Evaluation of the traditional and revised world health organization classifications of dengue cases in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: Dengue is a worldwide public health problem with approximately 50 million cases reported annually. The World Health Organization proposed a revised classification system in 2008 to more effectively identify the patients who are at increased risk of complications from dengue. Few studies have validated this new classification system in clinical practice. We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized for dengue in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, to evaluate the capacity of the two classification systems for detecting severe cases of dengue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of survey data from the medical records of patients admitted to the University Hospital of the Federal University of Grande Dourados under clinical suspicion of dengue during an epidemic from September 2009 to April 2010. RESULTS: The distribution of patients according to the traditional classification system was as follows: dengue fever, 150/181 (82.9%); dengue hemorrhagic fever, 27/181 (14.9%); and dengue hemorrhagic shock, 4/181 (2.2%). Using the revised classification system, the distribution was as follows: dengue without warning signs, 45/181 (24.3%); dengue with warning signs, 107/181 (59.1%); and severe dengue, 29/181 (15.6%). Of the 150 patients classified as having dengue fever, 105 (70%) were reclassified as having dengue with warning signs or severe dengue. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the revised classification system has greater discriminatory power for detecting patients at risk of progression to severe disease and those needing hospitalization

Imputation method to reduce undetected severe acute respiratory infection cases during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Brazil

The coronavirus disease (COVD-19) outbreak has overburdened the surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs), including the laboratory network. This study was aimed at correcting the absence of laboratory results of reported SARI deaths. The imputation method was applied for SARI deaths without laboratory information using clinico-epidemiological characteristics. Of 84,449 SARI deaths, 51% were confirmed with COVID-19 while 3% with other viral respiratory diseases. After the imputation method, 95% of deaths were reclassified as COVID-19 while 5% as other viral respiratory diseases. The imputation method was a useful and robust solution (sensitivity and positive predictive value of 98%) for missing values through clinical & epidemiological characteristics

Heterologous expression of pathogen-specific genes ligA and ligB in the saprophyte Leptospira biflexa confers enhanced adhesion to cultured cells and fibronectin

BACKGROUND: In comparison to other bacterial pathogens, our knowledge of the molecular basis of the pathogenesis of leptospirosis is extremely limited. An improved understanding of leptospiral pathogenetic mechanisms requires reliable tools for functional genetic analysis. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins are surface proteins found in pathogenic Leptospira, but not in saprophytes. Here, we describe a system for heterologous expression of the Leptospira interrogans genes ligA and ligB in the saprophyte Leptospira biflexa serovar Patoc. RESULTS: The genes encoding LigA and LigB under the control of a constitutive spirochaetal promoter were inserted into the L. biflexa replicative plasmid. We were able to demonstrate expression and surface localization of LigA and LigB in L. biflexa. We found that the expression of the lig genes significantly enhanced the ability of transformed L. biflexa to adhere in vitro to extracellular matrix components and cultured cells, suggesting the involvement of Lig proteins in cell adhesion. CONCLUSIONS: This work reports a complete description of the system we have developed for heterologous expression of pathogen-specific proteins in the saprophytic L. biflexa. We show that expression of LigA and LigB proteins from the pathogen confers a virulence-associated phenotype on L. biflexa, namely adhesion to eukaryotic cells and fibronectin in vitro. This study indicates that L. biflexa can serve as a surrogate host to characterize the role of key virulence factors of the causative agent of leptospirosis

Excess tuberculosis risk during and following incarceration in Paraguay : a retrospective cohort study

Corresponding author. Cátedra de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), Paraguay. E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Sequera).Background. The increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) among people deprived of liberty (PDL) is due to individual and institution-level factors. We followed a cohort of PDL from 5 prisons in Paraguay to describe the risk of TB during incarceration and after they were released. Methods. We linked a 2013 national census of prisons with TB records from the TB Program from 2010 to 2021 to identify TB notifications among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. We used multivariable Cox regression models to quantify the risk of TB during and following incarceration and to identify risk factors associated with TB. Findings. Among 2996 individuals incarcerated, 451 (15.1%) were diagnosed with TB. Of these, 262 (58.1%) cases occurred during incarceration and 189 (41.9%) occurred in the community after release. In prison, the hazard ratio of developing TB was 1.97 (95% CI: 1.52–2.61) after six months of incarceration and increased to 2.78 (95% CI: 1.82–4.24) after 36 months compared with the first six months. The overall TB notification rate was 2940 per 100,000 person-years. This rate increased with the duration of incarceration from 1335 per 100,000 person-years in the first year to 8455 per 100,000 person-years after 8 years. Among former prisoners, the rate of TB decreased from 1717 in the first year after release to 593 per 100 000 person-years after 8 years of follow up. Interpretation. Our study shows the alarming risk of TB associated with prison environments in Paraguay, and how this risk persists for years following incarceration. Effective TB control measures to protect the health of people during and following incarceration are urgently needed.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll

Imputation method to reduce undetected severe acute respiratory infection cases during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Brazil

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease (COVD-19) outbreak has overburdened the surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs), including the laboratory network. This study was aimed at correcting the absence of laboratory results of reported SARI deaths. METHODS: The imputation method was applied for SARI deaths without laboratory information using clinico-epidemiological characteristics. RESULTS: Of 84,449 SARI deaths, 51% were confirmed with COVID-19 while 3% with other viral respiratory diseases. After the imputation method, 95% of deaths were reclassified as COVID-19 while 5% as other viral respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The imputation method was a useful and robust solution (sensitivity and positive predictive value of 98%) for missing values through clinical & epidemiological characteristics

Suicide in Brazilian indigenous communities: clustering of cases in children and adolescents by household

OBJECTIVE: To estimate age and sex-specific suicide rates, compare suicide rates between indigenous communities, and quantify the frequency of intrafamilial suicide clustering. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 14,666 indigenous individuals in reservations in Dourados, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, from 2003 through 2013 using national and local census. RESULTS: The overall suicide rate was 73.4 per 100,000 person-years. Adolescent males aged 15–19 and girls aged 10–14 had the highest rates for each sex at 289.3 (95%CI 187.5–391.2) and 85.3 (95%CI 34.9–135.7), respectively. Comparing the largest reservations, Bororo had a higher suicide rate than Jaguapiru (RR = 4.83, 95%CI 2.85–8.16) and had significantly lower socioeconomic indicators including income and access to electricity. Nine of 19 suicides among children under 15 occurred in household clusters. Compared with adult suicides, a greater proportion of child (OR = 5.12, 95%CI 1.89–13.86, p = 0.001) and adolescent (OR = 3.48, 95%CI 1.29–9.44, p = 0.017) suicides occurred within household clusters. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of suicide occur among children and adolescents in these indigenous reservations, particularly in poor communities. Nearly half of child suicides occur within household clusters. These findings underscore the need for broad public health interventions and focused mental health interventions in households following a suicide

COVID-19 in Brazil: advantages of a socialized unified health system and preparation to contain cases

oai:ops.preprints.scielo.org:preprint/7The outbreak of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported for the first time in Wuhan, China in late December 2019 have rapidly spread to other countries and it was declared on January 30, 2020 as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization. Before the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Brazil, several measures have been implemented including the adjustment of legal framework to carry out isolation and quarantine. As the cases increased significantly, new measures, mainly to reduce mortality and severe cases, have also been implemented. Rapid and robust preparedness actions have been undertaken in Brazil while first cases have not yet been identified in Latin-American. The outcome of this early preparation should be analyzed in future studies

Scaling up evidence-based approaches to tuberculosis screening in prisons

People deprived of liberty have among the highest rates of tuberculosis globally. The incidence of tuberculosis is ten times greater than the incidence of tuberculosis in the general population. In 2021, WHO updated its guidance to strongly recommend systematic screening for tuberculosis in prisons and penitentiary systems. Which case-finding strategies should be adopted, and how to effectively implement these strategies in these settings, will be crucial questions facing ministries of health and justice. In this Viewpoint, we review the evidence base for tuberculosis screening and diagnostic strategies in prisons, highlighting promising approaches and knowledge gaps. Drawing upon past experiences of implementing active case-finding and care programmes in settings with a high tuberculosis burden, we discuss challenges and opportunities for improving the tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment cascade in these settings. We argue that improved transparency in reporting of tuberculosis notifications and outcomes in prisons and renewed focus and resourcing from WHO and other stakeholders will be crucial for building the commitment and investments needed from countries to address the continued crisis of tuberculosis in prisons

Evaluating strategies for control of tuberculosis in prisons and prevention of spillover into communities: An observational and modeling study from Brazil

Background It has been hypothesized that prisons serve as amplifiers of general tuberculosis (TB) epidemics, but there is a paucity of data on this phenomenon and the potential population-level effects of prison-focused interventions. This study (1) quantifies the TB risk for prisoners as they traverse incarceration and release, (2) mathematically models the impact of prison-based interventions on TB burden in the general population, and (3) generalizes this model to a wide range of epidemiological contexts. Methods and findings We obtained individual-level incarceration data for all inmates (n = 42,925) and all reported TB cases (n = 5,643) in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul from 2007 through 2013. We matched individuals between prisoner and TB databases and estimated the incidence of TB from the time of incarceration and the time of prison release using Cox proportional hazards models. We identified 130 new TB cases diagnosed during incarceration and 170 among individuals released from prison. During imprisonment, TB rates increased from 111 cases per 100,000 person-years at entry to a maximum of 1,303 per 100,000 person-years at 5.2 years. At release, TB incidence was 229 per 100,000 person-years, which declined to 42 per 100,000 person-years (the average TB incidence in Brazil) after 7 years. We used these data to populate a compartmental model of TB transmission and incarceration to evaluate the effects of various prison-based interventions on the incidence of TB among prisoners and the general population. Annual mass TB screening within Brazilian prisons would reduce TB incidence in prisons by 47.4% (95% Bayesian credible interval [BCI], 44.4%–52.5%) and in the general population by 19.4% (95% BCI 17.9%–24.2%). A generalized model demonstrates that prison-based interventions would have maximum effectiveness in reducing community incidence in populations with a high concentration of TB in prisons and greater degrees of mixing between ex-prisoners and community members. Study limitations include our focus on a single Brazilian state and our retrospective use of administrative databases. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the prison environment, more so than the prison population itself, drives TB incidence, and targeted interventions within prisons could have a substantial effect on the broader TB epidemic