Prevalence of antibody to hantaviruses in humans and rodents in the Caribbean region of Colombia determined using Araraquara and Maciel virus antigens

We tested sera from 286 agricultural workers and 322 rodents in the department of Córdoba, northeastern Colombia, for antibodies against two hantaviruses. The sera were analysed by indirect ELISA using the lysate of Vero E6 cells infected with Maciel virus (MACV) or the N protein of Araraquara virus (ARAV) as antigens for the detection of antibodies against hantaviruses. Twenty-four human sera were IgG positive using one or both antigens. We detected anti-MACV IgG antibodies in 10 sera (3.5%) and anti-ARAV antibodies in 21 sera (7.34%). Of the 10 samples that were positive for MACV, seven (70%) were cross-reactive with ARAV; seven of the 21 ARAV-positive samples were cross-reactive with MACV. Using an ARAV IgM ELISA, two of the 24 human sera (8.4%) were positive. We captured 322 rodents, including 210 Cricetidae (181 Zygodontomys brevicauda, 28 Oligoryzomys fulvescens and 1 Oecomys trinitatis), six Heteromys anomalus (Heteromyidae), one Proechimys sp. (Echimyidae) and 105 Muridae (34 Rattus rattus and 71 Mus musculus). All rodent sera were negative for both antigens. The 8.4% detection rate of hantavirus antibodies in humans is much higher than previously found in serosurveys in North America, suggesting that rural agricultural workers in northeastern Colombia are frequently exposed to hantaviruses. Our results also indicate that tests conducted with South American hantavirus antigens could have predictive value and could represent a useful alternative for the diagnosis of hantavirus infection in Colombia.

Colonialismo, cristãos e esporte: a igreja católica e o futebol em Goa, 18831951 / Colonialism, christians and sport: the catholic church and football in Goa, 18831951

Este trabalho utiliza o desenvolvimento do futebol em Goa, colônia portuguesa na Índia até 1961, como estudo de caso do qual analisa fatos existentes do esporte e do colonialismo. O ponto de partida do artigo é que estudos já realizados sobre o futebol em particular e sobre o esporte, em geral, em contextos coloniais, apresentam uma série de semelhanças. Em termos gerais, um modelo pode ser concluído a partir desses estudos, quando a ação missionária cristã e projetos do governo colonial desenvolveram atividades para introduzir e incentivar esportes ocidentais entre as populações colonizadas, que depois, eventualmente, adotaram e se adaptaram a esses jogos. O exemplo de Goa apresenta uma nova perspectiva, pois, enquanto elementos da história do futebol coincidem com estes outros estudos, o papel dos agentes indígenas na propagação do jogo em seus estágios iniciais é crucial para entender como o esporte se desenvolveu e se incorporou na sociedade e cultura local.

The chapter uses the development of football in Goa, the Portuguese colony in India until 1961, as a case study with which to critique existing histories of sport and colonialism. The start point of the article is that when taken together existing studies of football in particular, and to an extent sport in general, in colonial contexts bear a range of similarities. Broadly speaking a model can be drawn from them, one in which Christian missionary activity and colonial government projects act to introduce and encourage western sports among colonized populations who then evendrões tually adopt and adapt the games. The Goa example offers a fresh perspective as itargues that while elements of the story of football there are familiar from theseother studies, the role of indigenous agents in propagating the game at its earliest stages is crucial to understanding how the sport took off and became embedded in local society and culture

Seroprevalencia de Leptospirosis en Puente Piedra, Lima en el año 2006 / Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in Puente Piedra, Lima, in 2006

La leptospirosis es una enfermedad ampliamente prevalente en áreas tropicales, pero también se presenta en áreas urbanas. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo determinar la seroprevalencia para Leptospira en el distrito de Puente Piedra, donde se han presentado casos de leptospirosis severa en los últimos años. Se recolectaron datos relacionados a factores de riesgo asociados con leptospirosis y muestras de sangre de 250 participantes, seleccionados por un muestreo aleatorio. Se encontró una alta prevalencia de factores de riesgo en la población y, usando la prueba de aglutinación microscópica, anticuerpos circulantes contra Leptospira en solamente tres participantes (1,2 por ciento).

Leptospirosis is a disease widely prevalent in tropical areas, but may also be present in urban areas. The present study aims to determine the seroprevalence of Leptospira in the district of Puente Piedra, where there have been cases of severe leptospirosis in recent years. We collected data related to risk factors associated with leptospirosis and blood samples from 250 participants, selected by random sampling. We found a high prevalence of risk factors in the population and using the microscopic agglutination test, antibodies were found in only 3 participants (1.2 percent).

Multigenerational inheritance and clinical characteristics of three large pedigrees with early-onset type 2 diabetes in Jamaica / Herencia multigeneracional y características clínicas de la diabetes tipo 2 de inicio temprano en tres árboles genealógicos grandes de Jamaica

OBJECTIVE: To document the existence and clinical characteristics of three large families with multigenerational inheritance of early-onset type 2 diabetes in Jamaica. METHODS: Three probands from large families with multigenerational inheritance of early-onset type 2 diabetes in at least three generations were detected at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica. Each proband at the time of diagnosis was < 25 years of age, was lean, and did not require insulin therapy. Clinical, metabolic, and genetic assessments were undertaken to profile the diabetes in the three families. RESULTS: Three pedigrees-BK, SU, and CA-consisting of 38, 48, and 113 members, respectively, with multigenerational inheritance of early-onset type 2 diabetes in at least three generations, were investigated. The mean age at diagnosis of the three pedigrees was 31.5 ± 2.9 years, with 10 persons detected below 25 years of age. Findings suggestive of overweight, insulin resistance, low insulin secretion, dyslipidemia, and mild intra-abdominal obesity were present. Islet cell antibodies and sequence variants in MODY1 to -6 genes were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Large families demonstrating multigenerational inheritance of diabetes and other characteristics consistent with early-onset type 2 diabetes are present in the Jamaican population.

OBJETIVO: Documentar la presencia de herencia multigeneracional de la diabetes de tipo II de inicio temprano en tres familias jamaiquinas grandes y describir sus características clínicas. MÉTODOS: En el Hospital Universitario de West Indies en Jamaica, se detectaron tres probandos de familias grandes en las que se observó herencia multigeneracional de la diabetes tipo 2 de inicio temprano en al menos tres generaciones. Al momento del diagnóstico, cada probando tenía # 25 años de edad, era delgado y no necesitó insulinoterapia. Se emprendieron estudios clínicos, metabólicos y genéticos con el fin de determinar las características particulares de la diabetes que presentan estas tres familias. RESULTADOS: Se investigaron tres árboles genealógicos -BK, SU y CA- conformados por 38, 48 y 113 miembros, respectivamente. Cada árbol presentaba herencia multigeneracional de diabetes tipo 2 de inicio temprano en al menos tres generaciones. En los tres árboles genealógicos, la media de la edad al momento del diagnóstico fue de 31,5 ± 2,9 años y 10 personas tenían menos de 25 años. Se observaron signos indicativos de sobrepeso, resistencia insulínica, baja secreción de insulina, dislipidemia y obesidad intrabdominal leve. No se hallaron anticuerpos contra las células de los islotes ni variantes en la secuencia de los genes MODY1 a MODY6. CONCLUSIONES: Algunas familias grandes de la población jamaiquina presentan herencia multigeneracional de la diabetes y otras características indicativas de diabetes tipo 2 de inicio temprano.

The burden of gestational diabetes mellitus in Jamaican women with a family history of autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes / La carga de la diabetes mellitus gestacional en mujeres de Jamaica con antecedentes familiares de diabetes autosómica dominante tipo 2

OBJECTIVES: To determine if Jamaican women of African descent with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes have greater odds of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than those without a family history of the disease. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted of two groups of pregnant Jamaican women: the first with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes; the second with no history of the disease. Incidence, odds for developing GDM, and metabolic profiles in first and second trimesters were assessed using SPSS 11.5 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States). RESULTS: The incidence of GDM was 12.0 percent in women with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes and 1.5 percent in women without a family history of the disease (P < 0.05). Women with a family history were nine times more likely to develop GDM than those without a family history of diabetes (95 percent confidence interval: 5.00-16.38, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes appears to increase susceptibility to GDM in Jamaican women. Pregnant women of any age with family history of early onset autosomal type 2 diabetes should be screened for GDM.

OBJETIVOS: Determinar si las mujeres jamaicanas de ascendencia africana con antecedentes familiares de inicio temprano de diabetes autosómica dominante tipo 2 tienen mayor probabilidad de desarrollar diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG) que las que no tienen esos antecedentes familiares. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio comparativo con dos grupos de mujeres jamaicanas embarazadas: el primero con mujeres que tenían antecedentes familiares de inicio temprano de diabetes autosómica dominante tipo 2 y el segundo con mujeres sin antecedentes familiares de esa enfermedad. Se empleó el programa SPSS v. 11.5 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, Estados Unidos de América) para analizar los resultados y calcular la incidencia, la probabilidad de desarrollar DMG y los perfiles metabólicos en el primer y el segundo trimestres de gestación. RESULTADOS: La incidencia de DMG fue de 12,0 por ciento en las mujeres con antecedentes familiares de inicio temprano de diabetes autosómica dominante tipo 2 y de 1,5 por ciento en las mujeres sin antecedentes familiares de esa enfermedad (P < 0,05). Las mujeres del primer grupo tuvieron nueve veces más probabilidades de desarrollar DMG que las del segundo grupo (intervalo de confianza de 95 por ciento: 5,00 a 16,38; P < 0,0001). CONCLUSIÓN: Los antecedentes familiares de inicio temprano de diabetes autosómica dominante tipo 2 aumentaron la predisposición a sufrir DMG en mujeres jamaicanas. Las mujeres embarazadas con antecedentes familiares de inicio temprano de diabetes autosómica tipo 2 deben someterse a pruebas de tamizaje para DMG, independientemente de su edad.

Primera evidencia serológica de infección por Hantavirus en roedores, en Colombia / First serological evidence of Hantavirus infection in rodents in Colombia

OBJETIVO: Determinar la prevalencia de infección por hantavirus en roedores del Departamento de Córdoba, Colombia. METODOLOGIA: Captura de roedores con trampas tipo Sherman live-capture traps (8x9x23 cm; Sherman Traps, Inc., Tallahassee, FL) en áreas domésticas y peridomésticas en el departamento de Córdoba. Analisis de anticuerpos IgG por ELISA, empleando como antígeno una proteína recombinante de la nucleocapside del Sin Nombre Virus (SNV) (CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA). RESULTADOS: Durante los meses de enero de 2003 a noviembre de 2004, en 79 noches de trampeo fueron capturados 336 roedores en once municipios del departamento de Córdoba (Murinae: 249; Sigmodontinae: 68; Heteromyidae: 17; Echimyidae: 2) (éxito de captura del 8,5 por ciento). La seroprevalencia de anticuerpos contra hantavirus fue del 2,1 por ciento (7 de 336 capturas). Los porcentajes de seropositividad específicos por género oscilaron entre 5,9 por ciento (1 de 17, Heteromys) a 50 por ciento (1 de 2, Proechimys). CONCLUSIONES: La prevalencia de anticuerpos contra el SNV en roedores de Córdoba, Colombia; indica que al menos un hantavirus es endémico en roedores del norte colombiano y esta frecuentemente trasmitido a residentes rurales.

Hantavirus del Nuevo Mundo. Ecología y epidemiología de un virus emergente en Latinoamérica / The new-world hantaviruses. Ecology and epidemiology of an emerging virus in Latin America

The hantaviruses are a group of emerging rodent-borne pathogens (family Bunyaviridae; Genus Hantavirus) that are etiologic agents for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in the Americas. HFRS is associated with rodents of the family Muridae, subfamilies Murinae and Arvicolinae; HPS is associated with rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae. Since the identification of HCPS in USA in 1993, a large number of cases of HPS and an increasing number of hantaviruses and rodent reservoir hosts have been identified in Central and South America. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated important differences in frequency of infection with hantaviruses in both human and rodent host populations. Antibody prevalences in rodent and human populations may vary from less than 1% to more than 40%. Currently, more than 1500 cases of HCPS have been reported and more than 15 genetically distinct variants of hantaviruses, all associated with sigmodontine rodents, have been identified throughout the Americas. Several characteristics distinguish Latin American HCPS cases from the classical HCPS described for the first time in the USA. These include a variation in severity of disease from moderate and self-limiting to severe, the demonstration of person-to-person transmission, and a somewhat higher incidence of extrapulmonary clinical manifestations in the South American form of HCPS. Nevertheless, our understanding of hantaviruses in the Americas is still far from complete. The factors involved in the dynamics of these viruses in nature, their establishment and transmission within host populations and from hosts to humans, and the variable pathology of these viruses in humans are complex. It is likely that more hantaviruses will be described in the future, and much more data will be required in order to describe the diversity and evolution of this group of pathogens. Latin America, as the center of diversity for...

Los hantavirus son un grupo de patógenos emergentes (familia Bunyaviridae; género Hantavirus)identificados como agentes etiológicos de la Fiebre Hemorrágica con Síndrome Renal (FHSR) en Europa y Asia y el Síndrome Cardiopulmonar por Hantavirus (SCPH) en las Américas. La FHSR está relacionada con roedores de las subfamilias Murinae y Arvicolinae y el SCPH con roedores de las subfamiliasSigmodontinae y Arvicolinae. Desde la identificación del SCPH en los EE.UU. en 1993, muchos casos de SCPHy un número cada vez mayor de hantavirus y sus roedores reservorios han sido identificados en Centro y SudAmérica. Estudios epidemiológicos han demostrado diferencias notables en las seroprevalencias de anticuerposen humanos y roedores reservorios que oscilan entre el 1% y más del 40%. Hasta ahora han sido notificadosen toda América más de 1500 casos de SCPH y aproximadamente más de 15 variantes de hantavirus genéticay serológicamente distintos asociados a roedores sigmodontinos. Las formas clínicas leves-autolimitadas, moderadasy graves de la enfermedad, los antecedentes de transmisión persona a persona y una incidencia mayorde manifestaciones clínicas extrapulmonares que se diferencian de la enfermedad clásica descrita por primera vez en EE.UU., son aspectos importantes sobre la epidemiología de los hantavirus y el SCPH enLatinoamérica; sin embargo, la historia completa de los hantavirus está aún por escribirse, debido a la naturalezadinámica de estos virus y sus patologías, y a la complejidad de los factores que intervienen en su aparición, establecimiento y diseminación en poblaciones humanas y animales. Latinoamérica continúa representando laporción del continente con una oportunidad única y desafiante para el ...

The role of C-peptide in the classification of diabetes mellitus

We investigated twenty-one insulin-using patients, who had all been labelled as having diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or type one diabetes. Physicians have been erroneously using the term IDDM loosely to include all diabetics on insulin. The clinical criteria of the National Diabetes Data Group/WHO were used to reclassify these patients. Only thirteen were found to have IDDM and eight non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Using fasting C-peptide values, only five of the thirteen with clinical IDDM truly had IDDM, the others might have maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) or diabetes in the young. Of the eight with clinical NIDDM seven had normal to high C-peptide values; the lone patient with low C-peptide values had diabetes diagnosed at 64 years. We conclude that the clinical classification of diabetes mellitus may be inaccurate and that C-peptide evaluation improves the accuracy of the classification.