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RESUMEN Fundamento: las enfermedades tipo influenza son de fácil contagio y sus vías de transmisión difíciles de controlar si no son tratadas adecuadamente. Objetivo: determinar los conocimientos que poseen los estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Guayaquil sobre las enfermedades tipo influenza. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal durante el mes de febrero de 2018. Se utilizaron métodos teóricos: análisis-síntesis e inducción-deducción, y empíricos: la encuesta en forma de cuestionario para indagar sobre el conocimiento de los estudiantes sobre la influenza. Resultados: la totalidad de ellos refirió poseer conocimientos sobre el tema. El 96,32 % de los de pregrado identificaron como más frecuentes la transmisión de tipo viral y el contagio por contacto con persona enferma; mientras en posgrado el 100 % expresó conocimientos al respecto; la complicación habitual más señalada fue la automedicación referida por el 72 % en pregrado y en el posgrado por el 57 %. En relación con las medidas preventivas, manifestaron conocerlas el 87 % y 89 % en el pregrado y posgrado respectivamente. Conclusiones: se comprobó que el grado de conocimientos sobre las enfermedades tipo influenza en cuanto a transmisión, etiología, acciones de protección y medidas preventivas en estos estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Guayaquil es aceptable, pero aún persisten algunas carencias identificadas en el estudio realizado.
ABSTRACT Background: influenza is an easily transmitted disease and its way of transmission is difficult to control if it is not properly treated. Objective: to determine the knowledge undergraduate and graduate students have on influenza-like disease at Guayaquil University Medical Sciences Faculty. Methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at Guayaquil University Medical Sciences Faculty, during the month of February 2018. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis and induction-deduction, and empirical methods: the survey in the form of a questionnaire to inquire about students' knowledge on influenza. Results: all the students reported having knowledge on influenza. 96,32 % of the undergraduates identified the transmission of viral type by contact with the sick person as more frequent; in postgraduate studies 100 % expressed knowledge in this regard; the most common complication was self-medication referred by 72 % of undergraduate students in 72 % and in postgraduate students by 57 %. In relation to preventive measures, 87 % and 89 % expressed knowledge in undergraduate and postgraduate respectively. Conclusions: it was found that the degree of knowledge on the influenza-like disease in terms of transmission, etiology, protective actions and preventive measures in these students at Guayaquil University Medical Sciences Faculty is acceptable. There are still some shortcomings identified in the study carried out.
Subject(s)
Orthomyxoviridae , Students, Medical , Orthomyxoviridae Infections , Education, MedicalABSTRACT
Objective To detect and analyze the haemagglutinin (HA) gene of the first influenza A-H1N1 viral strain isolated in Guangdong Province during an influenza A pandemic in 2009.Methods A-H1N1 virus strain was isolated from the throat swab of the first patient diagnosed with A-H1N1 virus infection in Guangdong Province in 2009. Viral nucleonic acid was extracted from supernatant of cell culture and amplified using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with HA gene-specific primers. The product was cloned, sequenced, and the homology was analyzed. Results A 1710 bp HA gene of the first influenza A-H1N1 viral strain in Guangdong Province in 2009 was acquired, which was named as A/GuangzhouSB/01/2009 (H1N1) HA with GenBank access No. GQ268003. The homology of the studied HA gene and the 277 influenza A (H1N1) isolates reported in the epidemic areas was 99.0%-99.8%, and as high as 99.8% when compared with the isolates reported in the United States where the patient had traveled. When the studied HA gene was compared with 25 isolates of Chinese seasonal A-H1N1 virus, the homology was 72.3%-85.6%. Conclusions The homology of the first isolated A-H1N1 viral strain in Guangdong Province in 2009 and epidemic influenza A-H1N1 virus is high, while it is low compared with Chinese seasonal A-H1N1 virus.
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Ecological and phylogenic studies suggest that wild waterfowl are the natural reservoirs of influenza A viruses. All HA and NA subtypes are found in avian species especially wild aquatic birds, whereas viral subtypes of mammalian influenza viruses are limited. Restricted growth of avian influenza viruses in mammalian species is thought to be a barrier to the emergence of new pandemic strains with direct avian to human transmission. In Sri Lanka, although epidemiological and virological studies on outbreaks of influenza on humans have been carried out, there are no reported data on influenza subtypes circulating among human, swine and avian populations during any specified periods. In this study 300 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) obtained from human patients with acute respiratory tract infection, 750 cloacal samples, 750 tracheal samples and 750 blood samples from birds , and 300 tracheal and 300 blood samples from pigs were analyzed to identify the influenza subtypes circulating among these different populations in the country. Of the 300 NPA samples, 138 were screened by the indirect immunofluorescence test followed by the direct immunofluorescence test (DFA) to identify the viral etiological agents responsible for the infection: Influenza A (20/138), para influenza group (2/138), adeno (3/138) and respiratory syncitial virus (3/138) were identified. All 300 NPA samples were inoculated on to MDCK cell cultures and haemagglutination and DFA test were performed on the cultures that showed CPE: 24 Influenza A and 9 Influenza B viruses were isolated and were characterized as Influenza A Panama/2000/99 (H3N2) and Influenza B/Sichuan/379/99-like virus, using reference antisera supplied by the World Health Organization. One virus (Influenza A/swine/Sri lanka/48/04) was isolated from a pig brought to the Government slaughter house in Dematagoda and was sub-typed as H3N2. Genetic studies carried out on this isolate showed that this virus was identical to the H3N2 viruses isolated in humans during the study period. Serological analysis revealed that 61.66 percent of the sampled population also had antibodies to this virus and that none had antibodies to the common subtypes of swine influenza A viruses namely, A/HK/4167/1999 H1N1, A/HK/2422/1998/H3N2 Sydney-like and A/HK/1774/1999 Europian swine-like control viruses. Influenza viruses could not be isolated from the tracheal and cloacal samples collected from poultry when the samples were inoculated into 9-11 day old embryonated eggs. However, the serum collected from this avian population when tested in a HAI assay using H6 (1720) and H9 (Y280) reference antigens, showed evidence of infection with both these subtypes: 12.8 percent (96/750) and 5.2 percent (39/750) of birds had antibodies against A/quail/HK 1721-30/99 (H6N2) and H9 A/duck/ Hong Kong /Y280 (H9N2) subtypes respectively and 3.6 percent had sero-converted to both subtypes of viruses indicating dual infection.