Infección por el virus de la hepatitis C en individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 en Antioquia, Colombia / Hepatitis C Infections among Individuals who Received Transfusions prior to 1994 in Antioquia, Colombia

Introducción: la infección por el virus de la hepatitis C es un problema de salud pública. Según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, se estiman 184 millones de casos de infección por VHC en el mundo. El principal factor de riesgo en países en desarrollo corresponde a la transfusión de componentes sanguíneos. En Colombia, en 1993, se reglamentó el tamizaje serológico en los bancos de sangre para diferentes agentes infecciosos, incluido el VHC; sin embargo, los datos de infección por VHC en la población transfundida antes de esta fecha es limitada. Objetivo: describir la frecuencia de infección por el VHC en una población de individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 en Antioquia. Materiales y Métodos: un total de 166 individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 aceptaron participar en el estudio. A partir de las muestras de suero se realizó la detección de anticuerpos totales contra el VHC (anti-VHC) mediante prueba de ELISA y en las muestras positivas se determinó la presencia del genoma viral por RT-PCR de la región no codificante 5’. Resultados y conclusiones: en el población de estudio se encontró una frecuencia de anticuerpos anti-VHC de 6,6% (11/166) y presencia del genoma del VHC en 7/11 de las muestras; el genotipo 1 se identificó en 4 de las muestras. No se encontró asociación de otros factores de riesgo diferentes a transfusión en los individuos con marcadores de infección por el VHC. Este estudio aporta datos a la epidemiología de la infección por el VHC en Colombia.

Introduction: Infection with the hepatitis C virus is a public health problem. According to the World Health Organization there are an estimated 184 million cases of HCV infection around the world. The main risk factor in developing countries is transfusion of blood components. In 1993, Colombian regulations began requiring serological screening by blood banks for infectious agents including HCV. Nevertheless, data about HCV infections in the population transfused before this date is limited. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the frequency of HCV infection in the population of individuals transfused before 1994 in Antioquia. Materials and Methods: A total of 166 individuals transfused before 1994 agreed to participate in the study. ELISA tests for antibodies to HCV were performed on these patients’ serum samples. Samples that were positive were tested for the presence of the viral genome by RT-PCR of non-coding region 5. Results and Conclusions: The frequency of anti-HCV antibodies in study population was 6.6% (11/166) while the HCV genome was present in seven of these eleven individuals. Genotype 1 was identified in four of the samples. No associations of different risk factors for transfusion in individuals with markers of HCV infection were found. This study provides data on the epidemiology of HCV infection in Colombia.

Herd- and cow-level risk factors associated with subclinical mastitis in dairy farms from the High Plains of the northern Antioquia, Colombia.

Mastitis is the main disease entity affecting dairy farms in the Colombian High Plains of northern Antioquia, Colombia. However, no previous epidemiologic studies have determined the characteristics that increase the risk of infection in this region, where manual milking is still the prevailing system of milking. A 24-mo longitudinal study was designed to identify the predominant mastitis pathogens and important herd- and cow-level risk factors. Monthly visits were made to 37 commercial dairy farms to collect herd- and cow-level data and milk samples. Herd size varied from 6 to 136 cows (mean 37.0, median 29). Herd-level factors included type of milking system (manual or mechanical) and a range of management practices recommended by the National Mastitis Council (Madison, WI) to prevent mastitis. Individual cow-level risk factors included parity, stage of lactation, breed, udder hygiene, and lameness. A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate associations between herd- and cow-level risk factors with the presence of subclinical mastitis and infection caused by Streptococcus agalactiae at the quarter level. A quarter was considered to have subclinical mastitis if it had a positive California Mastitis Test and was subsequently confirmed to have a somatic cell count of ≥200,000 cells/mL. Any cow with one or more quarters with subclinical mastitis was considered to have subclinical mastitis at the cow level. Using 17,622 cow observations, the mean prevalence of subclinical mastitis at the cow level was 37.2% (95% confidence interval: 31.2, 43.3) for the first month and did not substantially change throughout the study. The predominant microorganisms isolated from quarters meeting the subclinical mastitis definition were contagious pathogens, including Strep. agalactiae (34.4%), Corynebacterium spp. (13.2%), and Staphylococcus aureus (8.0%). Significant variables associated with subclinical mastitis risk at the quarter level included being a purebred Holstein cow, higher parity, and increased months in milk. Variables that were protective for mastitis risk included being a crossbreed cow and adequate premilking udder hygiene. Significant variables associated with Strep. agalactiae infection were higher parity, increased months in milk, and manual milking. Variables that were protective were postmilking teat dipping and adequate cleaning of the udder. The results highlight the importance of hygiene practices in contagious mastitis control in manually milked herds.

Queratomicosis caracteristicas clínicas y factores relacionados / Keratomycosis clinical characteristics and related factors

Presentamos un estudio retrospectivo descriptivo realizado en el Hospital Oftalmológico de Nuestra Señora de la Luz, desde mayo de 1981 a mayo de 19889. Se analizaron los expedientes de 32 pacientes con reporte de frotis corneal, procesado mediante el método de Papanicolaou, positivo de queratomicosis. El 75.1%de los pacientes no refería antecedentes traumático mientras que el 93%manifestaban haber usado tratamiento tópico en forma indiscriminada. La sintomatología inicial no mostró características diferentes a la infección corneal de otra etiología. Los signos por el contratio, mostraron ser constantes con lo que pudimos establecer un cuadro clínico indicativo de esta patología. Asimismo, observamos que el 96.9%procedian del área rural con condiciones socio económicas deficientes. El resultado final fue mejor cuando hubo un menor tiempo de evolución desde que principiaron los síntomas hasta el inicio del tratamiento adecuado. Mostrando ser lo mejor la conducta antimicòtica inmediata, o cuando se esperó el resultado del frotis y posteriormente se dio manejo médico específico.