Fungal populations in the bedroom dust of children in Havana, Cuba, and its relationship with environmental conditions.

The study of the fungal community composition in house dust is useful to assess the accumulative exposure to fungi in indoor environments. The objective of this research was to characterize the fungal diversity of house dust and its association with the environmental conditions of bedrooms. For this, the dust was collected from 41 bedrooms of children between the ages of 8 and 9 with a family history of asthma, residents of Havana, Cuba. The fungal content of each sample was determined by two methods: plate culture with malt extract agar and by direct microscopy. An ecological analysis was carried out from the fungal diversity detected. To describe the factors associated with the fungi detected, bivariate logistic regression was used. Through direct microscopy, between 10 and 2311 fragments of hyphae and spores corresponding mainly to Cladosporium, Coprinus, Curvularia, Aspergillus/Penicillium, Xylariaceae, and Periconia were identified. Through the culture, 0-208 CFU were quantified, where Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium predominated. The culturability evidenced the differences between the quantification determined by both methods. A positive relationship was found between the type of cleaning of the furniture, the presence of trees in front of the bedroom, indoor relative humidity, indoor temperature, the presence of air conditioning, and natural ventilation with specific spore types and genera. The use of two different identification methods allowed to detect a greater fungal diversity in the residences evaluated. Monitoring the exposure to these fungal allergens in childhood can help to prevent sensitization in the allergic child, the development of asthma, and other respiratory diseases.

Saharan Dust Effects on Human Health: A Challenge for Cuba's Researchers.

WHO considers the effects of air pollution one of the most pressing global health priorities. Several years ago, scientists began noting a link between Saharan dust (a meteorological phenomenon that diminishes air quality as it spreads over the globe) and some diseases, but the few studies to date have been inconsistent. Cuba has the human and material resources to study the association between Saharan dust and health. It is important to encourage creation of multidisciplinary research teams to do so. KEYWORDS Health, airborne particulate matter, dust, air pollutants, environmental health, climate, Cuba.

What are the main environmental exposures associated with elevated IgE in Cuban infants? A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) plays a key role in allergy disease pathogenesis, but little is known about the environmental factors associated with higher IgE levels in infants. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for elevated serum total IgE infants living in Havana. METHODS: Eight hundred and seventy-seven infants provided blood samples. Data on allergic disease symptoms and a wide range of exposures were collected. RESULTS: The median IgE was 35 IU/ml (interquartile range 13-96). The risk of having an IgE level above the median was higher for children who had been breastfed for 4 months or more (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.61) and for children who reported cockroaches in their home (OR 1.30; 95% CI: 1.03-1.63). The risk was lower for children whose mother was in paid employment (OR 0.73; 95% CI: 0.54-0.97 compared with those who did not), for children living in homes where gas and electricity were used for cooking (OR 0.45; 95% CI: 0.32-0.62 compared with electricity only) and for children with domestic pets at birth (OR 0.83; 95% CI: 0.70-1.00). There was no association between paracetamol use and serum IgE levels. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between gas fuel use and maternal employment indicate that IgE levels in early life are lower in children who may be living in relative affluence. The discrepancy in the effect of early exposure to pets or cockroaches may reflect differences in these allergens, or be confounded by relative affluence. Further investigation of this cohort will determine how these effects translate into the expression of allergic disease in later life.

Tétanos infantil. Presentación de caso / Tetanus in childhood

El tétanos es responsable de más de un millón de muertes anuales, la mayor parte de las cuales corresponde a países en vías de desarrollo. El tracto intestinal humano y de algunos animales es el habitat normal e inocuo de Clostridium tetani, microorganismo ampliamente difundido, y es frecuente detectar sus esporas en la tierra y en el polvo doméstico. En Cuba, al cierre del año 2002 la tasa de tétanos fue de 0,0 x 100 000 habitantes. El último caso infantil presentado en Villa Clara ocurrió hace ya 35 años, y las características relevantes que rodearon la historia del caso, cuyo desenlace fue su recuperación, motivaron este trabajo con el fin de que sirva de ejemplo a los profesionales de la salud. Se trató de un niño de 3 años de edad con antecedentes de inmunodeficiencia completa, la cual fue diagnosticada por el servicio de Inmunología, esquema de vacunación completo, y de haber recibido un pinchazo en el dedo del pie en el patio de su casa, donde se encontraban heces de caballos, cerdos y demás animales de corral. Se hospitalizó y se valoró como un absceso periamigdalino. Al empeorarse el cuadro fue revalorado y se hizo el diagnóstico de tétanos sistémico. Se impuso tratamiento con rocefin, metronidazol, reactivación del toxoides tetánico, gammaglobulina y suero antitetánico homólogo(AU)