La enfermedad de Chagas en España / Chagas disease in Spain

El notable incremento de la inmigración de procedencia Latinoamericana habido en España durante el último lustro, con especial impacto en la población de procedencia boliviana, ha convertido a la enfermedad de Chagas, o tripanosomiasis americana, en un problema de Salud Pública en nuestro país. En el momento actual residen en España casi dos millones y medio de personas oriundas de países endémicos para esta enfermedad que, en ausencia del insecto vector, puede transmitirse por transfusión de sangre, transplantes de tejidos o por vía vertical. En el trabajo se revisa la situación epidemiológica y del conocimiento de esta parasitosis actuales en España(AU)

The notable increase in immigration from Latin-American countries to Spain during the last five years, particularly people from Bolivia, has converted Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis, into a public health problem in Spain. The number of people from countries in which Chagas disease is endemic now living in Spain is estimated to be near two and half million. In the absence of vector species responsible for transmission, the disease may be transmitted by blood transfusion and tissue transplants as well as by vertical transmission. This work reviews the current knowledge and epidemiological situation of this parasitosis in Spain(AU)

[Leishmaniasis in peninsular Spain. A historical-bibliographic review (1912-1985)]. / La Leishmaniosis en la España peninsular. Revisión histórico-bibliográfica (1912-1985).

A bibliographic-historical review of leishmaniasis in Spain during the period 1912-1985 is carried out. The bibliographical prospecting has allowed to collect a total of 402 works; out of them only 79 are included in this review. From reading them, it can be deduced that, starting from its discovery in the coast of Levante in 1912, leishmaniasis has been a very well known disease in Spain, during the first third of our century, period in which a remarkable prevalence took place, as it follows from the works published basically by Pittaluga and colleagues. In them, plentiful clinical and epidemiologic data are collected, many of them having laid the foundations of this disease knowledge in our country. Nevertheless, the extrapolation of data from other geographical regions introduced confusions, which have continued till recent time, basically on what refers to the existing relation between the aetiological agent and the clinical case. On the other hand, nowadays, current important matters such as the part of person's immune response in the appearance of a visceral or cutaneous case of leishmaniasis, independently from the parasites specific identity or the presence of asymptomatic leishmaniasis, are already found in pioneer works. In the course of the work, a review is made of the information, obtained form the Spanish bibliography, on the leishmaniasis aetiological agent in Spain, the vector and the host as well as the various clinical cases of human and canine leishmaniasis, their epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment.

[Acarofauna of house dust in Barcelona and surrounding cities]. / Estudio de la acarofauna del polvo doméstico de Barcelona y poblaciones circundantes

The study of the house-dust acarofauna has aroused great interest since Voorhorst and colls. (41), in 1964, showed the continual presence of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in this habitat; and considered by these authors to be mainly responsible for the allergenic capacity of housedust. Studies carried out by other authors around the world confirm the universal character of this acarus and its prevailing presence in house-dust biocenosis. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is usually accompanied with other species of the same Pyroglyphidae family (see table II and III), and by species belonging to other acarian families and groups (table I). In this work 182 house-dust samples have been analyzed; these samples were collected in Barcelona and its surrounding. All have been found to be positive to acari. Samples of 5 g of house-dust were used for the study. The number of acari present in each sample showed a great variation both in relation to the total of acari present and to the number of isolated Pyroglyphidae (table VII and VIII). Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus appeared to be the prevailing species, found in 175 of the 182 samples examined and representing 39.70% of the total population of the acari collected. Other Pyroglyphidae isolated were D. farinae (95 samples), Euroglyphus maynei (75 samples), D. microceras (19 samples), D. passericola (1 sample) and Malayoglyphus carmelitus (1 sample) (table VI). The frequency and density in which other species of acari appeared in house-dust samples studied are shown in table VII. If we compare our results with those obtained by others (1, 7, 11, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 38) we see a great difference according to the frequency of acarian infestation in house-dust. We think that the causes of this variation are the diverse methods and techniques employed in the isolation and enumeration of acari. The low infestation percentages given by some authors could be due to the following: a) a study of insufficient amounts of house-dust samples; b) the lack of a method used for processing the samples; c) the interaction of both factors. The discovery of three single D. passericola specimens found in one sample lets us assume that the pressence of this acarus in house-dust has been sporadic. We think it could originate from birds' feathers or nests. Despite the very high number of Tarsonemus sp. collected (37.17% of the acari total) the representative of this species is actually very low, since almost all of them were found in two different samples taken from the same house.

[Influence of acari of house dust in the tiology of infantile asthma]. / Influencia de los ácaros del polvo de casa en la etiología del asma infantil

We have studied 61 children with a previous diagnosis of a possible allergic disease showing clear symptoms in relation to the respiratory system (rhinitis, asthma, etc.). In all cases prick tests were carried out with house-dust extracts Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, D. farinae, T. putrescentiae, A. siro and A. siro + Cheyletus spp. Commercial extracts (Bencard) were used for the former two; the remainder were prepared from the pure culture of the corresponding acari. The technique followed has been described separately. From the results obtained (see Table I) the following conclusions have been reached: 1. The acari of the Dermatophagoides species particularly D. peteronyssinus) are those mainly responsible for the antigenic capacity of house-dust studied in the geographic area of Barcelona and its surroundings. 2. A similarity but no antigenic identity exists between the antigenic extracts of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae. 3. The many positive reactions shown by many patients to the various species of acari frequently found in house-dust are due not so much to the antigenic similarity of these acari as to the multiple sensitization or special condition of the individual person. 4. The allergens proceeding from different species of the Tyroglyphidae family, possibly possess a certain antigenic relationship. 5. Finally, it can be asserted that despite the important role played by the acari of the Dermatophagoides species among the different allergenic components of house-dust, it is the remaining acarian fauna present in this dust biocenosis that also has a distinct influence.