Background: Most patients infected with Helicobacter pylori show no clinical symptoms. Nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The Interna...Background: Most patients infected with Helicobacter pylori show no clinical symptoms. Nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The International Agency for Cancer Research has classified Helicobacter pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen. Materials and Methods: Drinking water samples from 20 cantons situated in areas of low and high incidence of gastric cancer in Costa Rica were analyzed. Water samples were concentrated and the nitrocellulose filter was cultivated for later molecular identification of Helicobacter pylori using the glmM marker. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha inducing protein (Tipalpha TNF-α) was used as a pathogenicity marker of the strains found followed by the sequencing of two products. Information on water management by aqueduct operators was collected in order to establish statistical relationships. Results: A total of 112 water samples were analyzed. Successful cultivation and molecular identification using the glmM marker was achieved in 39% of samples from areas of high incidence and in 7.5% of samples from areas of low incidence. Two glmM gene PCR products were sequenced and confirmed as true positives. Conclusions: The highest prevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori was found in water from areas with a high incidence of gastric cancer. Additionally, significant statistical correlations were established among environmental conditions, drinking water management and incidence of gastric cancer.展开更多
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Tran...Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Transmission of MERS-Co V at such an event could lead to its rapid worldwide dissemination. Therefore, we studied the frequency of viruses causing influenza-like illnesses(ILI) among participants in a randomised controlled trial at the Hajj 2013. We recruited 1038 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Qatar during the first day of Hajj and followed them closely for four days. A nasal swab was collected from each pilgrim who developed ILI. Respiratory viruses were detected using multiplex RT-PCR. ILI occurred in 112/1038(11%) pilgrims. Their mean age was 35 years, 49(44%) were male and 35(31%) had received the influenza vaccine pre-Hajj. Forty two(38%) pilgrims had laboratory-confirmed viral infections; 28(25%) rhinovirus, 5(4%) influenza A, 2(2%) adenovirus, 2(2%) human coronavirus OC43/229 E, 2(2%) parainfluenza virus 3, 1(1%) parainfluenza virus 1, and 2(2%) dual infections. No MERS-Co V was detected in any sample. Rhinovirus was the commonest cause of ILI among Hajj pilgrims in 2013. Infection control and appropriate vaccination are necessary to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses at Hajj and other mass gatherings.展开更多
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is bacteria considered to be present in half of the population and it is a public health problem worldwide. Most patients infected with H. pylori show no clinical symptoms;nonetheless, ...Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is bacteria considered to be present in half of the population and it is a public health problem worldwide. Most patients infected with H. pylori show no clinical symptoms;nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified H. pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen, recognized as the only bacteria capable of producing cancer. Samples of drinking water (n = 44) from aqueducts with chlorination treatment in selected areas with high prevalence of gastric cancer were analyzed in Costa Rica. Samples of drinking water from Panamá (n = 44) from aqueducts supplying untreated water for human consumption in the province of Chiriquí were also analyzed. The molecular marker of H. pylori, glmM, was used, and to optimize the Real Time PCR (qPCR) technique, annealing temperature, concentration of primers and probe were standardized;also, by analyzing different standard curves, the best reaction conditions that allowed detecting and quantifying the gene were determined. The LightCycler® 480 II (LC480II) equipment from Roche Diagnostics GmbH was used, as well as the Absolute Quantification Analysis by means of the Second Derivative Maximum Method. In the case of the samples from Costa Rica, it was determined that 79.5% were positive for H. pylori;removing outlier high average, quantification of bacteria was determined in 3.6 × 103 copies/100 mL. For Panamá it was determined that 86% of the samples were found positive for the presence of H. pylori;removing outlier high average quantification of bacteria was determined at 3.3 × 102 copies/100 mL. The difference in values between the aqueducts in both countries revealed an environmental distribution of the bacteria of epidemiological interest in each case.展开更多
Epidemiological surveillance for microbes is currently based on either agar culture followed by identification, or genetic amplification. Both techniques are highly skilled-labor intensive, costly, and must be done in...Epidemiological surveillance for microbes is currently based on either agar culture followed by identification, or genetic amplification. Both techniques are highly skilled-labor intensive, costly, and must be done in central laboratories. The Defined Substrate Utilization®(DSU®) format provides an epidemiological series of specific screening formulations that obviate these limitations. All reagents are present in optimized stable powder form in a test tube—add water, inoculate, and incubate. A specific color change provides a sensitive and specific detection of the target microbe. Two DSU®methods for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are presented: aureusAlert®for all S. aureus and EPI-M®for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Both aureusAlert®and EPI-M®had a detection level of 20 colony forming units (CFU) in 18 hours. aureusAlert®and conventional methods agreed 93.6% and EPI-M®and conventional methods agreed 94.1%. DSU®and conventional methods showed the same specificity.展开更多
We report a case of a haemodialysis patient that presented a catheter-related bacteraemia caused by a Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. With the utilization of molecular biology techniques the bacterial isolate recov...We report a case of a haemodialysis patient that presented a catheter-related bacteraemia caused by a Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. With the utilization of molecular biology techniques the bacterial isolate recovered from catheter was surprisingly identified as S. hominis by sequencing of the 16S ribosomal gene. The S. hominis isolate, which is not often associated with infections in dialysis patients, was resistant to methicillin, being mecA positive, and to daptomycin. The patient was successfully treated with vancomycin together with the catheter retirement.展开更多
Background According to data from the China Hospital Invasive Fungal Surveillance Net （CHIF-NET） 2010, Candida tropica/is （C. tropica/is） is the third most common pathogen causing invasive candidiasis. Moreover, t...Background According to data from the China Hospital Invasive Fungal Surveillance Net （CHIF-NET） 2010, Candida tropica/is （C. tropica/is） is the third most common pathogen causing invasive candidiasis. Moreover, the majority of fluconazole-resistant C. tropicalis isolates were from a single hospital. Therefore, a molecular epidemiological survey is necessary to investigate the genetic relatedness of C. tropica/is isolates in China. Methods In this study, 48 C. tropicalis isolates causing invasive fungal infections from four tertiary hospitals in China were studied. All the isolates were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region. Antifungal susceptibility to triazoles, amphotericin B, and caspofungin was determined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standard broth microdilution method. Multilocus sequence typing （MLST） was performed, and phylogenetic analysis was further performed by the eBURST and maximum parsimony （MP） methods to characterize the genetic relatedness of isolates. Results MLST discriminated 40 diploid sequence types （DSTs） among 48 isolates, including 36 novel DSTs, and the XYR1 gene showed the highest discriminatory power. The DSTs obtained from this study were compared with those of previously reported C. tropicalis isolates, and there was poor type alignment with regional strains. Nine groups and 11 singletons were identified by eBURST, whereas two groups and 10 subgroups were clustered by MP analysis. Generally, there were no obvious correlations between clonal clusters generated and the specimen source or hospital origin. Seven fiuconazole-resistant isolates were confirmed and assigned to three distinguishable branches. Conclusions The results suggested diverse origins of invasive C. tropicalis isolates in China. Although most invasive C. tropicalis strains in the mainland of China were clustered with previously characterized Asian isolates, major C. tropicalis clusters identified in this study were genetically distinct from those of other geographic regions.展开更多
Background:Chagas disease is a parasitic disease endemic to Latin America,but it has become a disease of global concern due to migration fows.Asymptomatic carriers may host the parasite for years,without knowing they ...Background:Chagas disease is a parasitic disease endemic to Latin America,but it has become a disease of global concern due to migration fows.Asymptomatic carriers may host the parasite for years,without knowing they are infected.The aim of this study is to assess prevalence of Chagas disease and evaluate the participants’level of knowl‑edge between Latin American migrants attending a community-based screening campaign.Methods:Three community-based campaigns were performed in Alicante(Spain)in 2016,2017 and 2018,including educational chats and blood tests for Trypanosoma cruzi serology.Participants completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge about the mechanisms of transmission,disease presentation,diagnosis,and treatment.People seroposi‑tive for T.cruzi underwent diagnostic confrmation by two diferent tests.Results were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression and expressed as adjusted odds ratios(aORs),adjusting for age,sex,and time in Spain.Results:A total of 596 participants were included in the study;17%were aged under 18 years.Prevalence in adults was 11%[54/496;95%confdence interval(CI):8.3–14.5%]versus 0%among children.All but one case were in Bolivians.Diagnosis was independently associated with having been born in Bolivia(aOR:102,95%CI:13–781)and a primary school-level education(aOR:2.40,95%CI:1.14–5.06).Of 54 people diagnosed with Chagas disease(most of whom were asymptomatic),42(77.7%)returned to the clinic at least once,and 24(44.4%)received treatment.Multivariable analysis showed that coming from Argentina(aOR:13,95%CI:1.61–1188)or Bolivia(aOR:1.90,95%CI:1.19–3.39)and having received information about Chagas disease in Spain(aOR:4.63,95%CI:2.54–8.97)were associ‑ated with a good level of knowledge on the disease.Having primary level studies(aOR:0.59,95%CI:0.34–0.98)and coming from Ecuador(aOR:4.63,95%CI:2.52–847)were independently associated with a lower level of knowledge.Conclusions:Community-based interventions are a good strategy for diagnosing neglected diseases such as Chagas disease in non-endemic countries and for identifying and treating infected,asymptomatic individuals.展开更多
文摘Background: Most patients infected with Helicobacter pylori show no clinical symptoms. Nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The International Agency for Cancer Research has classified Helicobacter pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen. Materials and Methods: Drinking water samples from 20 cantons situated in areas of low and high incidence of gastric cancer in Costa Rica were analyzed. Water samples were concentrated and the nitrocellulose filter was cultivated for later molecular identification of Helicobacter pylori using the glmM marker. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha inducing protein (Tipalpha TNF-α) was used as a pathogenicity marker of the strains found followed by the sequencing of two products. Information on water management by aqueduct operators was collected in order to establish statistical relationships. Results: A total of 112 water samples were analyzed. Successful cultivation and molecular identification using the glmM marker was achieved in 39% of samples from areas of high incidence and in 7.5% of samples from areas of low incidence. Two glmM gene PCR products were sequenced and confirmed as true positives. Conclusions: The highest prevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori was found in water from areas with a high incidence of gastric cancer. Additionally, significant statistical correlations were established among environmental conditions, drinking water management and incidence of gastric cancer.
基金made possible by a National Priorities Research Program grant (NPRP 6-1505-3-358) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation)supported by an NHMRC Australia Fellowship
文摘Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Transmission of MERS-Co V at such an event could lead to its rapid worldwide dissemination. Therefore, we studied the frequency of viruses causing influenza-like illnesses(ILI) among participants in a randomised controlled trial at the Hajj 2013. We recruited 1038 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Qatar during the first day of Hajj and followed them closely for four days. A nasal swab was collected from each pilgrim who developed ILI. Respiratory viruses were detected using multiplex RT-PCR. ILI occurred in 112/1038(11%) pilgrims. Their mean age was 35 years, 49(44%) were male and 35(31%) had received the influenza vaccine pre-Hajj. Forty two(38%) pilgrims had laboratory-confirmed viral infections; 28(25%) rhinovirus, 5(4%) influenza A, 2(2%) adenovirus, 2(2%) human coronavirus OC43/229 E, 2(2%) parainfluenza virus 3, 1(1%) parainfluenza virus 1, and 2(2%) dual infections. No MERS-Co V was detected in any sample. Rhinovirus was the commonest cause of ILI among Hajj pilgrims in 2013. Infection control and appropriate vaccination are necessary to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses at Hajj and other mass gatherings.
文摘Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is bacteria considered to be present in half of the population and it is a public health problem worldwide. Most patients infected with H. pylori show no clinical symptoms;nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified H. pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen, recognized as the only bacteria capable of producing cancer. Samples of drinking water (n = 44) from aqueducts with chlorination treatment in selected areas with high prevalence of gastric cancer were analyzed in Costa Rica. Samples of drinking water from Panamá (n = 44) from aqueducts supplying untreated water for human consumption in the province of Chiriquí were also analyzed. The molecular marker of H. pylori, glmM, was used, and to optimize the Real Time PCR (qPCR) technique, annealing temperature, concentration of primers and probe were standardized;also, by analyzing different standard curves, the best reaction conditions that allowed detecting and quantifying the gene were determined. The LightCycler® 480 II (LC480II) equipment from Roche Diagnostics GmbH was used, as well as the Absolute Quantification Analysis by means of the Second Derivative Maximum Method. In the case of the samples from Costa Rica, it was determined that 79.5% were positive for H. pylori;removing outlier high average, quantification of bacteria was determined in 3.6 × 103 copies/100 mL. For Panamá it was determined that 86% of the samples were found positive for the presence of H. pylori;removing outlier high average quantification of bacteria was determined at 3.3 × 102 copies/100 mL. The difference in values between the aqueducts in both countries revealed an environmental distribution of the bacteria of epidemiological interest in each case.
文摘Epidemiological surveillance for microbes is currently based on either agar culture followed by identification, or genetic amplification. Both techniques are highly skilled-labor intensive, costly, and must be done in central laboratories. The Defined Substrate Utilization®(DSU®) format provides an epidemiological series of specific screening formulations that obviate these limitations. All reagents are present in optimized stable powder form in a test tube—add water, inoculate, and incubate. A specific color change provides a sensitive and specific detection of the target microbe. Two DSU®methods for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are presented: aureusAlert®for all S. aureus and EPI-M®for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Both aureusAlert®and EPI-M®had a detection level of 20 colony forming units (CFU) in 18 hours. aureusAlert®and conventional methods agreed 93.6% and EPI-M®and conventional methods agreed 94.1%. DSU®and conventional methods showed the same specificity.
基金partially supported by grant FIS10/00125 from INSTITUTO DE SALUD CARLOSIII(Spanish Health Ministry)to S.M.-A.
文摘We report a case of a haemodialysis patient that presented a catheter-related bacteraemia caused by a Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. With the utilization of molecular biology techniques the bacterial isolate recovered from catheter was surprisingly identified as S. hominis by sequencing of the 16S ribosomal gene. The S. hominis isolate, which is not often associated with infections in dialysis patients, was resistant to methicillin, being mecA positive, and to daptomycin. The patient was successfully treated with vancomycin together with the catheter retirement.
文摘Background According to data from the China Hospital Invasive Fungal Surveillance Net （CHIF-NET） 2010, Candida tropica/is （C. tropica/is） is the third most common pathogen causing invasive candidiasis. Moreover, the majority of fluconazole-resistant C. tropicalis isolates were from a single hospital. Therefore, a molecular epidemiological survey is necessary to investigate the genetic relatedness of C. tropica/is isolates in China. Methods In this study, 48 C. tropicalis isolates causing invasive fungal infections from four tertiary hospitals in China were studied. All the isolates were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region. Antifungal susceptibility to triazoles, amphotericin B, and caspofungin was determined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standard broth microdilution method. Multilocus sequence typing （MLST） was performed, and phylogenetic analysis was further performed by the eBURST and maximum parsimony （MP） methods to characterize the genetic relatedness of isolates. Results MLST discriminated 40 diploid sequence types （DSTs） among 48 isolates, including 36 novel DSTs, and the XYR1 gene showed the highest discriminatory power. The DSTs obtained from this study were compared with those of previously reported C. tropicalis isolates, and there was poor type alignment with regional strains. Nine groups and 11 singletons were identified by eBURST, whereas two groups and 10 subgroups were clustered by MP analysis. Generally, there were no obvious correlations between clonal clusters generated and the specimen source or hospital origin. Seven fiuconazole-resistant isolates were confirmed and assigned to three distinguishable branches. Conclusions The results suggested diverse origins of invasive C. tropicalis isolates in China. Although most invasive C. tropicalis strains in the mainland of China were clustered with previously characterized Asian isolates, major C. tropicalis clusters identified in this study were genetically distinct from those of other geographic regions.
基金partially supported by the third call for research grants(J-M.R.R.)from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Research of Alicante(ISABIAL)/FISABIO Foundation(Ⅲ convocatoria de ayudas a proyectos de investigación del Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante(ISABIAL)–Fundación FISABIO)(UGP-16-158)by the collaborative agreement between ISABIAL/Fundación FISABIO and Fundación Mundo Sano-Spain,in accordance with the Sponsorship Law.
文摘Background:Chagas disease is a parasitic disease endemic to Latin America,but it has become a disease of global concern due to migration fows.Asymptomatic carriers may host the parasite for years,without knowing they are infected.The aim of this study is to assess prevalence of Chagas disease and evaluate the participants’level of knowl‑edge between Latin American migrants attending a community-based screening campaign.Methods:Three community-based campaigns were performed in Alicante(Spain)in 2016,2017 and 2018,including educational chats and blood tests for Trypanosoma cruzi serology.Participants completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge about the mechanisms of transmission,disease presentation,diagnosis,and treatment.People seroposi‑tive for T.cruzi underwent diagnostic confrmation by two diferent tests.Results were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression and expressed as adjusted odds ratios(aORs),adjusting for age,sex,and time in Spain.Results:A total of 596 participants were included in the study;17%were aged under 18 years.Prevalence in adults was 11%[54/496;95%confdence interval(CI):8.3–14.5%]versus 0%among children.All but one case were in Bolivians.Diagnosis was independently associated with having been born in Bolivia(aOR:102,95%CI:13–781)and a primary school-level education(aOR:2.40,95%CI:1.14–5.06).Of 54 people diagnosed with Chagas disease(most of whom were asymptomatic),42(77.7%)returned to the clinic at least once,and 24(44.4%)received treatment.Multivariable analysis showed that coming from Argentina(aOR:13,95%CI:1.61–1188)or Bolivia(aOR:1.90,95%CI:1.19–3.39)and having received information about Chagas disease in Spain(aOR:4.63,95%CI:2.54–8.97)were associ‑ated with a good level of knowledge on the disease.Having primary level studies(aOR:0.59,95%CI:0.34–0.98)and coming from Ecuador(aOR:4.63,95%CI:2.52–847)were independently associated with a lower level of knowledge.Conclusions:Community-based interventions are a good strategy for diagnosing neglected diseases such as Chagas disease in non-endemic countries and for identifying and treating infected,asymptomatic individuals.
