ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Introduction: Brazil has a high number of HTLV-1/2 infections which are unequally distributed in the country. Most prevalence studies have focused on specific populations, such as blood donors and pregnant women. Some areas, for example the state of Bahia, have robust information about HTLV-1/2 infection, however there is no information available about this infection in the general population of Vitoria, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Objective: To determine the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 infection in adults from the municipality of Vitoria, ES. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed from September 2010 to December 2011, in individuals of both sexes, aged 18 or older living in Vitoria-ES. Venous blood samples were collected and tested for anti-HTLV-1/2 antibodies by chemiluminescent immunoassay (CMIA). Individuals with CMIA reactive results were submitted to a new blood collection for retesting by CMIA, followed by PCR to confirm infection and discriminate the viral type. Results: From 1502 tested samples, eight were reactive in CMIA and all were confirmed by PCR. Therefore, the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 was 0.53% (8/1502, 95% CI: 0.2-1.0%). The infection rate was 0.7% in men (5/711, 95% CI: 0.17-1.51%), and 0.38% in women (3/791, 95% CI: 0 -0.81%). Conclusions: The prevalence of HTLV-1/2 infection was 0.53% (8/1502; 95% CI: 0.2 -0.9%). Confirmatory test using real-time PCR (qPCR) identified seven individuals positive for HTLV-1 and one for HTLV-2. Considering the risk of infected individuals to develop high morbidity and mortality diseases, it would be important to implement public health policies aimed at stopping transmission of these viruses in this municipality. 2021 Sociedade Brasileira de Infectologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Pregnancy , Adult , Human T-lymphotropic virus 1/genetics , HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , HTLV-I Infections/diagnostic imaging , Human T-lymphotropic virus 2/genetics , HTLV-II Infections/diagnosis , Brazil/epidemiology , T-Lymphocytes , Prevalence , Cross-Sectional Studies , Real-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
We examined the frequency of HCV-RNA in saliva samples from anti-HCV positive patients. Both plasma and saliva samples from 39 HCV patients (13 with normal liver enzymes, 19 with abnormal liver enzymes and 13 with cirrhosis) were investigated. Stimulated saliva and fresh plasma were centrifuged (900 x g,10 min) and stored at -70°C, after the addition of guanidine isothiocyanate RNA extraction buffer. HCV-RNA was detected by RT- nested-PCR (amplification of HCV-cDNA for two rounds, using HCV primers 939/209 and 940/211). HCV genotyping was carried out by RFLP (using Mva I and Hinf 1 or Hae III and Rsa I restriction enzymes). Thirty-two out of 39 (82 percent; 95 percent CI=70-94 percent) anti-HCV-positive patients had HCV-RNA in plasma samples. Eight out of 39 (20.5 percent; 95 percent CI=6.6-34.4 percent) had HCV-RNA in the saliva. The HCV genotype in saliva samples from these patients matched the genotype found for plasma HCV-RNA. No significant correlation between the presence of HCV and either age, gender, HCV genotype or any risk factor for HCV infection was found. The observed prevalence (20.5 percent of anti HCV positive patients or 25 percent of the patients with HCV-RNA in plasma) was lower than that previously reported from other countries. The low frequency of HCV-RNA in saliva samples observed in our study may be due to the use of cell-free saliva. Other authors reporting higher frequencies of HCV-RNA in saliva used whole saliva, without centrifugation.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Hepacivirus/immunology , Hepatitis C Antibodies/blood , Hepatitis C/diagnosis , RNA, Viral/analysis , Saliva/virology , Genotype , Hepacivirus/genetics , Hepatitis C/blood , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Risk Factors , Saliva/immunologyABSTRACT
Nematode infection may be a risk factor for pyogenic liver abscess in children and we hypothesized that the immunomodulation induced by those parasites would be a risk factor for any staphylococcal infection in children. The present study was designed to compare, within the same hospital, the frequency of intestinal nematodes and Toxocara infection in children with and without staphylococcal infections. From October 1997 to February 1998, 80 children with staphylococcal infection and 110 children with other diseases were submitted to fecal examination, serology for Toxocara sp., evaluation of plasma immunoglobulin levels, and eosinophil counts. Mean age, gender distribution, birthplace, and socioeconomic conditions did not differ significantly between the two groups. Frequency of intestinal nematodes and positive serology for Toxocara, were remarkably higher in children with staphylococcal infections than in the non-staphylococcal group. There was a significant correlation between intestinal nematodes or Toxocara infection and staphylococcal infection in children, reinforced by higher eosinophil counts and higher IgE levels in these children than in the control group. One possible explanation for this association would be the enhancement of bacterial infection by the immunomodulation induced by helminth infections, due to strong activation of the Th2 subset of lymphocytes by antigens from larvae and adult worms