Molecular detection of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. and Brucella spp. in fresh artisanal cheese marketed in the city of Barranquilla: A pilot study

Introduction: Each year approximately 3 million people die as the result of foodborne diseases. The fresh artisan (handmade) cheese produced and distributed in the Colombian Caribbean region is a native product from the departments of Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. Its mass consumption increases the risk of infection with Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp., as it is made with a very rustic technology, with unpasteurized cow milk, without standardized and hygienic procedures and its storage is inadequate. Objective: To detect the presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp. in samples of fresh artisan cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven samples of cheese from five departments of the Caribbean Region (Atlántico (n=6), Bolívar (n=2), Córdoba (n=1), Magdalena (n=16), and Sucre (n=2)) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Seventeen of the samples corresponded to soft cheese, five to semi-hard cheese and five to hard cheese. Results: In 62.9% (17/27) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp., in 70.4% (19/27), Listeria spp., and in 22.2% (6/27), Brucella spp., mainly from the department of Magdalena. In 62.5% (10/16) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. while in the department of Atlántico, 50% (3/6) of the samples corresponded to Brucella spp. Conclusion: The results confirmed the presence of these microorganisms in all the samples of soft cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region.

Detección molecular de Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. y Brucella spp. en queso artesanal fresco comercializado en Barranquilla: un estudio piloto / Molecular detection of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. and Brucella spp. in fresh artisanal cheese marketed in the city of Barranquilla: A pilot study

Introducción. Cada año mueren, aproximadamente, tres millones de personas como consecuencia de las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos. El queso artesanal fresco que se produce y distribuye en la región Caribe colombiana es un producto autóctono de los departamentos de Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Cesar y La Guajira. Su consumo masivo aumenta el riesgo de infección con salmonelosis, listeriosis y brucelosis debido a que es elaborado con una tecnología muy rústica, con leche de vaca no pasteurizada, sin procedimientos estandarizados e higiénicos, y a que su almacenamiento no es adecuado. Objetivo. Detectar la presencia de Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. y Brucella spp. en muestras de queso artesanal costeño fresco procedente de los departamentos de la región Caribe colombiana. Materiales y métodos. Mediante reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en tiempo real (qPCR), se analizaron 27 muestras de queso proveniente de cinco departamentos de la región Caribe: Atlántico (n=6), Bolívar (n=2), Córdoba (n=1), Magdalena (n=16) y Sucre (n=2). Del total de las muestras, 17 eran de queso blando, cinco de queso semiduro y cinco de queso duro. Resultados. En el 62,9 % de las muestras se detectó Salmonella spp. (17/27), en el 70,4 %, Listeria spp. (19/27), y en el 22,2 %, Brucella spp. (6/27). Las muestras provenían principalmente del departamento del Magdalena y, en 62,5 % (10/16) de ellas, se encontró Salmonella spp. y Listeria spp., en tanto que en el 50 % (3/6) de las muestras del departamento del Atlántico se detectó Brucella spp. Conclusión. Los resultados evidenciaron la presencia de estos microorganismos en todas las muestras de queso costeño blando.

Introduction: Each year approximately 3 million people die as the result of foodborne diseases. The fresh artisan (handmade) cheese produced and distributed in the Colombian Caribbean region is a native product from the departments of Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. Its mass consumption increases the risk of infection with Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp., as it is made with a very rustic technology, with unpasteurized cow milk, without standardized and hygienic procedures and its storage is inadequate. Objective: To detect the presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp. in samples of fresh artisan cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven samples of cheese from five departments of the Caribbean Region (Atlántico (n=6), Bolívar (n=2), Córdoba (n=1), Magdalena (n=16), and Sucre (n=2)) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Seventeen of the samples corresponded to soft cheese, five to semi-hard cheese and five to hard cheese. Results: In 62.9% (17/27) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp., in 70.4% (19/27), Listeria spp., and in 22.2% (6/27), Brucella spp., mainly from the department of Magdalena. In 62.5% (10/16) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. while in the department of Atlántico, 50% (3/6) of the samples corresponded to Brucella spp. Conclusion: The results confirmed the presence of these microorganisms in all the samples of soft cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region.

Cell Signaling in Neuronal Stem Cells.

The defining characteristic of neural stem cells (NSCs) is their ability to multiply through symmetric divisions and proliferation, and differentiation by asymmetric divisions, thus giving rise to different types of cells of the central nervous system (CNS). A strict temporal space control of the NSC differentiation is necessary, because its alterations are associated with neurological dysfunctions and, in some cases, death. This work reviews the current state of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transcription in NSCs, organized according to whether the origin of the stimulus that triggers the molecular cascade in the CNS is internal (intrinsic factors) or whether it is the result of the microenvironment that surrounds the CNS (extrinsic factors).

Neurogénesis en cerebro adulto / Neurogenesis in adult brain

Resumen Las lesiones cerebrales de cualquier etiología, incluyendo traumatismos, enfermedades neurodegenerativas o accidentes cerebrovasculares, suponen alteraciones irreversibles en la función cognitiva, el sistema motor y somato sensorial, e incluso de personalidad. En la actualidad no existen tratamientos eficientes, por tanto, la búsqueda de opciones terapéuticas para aumentar la tasa de reemplazo neuronal en el sistema nervioso central es uno de las líneas de investigación más activas en la neurociencia actual. En este sentido, el descubrimiento de la reposición neuronal a partir de células madre neurales (NSC) en el sistema nervioso central (SNC) adulto ha supuesto un nuevo enfoque en el desarrollo de terapias para este tipo de lesiones cerebrales. El descubrimiento de células madre neurales (NSC) en el cerebro adulto, abrió la posibilidad del desarrollo de nuevas terapias neurorregenerativas basadas en la reposición neuronal a partir de NSC (neurogénesis). En condiciones fisiológicas, existe neurogénesis a partir de NSC en dos zonas del cerebro adulto: el hipocampo y la zona subventricular (SVZ), mientras que en el resto del cerebro adulto no existe neurogenesis o es escasa. Sin embargo, cuando hay una lesión cerebral, estas NSC son reclutadas en el perímetro donde se produjo y se puede ver como proliferan células con características de precursores neurales (NPC). En esta publicación se hace una revisión exhaustiva de los conocimientos actuales sobre la neurogénesis en cerebro adulto.

Abstract Brain injuries of any etiology including traumatic injuries, neurodegenerative diseases or strokes are very common and involve irreversible impairments in cognitive function, motor and somatosensory system, and even personality. These types of lesions lack effective curative treatments, with the search for therapeutic options being one of the most active fields of research in current neuroscience. In this sense, the discovery of neural replenishment from neural stem cells (NSC) in the adult central nervous system (CNS) has been a new approach in the development of therapies for this type of brain injury. The discovery of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult brain has opened up the possibility of developing new neuroregenerative therapies based on neural replenishment from neural stem cells (neurogenesis). In physiological conditions, neurogenesis exists from NSC only in two areas of the adult brain, the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ), whereas in the rest of the adult brain there is no or little neurogenesis. However, when a brain injury occurs, these NSCs are recruited into the perimeter of the lesion and cells with proliferating neural precursor (NPC) characteristics can be seen. The publication provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on neurogenesis in adult brain.

Characterization of HIV type 1 envelope sequence among viral isolates circulating in the northern region of Colombia, South America.

To characterize human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) strains circulating in the Northern region of Colombia in South America, sequences of the viral envelope C2V3C3 region were obtained from patients with different high-risk practices. Close to 60% of the sequences were predicted to belong to macrophage-tropic viruses, according to the positions of acidic amino acids and putative N-linked glycosylation sites. This is in agreement with the fact that most of the patients were recently diagnosed individuals. Phylogenic analysis then allowed assignment of all 35 samples to subtype B viruses. This same subtype was found in previous studies carried out in other Colombian regions. This study thus expands previous analyses with previously missing data from the Northern region of the country. The number and the length of the sequences examined also help to provide a clearer picture of the prevailing situation of the present HIV epidemics in this country.