Nuevos y viejos agentes asociados a diarrea en niños en Honduras / New and old agents of acute diarrhea In children In Honduras

INTRODUCCIÓN: La diarrea es la segunda causa de morbilidad y mortalidad en niños menores de 5 años en Honduras. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los agentes etiológicos virales, bacterianos y parasitarios en niños con diarrea no sanguino lenta de 2 barrios marginales de Comayagüela, Honduras. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio de casos y controles realizado del 1er de marzo al 31 de agosto 2004 en los centros de Salud de Las Crucitas y El Carrizal, en 151 niños de 6 meses a 5 años de edad con diarrea aguda que acudieron por demanda espontanea; con los correspondientes 151 controles apareados por edad, sexo y vecindario, una vez obtenido el consentimiento informado. Las muestras de heces se procesaron por virus, bacterias y parásitos utilizando métodos convencionales en el laboratorio. El análisis estadístico además de la prueba exacta de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Se encontró una asociación significativa entre los niños infectados por Cryptosporidium spp. y Adenovirus y los episodios de diarrea aguda, comparada con los no infectados por esos agentes patógenos (OR=9.31, 95%CI=1.24 - 69.97; OR = 5.47, 95%CI=1.51 – 19.80, respectivamente); los 8 pacientes infectados con Rotavirus tenían un cuadro diarreico agudo evidente (prueba exacta de Fisher p<0.01). CONCLUSIONES: Las infecciones por Adenovirus, Rotavirus y Cryptosporidium spp. se asociaron fuertemente con diarrea aguda no sanguinolenta en niños en Honduras...

Nuevos y viejos agentes asociados a diarrea en niños en Honduras / New And Old Agents Of Acute Diarrhea In Children In Honduras

INTRODUCCIÓN: La diarrea es la segunda causa de morbilidad y mortalidad en niños menores de 5 años en Honduras. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los agentes etiológicos virales, bacterianos y parasitarios en niños con diarrea no sanguino lenta de 2 barrios marginales de Comayagüela, Honduras. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio de casos y controles realizado del 1er de marzo al 31 de agosto 2004 en los centros de Salud de Las Crucitas y El Carrizal, en 151 niños de 6 meses a 5 años de edad con diarrea aguda que acudieron por demanda espontanea; con los correspondientes 151 controles apareados por edad, sexo y vecindario, una vez obtenido el consentimiento informado. Las muestras de heces se procesaron por virus, bacterias y parásitos utilizando métodos convencionales en el laboratorio. El análisis estadístico además de la prueba exacta de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Se encontró una asociación significativa entre los niños infectados por Cryptosporidium spp. y Adenovirus y los episodios de diarrea aguda, comparada con los no infectados por esos agentes patógenos (OR=9.31, 95%CI=1.24 - 69.97; OR = 5.47, 95%CI=1.51 – 19.80, respectivamente); los 8 pacientes infectados con Rotavirus tenían un cuadro diarreico agudo evidente (prueba exacta de Fisher p<0.01). CONCLUSIONES: Las infecciones por Adenovirus, Rotavirus y Cryptosporidium spp. se asociaron fuertemente con diarrea aguda no sanguinolenta en niños en Honduras...(AU)

Risk factors for an outbreak of leptospirosis in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in California, 2004.

Leptospirosis has been reported in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) since 1970; however, the source of infection and mode of transmission remain unknown. To elucidate these features, demographic and environmental risk factors for leptospirosis were evaluated. California sea lion stranding records from northern California for 2004 were used to identify cases of leptospirosis (n = 316) and controls (n = 143). Demographic characteristics (age class, sex) and environmental factors, representing surrogates for exposure to dogs, cattle, rainfall, and freshwater sources, were compared between cases and controls with the use of a geographic information system (GIS) and logistic regression. Multivariate analyses revealed that summer and autumn seasons, juvenile age class, male sex, high dog-park density, and close proximity to dog parks were significantly associated with leptospirosis in sea lions, whereas county farmland cattle density, rainfall levels 30 days prior to stranding, human density, and proximity to freshwater sources were not associated. Thus, dogs and dog parks, or factors associated with them, might be further investigated to assess their relationship to leptospirosis in sea lions.

A survey of veterinarian involvement in zoonotic disease prevention practices.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which practicing veterinarians in King County, Washington, engaged in commonly recommended practices for the prevention of zoonotic diseases. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Sample Population-Licensed veterinarians practicing clinical medicine in King County, Washington. PROCEDURES: A survey was sent between September and November 2006 to 454 licensed veterinarians practicing clinical medicine in King County. RESULTS: 370 valid responses were received. A high proportion (280/362 [77%]) of respondents agreed that it was very important for veterinarians to educate clients on zoonotic disease prevention, but only 43% (158/367) reported that they had initiated discussions about zoonotic diseases with clients on a daily basis, and only 57% (203/356) indicated that they had client educational materials on zoonotic diseases available in their practices. Thirty-one percent (112/360) of respondents indicated that there were no written infection-control guidelines for staff members in the practice, and 28% (105/371) reported having been infected with a zoonotic disease in practice. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results illustrated that veterinarians recognize their important role in zoonotic disease prevention and suggested that veterinarians would welcome stronger partnerships with public health agencies and other health professionals in this endeavor. Methods to increase veterinarians' involvement in zoonotic disease prevention include discussing zoonotic diseases more frequently with clients, physicians, and public health agencies; encouraging higher risk individuals to discuss zoonotic diseases; having educational materials on zoonotic diseases available for clients; improving infection-control practices; and ensuring that continuing education courses on zoonotic diseases are regularly available.

Biomedical journals: keeping up and reading critically.

By extrapolation from studies of physicians, knowledge and practice of laboratory animal medicine and science are expected to become progressively more outdated the longer practitioners are out of school. Keeping up with current literature and practice is a challenge that necessitates the use of many different sources of continuing education. Both veterinarians and physicians consistently list journals as the most beneficial source of new information. Accordingly, they must select from the veterinary and biomedical literature articles that report original studies and systematic reviews and recognize and respond to valid new knowledge to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and maintain consistent clinical skills. Other objectives include selecting journals for general information and for information relevant or specific to one's field of research. Lastly, candidates for board certification need to read articles from journals that potentially provide the basis for questions on the examination. 'High-impact' journals should be identified, and articles should be reviewed critically. In a survey of recent candidates for laboratory animal medicine board examination, these journals included Contemporary Topics (now JAALAS), Comparative Medicine, ILAR Journal, and Laboratory Animals. Strategies for coping with the challenge of staying current with the literature include wise use of technology, journal clubs, and consultation with colleagues. A laboratory animal practitioner can become a better scientist and clinician by evaluating the research performed by others. Thorough, critical review of biomedical literature is paramount to these goals.

Outbreak: detection and investigation.

With the increased movement of rodents between institutions of various pathogen status, the risk of introducing unwanted agents into a facility is high. This situation is in direct conflict with the increasing demand for "clean" rodents for use in biomedical research. If an institution is to have any hope of attaining specific-pathogen-free status, a rational surveillance program should be in place, along with a plan of action to be undertaken when an unwanted agent is detected in the facility. This review summarizes the factors that should be considered when designing a rodent health-surveillance program and outlines a general approach to be taken when rodents in a facility become infected with an undesirable agent.