ABSTRACT
Introducción. Los ectoparásitos son los principales vectores de rickettsiosis. En Panamá se tienen escasos datos sobre los artrópodos que pudieran considerarse vectores o reservorios. Objetivos. Presentar datos sobre la presencia de Rickettsia spp. en ectoparásitos de fauna silvestre y animales domésticos en la Reserva Natural Privada Cerro Chucantí y poblados vecinos. Materiales y métodos. Se revisaron 9 personas, 95 mamíferos domésticos y 48 silvestres. Los animales domésticos se examinaron con anuencia del propietario, mientras que la fauna silvestre se capturó con trampas Sherman y Tomahawk. Se extrajeron 21 especies de ectoparásitos: pulgas, piojos, garrapatas y otros ácaros, los cuales se preservaron en etanol al 95 %. Se extrajo material genético de garrapatas y pulgas para ser analizado por técnicas moleculares en la detección de Rickettsia spp. Resultados. Se practicaron 425 reacciones de PCR, de las cuales, 270 resultaron negativas y 155 positivas. De las positivas, 86 amplificaron para el gen gltA (55 % de las positivas); de estos también amplificaron 41 (26 %) para ompA. Se encontró material genético de Rickettsia amblyommii, en garrapatas de caballos (Amblyomma cajennense, Dermacentor nitens), de perros (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) y ninfas de Amblyomma recolectadas en el bosque. Además, se detectó ADN de R. felis en pulgas Ctenocephalides felis de perros. Conclusiones. Se pudo detectar la presencia de R. amblyommii y R. felis en garrapatas y pulgas de animales domésticos de los poblados cercanos a Cerro Chucantí, aun cuando no se pudo encontrar material genético de Rickettsia en ectoparásitos de la fauna silvestre.
Introduction. Ectoparasites are the main vectors of rickettsiosis. In Panama, however, limited data are available concerning the arthropod species that serve as vectors or reservoirs. Objectives. Data are presented concerning the presence of Rickettsia in ectoparasites of wildlife and domestic animals in the Cerro Chucantí private nature reserve and in neighboring villages. Materials and methods. Nine humans, 95 domestic mammals and 48 wild mammals were examined. Twenty-one species of ectoparasites were obtained, including fleas, lice, ticks and mites. These were preserved in 95% ethanol. Later, the DNA was extracted from the ticks and fleas and analyzed by molecular techniques to detect presence of Rickettsia. Results. Of a total of 425 PCR reactions, 270 were positive for Rickettsia and 155 negative. Among the positive samples, 86 PCR amplified for the gltA gene (55% of positives) and 41 of these also amplified the ompA gene. DNA of Rickettsiaamblyommii was found in horses ticks (Amblyomma cajennense, Dermacentor nitens), dogs ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and free living nymphs in the forest. Additionally, DNA of R. felis was found in fleas from dogs Ctenocephalides felis. Conclusions. The presence of R. amblyommii and R. felis was detected in ticks and fleas of domestic animals in villages near Cerro Chucanti; however no Rickettsia DNA was found in ectoparasites of non-domestic wildlife.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cats , Cattle , Dogs , Female , Humans , Male , Animals, Domestic/microbiology , Animals, Wild/microbiology , Arthropod Vectors/microbiology , Disease Reservoirs/microbiology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/parasitology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/veterinary , Mammals/microbiology , Rickettsia/isolation & purification , Cat Diseases/parasitology , Cattle Diseases/parasitology , DNA, Bacterial/analysis , Dog Diseases/parasitology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/microbiology , Genes, Bacterial , Horses , Horse Diseases/parasitology , Larva , Mites/microbiology , Panama , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Phthiraptera/microbiology , Sheep , Species Specificity , Sheep Diseases/parasitology , Siphonaptera/microbiology , Trees , Ticks/growth & development , Ticks/microbiologyABSTRACT
Objetivo. Investigar la prevalencia de farmacorresistencia transmitida del VIH en adultos en Panamá mediante un estudio del umbral modificado de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) e investigar las tasas de resistencia inicial en lactantesseropositivos para el VIH en Panamá.Métodos. En el Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas, en 47 adultos seropositivos al VIH se efectuó la genotipificación de las mutaciones asociadas con la farmacorresistencia transmitida en los genes de la transcriptasa inversa y la proteasa del VIH-1, según las directrices del estudio umbral de la OMS, modificadas para incluir a las personas ≤ 26 años de edad. Las tasas de prevalencia de las mutaciones farmacorresistentes contra tres clases de fármacos antirretroviral inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversaanálogos de nucleósidos, inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa no análogos de nucleósidos e inhibidores de la proteasa se clasificaron en bajas (< 5,0%), moderadas (5,0%15,0%) o altas (> 15,0%). También se llevó a cabo genotipificación y se calcularonlas tasas de prevalencia de las mutaciones causantes de farmacorresistencia en 25 lactantes.Resultados. En los adultos de Panamá la farmacorresistencia transmitida fue moderada: 6 de 47 adultos seropositivos para el VIH presentaron una o más mutacionesasociadas con farmacorresistencia transmitida. Las mutaciones farmacorresitentes de transmisión horizontal fueron moderadas para los inhibidores de la transcriptasainversa análogos de nucleósidos y los inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa no análogos de nucleósidos, y bajas para los inhibidores de la proteasa. En Panamá la transmisiónvertical del VIH ha disminuido en el período 20022007, pero la prevalenciade la farmacorresistencia del VIH transmitida por vía vertical es moderada (12,0%) y está surgiendo como un problema debido a la cobertura antirretroviral incompletadurante el embarazo...
Objective. To investigate the prevalence of transmitted drug-resistant HIV among adults in Panama by using a modified World Health Organization Threshold Survey (WHO-TS) and to investigate rates of initial resistance among HIV-positive infants in Panama.Methods. At the Gorgas Memorial Institute, 47 HIV-positive adults were genotyped for mutations associated with transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in the reverse transcriptase andprotease genes of HIV-1, according to WHO-TS guidelines, modified to include patients ≤ 26 years old. Prevalence rates for drug-resistance mutations against three classes of antiretroviraldrugsnucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and protease inhibitorswere calculated as low (< 5.0%), moderate (5.0%15.0%), and high (> 15.0%). Twenty-five infant patients were also genotyped and prevalence rates for drug-resistance mutations were calculated. Results. TDR among Panamanian adults was moderate: 6 of 47 HIV-positive adultsshowed one or more mutations associated with TDR. Horizontal TDR mutations were moderate for NRTIs and NNRTIs and low for protease inhibitors. Vertical transmission of HIV inPanama has decreased for 20022007, but vertical HIV TDR prevalence is moderate (12.0%) and is emerging as a problem due to incomplete antiretroviral coverage in pregnancy. Conclusions. The prevalence of HIV TDR indicated by this study, combined with knownrates of HIV infection in Panama, suggests more extensive surveys are needed to identify risk factors associated with transmission of HIV drug resistance. Specific WHO-TS guidelines for monitoring vertical transmission of drug-resistant HIV should be established.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pregnancy , Young Adult , HIV-1 , Anti-HIV Agents/pharmacology , Drug Resistance, Viral , HIV-1 , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , Drug Resistance, Viral/genetics , Genes, pol , Genotype , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV Infections/transmission , HIV Infections/virology , HIV Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology , HIV Protease Inhibitors/therapeutic use , HIV Protease/genetics , HIV Reverse Transcriptase/genetics , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical , Panama/epidemiology , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology , Prevalence , Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Sequence analysis of Leishmania (Viannia) kDNA minicircles and analysis of multiple sequence alignments of the conserved region (minirepeats) of five distinct minicircles from L. (V.) braziliensis species with corresponding sequences derived from other dermotropic leishmanias indicated the presence of a sub-genus specific sequence. An oligonucleotide bearing this sequence was designed and used as a molecular probe, being able to recognize solely the sub-genus Viannia species in hybridization experiments. A dendrogram reflecting the homologies among the minirepeat sequences was constructed. Sequence clustering was obtained corresponding to the traditional classification based on similarity of biochemical, biological and parasitological characteristics of these Leishmania species, distinguishing the Old World dermotropic leishmanias, the New World dermotropic leishmanias of the sub-genus Leishmania and of the sub-genus Viannia.
Subject(s)
Animals , DNA, Kinetoplast , Leishmania , Oligonucleotides , Base Sequence , DNA, Kinetoplast , Hybridization, Genetic , Leishmania , Leishmania braziliensis , Leishmania guyanensis , Molecular Sequence Data , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
Este estudio presenta datos epidemiológicos e inmunológicos sobre Leishmaniasis cutánea en Panamá, en donde la recurrencia ocurrió en un 65 (por ciento) de los casos estudiados. La evaluación del desarrollo de la respuesta inmune celular demostró, durante el curso de la evolución clínica de los casos primarios y recurrentes, que el índice de estimulación (IE) era menor de 3 en los casos recurrentes y mayores de 3 en los casos primarios. De allí la importancia de estudiar cuantitativamente la población de linfocitos secretados, para explicar la diferencia que se observa en la respuesta inmune