[Mortality due to endemic and imported parasitoses in Chile. 1997-2020]. / Mortalidad por parasitosis endémicas e importadas en Chile. 1997-2020.

BACKGROUND: Parasites are a public health problem due to their high prevalence in developing countries, their persistence in developed countries mainly due to the migration of people, and their associated morbidity and mortality. AIM: To determine the deaths in Chile caused by endemic and imported parasites; according to region, sex, age group, urban-rural origin and educational level, and mortality rates. METHOD: Population-based study, times series of mortality (1997 to 2020). Statistical analysis was performed using Excel and R Studio programs, calculation of χ2, p value < 0.05. RESULTS: 2,413 deaths occurred due to parasites, 65.1% by protozoa, 33% by helminths and 1.9% by arthropods. The average national mortality rate was 0.6 per 100.000 inhabitants. The main causes of death were Chagas disease (63.6%), hydatidosis (24.3%) and cysticercosis (8.1%). Most of the deceased belonged to the Coquimbo Region. The mean age of death was 74, 62 and 67 years old for deaths from protozoa, helminths and arthropods, respectively. Deaths occurred mostly in men. Most came from urban areas and had a low educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Chagas disease is the main cause of death from parasites in Chile.

Mortalidad por parasitosis endémicas e importadas en Chile. 1997-2020 / Mortality due to endemic and imported parasitoses in Chile. 1997-2020

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las parasitosis son un problema de salud pública mundial por su alta prevalencia en países en vías de desarrollo, su persistencia en países desarrollados debido principalmente por la migración de personas, y por su morbi-mortalidad asociada. OBJETIVO: Determinar las defunciones causadas por parasitosis endémicas e importadas en Chile, según región, sexo, grupo etario, procedencia urbana/rural y nivel educacional, y estimar tasas de mortalidad. MÉTODO: Estudio de base poblacional y serie de tiempo de mortalidad (1997 a 2020). Los análisis estadísticos fueron realizados mediante programas Excel y R Studio, cálculo de χ2, valor p < 0,05. RESULTADOS: 2.413 muertes fueron causadas por parásitos, 65,1% por protozoos, 33% por helmintos y 1,9% por artrópodos. La tasa promedio de mortalidad nacional fue de 0,6 por cada 100 mil habitantes. Las principales causas de fallecimiento fueron: enfermedad de Chagas (63,6%), hidatidosis (24,3%) y cisticercosis (8,1%). La mayoría de los fallecidos pertenecía a la Región de Coquimbo. La edad promedio de defunción fue de 74, 62 y 67 años para muertes por protozoos, helmintos y artrópodos, respectivamente. Las defunciones ocurrieron mayormente en hombres. La mayoría provenía de zona urbana y poseían un nivel educacional bajo. CONCLUSIONES: La enfermedad de Chagas es la principal causa de muerte por parasitosis en Chile.

BACKGROUND: Parasites are a public health problem due to their high prevalence in developing countries, their persistence in developed countries mainly due to the migration of people, and their associated morbidity and mortality. AIM: To determine the deaths in Chile caused by endemic and imported parasites; according to region, sex, age group, urban-rural origin and educational level, and mortality rates. METHOD: Population-based study, times series of mortality (1997 to 2020). Statistical analysis was performed using Excel and R Studio programs, calculation of χ2, p value < 0.05. RESULTS: 2,413 deaths occurred due to parasites, 65.1% by protozoa, 33% by helminths and 1.9% by arthropods. The average national mortality rate was 0.6 per 100.000 inhabitants. The main causes of death were Chagas disease (63.6%), hydatidosis (24.3%) and cysticercosis (8.1%). Most of the deceased belonged to the Coquimbo Region. The mean age of death was 74, 62 and 67 years old for deaths from protozoa, helminths and arthropods, respectively. Deaths occurred mostly in men. Most came from urban areas and had a low educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Chagas disease is the main cause of death from parasites in Chile.

Effect of Light and p-Coumaric Acid on the Growth and Expression of Genes Related to Oxidative Stress in Brettanomyces bruxellensis LAMAP2480.

Brettanomyces bruxellensis is considered the most significant contaminant yeast in the wine industry since it causes a deterioration in the organoleptic properties of the wine and significant economic losses. This deterioration is due to the production of volatile phenols from hydroxycinnamic acids. These compounds possess antimicrobial properties; however, B. bruxellensis can resist this effect because it metabolizes them into less toxic ones. Recent studies have reported that B. bruxellensis grows under different stress conditions, including p-coumaric acid (pCA) but effective methods for its control have not been found yet. Since that in other yeasts, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it has been described that light affects its growth, and we evaluated whether the light would have a similar effect on B. bruxellensis. The results show that at light intensities of 2,500 and 4,000 lux in the absence of pCA, B. bruxellensis LAMAP2480 does not grow in the culture medium; however, when the medium contains this acid, the yeast adapts to both factors of stress managing to grow. The expression of genes related to oxidative stress in B. bruxellensis LAMAP2480, such as SOD1, GCN4, and ESBP6, showed a higher relative expression when the yeast was exposed to 2,500 lux compared to 4,000 lux, agreeing with the growth curves. This suggests that a higher expression of the genes studied would be related to stress-protective effects by pCA.

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution of Native Torulaspora delbrueckii YCPUC10 With Enhanced Ethanol Resistance and Evaluation in Co-inoculated Fermentation.

Torulaspora delbrueckii is a yeast species typically present in the early stages of the fermentation process. T. delbrueckii positively modifies the aromatic properties of wines. However, its contribution to the final quality of the wine is restricted by its low tolerance to ethanol. T. delbrueckii is capable of fermenting and tolerating an ethanol concentration ranging from 7.4% (v/v) to slightly higher than 9% (v/v). For this reason, it cannot complete fermentation, when alcohol reach levels higher than 12% (v/v), limiting their use in the industry. The objective of this work was to obtain new variants of T. delbrueckii with improved resistance to ethanol through adaptive laboratory evolution. Variants capable of tolerating ethanol levels of 11.5% (v/v) were obtained. These presented improved kinetic parameters, and additionally showed an increase in resistance to SO2 in ethanol compared to the original strain. Co-inoculated fermentations were performed with the original strain (FTd/Sc) and with the evolved strain (FTdF/Sc), in addition to a control fermentation using only Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC1118 (FSc). The results obtained show that FTdF/Sc present higher levels of 2-Ethylhexanol, compared to FTd/Sc and FSc. Furthermore, FTdF/Sc presents higher levels of total alcohols, total aldehydes, total phenolic derivatives, and total sulfur compounds with significant differences with FSc. These results provide a T. delbrueckii YCPUC10-F yeast with higher resistance to ethanol, which can be present throughout the fermentation process and be used in co-inoculated fermentations. This would positively impact the performance of T. delbrueckii by allowing it to be present not only in the early stages of fermentation but to remain until the end of fermentation.