Comparison of Two Tuberculosis Infection Tests in a South American Tertiary Hospital: STANDARD F TB-Feron FIA vs. QIAreachTM QuantiFERON-TB.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most prevalent respiratory diseases in the world. In 2020 there were at least 9.9 million new infections, with 1.5 million deaths. Approximately 10% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop the disease during the first 2 to 5 years after infection. In South America, the diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infections (LTBI) continues to be performed through the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST). OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to compare the sensitivity of a new immunofluorescence IGRA test against a widely available IGRA kit on the market. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Close contact with infectious TB patients, HIV patients, or immunocompromised for another cause were recruited. Two interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) diagnostic kits were used and compared with TST. RESULTS: 76 patients were recruited, 93.42% were Chilean nationality, and 98.68% of the patients did not have immunosuppression. The sensitivity of the new technique was 88.89%, and the specificity was 92.50% in the study population compared to the IGRA previously used. In the subgroup older than 36 years, the sensitivity was 95.65%, and the specificity was 89.47%. CONCLUSION: IGRA techniques are a new resource in clinical laboratories to make an accurate diagnosis of LTBI in the region of the Americas. In our population, the greatest benefit of this new IGRA would be observed in people over 36 years of age, where the sensitivity of the technique was like that of the currently available test.

Respuesta del simbiosistema frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) y Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 ante el efecto alelopático de Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth / Responses of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 symbiosystem to induced allelopathy by Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth

La alelopatía es un fenómeno que involucra la producción de metabolitos secundarios que influyen en el crecimiento de las plantas, pero este potencial alelopático ha sido poco estudiado en la simbiosis rizobio-leguminosa. Esta investigación tuvo los siguientes objetivos: 1) evaluar el potencial alelopático de lixiviados acuosos de Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth en la germinación de semillas y en el crecimiento radical de plántulas de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.); 2) determinar el efecto de estos lixiviados en el crecimiento in vitro de Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, y 3) evaluar el potencial alelopático de I. purpurea en el crecimiento, la fisiología y la nodulación de frijol en simbiosis con R. tropici. Tanto el lixiviado acuoso de raíz como el de la parte aérea de I. purpurea estimularon la germinación de semillas de frijol y la elongación radical. El crecimiento in vitro de R. tropici fue inhibido al aplicar los 2 tipos de lixiviado. La presencia de I. purpurea tuvo un efecto negativo en el crecimiento y en las respuestas fisiológicas de las plantas de frijol, que fue atenuado cuando las plantas fueron inoculadas con Rhizobium tropici; no obstante, la nodulación asociada a esta bacteria fue afectada en presencia de la planta alelopática. Los resultados indican que la simbiosis de rizobios en las raíces de frijol es un elemento importante en la atenuación de los danos producidos por la planta alelopática I. purpurea.

Allelopathy is a phenomenon that involves the production of secondary metabolites that influence the growth of plants and microorganisms; however, this alellopathic effect has been scarcely studied on the rhizobia-legume symbiosis. The aims of this research were 1) to assess the allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts of Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth on seed germination and root length of common bean seedlings (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), 2) to determine its effects on the in vitro growth of Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, and 3) to evaluate the allelopathic potential of I. purpurea on the growth, nodulation and physiology of common bean plants inoculated with R. tropici. After 48 h, 15% of the aqueous root extract of I. purpurea stimulated seed germination, whereas 4% of the aqueous shoot extracts stimulated such germination. Both the root or shoot extracts stimulated seed germination and e root length. In vitro growth of R. tropici was inhibited as a result of the application of both aqueous extracts. The presence of I. purpurea negatively affected both the growth and physiological responses of common bean plants, and this effect was attenuated after the inoculation of R. tropici; nevertheless, this allelopathic plant affected root nodulation. Our results suggest that the symbiosis of rhizobia and roots of common bean plants is an important element for attenuating the negative effects caused by the allelopathic plant.

[Responses of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 symbiosystem to induced allelopathy by Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth]. / Respuesta del simbiosistema frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) y Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 ante el efecto alelopático de Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth.

Allelopathy is a phenomenon that involves the production of secondary metabolites that influence the growth of plants and microorganisms; however, this alellopathic effect has been scarcely studied on the rhizobia-legume symbiosis. The aims of this research were 1) to assess the allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts of Ipomoea purpurea L. Roth on seed germination and root length of common bean seedlings (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), 2) to determine its effects on the in vitro growth of Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, and 3) to evaluate the allelopathic potential of I. purpurea on the growth, nodulation and physiology of common bean plants inoculated with R. tropici. After 48h, 15% of the aqueous root extract of I. purpurea stimulated seed germination, whereas 4% of the aqueous shoot extracts stimulated such germination. Both the root or shoot extracts stimulated seed germination and e root length. In vitro growth of R. tropici was inhibited as a result of the application of both aqueous extracts. The presence of I. purpurea negatively affected both the growth and physiological responses of common bean plants, and this effect was attenuated after the inoculation of R. tropici; nevertheless, this allelopathic plant affected root nodulation. Our results suggest that the symbiosis of rhizobia and roots of common bean plants is an important element for attenuating the negative effects caused by the allelopathic plant.