Aislamiento de Cryptococcus neoformans a partir de suelos en Panama / Cryptococcus neoformans isolation from the soil in Panama

Reports of Cryptococcus neoformans isolations from patients in Panama have appeared since 1978, but to our knowledge, thIs is the first report of isolation of this organism from soil samples in the Republic. Of 25 soil samples analyzed, two (25%) yielded the organism on birdseed agar medium. Canavanine-glycine-bromthymol blue medium served to identify the isolates as belonging to C. neorformans var neoformans, and not C. Neoformans var. gattii. Initially, isolates did not have capsules, but upon passage through newborn mice, wide capsules developed. This finding has important public health implications, since non-encapsulated environmental organisms, once in the host, can develop capsules, which significantly contribute to virulence

Optimización de la técnica de inmunoelectrotransferencia (western blot) para la confirmación de la infección por el virus de immunodeficiencia humana (VIH) en Panamá / Optimization of the immunoelectrophoresis technic (western blot) for the confirmation of human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) in Panama

The purpose of this study is to report the results of the authors' investigation to apply the western blot technique (WB UP-LCS) in the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. To do this, the authors separated the proteins of the HIV-1 virus by electrophoresis, based on their molecular weight, in poliacilamide gel with SDS (SDS-PAGE) during 3 hours at 200 volts. Then they electrotransferred these proteins to nitrocellulose paper during four hours at 200 milliamperes, with the aid of external cooling. The nitrocellulose strips were evaluated considering the incubation time (1 and 16 hours), two conjugates (human anti IgG with Peroxidase and human anti IgG Biotin plus Streptatividine with Peroxidase) and two dilutions of the patients' sera (1/50 and 1/100). Based on their results the Authors conclude that, in the first place, the optimal conditions for the test include a dilution of 1/100 of the patients serum, incubation of the serum for 16 hours and the use of the conjugate of anti human IgG with Biotin and Streptavidine with Peroxidase; secondary, that the immunologic reactivity against proteins p24 and gp 160/120 is the most important diagnostic criterion for the confirmation of infection with HIV-1 and that they obtained a diagnostic correlation of 100% at a cost which was 5 to 7 times less than that of the commercial system