Emergence of MDR invasive Neisseria meningitidis in El Salvador, 2017-19.

BACKGROUND: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an acute, highly transmissible and potentially fatal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Prompt antimicrobial therapy and prophylaxis are recommended, where penicillin or ciprofloxacin are the available choices. However, the emergence of resistant isolates of N. meningitidis poses a challenge for antimicrobial therapy. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical, epidemiological and biological characteristics of six penicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant, culture-confirmed IMD cases reported in El Salvador, Central America, between 2017 and 2019. METHODS: Following the detection of six patients presenting with IMD in El Salvador, clinical data were collected and epidemiological action plans conducted. Isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by broth microdilution and WGS for genotyping and molecular characterization analysis, including phylogeny comparison with global sequences available from public databases. RESULTS: A total of six IMD cases caused by N. meningitidis serogroup Y, resistant to both penicillin (MIC >8.0 mg/L) and ciprofloxacin (MIC 0.125 mg/L), were detected from 2017 to 2019. Genomic analysis showed that penicillin resistance was mediated by the production of ß-lactamase ROB-1. Ciprofloxacin resistance was attributed to an amino acid substitution in DNA gyrase (T91I). All isolates were classified as ST3587, clonal complex 23, and were genetically highly similar, based on core-genome SNP analysis. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, we report the first cases of MDR N. meningitidis causing IMD in Latin America. Our findings highlight the emergence of this potential public health threat, with a profound impact on the efficacy of IMD treatment and prophylaxis protocols.

May measurement month 2017: Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: To raise awareness of blood pressure, measured by number of countries involved, number of people screened, and number of people who have untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. METHODS: An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged at least 18 years was carried out in May 2017. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension and statistical analysis followed the standard May measurement month protocol. Eighteen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in the campaign, providing us with a wide sample for characterization. RESULTS: During May measurement month 2017 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 105 246 individuals were screened. Participants who had cardiovascular disease, 2245 (2.3%) had a prior myocardial infarction, and 1711 (1.6%) a previous stroke, additionally 6760 (6.4%) individuals were diabetic, 7014 (6.7%) current smokers and 9262 (8.8%) reported alcohol intake once or more per week. Mean SBP was 122.7 mmHg and DBP was 75.6 mmHg. After imputation, 42 328 participants (40,4%) were found to be hypertensive. CONCLUSION: The high numbers of participants detected with hypertension and the relatively large proportion of participants on antihypertensive treatment but with uncontrolled hypertension reinforces the importance of this annual event in our continent, to raise awareness of the prevention of cardiovascular events.

Empleo de antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (AINEs) como coadyuvante en el tratamiento de la enfermedad periodontal

Estudios previos han indicado que las drogas antiinflamatorias no esteroideas (AINEs) actúan en la modificación de la respuesta inflamatoria por parte del huésped. El propósito del presente trabajo es presentar una revisión bibliográfica relacionada con el empleo de los AINEs y su efectividad comprobada sobre la enfermedad periodontal. Se desarrollarán diversos aspectos dentro de los cuales se mencionarán la etiología y patogenia de la enfermedad periodontal, características de los AINEs, su clasificación, farmacocinética, farmacodinamia (haciendo énfasis en el mecanismo como antiinflamatorio), uso terapéutico, así como diferentes estudios experimentales sobre el uso de los mismos en animales y en pacientes con enfermedad periodontal.

This review presents information about nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs their clinical efficacy in the periodontal disease, doing emphasis on the indications, pharmaceutical preparations, classification and adverse effects which they can produce on the basis of scientific knowledge. This report describes the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in periodontal disease.