Canine Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Area for Human Leishmaniasis in Nicaragua.

In this study, the frequency of canines infected with Leishmania spp. in an area endemic to leishmaniasis in humans was determined. A descriptive pilot study was conducted between the months of October and December 2020 on dogs from Rota, a community in the municipality of León, which included 45 specimens from the peridomestic area. Different variables from each specimen were monitored, such as age, sex, breed, body condition, and clinical characteristics, as well as information on the owners and cases of human leishmaniasis presented in less than 5 years. Blood samples were collected from the cephalic vein and peripheral blood was separated. A complete blood count (CBC) was performed using venous blood samples with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), as well as a conventional PCR was applied for the detection of Leishmania spp. Amastigotes were found in 22% of venous or peripheral blood samples, whereas a high prevalence of 28.89% (95% CI: 14.53-43.24) was found by PCR. Only 1/12 of positive dogs in PCR presented dry exfoliative dermatitis, therefore, there was no significant difference (p ≥ 0.05), the age and sex of the dogs were also not factors associated with infection (p ≥ 0.05). This study reports for the first time the molecular detection of Leishmania in dogs in an endemic area of leishmaniasis in humans in Nicaragua. The high frequency of dogs infected with Leishmania suggests that they play an important role in the transmission cycle of human leishmaniasis.

Isolation of Salmonella spp. from black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) meat commercialised in markets of León city, Nicaragua.

BACKGROUND: The black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) is an endemic animal in Mesoamerica, whose meat is consumed by the local population. OBJECTIVES: Because the black spiny-tailed iguana may be potential reservoirs of pathogens, this study aimed to isolate and characterise Salmonella spp. in their meat commercialised in markets of the city of León, Nicaragua. METHODS: Thirteen specimens were analysed for the isolation of Salmonella spp., as well as their antimicrobial resistance patterns, including the presence of genes encoding extended-spectrum ß-lactamases. RESULTS: Salmonella spp. isolates were found in eight out of 13 samples, with S. enterica serovar Enteritidis being found in six out of eight samples. Moreover, eight Salmonella spp. isolates were resistant to amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid and cephalexin, but sensitive to other tested antibiotics. The blaSHV gene was detected in seven out of eight Salmonella spp. isolates, followed by the blaTEM (two out of eight) and blaCXT-M (one out of eight) genes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings represent an important contribution to the implementation of appropriate strategies to prevent foodborne diseases.

Expanding the knowledge on the diversity of the cavernicolous Styloniscidae Vandel, 1952 (Oniscidea, Synocheta) from Brazil, with descriptions of two new species from the semiarid karst regions.

Two new species of Pectenoniscus from two caves in karst areas of the Brazilian semiarid region are described. Pectenoniscuspankaru Campos-Filho, Torres & Bichuette, sp. nov. from Gruna do Govi cave, Serra do Ramalho karst area, state of Bahia, and Pectenoniscusfervens Campos-Filho, Taiti & Bichuette, sp. nov. from Toca Coroa do Frade cave, Barra Bonita karst area, state of Piauí. In addition, specimens of Cylindroniscusflaviae from Gruta da Tapagem (= Caverna do Diabo), Açungui karst area were also recorded. An updated diagnosis of Pectenoniscus and a distribution map of the species examined herein are given.

Detection of Pathogenic Leptospires in Water and Soil in Areas Endemic to Leptospirosis in Nicaragua.

In Nicaragua, there are ideal environmental conditions for leptospirosis. The objective of this investigation was to detect pathogenic and saprophytic leptospires in water and soil samples from leptospirosis-endemic areas in Nicaragua. Seventy-eight water and 42 soil samples were collected from houses and rivers close to confirmed human cases. Leptospira spp was isolated in Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) culture medium with 5-fluororacil and positive samples were analyzed through PCR for the LipL32 gene, specific for pathogenic leptospires (P1 clade). There were 73 positive cultures from 120 samples, however only six of these (5% of all collected samples) were confirmed to be pathogenic, based on the presence of the LipL32 gene (P1 clade). Of these six pathogenic isolates, four were from Leon and two from Chinandega. Four pathogenic isolates were obtained from water and two from soil. This study proved the contamination of water and soil with pathogenic leptospires, which represents a potential risk for public health.

Ecografía transfontanelar en la enfermedad hipóxico isquémica del recién nacido. Presentación de un caso / Transfontanellar ultrasound in hypoxic diseasenewborn ischemic. Presentation of a case

RESUMEN La enfermedad hipóxico-isquémica constituye una de las principales causas de morbi-mortalidad neurológica en el recién nacido. Las diferentes adaptacio-nes vasculares a la hipoxia tanto en el neonato pretérmino como en niño a término hacen que su presentación en neuroimagen, sobre todo en el ultrasonido (US) sea caracterizable según el territorio afectado y el momento de la enfermedad. El ultrasonido se ha convertido en una poderosa herramienta para la evaluación del recién nacido con sospecha de EHI, y el patrón de las lesiones tiene importantes implicaciones en el tratamiento y en el pronóstico neurológico a largo plazo. A continuación, presentamos el caso de un recién nacido masculino, prematuro extremo, que requirió reanimación cardiopulmonar avanzada en el nacimiento y que además presento dos episodios de parada cardiorrespiratoria en el segundo y tercer día de vida, en el cual se llegó al diagnóstico con patrones ecográficos característicos de lesión isquémica y además se detalla la evolución de los hallazgos en el tiempo.Palabras claves: Enfermedad hipóxico-isquémica, ultrasonido transfontanelar, matriz germinal, leucomalacia periventricular.

ABSTRACT Hypoxic-ischemic disease is one of the main causes of neurological morbidity and mortality in the newborn. The different vascular adaptations to hypoxia in both the preterm and term infants make their presentation on neuroimaging, especially on ultrasound (US), characterizable according to the affected terri-tory and the time of the disease. Ultrasound has become a powerful tool for evaluating the newborn with suspected IBD, and the pattern of the lesions has important implications for treatment and long-term neurological prognosis. Next, we present the case of a male newborn, extremely premature, who required advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation at birth and who also presented two episodes of cardiorespiratory arrest on the second and third day of life, in which the diagnosis was reached with patterns sonographic characteristics of ischemic injury and also the evolution of the findings over time.Keywords: Hypoxic-ischemic disease, transfontanelar ultrasound, germ matrix, periventricular leukomalacia

Evaluación del estado de la gestión de la información científica y tecnológica: dimensiones e indicadores / Evaluation of the status of scientific and technological information management: dimensions and indicators

Con el decursar de los años, la información científica y tecnológica ha ocupado un espacio cada vez más importante, ya que se ha convertido en un elemento fundamental para las instituciones de cualquier esfera y se ha transformado en un bien necesario para desarrollar y cumplir los objetivos organizacionales. Evaluar el estado de la gestión de este tipo de información debe constituir una prioridad en la gestión de las organizaciones en aras de potenciar su crecimiento y desarrollo. El presente artículo tiene como objetivo proporcionar una serie de criterios que facilite la elaboración de indicadores de evaluación de la gestión de la información científica y tecnológica de las organizaciones como punto de partida, para posteriormente facilitar la vigilancia científica y tecnológica con vistas a garantizar una adecuada disponibilidad de información para una acertada toma de decisiones. El enfoque de la vigilancia científica y tecnológica se abordó desde los procesos identificados, teniendo en cuenta la relación entre sus componentes, y se establecieron como dimensiones, entre las que se encontraban la gestión de información y del conocimiento, la gestión de información para el monitoreo del entorno externo, la gestión de la innovación y de la calidad, la gestión de la capacidad informacional y la gestión de productos y servicios. Se presentó una escala de evaluación para los indicadores propuestos en cada una de las dimensiones. Estos procesos se consideran determinantes para el desarrollo organizacional, lo que fue corroborado a través de validaciones realizadas por un grupo de expertos(AU)

Recent years have witnessed the ever-growing importance of scientific and technological information, to the extent that is has become a crucial element for institutions from any field of endeavor, and thus an indispensable tool to develop and meet organizational goals. Evaluating the current status of the management of such information should be a priority within the management of organizations in order to boost their growth and development. The purpose of the paper is to present a number of criteria facilitating the development of indicators for the evaluation of scientific and technological information management as a starting point, and eventually facilitate scientific and technological surveillance to ensure adequate availability of information for sound decision taking. The scientific and technological surveillance approach was addressed from the perspective of the processes identified, bearing in mind the relationship between their components, which were set up as dimensions. These included information and knowledge management, information management for surveillance of the external environment, innovation and quality management, information capacity management and management of products and services. An evaluation scale is presented for the indicators proposed within each dimension. These processes are considered to be crucial for organizational development, a fact which was corroborated through validations conducted by a group of experts(AU)