Virulent Brucella nosferati infecting Desmodus rotundus has emerging potential due to the broad foraging range of its bat host for humans and wild and domestic animals.

Desmodus rotundus, vampire bats, transmit dangerous infections, and brucellosis is a hazardous zoonotic disease, two adversities that coexist in the subtropical and tropical areas of the American continent. Here, we report a 47.89% Brucella infection prevalence in a colony of vampire bats inhabiting the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica. The bacterium induced placentitis and fetal death in bats. Wide-range phenotypic and genotypic characterization placed the Brucella organisms as a new pathogenic species named Brucella nosferati sp. nov., isolated from bat tissues, including the salivary glands, suggesting feeding behavior might favor transmission to their prey. Overall analyses placed B. nosferati as the etiological agent of a reported canine brucellosis case, demonstrating its potential for infecting other hosts. To assess the putative prey hosts, we analyzed the intestinal contents of 14 infected and 23 non-infected bats by proteomics. A total of 54,508 peptides sorted into 7,203 unique peptides corresponding to 1,521 proteins were identified. Twenty-three wildlife and domestic taxa, including humans, were foraged by B. nosferati-infected D. rotundus, suggesting contact of this bacterium with a broad range of hosts. Our approach is appropriate for detecting, in a single study, the prey preferences of vampire bats in a diverse area, demonstrating its suitability for control strategies where vampire bats thrive. IMPORTANCE The discovery that a high proportion of vampire bats in a tropical area is infected with pathogenic Brucella nosferati and that bats forage on humans and many wild and domestic animals is relevant from the perspective of emerging disease prevention. Indeed, bats harboring B. nosferati in their salivary glands may transmit this pathogenic bacterium to other hosts. This potential is not trivial since, besides the demonstrated pathogenicity, this bacterium possesses all the required virulent arsenal of dangerous Brucella organisms, including those that are zoonotic for humans. Our work has settled the basis for future surveillance actions in brucellosis control programs where these infected bats thrive. Moreover, our strategy to identify the foraging range of bats may be adapted for exploring the feeding habits of diverse animals, including arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, and therefore of interest to a broader audience besides experts on Brucella and bats.

Molecular characterization of Brucella ovis in Argentina.

Brucellosis in rams is caused by Brucella ovis or Brucella melitensis and it is considered one of the most important infectious diseases of males in sheep-raising countries. Molecular characterization of Brucella spp. achieved by multi-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) is a powerful tool to genotype Brucella spp. However, data regarding B. ovis genotyping is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the molecular diversity of B. ovis field-strains in Argentina. A total of 115 isolates of B. ovis from Argentina and Uruguay were genotyped using MLVA-16 and analyzed altogether with 14 publicly available B. ovis genotypes from Brazil. The Discriminatory Power (D) was 0.996 for MLVA-16 and 0.0998 for MLVA-8 and MLVA-11. Analysis of MLVA-16 revealed 100 different genotypes, all of them novel, including 90 unique ones. There was no correlation between geographical distribution and genotype and results showed a higher diversity within provinces than between provinces. Clustering analysis of the strains from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil revealed that the 129 isolates were grouped into two clades. Whole Genome Sequencing analysis of the 19 B. ovis genomes available in public databases, and including some of the Argentinian strains used in this study, revealed clustering of the Argentinian isolates and closer relationship with B. ovis from New Zealand and Australia. This work adds new data to the poorly understood distribution map of genotypes regionally and worldwide for B. ovis and it constitutes the largest study of B. ovis molecular genotyping until now.

Corrigendum: Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization of the Etiological Agent of Canine Orchiepididymitis Smooth Brucella sp. BCCN84.3.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00175.].

Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization of the Etiological Agent of Canine Orchiepididymitis Smooth Brucella sp. BCCN84.3.

Members of the genus Brucella cluster in two phylogenetic groups: classical and non-classical species. The former group is composed of Brucella species that cause disease in mammals, including humans. A Brucella species, labeled as Brucella sp. BCCN84.3, was isolated from the testes of a Saint Bernard dog suffering orchiepididymitis, in Costa Rica. Following standard microbiological methods, the bacterium was first defined as "Brucella melitensis biovar 2." Further molecular typing, identified the strain as an atypical "Brucella suis." Distinctive Brucella sp. BCCN84.3 markers, absent in other Brucella species and strains, were revealed by fatty acid methyl ester analysis, high resolution melting PCR and omp25 and omp2a/omp2b gene diversity. Analysis of multiple loci variable number of tandem repeats and whole genome sequencing demonstrated that this isolate was different from the currently described Brucella species. The smooth Brucella sp. BCCN84.3 clusters together with the classical Brucella clade and displays all the genes required for virulence. Brucella sp. BCCN84.3 is a species nova taxonomical entity displaying pathogenicity; therefore, relevant for differential diagnoses in the context of brucellosis. Considering the debate on the Brucella species concept, there is a need to describe the extant taxonomical entities of these pathogens in order to understand the dispersion and evolution.

Brucella neotomae Infection in Humans, Costa Rica.

Several species of Brucella are known to be zoonotic, but B. neotomae infection has been thought to be limited to wood rats. In 2008 and 2011, however, B. neotomae was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of 2 men with neurobrucellosis. The nonzoonotic status of B. neotomae should be reassessed.

Evaluación de la efectividad de una intervención interactiva para el manejo del estrés en profesionales de la salud / Evaluation of the efectiveness of an interactive intervention for stress management in health professionals

ANTECEDENTES: Los efectos del estrés dependen de la percepción de los estresores y de las habilidades para afrontar situaciones estresantes. OBJETIVO: Evaluar una intervención interactiva para desarrollar recursos y habilidades para un manejo adecuado del estrés en profesionales de la salud. MÉTODO: Esta intervención se probó utilizando un Cédula diseñada para evaluar componentes de Conocimientos, Habilidades y Actitudes sobre manejo del estrés, conformada por 17 afirmaciones para dimensión de Conocimientos, 11 sobre Habilidades para manejo del estrés; y 20 sobre Actitudes para reaccionar ante el estrés. Participaron 165 profesionales y pasantes de carreras afines. Se hicieron análisis estadísticos para comparar los puntajes de los tres componentes antes y después de la intervención utilizando la prueba t de Student, se aplicó la prueba de McNemar para comparar los resultados. RESULTADOS: Sobre la efectividad de la intervención, en los análisis de comparación de los puntajes, se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas a favor de la intervención en los tres componentes: Conocimientos (t = -9.77, gl = 164, p = .000), Habilidades (t = -10.19, gl = 164, p = .000) y Actitudes (t = -4.80, gl = 164, p = .000).Los análisis por reactivo mostraron incrementos estadísticamente significativos en el número de respuestas correctas después de la intervención en los tres componentes. DISCUSIÓN Y CONCLUSIÓN: Los resultados de esta intervención interactiva fueron estadísticamente significativos en Conocimientos, Habilidades y Actitudes para manejo del estrés. Además de ser una intervención innovadora, breve, basada en la traslación del conocimiento (4 semanas), y disponible en Internet, la evidencia de su efectividad hace que se perfile como una herramienta válida para el manejo adecuado del estrés.

BACKGROUND: The effects of stress depend on the perception of stressors and a person's skills for coping with stressful situations. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate an interactive intervention to develop resources and skills for proper stress management among healthcare professionals. METHOD: This intervention was tested using a chart designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills and attitudes components of stress management, consisting of 17 statements about Knowledge, 11 about Stress management; 20 about Attitudes for reacting to stress. A total of 165 professionals and interns from related careers participated. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the scores of the three components before and after the intervention using the Student's t test. McNemar's test was used to compare the results. RESULTS: In regard to the effectiveness of the intervention, an analysis of the comparison of scores found statistically significant differences in favor of intervention in the three components: Knowledge (t = -9.77, df = 164, p = .000), Skills (t = -10.19, df = 164, p = .000) and Attitudes (t = -4.80, df = 164, p = .000). The item analysis showed statistically significant increases in the number of correct answers after the intervention in the three components. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of this interactive intervention were statistically significant in Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes for stress management. In addition to being a brief, innovative intervention, based on knowledge translation (4 weeks) and available on the Internet, the evidence of its effectiveness suggests it is a valid tool for proper stress management.

Violencia en el entorno laboral del trabajo sexual y consumo de sustancias en mujeres mexicanas / Violence in the work environment of sex work and substance use in a group of Mexican women

Objetivo Conocer la violencia que viven las trabajadoras sexuales en el ejercicio de su actividad y si ésta se asocia con su consumo de alcohol y otras sustancias. Método Es un estudio de campo tipo no experimental, descriptivo, con una muestra no probabilística de 103 trabajadoras sexuales seleccionadas por conveniencia. Se utilizó un instrumento diseñado ex profeso, consistente en una entrevista semi-estructurada. Resultados El 50.8% trabajaba en un bar, el 39.0% en la calle y el 10.2% en un cabaret. Más de la mitad (52.4%) refirió haber vivido experiencias violentas en el lugar de trabajo; de éstas, el 95.8% sufrió violencia física, el 26.0% violencia sexual y el 24.0% violencia emocional. Respecto a los actores involucrados en episodios violentos, en el 97.9% de los casos fueron compañeras de trabajo, en el 77.2%, clientes; en el 30.2%, propietarios o empleados de los bares y en el 25.0%, la policía. El 98% de las trabajadoras sexuales reportaron haber consumido alcohol en el último mes, el 23.3% cocaína y el 11.7% mariguana. Cabe señalar que 40% fuma tabaco. El 75% de las trabajadoras sexuales se reporta como bebedora alta. El 97% informó que generalmente los clientes las presionan para beber alcohol y un porcentaje similar refirió que consumen por las exigencias de los encargados de los lugares de trabajo. Las experiencias de violencia en el trabajo se asociaron con el consumo de cocaína [χ²= 6.417, (100, 1) gl p<.05] y de tabaco [2=7.486 (100,1) gl p<.01]. Esta asociación se mantuvo si la violencia había ocurrido en el último mes. El consumo de alcohol se relacionó con las experiencias de violencia física [χ²=5.180 (100,1)gl p<.05], y de violencia emocional [χ²=4.514 (100,1)gl p<.05]. Discusión Los resultados muestran que la violencia es una experiencia frecuente en su ambiente de trabajo, y es ejercida por múltiples actores; destaca el que se mencione a otras trabajadoras sexuales como quienes la ejercen, lo que no se reporta en la bibliografía. El consumo de alcohol y otras drogas se asocia con esta violencia, por lo que debe explorarse más este vínculo en futuros estudios. Se discuten los hallazgos, haciendo recomendaciones para la atención de esta problemática en las mujeres.

Objective The aim of this paper is to explore in women sex workers the violence they experience in the exercise of their activity, and if it is associated with alcohol use and the consumption of other substances such as cocaine, mariguana and tobacco. Method This is a descriptive, non-experimental study, developed with a non-random sample of 103 sex workers selected for convenience type field. The selection criteria were being between 18 and 65 years of age, being a sex worker, and literate. An expressly designed instrument consisting of a semi-structured interview was used. Results Regarding the workplace, 50.8% of them worked in bars, 39.0% on the streets, and 10.2% in cabarets. More than a half reported having suffered violent experiences in the workplace; of these, 95.8% experienced physical violence, 26.0%, sexual violence, and 24.0%, emotional violence. Regarding the actors involved in violent episodes, they were other sex workers (97%), customers (77.2%), owners or employees of bars (30.2%), and police (25.0%). Regarding substance use, 98% of the sex workers reported having consumed alcohol in the past month; 23.3%, cocaine; and 11.7%, marijuana. Likewise, 40% smoked tobacco. Seventy-five percent of the sex workers reported being a high drinker. Most of the women reported that customers generally pressed them in to drinking alcohol and a high percentage reported that they consumed it because of the demands of bar or cabaret managers. The experiences of workplace violence were associated with cocaine use (χ2 = 6.417 [100, 1] df p <.05) and tobacco (χ2 = 7.486 [100.1] gl p <.01). This association remained if violence had occurred in the last month. Alcohol consumption was associated with experiences of physical violence (χ2 = 5.180 [100.1] gl p <.05), and emotional abuse (χ2 = 4.514 [100.1] gl p <.05). Discussion The results show that violence is a common experience in the work environment of these women, and that this is carried out by multiple actors. Findings highlight that sex workers point out to other sex workers as those who exercise more violence. High alcohol use and the use of other drugs are associated with this violence, requiring future studies to explore in-depth this link. The findings are discussed, with recommendations for the care of these problems in female sex workers.