Adherencia e invasión de campilobacterias termotolerantes en células HEp-2 / Termophilic campylobacter species adherence and invasion in HEp-2 cells

Las campilobacterias termotolerantes son causa frecuente de enfermedad diarreica aguda en niños en todo el mundo. En el presente estudio se evaluaron dos de los factores de virulencia de importancia en enteropatógenos: la capacidad de adherencia e invasión en células HEp-2 de diferentes especies de campylobacter (C.jejuni subsp. jejuni, C coli y C. lari), aisladas como único enteropatógeno de niños menores de 5 años con diarrea inflamatoria y secretora; además, se incluyeron aislados de niños asintomáticos. Los resultados no revelaron diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la adherencia e invasión de los aislados de ambos grupos de niños (diarrea y asintomáticos), ni entre los asilados de diarrea inflamatoria y secretora. La variación en las manifestaciones clínicas en estos pacientes y la presencia de portadores asintomáticos podría atribuirse a diferencias en el huésped, es decir, participación activa de la respuesta inmune, o al tipo de cepa involucrada, ya que se han descrito otros factores de virulencia en estos microorganismos

[Bacterial origin of acute diarrhea in Merida, Venezuela]. / Origen bacteriano de la enfermedad diarreica aguda en Mérida, Venezuela.

464 stool specimens from children under 5 with acute diarrheal disease and other 149 specimens from the control group were studied from July, 1993, to May, 1995. The specimens were collected at the Pediatric Emergency Department of the Autonomous Institute of the Teaching Hospital of Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. The presence of the internationally recommended bacterial, parasitary and viral agents was investigated. The commonest bacteria isolated as unique pathogens were: Shigella (42.85%), Shigella sonnei, the most found, (66.67%), and the thermotolerant Campylobacter, Aeromonas sp. and enteropathogenous Escherichia coli, with 15; 15 and 13.5%, respectively. 6.5% of parasites and 24.12% of Rotavirus were also found. It was concluded that in the period of time under study the infectious and mainly, the bacterial origin is an important cause of acute diarrheal disease in Mérida.

[Microbiological study of nosocomial lung infections]. / Estudio microbiológico de infecciones pulmonares de origen intrahospitalario.

A total of 83 adult patients between 25 and 60 years of age who acquired pulmonary infectious disease within 48 hours after being admitted to the medical, surgical and/or intensive care units at the university hospital of the "Universidad de Los Andes" (Mérida, Venezuela) were studied during a period of 18 months. The most frequent clinical entity observed was pneumonia (49.4%). In all types of pulmonary samples obtained by secretion or puncture, more than half gave positive results to the microbiological analysis. Gram-negative bacilli prevailed as the etiological agents, with a preponderance of the species from Klebsiella (21.7%) and Pseudomonas (15.1%) genus. Staphylococcus aureus was also isolated in 13.3% of all cases. Satisfactory sensitivity to third generation cephalosporins and aminoglucosides was observed on these strains. Quinolones showed the highest antimicrobial activity. The application of an adequate antimicrobial therapy, according to the antibiotics sensitivity test results, allowed a successful clinical efficacy in 67.4% of all cases.