ABSTRACT
Norovirus (NoV) is the main cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Although NoV spreads mainly from person to person, it is estimated that a large proportion of NoV outbreaks are caused by foodborne transmission. Bivalve mollusks are one of the most important foods involved in NoV transmission to humans. Little is known about NoV prevalence in shellfish harvested and commercialized in Brazil. The aim of this study was to map, for the first time, the distribution of NoV contamination in oysters and mussels harvested and commercialized in the coast of Pernambuco state, northeast Brazil. A total of 380 mollusks (260 oysters and 120 mussels) were collected between February and August 2017 either directly from harvesting areas or obtained from beach vendors at 17 sites in Pernambuco. Samples were processed and tested for NoV contamination using a SYBR Green real-time PCR assay. All samples were negative for NoV GI or GII contamination, suggesting a low risk of NoV contamination from this food source during the study period. Additional surveys in different areas of the Brazilian coast are warranted to monitor the risk of NoV infection upon seafood consumption.
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Norovirus/genetics , Shellfish , Brazil/epidemiology , Food Contamination/analysis , SeafoodABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Dengue is currently one of the most important arthropod-borne diseases and may be caused by four different dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes. With the lack of a dengue vaccine, vector control strategies constitute a crucial mode to prevent or reduce disease transmission. In this context, DENV detection in natural Ae. aegypti populations may serve as a potential additional tool for early prediction systems of dengue outbreaks, leading to an intensification of vector control measures, aimed at reducing disease transmission. In Brazil, this type of surveillance has been performed sporadically by a few groups and has not been incorporated as a routine activity in control programs. This study aimed at detecting DENV in natural Ae. aegypti from Recife, Pernambuco, to check the circulating serotypes and the occurrence of transovarial transmission in local mosquito populations. Methods: From January 2005 to June 2006, mosquitoes (adults and eggs) were collected in houses where people with clinical suspicion of dengue infection lived at. RNA was extracted from pooled mosquitoes and RT-PCR was performed in these samples for detection of the four DENV serotypes. Results & conclusion: Out of 83 pools of adult mosquitoes collected in the field, nine were positive for DENV: five for DENV-1, two for DENV-2 and two for DENV-3. From 139 pools of adult mosquitoes reared from collected eggs, there were 17 positive pools: three for DENV-1, 10 for DENV-2, and four for DENV-3. These results are discussed in the paper in regard to the local dengue epidemiological data. The conclusions clearly point to the informative power and sensitivity of DENV entomological surveillance and to the importance of including mosquito immature forms in this strategy.
ABSTRACT
The number of HIV infected heterosexual has been steadily increasing in Brazil. This fact was followed by a decline on the ratio of male/female HIV infection every year. We have examined the seroprevalence of HIV infection among pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic in the Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco (IMIP) at Recife, North-eastern Brazil. This study was performae as an anonymous sentinel surveillance. The collected blood samples were tested for HIV infection by two different types of ELISA, and if positive, further analysis by IIA was submitted. The subjects were arranged in four age groups with the respective proportion: group l (<15 years)-0.9 per cent, group II (15 to 20 years)-31.6 per cent, group III (21 to 34 years)-61.7 per cent and group IV (>35 years)- 5,8 per cent. It was found an HIV-1 seroprevalence of 0.1 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, -0.l to + 0,3) This percentage represents one single HIV positive woman included in age group III. his low HIV infection seroprevalence is suitable with a low risk population (pregnant women) in a low prevalence area. However, we became concerned with the great propottion of pregnant woman under 21 years (32,5 per cent) and with the implications of how to reinforce effectively HIV preventions of how to reinforce effectively HIV prevention strategies to this population