SHORT COMMUNICATION - Isolation and Identification of Adenovirus in Hospitalized Children, under Five Years, with Acute Respiratory Disease, in Havana, Cuba

Nine Adenovirus (Ad) strains isolated in Cuba, from 128 nasopharingeal swab specimens of children below five years old, with acute respiratory diseases, during 1996 and 1997, were studied by restriction enzyme analysis of genomic DNA with two endonucleases BamH I and Sma I. All different fragment patterns were compared with the respective prototypes. The identified adenoviruses were Ad 1 (n=4), Ad 2 (n=1) and Ad 6 (n=4). Males were more frequently infected than females. The analysis of the occurrence of these Adenovirus strains of subgenus C revealed that Ad 1 and Ad 6 were the predominant serotypes in 1996 and in 1997, respectively

Different circulation patterns of subgroups A and B of human respiratory syncytial virus in some provinces of Cuba.

[ES] Se realizó la secuenciación nucleotídica de la región del tercio C-terminal de la proteína G de 37 muestras de exudados nasofaríngeos, de niños menores de 1 año provenientes de algunas provincias de Cuba durante 5 períodos epidémicos (1995-2000), para conocer los patrones de circulación de cepas del virus sincitial respiratorio humano; el cual se clasifica en 2 subgrupos antigénicos A y B, y cada uno contiene múltiples variantes. El subgrupo A circuló durante todos los años, el subgrupo B se detectó solamente durante el año 2000. Dentro del subgrupo A se observó la presencia de cepas con 2 tamaños diferentes de la proteína G (297 aa y 298 aa), mientras que para el subgrupo B fue observado un único tamaño (295 aa). El análisis filogenético permitió identificar 5 y 2 genotipos dentro de los subgrupos A y B, respectivamente. Los virus de Cuba se relacionaron filogenéticamente con cepas de otras partes del mundo. Dentro del subgrupo A se encontraron 2 cepas, las cuales fueron muy similares a la cepa prototipo Long. Casi todas las cepas del año 2000 de ambos subgrupos, se agruparon filogenéticamente con cepas que circularon en Sudáfrica durante ese mismo período. [EN] The nucleotide sequencing of the protein G C-terminal region of 37 samples taken from nasopharyngeal washings of under one-year old children from some Cuban provinces was made for 5 epidemic periods (1995-2000) to find out the circulation patterns of strains of human respiratory syncytial virus that is classified in two antigenic subgroups known as A and B; each of them contains multiple variants. Subgroup A has circulated during all these years but subgroup B was detected only in the year 2000. The presence of strains with two different sizes of protein G (297 aa and 298 aa) was observed whereas subgroup B showed only one size (295 aa). Phylogenetic analysis allowed identifying 5 and 2 genotypes within subgroups A and B respectively. Viruses present in Cuba were phylogenetically related to the strains of other parts of the world. Subgroup A comprised two strains very similar to Long prototype strain. Almost all the strains of both subgroups in the year 2000 phylogenetically related with strains that circulated in South Africa during the same period.S

SHORT COMMUNICATION - Isolation and Identification of Adenovirus in Hospitalized Children, under Five Years, with Acute Respiratory Disease, in Havana, Cuba

Nine Adenovirus (Ad) strains isolated in Cuba, from 128 nasopharingeal swab specimens of children below five years old, with acute respiratory diseases, during 1996 and 1997, were studied by restriction enzyme analysis of genomic DNA with two endonucleases BamH I and Sma I. All different fragment patterns were compared with the respective prototypes. The identified adenoviruses were Ad 1 (n=4), Ad 2 (n=1) and Ad 6 (n=4). Males were more frequently infected than females. The analysis of the occurrence of these Adenovirus strains of subgenus C revealed that Ad 1 and Ad 6 were the predominant serotypes in 1996 and in 1997, respectively

SHORT COMMUNICATION - Isolation and Identification of Adenovirus in Hospitalized Children, under Five Years, with Acute Respiratory Disease, in Havana, Cuba

Nine Adenovirus (Ad) strains isolated in Cuba, from 128 nasopharingeal swab specimens of children below five years old, with acute respiratory diseases, during 1996 and 1997, were studied by restriction enzyme analysis of genomic DNA with two endonucleases BamH I and Sma I. All different fragment patterns were compared with the respective prototypes. The identified adenoviruses were Ad 1 (n=4), Ad 2 (n=1) and Ad 6 (n=4). Males were more frequently infected than females. The analysis of the occurrence of these Adenovirus strains of subgenus C revealed that Ad 1 and Ad 6 were the predominant serotypes in 1996 and in 1997, respectively

Detección de adenovirus en lavados broncoalveolares de pacientes cubanos infectados por el VIH

Introduction. The significance of AdV infection in immunocompromised patients has been firmly established. These infections have the potential to cause disseminated disease with high mortality rates, and the clinical management of infected patients is a major problem. Objective. To research the role of Adenovirus in Respiratory Infections in HIV-infected Cuban patients, and to characterize the isolates obtained in species and serotypes using Molecular Biology techniques. Materials and Methods. 21 samples of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from HIV-positive patients with respiratory symptoms of prolonged evolution with uncertain etiology, in which there was a predominance of chronic pneumonia were researched. In spite of antibiotic therapy, their problems remained unresolved. The initial diagnoses were performed by PCR and viral cultures. The identification and typing of AdV isolates were achieved by PCR. Other respiratory pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi were also investigated. Results. In 10 (48%) out of the 21 samples the presence of AdV was detected, and the virus was isolated in 7 of them (70%). Pneumonia was the predominant clinical manifestation (50 % of the cases).The AdV found belonged to species B (28%) and C (71%), type 3 and types 1 and 2, respectively. In 80% of the cases, only AdV was found, and in 20% AdV was found together with bacteria. Conclusions. Adenoviruses were identified as causative for respiratory infections in HIV-positive patients, particularly the B and C species. For that reason, including them in diagnostic testing would be useful in treating and managing HIV patients with respiratory infections. The combination of classical and molecular techniques proved very effective in diagnosing, identifying and characterizing adenoviruses.Introducción. La significación de la infección por Adenovirus (AdV) en pacientes inmunocomprometidos ha sido firmemente establecida. Estas infecciones tienen el potencial de causar enfermedad diseminada, con altos índices de mortalidad, y son consideradas un gran problema en el cuidado de estos pacientes. Objetivo. Investigar el papel de los adenovirus en las infecciones respiratorias en pacientes cubanos infectados por el VIH y caracterizar los aislamientos obtenidos en especies y serotipos, utilizando técnicas de biología molecular. Materiales y Métodos. Fueron investigadas prospectivamente 21 muestras de líquidos broncoalveolares de pacientes seropositivos al VIH, con síntomas respiratorios de larga evolución, de etiología no precisada, dentro de los cuales predominaba la neumonía a repetición que, a pesar de la terapia antibiótica, permanecían sin resolver. El diagnóstico inicial fue realizado mediante PCR y aislamiento viral. La identificación y caracterización en serotipos de los aislamientos fue realizada por métodos de PCR. Fueron investigados, además, otros patógenos respiratorios tales como bacterias y hongos. Resultados. De las 21 muestras, en 10 de ellas (48%) fue detectada la presencia de AdV y el virus fue aislado en siete (70%). La neumonía fue la manifestación clínica predominante en el 50% de los casos positivos. Los AdV encontrados pertenecieron a las especies B (28%) y C (71%), serotipo 3 y serotipos 1 y 2, respectivamente. En el 80% de los casos, AdV fue encontrado como único patógeno y en 2 (20%) fue detectado junto con bacterias. Conclusiones. Se identificaron a los adenovirus como causantes de infección respiratoria en pacientes seropositivos al VIH, particularmente las especies B y C; por lo que su inclusión en los complementarios de rutina sería útil para el manejo y tratamiento del paciente VIH con infección respiratoria. La combinación de técnicas clásicas y moleculares, introducidas en el laboratorio, resultaron útiles para el diagnóstico, la identificación y la caracterización de este grupo viral