RESUMEN
To confirm the geographic and ethnic segregation of HTLV-I and HTLV-II carriers in native populations in South America, we have conducted a seroepidemiological study of native populations in South America, including HTLV-I carriers distributed among seven ethnic groups in the Andes highlands of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, and two ethnic groups on Chiloe Island and Easter Island; and HTLV-II carriers distributed among seven ethnic groups of the lowlands along the Atlantic coast of Colombia, Orinoco, Amazon, and Patagonia, and one ethnic group on Chiloe Island. The incidence rate of HTLV-I and HTLV-II carriers varied among the ethnic groups, ranging from 0.8 to 6.8% for HTLV-I seropositivity and from 1.4 to 57.9% for HTLV-II seropositivity. A new HTLV-I focus was found among the Peruvian Aymara (1.6%), the Bolivian Aymara (5.3%) and Quechua (4.5%), the Argentine Puna (2.3%), and the Chilean Atacama (4.1%), while on HTLV-II focus was found among the Brazilian Kayapo (57.9%), the Paraguayan Chaco (16.4%), and the Chilean Alacalf (34.8%) and Yahgan (9.1%). The distribution of HTLV-I/II foci showed a geographic clustering of HTLV-I foci in the Andes highlands and of HTLV-II foci in the lowlands of South America. It was thus suggested that South American natives might be divided into two major ethnic groups by HTLV-I and HTLV-II carrier state.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/epidemiología , Infecciones por HTLV-I/epidemiología , Infecciones por HTLV-II/epidemiología , Indígenas Sudamericanos , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Pruebas de Aglutinación , Portador Sano/etnología , Niño , Femenino , Infecciones por HTLV-I/etnología , Infecciones por HTLV-II/etnología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , América del Sur/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Although HTLV-I infection has been associated with immunosuppression in symptomatic patients, no controlled study has been done in asymptomatic carriers. We evaluated delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to seven antigens by multitest cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in 40 Colombian Indians, 10 HTLV-I-seropositive asymptomatic patients, and 30 matched controls. Multitest CMI was placed in the forearm and was read 48 hours later by the same physician. A positive reaction was defined as > or =2 mm. Hypoergic response was defined as <2 of 7 positive reactions per case or control. We found that HTLV-I-seropositive people had fewer positive reactions than matched controls (50% versus 64%, respectively; p < .04) but no significant difference was found in these populations in the evaluation of hypoergic responses. This study suggests the presence in asymptomatic HTLV-I-positive Colombian Indians of a marginal alteration of cell-mediated immunity that cannot be classified as hypoergic.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/inmunología , Anticuerpos Anti-HTLV-I/sangre , Infecciones por HTLV-I/inmunología , Indígenas Sudamericanos , Adulto , Portador Sano/etnología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Colombia/epidemiología , Femenino , Infecciones por HTLV-I/etnología , Humanos , Hipersensibilidad Tardía , Inmunidad Celular , Pruebas Intradérmicas , MasculinoRESUMEN
A total of 3522 samples of serum, collected anonymously from women attending an antenatal clinic, was tested for hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis C. The prevalence of anti-HCV was low; only five confirmed positives were found (0.14%). The prevalence of hepatitis B overall was 0.56%, but was 1.04% in women from immigrant groups. Hepatitis B carriage is therefore four times more common than hepatitis C carriage in the antenatal population comprised of various ethnic origins. The patterns of infection in the two viruses are reversed, hepatitis B being more common in Asian, S.E. Asian and West Indian mothers and hepatitis C being more common in mothers of white Caucasian origin. Routine antenatal screening for anti-HCV is discussed.
Asunto(s)
Hepatitis B/etnología , Hepatitis C/etnología , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/etnología , Adolescente , Adulto , África/etnología , Negro o Afroamericano , Asia Sudoriental/etnología , Población Negra , Portador Sano/etnología , Etnicidad , Femenino , Hepacivirus/inmunología , Anticuerpos Antihepatitis/sangre , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis C , Humanos , India/etnología , Embarazo , Prevalencia , Reino Unido/epidemiología , Indias Occidentales/etnología , Población BlancaRESUMEN
A study of colonization by group B streptococcus was conducted in 204 pregnant women in their third trimester. Positive cultures were obtained from vaginal and rectal swabs in 64 (31.4%) of these women. No significant differences in colonization rates were noted on the basis of ethnicity (race) and gravidity. However, there was a significant difference in the rate of colonization of vagina and rectum. Fifty-two (25.5%) women had positive isolates from vaginal swabs compared with 26 (12.7%) women with positive rectal isolates (P < 0.05). There was a significant trend of increasing prevalence with increasing age. Colonization was not significantly greater in multigravid than in primigravid women. There was no significant difference between colonization in Negro (black) women and colonization in East Indian women.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/epidemiología , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/epidemiología , Infecciones Estreptocócicas/epidemiología , Streptococcus agalactiae/aislamiento & purificación , Adolescente , Adulto , Portador Sano/etnología , Recuento de Colonia Microbiana , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Embarazo , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/etnología , Tercer Trimestre del Embarazo , Prevalencia , Recto/microbiología , Factores de Riesgo , Infecciones Estreptocócicas/etnología , Trinidad y Tobago/epidemiología , Vagina/microbiologíaRESUMEN
To clarify the ethnic specificity of human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II) carriers among Colombian native Indians, we investigated the geographic distribution of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among the isolated ethnic groups of Mongoloid origin in the Andes highlands and the Atlantic coast of Colombia. HTLV-I carriers were found in 1.6% (1/62 samples) of Inga, 8.5% (5/59) of Kamsa, and 0% (0/55) of Cumbal Indians who live in the Andes highlands at 3000 m above sea level. On the other hand, HTLV-II carriers were found in 4.1% (5/123) of Wayuu Indians, who live in the Guajira region of the Atlantic coast of Colombia at a distance of 1000 km from the Andes highlands. This ethnic specificity of HTLV-II was similarly observed among Guahibo Indians in the Orinoco. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II was mutually exclusive among Inga, Kamsa, and Wayuu Indians. These results suggest that HTLV-I and HTLV-II may have evolved among Mongoloid populations and been independently transmitted among two different lineages of Colombian native Indians, Andes highlanders and Atlantic coast lowlanders.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por HTLV-I/epidemiología , Infecciones por HTLV-II/epidemiología , Indígenas Sudamericanos , Adolescente , Adulto , Portador Sano/epidemiología , Portador Sano/etnología , Colombia/epidemiología , Femenino , Geografía , Infecciones por HTLV-I/etnología , Infecciones por HTLV-II/etnología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia , Estudios SeroepidemiológicosRESUMEN
An active of imported malaria was carried out on 1432 foreign residents entering Czechoslovakia between 1986-1989. The survey group consisted of adult aged 18-35 years who arrived from malaria endemic regions. Of 660 people surveyed who were from regions of Africa south of the Sahara, 10% were positive for Plasmodium falciparum. Whereas, those arriving from South East Asia had a relatively low prevalence of malaria (2.6%), predominantly P. vivax. Of the 10% of cases testing positive for P. falciparum, 85% had less than 10,000 asexual stages/microliters of blood and 75% were asymptomatic carriers. By contrast, 93.8% of P. vivax/ovale infections were diagnosed because of the onset of symptoms. Both the frequency of seropositivity and the geometrical mean reciprocal titre (IgG), using P. falciparum antigen, were higher in those people arriving from Africa (79% and 1,307) compared with those arriving from S.E. Asia (44.4% and 628). Malaria was confirmed, by blood smear examination, in only 23.8% of the seropositive cohort. There was a positive correlation between the percentage of P. falciparum-positive blood smears and the level of antibody titre. There was no correlation between serum reactivity and level of parasitaemia.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/epidemiología , Malaria Falciparum/epidemiología , Malaria Vivax/epidemiología , Malaria/epidemiología , Adulto , África/etnología , Animales , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios/sangre , Asia Sudoriental/etnología , Portador Sano/etnología , Checoslovaquia/epidemiología , Humanos , Malaria/etnología , Malaria Falciparum/etnología , Malaria Vivax/etnología , Morbilidad , Nicaragua/etnología , Plasmodium falciparum/inmunología , Plasmodium falciparum/aislamiento & purificación , PrevalenciaRESUMEN
In an investigation of a 21-year-old epidemic of severe hepatitis, 80 serum samples were studied from two isolated Yanomami Amerindian populations of the Upper Orinoco basin in Venezuela. Of the assayed samples, 30.6% were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), 53.7% were considered to reflect immunity to infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and only 16.2% were believed to reflect susceptibility to HBV infection; 82.5% of the samples tested positive for any marker of HBV infection. Thirty-one (39.7%) of 78 samples were also positive for antibody to delta antigen, including 91.6% of those positive for HBsAg and 20.9% of those immune to HBV. Our findings provide evidence of a high prevalence of HBV infection in this population. Furthermore, the high prevalence of antibody to delta antigen strongly suggests that coinfections with HBV or superinfections with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) in HBV carriers may be an important factor in the occurrence of an unusually high number of cases of fulminant hepatitis and of chronic liver disease. Serum samples obtained at the beginning of the outbreak 13 years earlier from 36 selected cases in the same population revealed a high rate of HBV infection (96.5%). All six HBsAg carriers from whom enough serum remained to be assayed were positive for antibody to delta antigen. Our findings indicate that the outbreak coincided with the introduction of HDV into a population with an already-high prevalence of HBV infection.
Asunto(s)
Brotes de Enfermedades , Hepatitis B/complicaciones , Hepatitis D/epidemiología , Indígenas Sudamericanos , Adolescente , Adulto , Portador Sano/epidemiología , Portador Sano/etnología , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Hepatitis B/epidemiología , Hepatitis B/etnología , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Hepatitis D/complicaciones , Hepatitis D/etnología , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia , Venezuela/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
The seroprevalence of HTLV-1 antibodies was investigated in 405 serum samples from healthy South American Indians (Mapuches) from Chile, using enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA), Western immunoblot (WB) and radioimmuno precipitation assay (RIPA). Six samples were positive by ELISA; 3 of them were confirmed by WB/RIPA. Thus, we observed a seroprevalence of 0.7% for HTLV-1 antibodies in healthy Mapuches.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/epidemiología , Anticuerpos Anti-HTLV-I/sangre , Infecciones por HTLV-I/epidemiología , Indígenas Sudamericanos , Western Blotting , Portador Sano/etnología , Chile/epidemiología , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Infecciones por HTLV-I/etnología , Humanos , Prevalencia , Ensayo de RadioinmunoprecipitaciónRESUMEN
Vertical transmission of hepatitis B is the primary means of acquiring the disease by new carriers. The Cartuja Health Center performs systemic screening of pregnant women subjects as possible carriers. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of pregnant carriers, seroepidemiological characteristics and intervention guidelines followed. We reviewed 454 pregnant women with serology performed between 1986 and 1989, including factors such as age, race, HBV serology, risk, and subsequent prevention. We calculated the prevalence of carriers. Moreover, we compared the proportion of Gypsy carriers versus non-carriers, and the prevalence of Gypsy versus Payos (non-Gypsy) carriers. Fourteen cases were AgBHs (+) (3.1%). There was no age difference between carriers and non-carriers. The proportion of Gypsy women in the carrier group was higher than in the non-carrier group (p less than 0.01), while the prevalence of carriers was also higher in Gypsy women than in pregnant women of Payo origin (p = 0.00082). Only one carrier had prior risk history. Of the 14 women with AgBHs (+), 13 gave birth; the recommended guidelines were followed in 9 cases. Routine screening for AgBHs in pregnant women is justified by the low sensitivity of the risk criteria, and the possibility for prevention.
Asunto(s)
Portador Sano/inmunología , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Hepatitis B/inmunología , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/inmunología , Factores de Edad , Portador Sano/epidemiología , Portador Sano/etnología , Centros Comunitarios de Salud , Femenino , Hepatitis B/epidemiología , Hepatitis B/etnología , Humanos , Embarazo , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/epidemiología , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/etnología , Prevalencia , Estudios Retrospectivos , Romaní , España/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Hepatitis B surface and core antibodies were measured in 512 community hospital employees at increased risk for developing infection with hepatitis B virus. Antibody was detected in 140 (27 percent) participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that seropositivity was strongly associated with the prevalence of hepatitis B in an employee's country of birth and with age. These results suggest that reported differences among hospitals in hepatitis B seropositivity may in part be a reflection of the national origin of its employees. These data also indicate that each hospital should assess its own risk for hepatitis B infection and that prevaccination serologic testing is particularly worthwhile in hospitals having large numbers of foreign-born employees.