Prevalence of human papillomavirus in university young women.

Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent female cancer worldwide. The majority of cases appear between the age of 30 and 50. Human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a central role in cervical cancer with 99.7% of HPV DNA identified in invasive cervical carcinomas. The prevalence of the HPV infection varies substantially among countries and according to age and lifestyle. HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection among males and females with a 70% higher incidence in sexually active females. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus in young university women by analyzing the correlation between Papanicolaou (PAP)-stained cervical tests and HPV detection by genotyping, as well as other risk factors. A total of 200 women aged between 18 and 25 years were enrolled in this study, which took place between September 2008 and May 2009 at the Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile. Results of the PAP smears showed that 97.5% of cells had normal characteristics, although an inflammatory pattern was noted. The prevalence of generic HPV infection was 3.5% when testing for HPV DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. An analysis of the genotype of infected female individuals indicated that high-risk HPV types, such as HPV 16 and 31 were present in 42.84 and 14.29% of females, respectively, and low-risk types such as HPV 6, in 14.29%. Only one sample with differentiated non-HPV (14.29%) was found. A 95% correlation between PAP-stained cervical tests and the method of testing for HPV was observed. Using the PCR method, it was found that of the 195 negative PAP smears, 5 were positive for HPV and two of the samples that were positive for ASC-US were also positive. A significantly increased (P<0.05) HPV infection risk was observed in the 18-21 age group with a higher prevalence (71.40%) when compared to the 22-25 age group (28.6%). A significant (P<0.042) difference was found between smoking and HPV infection. In conclusion, a significant (P<0.05) correlation was found between PAP and PCR methods for HPV testing in young university women. A significant correlation between smoking and HPV was detected, whereas no difference was noted with other parameters.

Enteroparasitosis en niños escolares del valle de Lluta: Arica - Chile / Enteroparasitosis in schoolchildren of Lluta Valley, Arica, Chile

Se realizó un estudio enteroparasitológico de los niños residentes en el área rural del valle de Lluta Arica Chile. De 150 niños examinados se encontró un 72 por ciento de infección enteroparasitológica, siendo los más prevalentes, Giardia lamblia (30 por ciento), Endolimax nana (27,3 por ciento) y Enterobius vermicularis (28 por ciento).

Tripanosomiasois americana en habitantes de la Comuna de Camarones / American trypanosomiasis in villagers from the Camarones District, I Región, Chile

Mediante encuesta serológica (RIFI-Chagas) se estudió la frecuencia de infección por trypanosoma cruzi en habitantes de 8 localidades de la Comuna de Camarones, I Región. De un total de 170 personas examinadas, 43 (25,3%) resultaron positivas a título < 1:32. La más alta frecuencia se encontró entre pobladrores de Esquiña (36,4%) y la menor en Illapata (7,4%). Los casos positivos aparecieron principalmente en personas de mayor edad (65% en un grupo de 61-74 años). Las características de las viviendas y la convivencia estrecha con animales domésticos establecían condicionnes muy favorables a la proliferación de triatoma infestans y la transmisión de T cruzi. Se concluye que la Comuna de Camarones presenta una situación actual de alta endemia chagásica, que ha perdurado así por largo tiempo