Prevalencia de anticuerpos anti- Trypanosoma cruzi en mujeres en edad fértil en Socotá, Boyacá, 2014 / Prevalence of anti- Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in women of childbearing age in Socotá, Boyacá, 2014

Introducción. La enfermedad de Chagas es una parasitosis causada por el protozoo Trypanosoma cruzi . Los factores de riesgo epidemiológico están asociados con las condiciones socioeconómicas y, actualmente, la enfermedad constituye un importante problema de salud pública; hay reportes en los que se ha registrado en regiones endémicas situadas hasta los 2.000 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Objetivo. Determinar la prevalencia de anticuerpos anti- T. cruzi y los posibles factores asociados a esta condición en mujeres en edad fértil del municipio de Socotá, Boyacá. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio observacional, descriptivo y de corte transversal en una población de mujeres en edad fértil del municipio de Socotá, Boyacá. Las muestras se analizaron mediante las pruebas serológicas ELISA IgG e IgM para Chagas y de hemaglutinación indirecta. Se consideraron como confirmados aquellos casos con resultados positivos en ambas pruebas. Se hizo un análisis univariado y una asociación estadística de variables. Resultados. Se halló una prevalencia confirmada de 1,4 % (2/138) en este municipio. La tenencia de animales en la casa y el contacto con el vector se detectaron entre los factores asociados, aunque sin significación estadística. Conclusiones. Con base en los resultados del presente estudio, se sugiere una búsqueda activa de casos de la enfermedad de Chagas en zonas no endémicas de Colombia que presenten los factores de riesgo para la adquisición de la enfermedad, aun cuando las condiciones climáticas y la altura sobre el nivel del mar sean diferentes a las descritas en la literatura científica.

Introduction: Chagas´ disease is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. This condition presents epidemiological risk factors associated with socioeconomic conditions and is currently considered an important public health problem. Its presence has been reported in endemic regions at elevations of up to 2,000 meters above sea level. Objective: To determine the prevalence of anti- T. cruzi antibodies and the possible risk factors associated with this condition in women of childbearing age from the town of Socotá, Boyacá. Materials and methods: An observational, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of women of childbearing age from Socotá, Boyacá. The samples were analyzed by Chagas ELISA IgG and IgM test and indirect hemagglutination test. A univariate analysis and statistical association of variables were performed. Results: A confirmed prevalence of 2/138 (1.4%) was found in this town. Having pets or a history of contact with vectors were possible associated risk factors although without statistical significance. Conclusions: From the results obtained in the present study, it is suggested that more active research be carried out for cases of Chagas´ disease in non-endemic areas in Colombia that present risk factors for acquiring the disease, even when the environmental conditions and elevation differ from those described in the literature.

Prevalence of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in women of childbearing age in Socotá, Boyacá, 2014.

INTRODUCTION: Chagas' disease is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. This condition presents epidemiological risk factors associated with socioeconomic conditions and is currently considered an important public health problem. Its presence has been reported in endemic regions at elevations of up to 2,000 meters above sea level.  OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of anti-T. cruzi antibodies and the possible risk factors associated with this condition in women of childbearing age from the town of Socotá, Boyacá.  MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of women of childbearing age from Socotá, Boyacá. The samples were analyzed by Chagas ELISA IgG and IgM test and indirect hemagglutination test. A univariate analysis and statistical association of variables were performed.  RESULTS: A confirmed prevalence of 2/138 (1.4%) was found in this town. Having pets or a history of contact with vectors were possible associated risk factors although without statistical significance.  CONCLUSIONS: From the results obtained in the present study, it is suggested that more active research be carried out for cases of Chagas' disease in non-endemic areas in Colombia that present risk factors for acquiring the disease, even when the environmental conditions and elevation differ from those described in the literature.

Determinación de genes que codifican la resistencia de betalactamasas de espectro extendido en bacilos Gram negativos aislados de urocultivos / Determination of genes encoding beta-lactamase resistance spread spectrum Gram negative bacteria isolated from urine cultures

Introducción. Las betalactamasas de espectro extendido (BLEE) son un grupo de enzimas que confieren resistencia bacteriana a un amplio espectro de antibióticos betalactámicos codificados en plásmidos y que deben estudiarse como herramientas de vigilancia del comportamiento de microorganismos frente al uso de antibióticos. Objetivo. Determinar los genes que codifican la resistencia en bacilos gramnegativos con fenotipo BLEE aislados de urocultivos, en una institución prestadora de servicios de salud del departamento de Boyacá. Métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio observacional, descriptivo y de corte transversal. Se identifica-ron 19 cepas resistentes con fenotipo BLEE, siguiendo los lineamientos del Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI M100-S23), y se estableció el índice de concordancia para la identificación microbiológica. Por medio de la estandarización de la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR), se determinó la presencia de los genes blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX y Amp-C en estas 19 cepas. Resultados. Se encontró que las 19 cepas con fenotipo BLEE (100 %) presentaban resistencia a la ampicilina; 12 (63,2 %) a la ampicilina-sulbactam; 17 (89,5 %) a la cefalotina; 16 (84,2 %) a la cefuroxima; 17 (89,5%) a la cefotaxima; 17 (89,5 %) a la ceftriaxona y 14 (73,7%) al cefepime. En 18 aislamientos se hizo amplificación de los genes, de los cuales 12 (61,11 %) posiblemente presentaron el gen blaCTX; 10 (55,6 %) el gen AmpC; 9 (50 %) el gen blaSHV y 7 (38,88 %) el gen blaTEM. Conclusión. La presencia de los genes blaCTX, AmpC, blaSHV y blaTEM presenta importancia epide-miológica, probablemente por la capacidad para movilizar la información genética de la resistencia en el ambiente hospitalario, donde tienen un claro potencial epidémico.

Introduction: Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) are a group of enzymes that confers bacterial resistance to a wide spectrum of betalactam antibiotics. These are coded in plasmids and should be studied as surveillance tools to watch the behavior of microorganisms towards the use of antibiotics. Objective: To determine the resistance coding genes in gram-negative bacilli with ESBL phenotype isolated from urine cultures, in a health services institution in the department of Boyacá. Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out. Nineteen different strains with ESBL phenotype were identified, by following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI M100-S23) guidelines; and the microbiological identification concordance index was established. Through polimerase chain reaction (PCR) technique standardization, the presence of blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX, and Amp-C genes was determined for the 19 strains mentioned. Results: All of the nineteen strains with ESBL phenotype (100%) were found to be resistant to ampiciline; 12 (63,2%) resistant to ampicilin sulbactam; 17 (89,5%) to cephalothin; 16 (84,2 %) to cefuroxime; 17 (89,5%) to cefotaxime; 17 (89,5%) to ceftriaxione, and 14 (73,7%) to cefepime. Gene amplification was performed on 18 isolates, 12 (61,11%) of them possibly presented the blaCTX gene; 10 (55,6%) the AmpC gene; 9 (50 %) the blaSHV gene, and 7 (38,88%) the blaTEM gene. Conclusion: The presence of blaCTX, AmpC, blaSHV, and blaTEM genes represents epidemiological importance, probably because of its capacity to mobilize genetic resistance information inside the hospitalary environment in which they have a clear epidemic potential.

Caracterización fenotípica de bacilos Gram negativos con betalactamasas de espectro extendido y carbapenemasas / Phenotypic characterization of gram negative bacilli with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases

Introducción: La resistencia bacteriana de los bacilos Gram negativos tiene un importante impacto económico y social en salud pública. Ha incrementado la morbilidad y la mortalidad en los últimos años, conllevando incremento de costos en salud; es un hecho significativo que orienta la implementación de acciones de prevención y estudio, mediante la identifi-cación de los perfiles regionales como estrategia de vigilancia y contención de la resistencia. Objetivo: Caracterizar fenotípicamente la resistencia en cepas de bacilos Gram negativos aislados de infecciones, en un centro hospitalario de segundo nivel en el departamento de Boyacá, Colombia. Métodos: Se hizo un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal. La identificación bacteriana y las pruebas de sensibilidad se determinaron mediante el método automatizado VITEK®. Los fenotipos de resistencia a ß-lactamasas de espectro extendido y carbapenemasas, se confir-maron siguiendo la metodología del Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Resultados: Se procesaron 458 cultivos durante cuatro meses, de los cuales 298 fueron negativos y 160 mostraron aislamientos bacterianos positivos; 127 eran procedentes de uro-cultivo. El patógeno prevalente fue Escherichia coli. De las cepas de estudio, se confirmó el fenotipo ß-lactamasa en 11 aislamientos y uno para el fenotipo ß-lactamasa/carbapenemasa. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos del presente estudio evidencian que E. coli es el microorganis-mo predominante a partir de los aislamientos que presentan un fenotipo multirresistente. La identificación de este tipo de cepas bacterianas, que son una amenaza en el ambiente hospitalario y el comunitario, amerita un cambio en las estrategias de contención de la mul-tirresistencia; igualmente, los resultados identifican el panorama epidemiológico regional.

Introduction: Bacterial resistance has a big impact economically and socially, great public health importance among which the extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases, have increased morbidity and mortality in the last years, significant fact that guides the imple-mentation of prevention and control through national and international monitoring. Objective: To characterize phenotypically the resistance of Gram negative bacilli strains iso-lated from infections in a second level hospital in the department of Boyacá, Colombia. Methods: A descriptive transversal study was conducted. Bacterial identification and suscep-tibility testing were determined through an automated method, VITEK®; resistance pheno-types extended spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases were confirmed following standards of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: Four hundred and fifty eight cultures were processed during four months, 298 were negative, and 160 with positive bacterial isolates; 127 were isolated from urine culturea, Escherichia coli was the prevalent pathogen. From strains of the study 11 beta-lactamase phenotype isolates and one beta-lactamase/carbapenemase phenotype were confirmed. Conclusions: The findings of this study show that E. coli is the predominant organism from isolates which show a phenotype with multiple antibiotics resistance. The identification of this kind of bacterial strains proposes a change in the strategies of containment of multidrug resistance, being a threat in the hospital and community environment; the results also iden-tify the regional epidemiological overview.

A high resolution map of mammalian X chromosome fragile regions assessed by large-scale comparative genomics.

Chromosomal evolution involves multiple changes at structural and numerical levels. These changes, which are related to the variation of the gene number and their location, can be tracked by the identification of syntenic blocks (SB). First reports proposed that ~180-280 SB might be shared by mouse and human species. More recently, further studies including additional genomes have identified up to ~1,400 SB during the evolution of eutherian species. A considerable number of studies regarding the X chromosome's structure and evolution have been undertaken because of its extraordinary biological impact on reproductive fitness and speciation. Some have identified evolutionary breakpoint regions and fragile sites at specific locations in the human X chromosome. However, mapping these regions to date has involved using low-to-moderate resolution techniques. Such scenario might be related to underestimating their total number and giving an inaccurate location. The present study included using a combination of bioinformatics methods for identifying, at base-pair level, chromosomal rearrangements occurring during X chromosome evolution in 13 mammalian species. A comparative technique using four different algorithms was used for optimizing the detection of hotspot regions in the human X chromosome. We identified a significant interspecific variation in SB size which was related to genetic information gain regarding the human X chromosome. We found that human hotspot regions were enriched by LINE-1 and Alu transposable elements, which may have led to intraspecific chromosome rearrangement events. New fragile regions located in the human X chromosome have also been postulated. We estimate that the high resolution map of X chromosome fragile sites presented here constitutes useful data concerning future studies on mammalian evolution and human disease.