for the transmission of this disease. Although vaccination can reduce infection risk, efficacy is diminished if local genetic and antigenic variants of the pathogen are not accounted for in the vaccine. Identifying and characterizing strains hosts, and potential mechanisms of transmission is therefore critical for public health mitigation practices. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our study was conducted on a rural breeding farm in Ecuador, where we used a PCR assay that targets lipL32 to detect Leptospira spp. and targeted gene sequencing to identify Leptospira santarosai in the kidneys, testicles, and ejaculate of a vaccinated boar. MAT results showed low titers against serovars found in the vaccine, but the MAT panel did not include serovars of L. santarosai. The boar showed no symptoms of leptospirosis but did show blood in the semen. However, no postmortem histopathological lesions were observed tissue samples. Vaccinated sows that were artificially inseminated with the semen from this boar had reproductive problems, suggesting that transmission had occurred. This is the first documented case of Leptospira santarosai in the reproductive tract of a boar. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: As L. santarosai is pathogenic in other livestock species and humans, our finding highlights the need to evaluate the prevalence and epidemiological significance of this pathogen in livestock and consider the possibility of venereal transmission. In addition, further studies are needed to identify and characterize local serovars that may impact diagnosis and vaccination programs to better control leptospirosis in livestock and spillover into the human population.

Valoración optométrica y socioeconómica de personas asociadas a Corpocima de la localidad de Bosa / Optometric and socio-economic assessment of people associated

Introducción: este proyecto de investigación se inició en el 2008 y culminó en el 2010. Fue realizado por un grupo interdisciplinario conformado por profesionales del área de economía, trabajo social, psicología y optometría. Objetivo: potenciar capacidades y empoderamiento de hombres y mujeres con discapacidad visual con miras al fortalecimiento de la gobernabilidad democrática, la incidencia en las políticas públicas, consecución del desarrollo humano y desarrollo de circuitos económicos en la localidad de Bosa. Desde el punto de vista de la optometría, el objetivo específico fue generar alternativas desde la perspectiva del desarrollo humano sustentable, mediante la valoración del estado visual y el diagnóstico de personas con discapacidad visual. Metodología: se realizó una valoración visual completa que incluyó: agudeza visual, pentacam, sensibilidad al contraste, cámara retinal y refracción a 48 pacientes, en dos jornadas en la Universidad de La Salle. Resultados: se encontró un porcentaje del 8,33% de personas ciegas, frente a un 25% de personas con limitación visual o baja visión, lo que permite el conocimiento real del problemaque representa cualquier tipo de limitación, cuya consecuencia es el aumento de personas no activas laboral, económica y socialmente, ocasionando un problema serio de salud pública.

Introducción: este proyecto de investigación se inició en el 2008 y culminó en el 2010. Fue realizadopor un grupo interdisciplinario conformado por profesionales del área de economía, trabajo social, psicología y optometría. Objetivo: potenciar capacidades y empoderamiento de hombres ymujeres con discapacidad visual con miras al fortalecimiento de la gobernabilidad democrática, la incidencia en las políticas públicas, consecución del desarrollo humano y desarrollo de circuitos económicos en la localidad de Bosa. Desde el punto de vista de la optometría, el objetivo específico fue generar alternativas desde la perspectiva del desarrollo humano sustentable, mediante la valoración del estado visual y el diagnóstico de personas con discapacidad visual. Metodología: se realizó una valoración visual completa que incluyó: agudeza visual, pentacam, sensibilidad al contraste, cámara retinal y refracción a 48 pacientes, en dos jornadas en la Universidad de La Salle. Resultados: se encontró un porcentaje del 8,33% de personas ciegas, frente a un 25% de personas con limitación visual o baja visión, lo que permite el conocimiento real del problemaque representa cualquier tipo de limitación, cuya consecuencia es el aumento de personas no activas laboral, económica y socialmente, ocasionando un problema serio de salud pública.

Introduction: This research project began in 2008 and culminated in 2010. It was carried out by an interdisciplinary group made of professionals in the areas of economics, social work, psychology and optometry. Objective: To improve the skills and empowerment of men and women with vision impairment, aiming to strengthen democratic governance, incidence in public policies,attainment of human development and development of economic circuits in the Bosa locality.From the point of view of optometry, the specific purpose was to generate alternatives from aperspective of sustainable human development through the assessment of visual condition and the diagnosis of people with vision impairment. Methodology: A complete visual assessment was made that included: visual acuity, pentacam, contrast sensitivity, retinal camera and refraction to 48 patients during two days at La Salle University. Results: A percentage of 8.33% of blind people was found, next to a 25% of people with visual limitation or low vision. This makes it possible to get a real knowledge of the problem represented by any type of limitation, the consequence of which is a higher number of non-active people in the work market, as well as in the economic and social world, thus generating a serious public health problem.

Rapid changes in rotaviral genotypes in Ecuador.

Previous studies suggest that the emerging G9P[8] genotype was the most prevalent rotavirus genotype in Ecuador during 2005. This present study provides a temporal analysis of the distribution of rotavirus genotypes in two locations within Ecuador by adding additional years (2006 - early 2008) to the originally reported 2005 data. Data were collected in a rural (northern coastal Ecuador) and urban (Quito) area. In the rural area, a community sample of cases (those presenting diarrhea) and controls (those not presenting diarrhea) were collected between August 2003 and March 2008 resulting in a total of 3,300 stool samples (876 cases and 2,424 controls). Of these samples, 260 were positive for rotavirus by an immunochromatographic test (196 cases and 64 controls). In Quito, 59 fecal samples were collected from children presenting diarrhea and diagnosed with rotavirus. An RT-PCR analysis of samples collected between 2005 and 2007 suggested that G9 was replaced by G1 and G2 in the rural and urban settings. During this period G9 decreased from 79% to 9% while G2 increased from 0% to 43% in the rural communities, and G9 decreased from 79% to 37% while G2 increased from 3% to 57% in the urban area of Quito. This rapid replacement of G9 by G1 and G2 reinforces the necessity of surveillance to inform vaccination programs.

Characterization of canarypox-like viruses infecting endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands.

The presence of avian pox in endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands has led to concern that the health of these birds may be threatened by avipoxvirus introduction by domestic birds. We describe here a simple polymerase chain reaction-based method for identification and discrimination of avipoxvirus strains similar to the fowlpox or canarypox viruses. This method, in conjunction with DNA sequencing of two polymerase chain reaction-amplified loci totaling about 800 bp, was used to identify two avipoxvirus strains, Gal1 and Gal2, in pox lesions from yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia), finches (Geospiza spp.), and Galápagos mockingbirds (Nesomimus parvulus) from the inhabited islands of Santa Cruz and Isabela. Both strains were found in all three passerine taxa, and sequences from both strains were less than 5% different from each other and from canarypox virus. In contrast, chickens in Galápagos were infected with a virus that appears to be identical in sequence to the characterized fowlpox virus and about 30% different from the canarypox/Galápagos group viruses in the regions sequenced. These results indicate the presence of canarypox-like viruses in endemic passerine birds that are distinct from the fowlpox virus infecting chickens on Galápagos. Alignment of the sequence of a 5.9-kb region of the genome revealed that sequence identities among Gal1, Gal2, and canarypox viruses were clustered in discrete regions. This indicates that recombination between poxvirus strains in combination with mutation led to the canarypox-like viruses that are now prevalent in the Galápagos.