Complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. 62B, a native nitrogen-fixing rhizobium isolated from peanut nodules.

We present the complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. 62B, a strain isolated from the root nodules of peanut plants that grow in central Argentina. The genome consists of 8.15 Mbp, distributed into a chromosome of 7.29 Mbp and a plasmid of 0.86 Mbp.

Genome sequence of Mesorhizobium mediterraneum strain R31, a nitrogen-fixing rhizobium used as an inoculant for chickpea in Argentina.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium mediterraneum R31, a rhizobial strain recommended and used as a commercial inoculant for chickpea in Argentina. The genome consists of 7.25 Mb, distributed into four circular replicons: a chromosome of 6.72 Mbp and three plasmids of 0.29, 0.17, and 0.07 Mbp.

Whole-Genome Sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria Strain Q53, a Potential Plant Growth Promoter Isolated from the Rhizosphere of Peanut.

We report the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria strain Q53, an environmental rhizobacterium isolated from the rhizosphere of peanut plants. The genome consists of 7.4 Mbp distributed into three circular chromosomes and was determined using a hybrid long- and short-read assembly approach.

Extracellular vesicles from Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected neutrophils induce maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells and activation of antigen-specific Th1 cells.

Tuberculosis remains one of the leading public health problems in the world. The mechanisms that lead to the activation of the immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been extensively studied, with a focus on the role of cytokines as the main signals for immune cell communication. However, less is known about the role of other signals, such as extracellular vesicles, in the communication between immune cells, particularly during the activation of the adaptive immune response. In this study, we determined that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis contained several host proteins that are ectosome markers. In addition, we demonstrated that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis released after only 30 min of infection carried mycobacterial antigens and pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and we identified 15 mycobacterial proteins that were consistently found in high concentrations in extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis; these proteins contain epitopes for CD4 T-cell activation. We found that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis increased the expression of the costimulatory molecule CD80 and of the coinhibitory molecule PD-L1 on immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells. We also found that immature and mature dendritic cells treated with extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis were able to induce IFN-γ production by autologous M. tuberculosis antigen-specific CD4 T cells, indicating that these extracellular vesicles acted as antigen carriers and transferred mycobacterial proteins to the antigen-presenting cells. Our results provide evidence that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis participate in the activation of the adaptive immune response against M. tuberculosis.

Complete Genome Sequence of Mesorhizobium ciceri Strain R30, a Rhizobium Used as a Commercial Inoculant for Chickpea in Argentina.

We report the complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium ciceri strain R30, a rhizobium strain recommended and used as a commercial inoculant for chickpea in Argentina. The genome consists of almost 7 Mb, distributed into two circular replicons: a chromosome of 6.49 Mb and a plasmid of 0.46 Mb.

Complete Genome Sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. Strain C-145, a Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobacterium Used as a Peanut Inoculant in Argentina.

We present the complete genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium sp. strain C-145, one of the most widely used nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria for inoculating peanut crops in Argentina. The genome consists of 9.53 Mbp in a single circular chromosome and was determined using a hybrid long- and short-read assembly approach.

Corallimorpharians (Anthozoa: Corallimorpharia) from the Argentinean Sea.

Corallimorpharians are a relative small group of anthozoan cnidarians, also known as jewel sea anemones. They resemble actiniarian sea anemones in lacking a skeleton and being solitary, but resemble scleractinian corals in external and internal morphology, and they are considered to be the sister group of the stony corals. Corynactis carnea (=Sphincteractis sanmatiensis) is a small, common and eye catching species that inhabits the shallow water of northern Patagonia and the Argentinean shelf up to 200 m depth. Corallimorphus rigidus is registered for the first time from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. It is a rather big and rare species that inhabits only the deep sea. Only two specimens were found at 2934 m depth in Mar del Plata submarine canyon, in an area under the influence of the Malvinas current, which may explain its occurrence. These two species are the only two known jewel sea anemones in the Argentinean sea and are reported and described herein.

Extracellular vesicles released by J774A.1 macrophages reduce the bacterial load in macrophages and in an experimental mouse model of tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death by an infectious microorganism worldwide. Conventional treatment lasts at least six months and has adverse effects; therefore, it is important to find therapeutic alternatives that reduce the bacterial load and may reduce the treatment duration. The immune response against tuberculosis can be modulated by several mechanisms, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are nano-sized membrane-bound structures that constitute an efficient communication mechanism among immune cells. METHODS: The EVs released by the J774A.1 mouse macrophage cell line, both spontaneously (S-EV) and after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (Mtb-EV), were purified by ultra-centrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography. The size distribution and chemical composition of these EVs were evaluated, and their effect on the bacterial load and the production of cytokines was determined in both in vitro and in vivo models of M. tuberculosis infection. RESULTS: Mtb-EV are larger than S-EV, they contain M. tuberculosis-specific antigens (not detected in EVs released from M. fortuitum-infected J774A.1 cells) and are rich in phosphatidylserine, present in their outer membrane layer. S-EV, but not Mtb-EV, reduced the bacterial load and the production of MCP-1 and TNF-α in M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages, and these effects were reversed when phosphatidylserine was blocked with annexin V. Both S-EV and Mtb-EV significantly reduced the lung bacterial load in mice infected with M. tuberculosis after 60 days of treatment, but they had no effect on survival or on the lung pneumonic area of these mice. CONCLUSION: J774A.1 macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv released EVs that differed in size and phosphatidylserine content from spontaneously released EVs, and these EVs also had different biological effects: S-EV reduced the mycobacterial load and the cytokine production in vitro (through a phosphatidylserine-dependent mechanism), while both EVs reduced the lung bacterial load in vivo. These results are the basis for further experiments to evaluate whether EVs improve the efficiency of the conventional treatment for tuberculosis.

Extracellular Vesicles Released from Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Infected Neutrophils Promote Macrophage Autophagy and Decrease Intracellular Mycobacterial Survival.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In the lungs, macrophages and neutrophils are the first immune cells that have contact with the infecting mycobacteria. Neutrophils are phagocytic cells that kill microorganisms through several mechanisms, which include the lytic enzymes and antimicrobial peptides that are found in their lysosomes, and the production of reactive oxygen species. Neutrophils also release extracellular vesicles (EVs) (100-1,000 nm in diameter) to the extracellular milieu; these EVs consist of a lipid bilayer surrounding a hydrophilic core and participate in intercellular communication. We previously demonstrated that human neutrophils infected in vitro with Mtb H37Rv release EVs (EV-TB), but the effect of these EVs on other cells relevant for the control of Mtb infection, such as macrophages, has not been completely analyzed. In this study, we characterized the EVs produced by non-stimulated human neutrophils (EV-NS), and the EVs produced by neutrophils stimulated with an activator (PMA), a peptide derived from bacterial proteins (fMLF) or Mtb, and observed that the four EVs differed in their size. Ligands for toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/6 were detected in EV-TB, and these EVs favored a modest increase in the expression of the co-stimulatory molecules CD80, a higher expression of CD86, and the production of higher amounts of TNF-α and IL-6, and of lower amounts of TGF-ß, in autologous human macrophages, compared with the other EVs. EV-TB reduced the amount of intracellular Mtb in macrophages, and increased superoxide anion production in these cells. TLR2/6 ligation and superoxide anion production are known inducers of autophagy; accordingly, we found that EV-TB induced higher expression of the autophagy-related marker LC3-II in macrophages, and the co-localization of LC3-II with Mtb inside infected macrophages. The intracellular mycobacterial load increased when autophagy was inhibited with wortmannin in these cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that neutrophils produce different EVs in response to diverse activators, and that EV-TB activate macrophages and promote the clearance of intracellular Mtb through early superoxide anion production and autophagy induction, which is a novel role for neutrophil-derived EVs in the immune response to Mtb.

Miocardiopatía puerperal: Reporte de un caso / Peripartum cardiomyopathy: Report of a case / Cardiomiopatia puerperal: relatório de umcaso

Resumen: Es una entidad poco frecuente, la incidencia en Uruguay es de 1/3000 a 1/4000, Haití 1/300 y Estados Unidos 1/5000 recién nacidos vivos. Presentamos el caso clínico de una paciente de 40 años que comienza a dos meses del parto con elementos de falla cardíaca global, confirmándose una cardiopatía dilatada con disminución de la fracción eyección. Se realizó tratamiento médico con buena evolución clínica, tal cual sucede en el 50% de los casos de esta patología.

Abstract: It is a rare entity, the incidence in Uruguay is 1/3000 to 1/4000, Haiti 1/300 and the United States 1/5000 live births. We report the clinical case of a 40-year-old female patient who started two months of delivery with elements of global heart failure, confirming dilated heart disease with decreased ejection fraction. Medical treatment was performed with good clinical evolution, as it happens in 50% of the cases of this pathology.

Resumo: É umaentidade rara, a incidência no Uruguai é 1/3000 a 1/4000, Haiti 1/300 e os Estados Unidos 1/5000 nascidos vivos. Relatamos o caso clínico de uma paciente do sexo feminino de 40 anos que inicioudois meses de parto com elementos de insuficiência cardíaca global, confirmando a doença cardíaca dilatada comdiminuição da fração de ejeção. O tratamento médico foi realizado com boa evolução clínica, como acontece em 50% dos casos destapatologia.

OH1 from Orf Virus: A New Tyrosine Phosphatase that Displays Distinct Structural Features and Triple Substrate Specificity.

Viral tyrosine phosphatases such as VH1 from Vaccinia and Variola virus are recognized as important effectors of host-pathogen interactions. While proteins sharing sequence to VH1 have been identified in other viruses, their structural and functional characterization is not known. In this work, we determined the crystal structure of the VH1 homolog in the Orf virus, herein named OH1. Similarly to Variola and Vaccinia VH1, the structure of OH1 shows a dimer with the typical dual-specificity phosphatase fold. In contrast to VH1, the OH1 dimer is covalently stabilized by a disulfide bond involving residue Cys15 in the N-terminal helix alpha-1 of both monomers, and Cys15 is a conserved residue within the Parapoxvirus genus. The in vitro functional characterization confirms that OH1 is a dual-specificity phosphatase and reveals its ability to dephosphorylate phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate, a new activity potentially relevant in phosphoinositide recycling during virion maturation.

Tooth microstructure and feeding biology of the brittle star Ophioplocus januarii (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from northern Patagonia, Argentina / Microestructura dental y biología alimentaria del Ophioplocus januarii (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) del norte de Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract Ophioplocus januarii is a common brittle star on soft and hard substrates along the Argentinian and Brazilian coasts. Based on stomach contents, tooth microstructure and field observations we identified its food. Opposed to previous suggestions, O. januarii appears to be a microphagous species feeding on macroalgal fragments (found in 60.0 % of the analyzed stomachs with content), plant debris (28.0 %), animal cuticle structures (13.0 %), and unidentifiable material (30.7 %). Less frequent items found were foraminiferans, ostracods, an amphipod, a juvenile bivalve, and other crustaceans. Electronic microscope revealed digested material, diatoms and small crustacean appendices. Thus, O. januarii is an omnivorous species, feeding mainly on algae, complemented opportunistically with other items. Suspension feeding was observed in the field. It has an fenestrated arrangement intermediate between the previously described uniform and compound teeth. Rev. Biol. Trop. 63 (Suppl. 2): 353-360. Epub 2015 June 01.

Resumen El ofiuroideo Ophioplocus januarii se distribuye a lo largo de las costas de Argentina y Brasil, encontrándose tanto en substratos duros como blandos. En base al análisis de contenidos estomacales y la microestructura de los dientes, junto a observaciones de campo, se describe el comportamiento alimentario de esta especie. Opuesto a suposiciones previas, O. januarii es una especie micrófaga que se alimenta de fragmentos de macroalgas (encontrados en el 60.0 % de los estómagos analizados que presentaban contenido), detritos vegetales (28.0 %), estructuras cuticulares animales (13.0 %) y material inidentificable (30.7 %). Menos frecuente, se encontraron foraminíferos, ostrácodos, un anfípodo, un bivalvo juvenil y otros crustáceos. Pequeñas porciones del material inidentificable fueron analizadas en el microscopio electrónico de barrido, resultando ser material digerido, diatomeas y pequeños apéndices de crustáceos. Así, O. januarii es una especie omnívora, que se alimenta principalmente de algas, complementando su dieta de manera oportunista con otros ítems. Las observaciones de campo revelaron alimentación suspensívora. El análisis de la microestructura del estereoma del diente resultó en un arreglo del tipo fenestrado intermedio, que se encuentra entre los dos tipos de arreglos descriptos hasta ahora, los dientes de tipo uniforme y los compuestos. De estos últimos, el primero ha sido encontrado en especies macrófagas mientras que el segundo se corresponde a ofiuroideos micrófagos. En el presente trabajo, se propone la existencia de un nuevo tipo de arreglo intermedio en la matriz dental de los ofiuroideos.

Echinoderm diversity in the Southwestern Atlantic / Diversidad de equinodermos del Atlántico suroccidental

Abstract Studies of biodiversity of echinoderms from South America have increased in recent years. Here we summarize sampling done on three expeditions along the Argentinean coast (35º - 55º S) and near the Antarctic Peninsula. The first campaign, Mejillón II (M-II; 2009), was carried out between 35º - 39º S and covered a depth range between 10 to 140 m. The second was part of the Summer Antarctic Campaign 2011 (CAV-III; 2011) that took place around the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland and South Orkney Islands (depth range between 67 to 754 m). The last cruise was the final stretch of the Summer Antarctic Campaign 2011 (CAV-IV; 2011), from 39º - 55º S and between 30 - 140 m depth. As result, 74 stations have been studied, of which 68 had at least one echinoderm specimen. From the total number of stations, the occurrence percentages for each class were Asteroidea (68 %), Echinoidea (64 %), Ophiuroidea (55 %), Holothuroidea (51 %) and Crinoidea (20 %). In the M-II campaign, echinoderms were presented in 94 % of the sampled stations, with Echinoidea most frequent (74 %). In the CAV-III campaign echinoderms were presented in all the stations; Ophiuroidea were found in all stations. The lowest occurrence of echinoderms was found in the CAV-IV campaign (82 %), where Asteroidea was present in the 73 % of the samples, and crinoids were absent. Rev. Biol. Trop. 63 (Suppl. 2): 115-120. Epub 2015 June 01.

Resumen En los últimos años se han incrementado los estudios sobre la biodiversidad de equinodermos de Latinoamérica. En el presente trabajo, se exponen los resultados sobre muestras obtenidas en tres expediciones a lo largo de la costa argentina (35 - 55º S) y cerca de la Península Antártica. La primera campaña analizada, Mejillón II (M-II; 2009), se llevó acabo entre 35º - 39º S cubriendo profundidades entre 10 y 140 m. La segunda, parte de la Campaña Antártica de Verano 2011 (CAV-III; 2011), tuvo lugar en el área de la Península Antártica, Shetland del Sur e islas Orcadas del Sur (profundidad entre 67 hasta 754 m). La última expedición analizada en este trabajo fue el último tramo de la Campaña Antártica de Verano (CAV-IV; 2011) desde 39º - 55º S y entre 30 - 140 m de profundidad. Como resultado, 74 estaciones fueron estudiadas, en las cuales en 68 se encontró al menos un espécimen del Phylum Echinodermata. Considerando todas las estaciones, el porcentaje de encuentro para cada clase fue Asteroidea (68 %), Echinoidea (64 %), Ophiuroidea (55 %), Holothuroidea (51 %) and Crinoidea (20 %). En la campaña M-II, los equinodermos estuvieron presentes en el 94 % de las estaciones muestreadas, siendo Echinoidea el más frecuente (74 %). En relación a la Campaña CAV-III, los equinodermos estuvieron presentes en todas las estaciones muestreadas; Ophiuroidea fue la clase más representativa en número de estaciones (100 %). El valor más bajo de aparición de equinodermos fue encontrado en la campaña CAV-IV (82 %), donde Asteroidea estuvo presente en el 73 % de las muestras, y los crinoideos estuvieron ausentes.

Transportadores de lípidos biliares: una revisión actualizada / Biliary lipids transporters: an update review

Las sales biliares, colesterol y fosfatidilcolina son los lípidos más importantes de la bilis; su transporte está regulado por una red compleja de proteínas de las familias Casete de Unión a ATP y transportadora de solutos. Los transportadores de lípidos biliares son proteínas que intervienen en la fisiopatología de numerosas enfermedades del sistema gastrointestinal, por lo tanto, son importantes moléculas de estudio y en un futuro pueden ser nuevas dianas terapéuticas que eviten la prevalencia de enfermedades como hipercolesterolemia, cálculos biliares, colestasis, trastornos de la bilirrubina, entre otras. La presente revisión hace una evaluación actualizada sobre la función específica de los transportadores de lípidos biliares, su regulación genética e implicación fisiopatológica

Bile salts, cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine are the major lipids of bile; its secretion is regulated by an elaborate network of family proteins such as ATP Binding Cassette and the Solute Carrier. Biliary lipids transporters are proteins involved in physiopathology of many diseases of gastrointestinal system, therefore it are important molecules of study and the future it may be new therapeutic targets to prevent the prevalence of diseases, such as hypercholesterolemia, gallstones, cholestasis, bilirubin disorders among other. This review makes a current evaluation on the specific role of biliary lipids transporters, its genetic regulation and physiopathological implications

A new species of Havelockia Pearson, 1903 from the Argentine Sea (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Sclerodactylidae).

Havelockia pegi sp. nov., is here described from shallow waters of the Argentine Sea. This new species is distinctive in the purple colouration of its tentacles, scarcity of body wall ossicles and the presence of rosette-shaped ossicles in both the introvert and the tentacles. It is not closely related to any of its congenors. This is the first record of a true sclerodactylid from Argentina. Thandarum hernandezi Martinez & Brogger, 2012, described in the family Sclerodactylidae, is now classified in the family Sclerothyonidae.

A novel role of malonyl-ACP in lipid homeostasis.

The FapR protein of Bacillus subtilis has been shown to play an important role in membrane lipid homeostasis. FapR acts as a repressor of many genes involved in fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism (the fap regulon). FapR binding to DNA is antagonized by malonyl-CoA, and thus FapR acts as a sensor of the status of fatty acid biosynthesis. However, malonyl-CoA is utilized for fatty acid synthesis only following its conversion to malonyl-ACP, which plays a central role in the initiation and elongation cycles carried out by the type II fatty acid synthase. Using in vitro transcription studies and isothermal titration calorimetry, we show here that malonyl-ACP binds FapR, disrupting the repressor-operator complex with an affinity similar to that of its precursor malonyl-CoA. NMR experiments reveal that there is no protein-protein recognition between ACP and FapR. These findings are consistent with the crystal structure of malonyl-ACP, which shows that the malonyl-phosphopantetheine moiety protrudes away from the protein core and thus can act as an effector ligand. Therefore, FapR regulates the expression of the fap regulon in response to the composition of the malonyl-phosphopantetheine pool. This mechanism ensures that fatty acid biosynthesis in B. subtilis is finely regulated at the transcriptional level by sensing the concentrations of the two first intermediates (malonyl-CoA and malonyl-ACP) in order to balance the production of membrane phospholipids.

Transcriptional and functional characterization of the gene encoding acyl carrier protein in Bacillus subtilis.

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a universal and highly conserved carrier of acyl intermediates during fatty acid biosynthesis. The molecular mechanisms of regulation of the acpP structural gene, as well as the function of its gene product, are poorly characterized in Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive organisms. Here, we report that transcription of acpP takes place from two different promoters: PfapR and PacpP. Expression of acpP from PfapR is coordinated with a cluster of genes involved in lipid synthesis (the fapR operon); the operon consists of fapR-plsX-fabD-fabG-acpP. PacpP is located immediately upstream of the acpP coding sequence, and is necessary and sufficient for normal fatty acid synthesis. We also report that acpP is essential for growth and differentiation, and that ACP localizes in the mother-cell compartment of the sporangium during spore formation. These results provide the first detailed characterization of the expression of the ACP-encoding gene in a Gram-positive bacterium, and highlight the importance of this protein in B. subtilis physiology.

Molecular identification and typing of lactobacilli isolated from kefir grains.

Seventeen heterofermentative lactobacilli isolated from kefir grains were characterized by molecular methods. Bacterial isolates were identified by amplification of 16S rRNA gene and analysis by Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA), using the restriction enzymes Hae III, Dde I, and Hinf I. ARDRA analysis of lactobacilli isolates showed, for each enzyme used, a same banding pattern between the heterofermentative lactobacilli and the reference strains Lactobacillus kefir JCM 5818 and Lb. kefir ATCC 8007. Other reference lactobacilli and one homofermentative isolate showed differences in at least one of these patterns. The 16S-23S rRNA spacer region was also used to discriminate the bacterial isolates at the species level. The data obtained from the analysis of spacer region confirmed that sequencing of this genome region is a good tool for a reliable identification of members of Lb. kefir species. Genotyping of isolates was performed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) analysis using M13, Coc, ERIC-2 and 1254 primers. Patterns obtained allowed the differentiation of isolates in three groups. The three clusters showed by RAPD-PCR analysis could be correlated with at least three different strains of Lb. kefir species in the group of heterofermentative lactobacilli isolates obtained from Argentinian kefir grains.

Síndrome de Marine-Lenhart: etiopatogenia, clasificación, clínica y diagnóstico / Marine-Lenhart: pathogenesis, clinical classification and diagnosis

OBJETIVOS: Determinar la incidencia del síndrome de Marine-Lenhart (SML) en una serie homogénea de tiroidectomías, estudiar su epidemiología, clínica y los medios diagnósticos adecuados, comparándolos con los pacientes afectos de síndrome de Plummer (SP), para establecer diferencias etiopatogénicas y clínicas entre ambas entidades. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: De la serie previamente reportada de hipertiroidismos, estudiamos a los pacientes con SMI- (definido como hipertiroidismo difuso con 1 ó más nódulos captantes, con o sin uno o más nódulos fríos), describiéndose características epidemiológicas, clínicas y morbilidad postoperatoria, comparándolas con las de un grupo de pacientes con SP. RESULTADOS: El SML representó el 1,2 por ciento de todas las tiroidopatías y 4,3 por ciento de los hipertiroidismos estudiados. La edad de los pacientes, el tiempo de evolución y el peso de la glándula fueron significativamente diferentes entre SML y SP. Las manifestaciones clínicas del SML se expresaron en 66 por ciento de los pacientes, por síntomas compresivos y, en casi todos ellos, por signos y síntomas funcionales asociados. En cuatro pacientes se detectó exoftalmos, y en un caso un carcinoma. La Tiroidectomía Total presentó una morbilidad paratiroidea y recurrencial similar a la Subtotal. CONCLUSIONES: El SML tiene un tiempo de evolución más prolongado, se manifiesta principalmente en la forma de síndrome compresivo, tiene más posibilidades de producir exoftalmos y su manejo con tiroidectomía subtotal es el ideal.

Valores normales de la hormona estimulante de la tiroides en el recién nacido sano / The levels normals of the stimulate thyroid hormone in newborns

Se estudió la concentración de la hormona estimulante de la glándula tiroides (TSH) en muestras de sangre del condón umbilical y de la sangre capilar obtenida de neonatos entre las 18 y 24 horas de vida. En 90 por ciento de 121 muestras de sangre del condón umbilical, la TSH fue menor de 30 uUI/ml. De las 49 muestras de sangre capilar, la TSH estuvo por debajo de 24 uUI/ml. Un niño tuvo 47.13 uUI/ml en muestra de sangre capilar, cifra arriba de dos desviaciones estándar de la media; al mes de nacido se le determinó la T3, la T4 y la TSH, y los resultados fueron normales. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las concentraciones de la TSH de las muestras tomadas del condón umbilical y de la sangre capilar. Se comenta la importancia de los programas de investigación masiva de hipotiroidismo congénito, así como la necesidad de implantarlos en nuestro país.