Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS): a Brazilian cohort.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been described since mid-April 2020 with the first reports coming from Europe. Our objective was to describe the characteristics of patients among the Brazilian population. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted with the participation of five pediatric rheumatology centers in Brazil during the period from March to November 2020. Children and adolescents with PIMS temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (TS) who met the definition criteria for the disease according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, therapeutic characteristics and molecular and serological diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection were described. RESULTS: Fifty-seven children and adolescents with PIMS-TS were evaluated, 54% female, with a median age of 8 (3-11) years. Most (86%) were previously healthy, with asthma being the main comorbidity, present in 10% of the patients. Fever was the main manifestation, present in all patients, followed by mucocutaneous and gastrointestinal features, present in 89% and 81% of the patients, respectively. Myocarditis occurred in 21% of the patients and in 68% of them required intensive care. The Kawasaki disease phenotype occurred in most patients (77%). All patients had elevated inflammatory markers, with elevated CRP being the most found (98%). Anemia and lymphopenia were present in 79% and 72%, respectively. Laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV-2 was found in 77% of the patients, with 39% positive RT-PCR and 84% positive serology for SARS-CoV-2. An immunomodulatory treatment was performed in 91% of the patients, with 67% receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) associated with glucocorticoid, 21% receiving IVIG, and 3.5% receiving glucocorticoid. The median length of hospitalization was 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a high morbidity of PIMS-TS in Brazilian children, with a prolonged length of hospitalization and a high rate of admission to pediatric intensive care unit. Multicenter prospective studies are needed to assess the morbidity of the disease in the medium and long term.

Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS): a Brazilian cohort

Abstract Background: Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been described since mid-April 2020 with the first reports coming from Europe. Our objective was to describe the characteristics of patients among the Brazilian population. Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted with the participation of five pediatric rheumatology centers in Brazil during the period from March to November 2020. Children and adolescents with PIMS temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (TS) who met the definition criteria for the disease according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, therapeutic characteristics and molecular and serological diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection were described. Results: Fifty-seven children and adolescents with PIMS-TS were evaluated, 54% female, with a median age of 8 (3-11) years. Most (86%) were previously healthy, with asthma being the main comorbidity, present in 10% of the patients. Fever was the main manifestation, present in all patients, followed by mucocutaneous and gastrointestinal features, present in 89% and 81% of the patients, respectively. Myocarditis occurred in 21% of the patients and in 68% of them required intensive care. The Kawasaki disease phenotype occurred in most patients (77%). All patients had elevated inflammatory markers, with elevated CRP being the most found (98%). Anemia and lymphopenia were present in 79% and 72%, respectively. Laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV-2 was found in 77% of the patients, with 39% positive RT-PCR and 84% positive serology for SARS-CoV-2. An immunomodulatory treatment was performed in 91% of the patients, with 67% receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) associated with glucocorticoid, 21% receiving IVIG, and 3.5% receiving glucocorticoid. The median length of hospitalization was 10 days. Conclusions: This study showed a high morbidity of PIMS-TS in Brazilian children, with a prolonged length of hospitalization and a high rate of admission to pediatric intensive care unit. Multicenter prospective studies are needed to assess the morbidity of the disease in the medium and long term.

Enolase from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: isolation and identification as a fibronectin-binding protein.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells can enter mammalian cells and may manipulate the host cell environment to favour their own growth and survival. Moreover, fibronectin and several other host extracellular matrix proteins are recognized by various components of the yeast cell extracts. The present study was designed to isolate and characterize a fibronectin-binding protein from P. brasiliensis. We also compared P. brasiliensis strain 18, tested before (Pb18a) and after (Pb18b) animal passage, in relation to its adhesion and invasion processes. Extracts from both samples, when cultured on blood agar solid medium, showed higher levels of protein expression than when the same samples were cultured on Fava-Netto solid medium, as demonstrated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and SDS-PAGE. Also, both Pb18a and Pb18b exhibited stronger adhesion to A549 epithelial cells when cultured on blood agar medium than when cultured on Fava-Netto medium. Ligand affinity binding assays revealed a protein of 54 kDa and pI 5.6 in P. brasiliensis cell-free extracts with the properties of a fibronectin-binding adhesin, which was characterized by tryptic digestion and mass spectroscopy as a homologue of enolase from P. brasiliensis. Antibody raised against this 54 kDa protein abolished 80 % of P. brasiliensis adhesion to A549 epithelial cells. Our results demonstrate that P. brasiliensis produces a fibronectin-binding adhesin, irrespective of the culture medium, and that this activity can be inhibited by a specific antibody and is involved in the adhesion of the fungus to pulmonary epithelial cells.