Challenges of acute febrile illness diagnosis in a national infectious diseases center in Rio de Janeiro: 16-year experience of syndromic surveillance.

INTRODUCTION: Acute febrile illnesses (AFI) are a frequent chief complaint in outpatients. Because the capacity to investigate the causative pathogen of AFIs is limited in low- and middle-income countries, patient management may be suboptimal. Understanding the distribution of causes of AFI can improve patient outcomes. This study aims to describe the most common etiologies diagnosed over a 16-years period in a national reference center for tropical diseases in a large urban center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: From August 2004-December 2019, 3591 patients > 12 years old, with AFI and/or rash were eligible. Complementary exams for etiological investigation were requested using syndromic classification as a decision guide. Results. Among the 3591 patients included, endemic arboviruses such as chikungunya (21%), dengue (15%) and zika (6%) were the most common laboratory-confirmed diagnosis, together with travel-related malaria (11%). Clinical presumptive diagnosis lacked sensitivity for emerging diseases such as zika (31%). Rickettsia disease and leptospirosis were rarely investigated and an infrequent finding when based purely on clinical features. Respiratory symptoms increased the odds for the diagnostic remaining inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Numerous patients did not have a conclusive etiologic diagnosis. Since syndromic classification used for standardization of etiological investigation and presumptive clinical diagnosis had moderate accuracy, it is necessary to incorporate new diagnostic technologies to improve diagnostic accuracy and surveillance capacity.

Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Cohort of Pregnant Women with Comorbid Disorders.

There are some reports and case series addressing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections during pregnancy in upper income countries, but there are few data on pregnant women with comorbid conditions in low and middle income Countries. This study evaluated the proportion and the maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among pregnant women with comorbidities. Participants were recruited consecutively in order of admission to a maternity for pregnant women with comorbidities. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were prospectively collected during hospitalization. Pregnant women were screened at entry: nasopharyngeal swabs were tested by RT-PCR; serum samples were tested for IgG antibodies against spike protein by ELISA. From April to June 2020, 115 eligible women were included in the study. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 28.7%. The rate of obesity was 60.9%, vascular hypertension 40.0%, and HIV 21.7%. The most common clinical presentations were ageusia (21.2%), anosmia (18.2%), and fever (18.2%). Prematurity was higher among mothers who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection based on RT-PCR. There were two cases of fetal demise. We found a high proportion of COVID-19 among pregnant women with comorbidities. This underscores the importance of antenatal care during the pandemic to implement universal SARS-CoV-2 screening, precautionary measures, and the rollout of vaccination programs for pregnant women.

Caring in the age of COVID-19: lessons from science and society. / Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19: lições aprendidas entre a ciência e a sociedade.

This paper focuses on our research and intervention in health promotion with patients and communities affected by various infectious diseases, in the project Knowledge-Sharing Platform. This project is developed at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas in the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and promotes the continuing involvement of health researchers and professionals in the collaborative production of knowledge on health with patients and community groups and in their training as community health promoters. The new epidemic scenario created the demand for a space of dialogue and knowledge-sharing on the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Due to the interruption of regular activities in the Knowledge-Sharing Platform, a strategy was launched to serve as a link between science and society and help overcome the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WhatsApp group allowed project members to participate by addressing questions (audio) on COVID-19 through mediation by community group leaders. The main questions by participants related to risk factors, transmission, immunity to the novel coronavirus, care related to prevention, symptoms, and treatment; and COVID-19 and influenza vaccine. The educational material Caring in the Age of COVID-19 was produced and shared with community leaders and distributed to the respective groups and was eventually shared in their communities as a response to a demand for knowledge that responds to the concerns of people already exposed to structural vulnerability.

Esta comunicação é centrada na nossa pesquisa e intervenção em promoção da saúde com pacientes e comunidades afetadas por diversas doenças infecciosas, no projeto Plataforma de Saberes. Esse projeto é desenvolvido no Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, e promove o envolvimento continuado de pesquisadores e profissionais de saúde na produção colaborativa de conhecimento sobre saúde com pacientes e grupos comunitários, e na sua capacitação como promotores de saúde comunitária. Face ao novo cenário epidêmico, surgiu a demanda de um espaço de diálogo e partilha de conhecimento sobre prevenção da transmissão da COVID-19. Devido à interrupção das atividades regulares do Plataforma de Saberes, foi promovida uma estratégia que servisse de elo integrador entre ciência e sociedade e ajudasse a superar o isolamento social imposto pela pandemia da COVID-19. O grupo de WhatsApp possibilitou aos integrantes do projeto participarem por meio de formulação de perguntas (áudio) sobre a COVID-19, por intermédio da mediação dos líderes de grupos comunitários. Os principais questionamentos dos participantes estão relacionados com fatores de risco; formas de transmissão; imunidade ao novo vírus; cuidados relacionados à prevenção, sintomas e tratamento; COVID-19 e vacina da influenza. O material educativo Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19 foi produzido e compartilhado com os líderes comunitários e disponibilizado aos respectivos grupos, e veio a ser disseminado nas suas comunidades como resposta a uma demanda de conhecimento que responde às preocupações vividas pelos que já se encontram em situação de vulnerabilidade estrutural.

Esta comunicación se centra en nuestra investigación e intervención en la promoción de la salud con pacientes y comunidades afectadas por diversas enfermedades infecciosas, en el proyecto Plataforma de Saberes. Este proyecto está desarrollado en el Instituto Nacional de Infectología Evandro Chagas/Fundación Oswaldo Cruz, en Río de Janeiro, Brasil, y promueve la implicación continuada de investigadores y profesionales de salud en la producción colaborativa de conocimiento sobre salud con pacientes y grupos comunitarios, y en su capacitación como promotores de salud comunitaria. Frente al nuevo escenario epidémico, surgió la demanda de un espacio de diálogo e intercambio de conocimiento sobre la prevención de la transmisión de la COVID-19. Debido a la interrupción de las actividades regulares de la Plataforma de Saberes, se promovió una estrategia que sirviese de vínculo integrador entre ciencia y sociedad y ayudase a superar el aislamiento social impuesto por la pandemia de la COVID-19. El grupo de WhatsApp posibilitó a los integrantes del proyecto, que participaran mediante la formulación de preguntas (audio) sobre la COVID-19, a través de la mediación de los líderes de grupos comunitarios. Los principales cuestionamientos de los participantes se relacionaron con factores de riesgo; formas de transmisión; inmunidad ante el nuevo virus; cuidados relacionados con la prevención, síntomas y tratamiento; COVID-19 y vacuna de la gripe. El material educativo Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19 se produjo y se compartió con los líderes comunitarios y fue puesto a disposición de los respectivos grupos, así como difundido en sus comunidades, en respuesta a una demanda de conocimiento que responde a las preocupaciones vividas por los que ya se encuentran en situación de vulnerabilidad estructural.

Treatment dropout after pregnancy: a study of women living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite the investment in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, there is still little data about the proportion of women that are retained in treatment after pregnancy in Brazil. Research worldwide shows that a significant proportion of women drop out of treatment after pregnancy. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with treatment dropout of women that received prenatal care at a federal hospital in Rio de Janeiro between 2016 and 2017 and abandoned treatment after pregnancy. This was a retrospective cohort study using data on prescription refills and hospital medical records. Cross-sectional analysis of data from 454 women showed that 18% were not on cART after pregnancy. Illicit drug use during pregnancy, being less than 35 years old, and being aware of HIV diagnosis before conceiving but not taking cART were factors associated with treatment interruption postpartum. The high prevalence of interruption of HIV treatment after pregnancy suggests that there is a need for better post-natal care to increase adherence in this population.

Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19: lições aprendidas entre a ciência e a sociedade / Cuidar en tiempos del COVID-19: lecciones aprendidas entre la ciencia y la sociedad / Caring in the age of COVID-19: lessons from science and society

Resumo: Esta comunicação é centrada na nossa pesquisa e intervenção em promoção da saúde com pacientes e comunidades afetadas por diversas doenças infecciosas, no projeto Plataforma de Saberes. Esse projeto é desenvolvido no Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, e promove o envolvimento continuado de pesquisadores e profissionais de saúde na produção colaborativa de conhecimento sobre saúde com pacientes e grupos comunitários, e na sua capacitação como promotores de saúde comunitária. Face ao novo cenário epidêmico, surgiu a demanda de um espaço de diálogo e partilha de conhecimento sobre prevenção da transmissão da COVID-19. Devido à interrupção das atividades regulares do Plataforma de Saberes, foi promovida uma estratégia que servisse de elo integrador entre ciência e sociedade e ajudasse a superar o isolamento social imposto pela pandemia da COVID-19. O grupo de WhatsApp possibilitou aos integrantes do projeto participarem por meio de formulação de perguntas (áudio) sobre a COVID-19, por intermédio da mediação dos líderes de grupos comunitários. Os principais questionamentos dos participantes estão relacionados com fatores de risco; formas de transmissão; imunidade ao novo vírus; cuidados relacionados à prevenção, sintomas e tratamento; COVID-19 e vacina da influenza. O material educativo Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19 foi produzido e compartilhado com os líderes comunitários e disponibilizado aos respectivos grupos, e veio a ser disseminado nas suas comunidades como resposta a uma demanda de conhecimento que responde às preocupações vividas pelos que já se encontram em situação de vulnerabilidade estrutural.

Resumen: Esta comunicación se centra en nuestra investigación e intervención en la promoción de la salud con pacientes y comunidades afectadas por diversas enfermedades infecciosas, en el proyecto Plataforma de Saberes. Este proyecto está desarrollado en el Instituto Nacional de Infectología Evandro Chagas/Fundación Oswaldo Cruz, en Río de Janeiro, Brasil, y promueve la implicación continuada de investigadores y profesionales de salud en la producción colaborativa de conocimiento sobre salud con pacientes y grupos comunitarios, y en su capacitación como promotores de salud comunitaria. Frente al nuevo escenario epidémico, surgió la demanda de un espacio de diálogo e intercambio de conocimiento sobre la prevención de la transmisión de la COVID-19. Debido a la interrupción de las actividades regulares de la Plataforma de Saberes, se promovió una estrategia que sirviese de vínculo integrador entre ciencia y sociedad y ayudase a superar el aislamiento social impuesto por la pandemia de la COVID-19. El grupo de WhatsApp posibilitó a los integrantes del proyecto, que participaran mediante la formulación de preguntas (audio) sobre la COVID-19, a través de la mediación de los líderes de grupos comunitarios. Los principales cuestionamientos de los participantes se relacionaron con factores de riesgo; formas de transmisión; inmunidad ante el nuevo virus; cuidados relacionados con la prevención, síntomas y tratamiento; COVID-19 y vacuna de la gripe. El material educativo Cuidar em tempos da COVID-19 se produjo y se compartió con los líderes comunitarios y fue puesto a disposición de los respectivos grupos, así como difundido en sus comunidades, en respuesta a una demanda de conocimiento que responde a las preocupaciones vividas por los que ya se encuentran en situación de vulnerabilidad estructural.

Abstract: This paper focuses on our research and intervention in health promotion with patients and communities affected by various infectious diseases, in the project Knowledge-Sharing Platform. This project is developed at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas in the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and promotes the continuing involvement of health researchers and professionals in the collaborative production of knowledge on health with patients and community groups and in their training as community health promoters. The new epidemic scenario created the demand for a space of dialogue and knowledge-sharing on the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Due to the interruption of regular activities in the Knowledge-Sharing Platform, a strategy was launched to serve as a link between science and society and help overcome the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WhatsApp group allowed project members to participate by addressing questions (audio) on COVID-19 through mediation by community group leaders. The main questions by participants related to risk factors, transmission, immunity to the novel coronavirus, care related to prevention, symptoms, and treatment; and COVID-19 and influenza vaccine. The educational material Caring in the Age of COVID-19 was produced and shared with community leaders and distributed to the respective groups and was eventually shared in their communities as a response to a demand for knowledge that responds to the concerns of people already exposed to structural vulnerability.

Zika Virus Infection Associated With Congenital Birth Defects in a HIV-infected Pregnant Woman.

We describe a case of Zika virus infection acquired during the first trimester in a HIV-infected pregnant woman that led to multiple fetal malformations and fetal demise in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Doenças associadas ao HPV em genitália externa de homens com infecção pelo HIV / Diseases associated with HPV in the external genitalia of men with HIV infection

As infecções causadas pelo papillomavírus humano ( HPV ) estão entre as infecções virais transmitidas sexualmente mais frequentes no mundo, sendo o condiloma sua apresentação mais comum. A prevalência de lesões pelo HPV é significativamente maior entre pacientes infectados pelo HIV. Embora haja muitos estudos a respeito da epidemiologia e patogênese da infecção pelo HPV em mulheres, pouco se conhece acerca dessa infecção em homens. Esse estudo tem por objetivo descrever as características da infecção pelo HPV encontradas em genitália externa de homens soropositivos para o HIV, e contribuir para o conhecimento da interação HIV/HPV. Trinta pacientes soropositivos para o HIV que apresentavam lesões em genitália externa relacionadas a infecção pelo HPV foram avaliados e os parâmetros clínicos, histopatológicos e imunológicos foram analisados de acordo com os tipos de HPV encontrados...

Os diagnósticos histopatológicos encontrados foram: papulose bowenóide (n=4) condiloma acuminado (n=23), sendo que 3 apresentavam displasia associada, carcinoma de células escamosas moderadamente diferenciado (n=1) e eritroplasia de Queyrat (n=1). Um paciente apresentou condiloma acuminado e papulose bowenóide ao mesmo tempo. Seis pacientes apresentaram somente HPVs de alto risco, 10 apresentaram somente HPVs de baixo risco, 13 apresentaram ambos os grupos e 1 paciente apresentou resultado negativo. A carga viral para o HPV de alto risco foi maior nos pacientes que apresentavam carcinoma e a carga viral para o HPV de baixo risco foi maior nos pacientes que apresentavam condiloma. Nosso trabalho corrobora a realização de biopsia em todas as lesões compatíveis com infecção pelo HPV presentes em região anogenital de homens soropositivos para o HIV para que um tratamento e acompanhamento adequados possam ser efetuados...

Cat scratch disease complicated with aseptic meningitis and neuroretinitis.

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a self limited condition characterized by fever, lymph node enlargement and less often eye involvement. Central nervous system involvement by Bartonella henselae infection is possibly an important cause of morbidity; its role as an agent of aseptic meningitis is unknown. We report a case of a 40 years-old man with CSD accompanied by aseptic meningitis and neuroretinitis. Serum indirect immmunofluorescence (IFI) assays for B. henselae were positive and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed mononuclear pleocytosis and increased level of protein. Serological tests for other etiologies were negative. The patient responded well to antibiotic therapy with oral doxycicline plus rifampin and in the 12th day of hospitalization evolved to total regression of the headache and partial regression of the visual loss. Clinicians should consider CSD as a differential diagnosis when assessing previously healthy patients with aseptic meningitis associated with regional lymphadenopathy and epidemiological history of feline contact.

Cat scratch disease complicated with aseptic meningitis and neuroretinitis

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a self limited condition characterized by fever, lymph node enlargement and less often eye involvement. Central nervous system involvement by Bartonella henselae infection is possibly an important cause of morbidity; its role as an agent of aseptic meningitis is unknown. We report a case of a 40 years-old man with CSD accompanied by aseptic meningitis and neuroretinitis. Serum indirect immmunofluorescence (IFI) assays for B. henselae were positive and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed mononuclear pleocytosis and increased level of protein. Serological tests for other etiologies were negative. The patient responded well to antibiotic therapy with oral doxycicline plus rifampin and in the 12th day of hospitalization evolved to total regression of the headache and partial regression of the visual loss. Clinicians should consider CSD as a differential diagnosis when assessing previously healthy patients with aseptic meningitis associated with regional lymphadenopathy and epidemiological history of feline contact.