Clinical, laboratory and epidemiological aspects of HPV infection in a low-income population from South Bahia, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the Southern region of the State of Bahia, evaluating the performance of alternative complementary methods for cervical lesion detection. Cervical samples from women who attended healthcare units were collected and diagnosed by visual inspection, cervical cytology and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Moreover, hemi-nested PCR was performed to detect different HPV genotypes. The prevalence of HPV infection was 47·7%, with genotype 16 detected in most cases. Infection was associated with dyspareunia and bleeding (P < 0·001, odds ratio (OR) 5·6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·815-11·14) and hormonal contraceptive use (P = 0·007, OR 2·33, 95% CI 1·25-4·34). There was a positive correlation between positive PCR and positive visual inspection, cervical cytology and symptoms reported. Furthermore, visual inspection was twice as specific, and had a greater positive predictive value than cytology. We showed a high prevalence of HPV infection in Southern Bahia, with HPV 16 being the most common type, and visual inspection being most effective at detecting HPV lesions, corroborating the suggestion that it can be applied in routine gynecologic examinations for low-income populations.

Qualidade higiênico-sanitária do acarajé e seus complementos, comercializados em diferentes pontos turísticos da cidade de Salvador, BA / Hygienic-sanitary quality of the \"acarajé\" and its complements, marketed in different tourist points of Salvador city, Bahia

O acarajé, juntamente com o vatapá, salada e camaräo-seco defumado usados como complementos, é um alimento saboroso que faz parte da culinária baiana, muito consumido pela populaçäo local e por turistas durante, principalmente, os meses de veräo, em vários pontos de venda ambulante. Teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade higiênico sanitária de 23 amostras de acarajé e 23 amostras de seus complementos, comercializados por "Baianas" em diferentes pontos turísticos de Salvador - Bahia e identificar quais os microrganismos presentes nestes alimentos, através da realizaçäo de determinaçöes segundo os padröes microbiológicos específicos para cada um dos alimentos da portaria 451 de setembro de 1997 do Ministério da Saúde (2), seguindo-se a metodologia da American Public Health Association - APHA (1). Os resultados mostraram que 39,13 por cento dos acarajés; 95,65 por cento dos vatapás; 82,6 por cento das saladas e 100 por cento dos camaröes - secos encontraram-se em condiçöes impróprias para consumo, por apresentarem contaminaçöes acima dos padröes legais vigentes, para Coliformes fecais, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostrídios sulfito redutores e Salmonella.