Borrelia burgdorferi as a risk factor for Alzheimer's dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of Borrelia burgdorferi infection with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults. METHODS: Case-control study. Patients older than 60 years, both sexes, were included. Three groups were created: with probable Alzheimer's disease cases with NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, MCI cases in those not meeting NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for dementia, but who had an abnormal cognitive evaluation and independence in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), cognitively healthy controls were diagnosed with normal cognitive evaluation and independence in IADL were identified in the community. Western blot IgG against B. burgdorferi in serum was done in all the participants. Non-conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the association of Alzheimer's disease or MCI and seropositive to B. burgdorferi. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients with Alzheimer's disease, mean age of 75.6 ± 3.4 years, 69% were females, education 8.3 ± 4.8 years. 39 patients with MCI, mean age of 72.2 ± 6.8 years, 85% were females, education 11.2 ± 4.2 years. A total of 11/38 (29%) were positive to B. burgdorferi with Alzheimer's disease, 9/39 (23%) with MCI, and 11/108 (10%) of controls. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.65 (95% CI 1.2-11.1) adjusted for education and a history of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) was estimated, and in patients with MCI an aOR = 3.2 (95% CI 1.1-9.1) for a history of diabetes mellitus and CVD was estimated. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, there was an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and MCI in seropositive IgG patients to B. burgdorferi.

Frequency and Clinical Epidemiology of Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis in Dogs Infested with Ticks from Sinaloa, Mexico.

Ehrlichia canis is a rickettsial intracellular obligate bacterial pathogen and agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. The prevalence of this disease in veterinary medicine can vary depending on the diagnostic method used and the geographic location. One hundred and fifty-two canine blood samples from six veterinary clinics and two shelters from Sinaloa State (Mexico) were analyzed in this study. All animals were suspected of having Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (CME). The diagnostic methods used were the ELISA (Snap4Dx, IDEXX) together with blood smear and platelet count. From all dogs blood samples analyzed, 74.3% were positive to E. canis by ELISA and 40.1% were positive by blood smear. The sensitivity and specificity observed in the ELISA test were 78.8% and 86.7%. In addition, thrombocytopenia was presented in 87.6% of positive dogs. The predominant clinical manifestations observed were fever, anorexia, depression, lethargy, and petechiae. Consequently, this is the first report in which the morulae were visualized in the blood samples, and E. canis-specific antibodies were detected in dogs from Sinaloa, Northwest of Mexico.

Estudio de casos y controles en un brote de S. marcescens en una unidad neonatal de cuidados intensivos / A case control study of an outbreak of S. Marcescens in a neonatal intensive care unit

Objetivo. Analizar un brote epidémico de Serratia marcescens en una unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales (UCIN) e identificar los factores de riesgo asociados al brote. Material y métodos. Estudio de 24 casos y 39 controles durante un brote de marzo a julio de 1995. Se registró: edad, sexo, dispositivos intravasculares, nebulizadores, asistencia a la ventilación, uso de nutrición perenteral total (NPT), enfermedades subyacentes, intervenciones quirúrgicas, sondas, tratamiento antimicrobiano previo y días de exposición. Se calculó razón de momios e intervalo de confianza del 95 por ciento (RM, IC 95 por ciento) y se efectuó análisis multivariado. Resultados. Los factores de riesgo en el análisis univariado (RM, IC 95 por ciento) fueron uso de catéter venoso central (4.57, 1.01-23.5), días de uso de NPT (4.38, 1.03-16.5), días de tratamiento antimicrobiano previo (4.87, 1.60-22.4) y días de exposición (2.7, 2-65-27.6). En el análisis multivariado los factores fueron: tratamiento antimicrobiano previo (3.98, 2.36-18.2), días de tratamiento antimicrobiano (6.76, 3.02-24.6) y días de uso de NPT (4.87, 1.67-15.6). Conclusiones. Los factores de riesgo en nuestro estudio fueron el tratamiento previo con antimicrobianos y su duración, así como los días de uso de NPT