Abaycosa a new genus of South American wolf spiders (Lycosidae: Allocosinae)

The taxonomy and systematics of the subfamily Allocosinae are poorly known, especially in South America. In the last century, several species have been described in genera from other subfamilies or transferred to them creating great confusion in the knowledge of Allocosinae. In this study we propose the new genus, Abaycosa gen. nov. to contain two species previously described, Orinocosa paraguensis (Gertsch & Wallace 1937) and Pardosa nanica Mello-Leitão 1941. Additionally, we propose two synonyms, Pardosa flammula Mello-Leitão 1945 as a junior synonym of Abaycosa nanica (Mello-Leitão 1941), comb. nov. and Alopecosa rosea Mello-Leitão 1945 as a junior synonym of Abaycosa paraguensis (Gertsch & Wallace 1937), comb. nov. The results of the phylogenetic analysis using molecular characters place Abaycosa in the subfamily Allocosinae, which is also supported by morphological data. Abaycosa can be distinguished from the remaining Allocosinae by the following characters: in males by the presence of only one distal macrosetae and a patch of flat setae on the tip of the cymbium, in females by the ventral position of the vulval chamber and by the short and stout stalk of the spermathecae.

SARS-CoV-2 genomic characterization and clinical manifestation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Uruguay.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and declared by the World Health Organization a global public health emergency. Among the severe outbreaks across South America, Uruguay has become known for curtailing SARS-CoV-2 exceptionally well. To understand the SARS-CoV-2 introductions, local transmissions, and associations with genomic and clinical parameters in Uruguay, we sequenced the viral genomes of 44 outpatients and inpatients in a private healthcare system in its capital, Montevideo, from March to May 2020. We performed a phylogeographic analysis using sequences from our cohort and other studies that indicate a minimum of 23 independent introductions into Uruguay, resulting in five major transmission clusters. Our data suggest that most introductions resulting in chains of transmission originate from other South American countries, with the earliest seeding of the virus in late February 2020, weeks before the borders were closed to all non-citizens and a partial lockdown implemented. Genetic analyses suggest a dominance of S and G clades (G, GH, GR) that make up >90% of the viral strains in our study. In our cohort, lethal outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly correlated with arterial hypertension, kidney failure, and ICU admission (FDR < 0.01), but not with any mutation in a structural or non-structural protein, such as the spike D614G mutation. Our study contributes genetic, phylodynamic, and clinical correlation data about the exceptionally well-curbed SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Uruguay, which furthers the understanding of disease patterns and regional aspects of the pandemic in Latin America.

SARS-CoV-2 genomic characterization and clinical manifestation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Uruguay.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and declared by the World Health Organization a global public health emergency. Among the severe outbreaks across South America, Uruguay has become known for curtailing SARS-CoV-2 exceptionally well. To understand the SARS-CoV-2 introductions, local transmissions, and associations with genomic and clinical parameters in Uruguay, we sequenced the viral genomes of 44 outpatients and inpatients in a private healthcare system in its capital, Montevideo, from March to May 2020. We performed a phylogeographic analysis using sequences from our cohort and other studies that indicate a minimum of 23 independent introductions into Uruguay, resulting in five major transmission clusters. Our data suggest that most introductions resulting in chains of transmission originate from other South American countries, with the earliest seeding of the virus in late February 2020, weeks before the borders were closed to all non-citizens and a partial lockdown implemented. Genetic analyses suggest a dominance of S and G clades (G, GH, GR) that make up >90% of the viral strains in our study. In our cohort, lethal outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly correlated with arterial hypertension, kidney failure, and ICU admission (FDR < 0.01), but not with any mutation in a structural or non-structural protein, such as the spike D614G mutation. Our study contributes genetic, phylodynamic, and clinical correlation data about the exceptionally well-curbed SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Uruguay, which furthers the understanding of disease patterns and regional aspects of the pandemic in Latin America.

Association of TCF7L2 mutation and atypical diabetes in a Uruguayan population.

AIM: To investigate if mutations in TCF7L2 are associated with "atypical diabetes" in the Uruguayan population. METHODS: Healthy, nondiabetic controls (n = 133) and patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 177) were selected from among the presenting population at level-3 referral healthcare centers in Uruguay. Patients with type 2 diabetes were subgrouped according to "atypical diabetes" (n = 92) and "classical diabetes" (n = 85). Genotyping for the rs12255372 and rs7903146 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TCFTL2 gene was carried out with TaqMan® probes. Random samples were sequenced by Macrogen Ltd. (South Korea). Statistical analysis of the SNP data was carried out with the SNPStats online tool (http://bioinfo.iconcologia.net/SNPstats). The best inheritance model was chosen according to the lowest values of Akaike's information criterion and Bayesian information criterion. Differences between groups were determined by unpaired t-tests after checking the normal distribution or were converted to normalize the data. The association of SNPs was tested for matched case-control samples by using χ2 analysis and calculation of odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were performed using SPSS v10.0 and EpiInfo7 statistical packages. Significant statistical differences were assumed in all cases showing adjusted P < 0.05. RESULTS: We genotyped two TCF7L2 SNPs (rs7903146 and rs12255372) in a population-based sample of 310 Uruguayan subjects, including 133 healthy control subjects and 177 clinical diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. For both SNPs analyzed, the best model was the dominant type: rs12255372 = G/G vs G/T+T/T, OR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.40-0.98, P < 0.05 and rs7903146 = C/C vs C/T+T/T, OR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.41-1.55, P = 0.3. The rs12255372 SNP showed high association with the type 2 diabetes cases (OR = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.20-2.51, P < 0.05). However, when the type 2 diabetics group was analyzed according to the atypical and classical subgroupings, the association with diabetes existed only for rs12255372 and the classical subgroup (vs controls: OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.21-3.75, P < 0.05); no significant differences were found for either SNP or atypical diabetes. CONCLUSION: This is the first time SNPs_TCF7L2 were genotyped in a diabetic population stratified by genotype instead of phenotype. Classical and atypical patients showed statistical differences.