Leptospirosis as a cause of infertility in Uruguayan beef cattle.

Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira spp., is a globally significant zoonotic disease that affects humans and animals. In cattle, leptospirosis is associated not only with overt clinical manifestations but also with reproductive diseases, including infertility. This study assesses the potential correlation between leptospirosis and infertility in Uruguayan beef cattle. A case-control study involved 31 beef herds with no prior history of Leptospira vaccination. In each herd, veterinarians identified 10 non-pregnant (cases) and 25 pregnant cows (controls) using ultrasound, and blood and urine samples were collected from each cow. Serological diagnosis was performed using the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), and quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to assess Leptospira excretion. Additionally, antibodies against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) were tested. The results demonstrated an association between seropositivity to the Sejroe serogroup (cut-off 1:200) and infertility in cattle (OR=1.31; p-value=0.06). Furthermore, the level of Leptospira excretion (qPCR) in urine was associated with increased infertility risk, with cows excreting over 100 copies per mL of urine having the highest odds of infertility (OR=2.34; p-value<0.01). This study suggests a potential association between leptospirosis and infertility in Uruguayan beef cattle, emphasizing the importance of both serological and molecular diagnostics for assessing reproductive health in cattle herds. Future research should explore the impact of Leptospira serogroups on other reproductive disorders in cattle.

Uso de la escala LRINEC en pacientes con infecciones necrosantes en el miembro superior y su correlación con la morbimortalidad ortopédica / LRINEC score diagnostic value for necrotizing infections of the upper extremity and correlation with morbidity and mortality in orthopedics patients

Objetivo: Utilizar la escala LRINEC en pacientes con infecciones necrosantes de miembros superiores y evaluar su correlación con la morbimortalidad ortopédica. Materiales y Métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de las historias clínicas de los pacientes operados por nuestro equipo, entre el 1 de marzo de 2015 y el 1 de marzo de 2020. Se registraron los puntajes de la escala LRINEC de cada paciente operado con diagnóstico clínico y posoperatorio de infección necrosante de partes blandas, así como sus antecedentes clínicos, el microorganismo, las complicaciones y la morbimortalidad ortopédica, y otros datos clínicos importantes (tiempo de internación en terapia intensiva, necesidad de asistencia respiratoria mecánica y de diálisis, cantidad de cirugías), y se los comparó con el puntaje. Resultados: Se analizaron 4126 historias clínicas de pacientes operados por nuestro equipo. Tres tuvieron infecciones necrosantes del miembro superior. El puntaje aplicado en forma retrospectiva determinó que todos tenían una alta probabilidad de sufrir una infección necrosante. Los pacientes con puntaje más alto desarrollaron más comorbilidades ortopédicas y clínicas. Conclusiones: La escala LRINEC es un instrumento reproducible para el diagnóstico de infecciones necrosantes de partes blandas y está relacionada con el número de complicaciones y la morbilidad ortopédica, aunque no necesariamente con la cantidad de cirugías realizadas. Nivel de Evidencia: II

Objective: To use the LRINEC scoring system for necrotizing infections of the upper extremity and study its correlation with morbidity and mortality in Orthopedics patients Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the medical records of patients operated on by our team between March 1, 2015, and March 1, 2020. Data collection included the LRINEC scores of every patient who underwent surgery and had a clinical and postoperative diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infection, as well as their clinical history, causative organism, complications, Orthopedics-related morbidity and mortality data, and other significant clinical data (length of intensive care stay, need for mechanical respiratory assistance, need for dialysis, number of surgeries), which were then compared with their respective LRINEC score. Results: The review included 4126 medical records of patients who had undergone surgery by our team. There were three recorded cases of necrotizing infections in the upper extremity. Their LRINEC scores were retrospectively calculated and all of them showed a high risk of developing a necrotizing infection. The patients with the highest scores developed more Orthopedics and other clinical conditions. Conclusions: The LRINEC score is a reproducible method for the diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections and is related to the number of complications and orthopedic conditions, although not necessarily with the number of surgeries. Level of Evidence: II