La investigación participativa en niños como herramienta en la promoción de la salud para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas en Yucatán, México

Introducción: La Investigación Participativa (IP) es una herramienta que puede abordarse para el análisis de procesos socioculturales, medioambientales, y de salud pública. La participación de niños en edad escolar en la apropiación del conocimiento para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas (EC) puede romper su ciclo de transmisión. La EC es un problema de salud pública que afecta principalmente a comunidades rurales endémicas de países en desarrollo. Objetivo: Desarrollar una estrategia para la adquisición y transferencia de nuevos conocimientos en niños, debido en la falta de información acerca del ciclo de transmisión de la Enfermedad de Chagas. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional de corte transversal, realizado con un grupo de 48 niños de una comunidad en pobreza extrema en Yucatán, México. Mediante herramientas de IP y con el apoyo de padres de familia, autoridades ejidales y escolares, se impartieron talleres educativos a niños en la escuela de educación básica para conocer el ciclo de transmisión, y prevenir la EC debido a la abundancia del vector en el área de estudio. Se implementó un programa denominado “Pequeños Investigadores”, para iniciar procesos de apropiación y socialización del conocimiento en la comunidad. Resultados: El nuevo conocimiento adquirido por el grupo de niños fue aprovechado y diseminado a sus familias, compañeros de escuela, y círculos sociales, fomentando la prevención de la enfermedad. Fueron recolectados 182 triatomas a nivel domiciliar y peri domiciliar. Conclusiones: Los nuevos conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas adquiridos por los niños bajo esquemas de participación, resulta benéfico para la prevención de la EC. Se recomienda al sector oficial la participación en la promoción de la salud en niños bajo el esquema del presente estudio en países en desarrollo.   Keywords: Enfermedad de Chagas, niños, promoción de la salud, investigación participativa   ABSTRACT   INTRODUCTION: Participatory Research (PR) is a tool that can be approached for the analysis of sociocultural, environmental, and public health processes. The participation of school-age childrens in the appropriation of knowledge for the prevention of Chagas' Disease (CD) can break the cycle of transmission. CD is a public health problem that mainly affects rural endemic communities of developing countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a group of 48 childrens from a community in extreme poverty in Yucatan, Mexico. Through PR tools and with the support of parents, ejidal and school authorities, educational workshops were given to children of the basic education to know the cycle of transmission, and to prevent CD due to the abundance of the vector in the study area. A program called "Small Investigators" was implemented to initiate processes of appropriation and socialization of knowledge in the community. RESULTS: The new knowledge acquired by the group of children was used and disseminated to their families, partners, and social circles, promoting the prevention of the disease. 182 triatomas were collected at home and peri domicile. CONCLUSIONS: The new knowledge, attitudes and practices acquired by children under participation schemes is beneficial for the prevention of the Chagas Disease. The official sector is recommended to design the promotion health programs in children under the scheme of the present study in developing countries.   Keywords: Chagas Disease, childs, promotion health, participatory researc

First histopathological study in kidneys of rodents naturally infected with Leptospira pathogenic species from Yucatan, Mexico

AbstractObjectiveTo report the renal histological lesions in synanthropic rodents, Mus musculus and Rattus rattus, naturally infected with Leptospira spp., captured in a rural community in Yucatan, Mexico.MethodsKidney samples of synanthropic rodents were collected from a rural community in Yucatan, Mexico. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect Leptospira spp. infection. Tissue kidney was fixed in 10% buffered formalin, processed according to the usual techniques for paraffin inclusion, cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and examined using a conventional electronic microscope.ResultsA total of 187 rodents were captured. Nine individuals (4.8%) were positive for Leptospira spp. in the molecular analysis. All renal lesions observed in the histopathological study had been reported previously for Leptospira spp. infection.ConclusionsThe histopathological lesions are present in the kidneys, plus the results of the polymerase chain reaction confirm that these rodents are true carriers of Leptospira spp

Absence of molecular evidence of Leptospira spp. in urine samples collected from rodents captured in Yucatán, México

Leptospira spp. is a spirochete bacteria, causal agent of leptospirosis, zoonotic disease endemic in México that represents a serious public health and veterinary problem. Rodents are recognised as the most important reservoirs of this bacteria, which is transmitted mainly through direct or indirect contact with the Leptospira spp. excreted in the urine of infected individuals. Theaim of this study was to evaluate the circulation of Leptospira spp. in urine samples of wild and synanthropic rodents from Yucatán, México. Eighty-four rodents were captured in the community of Cenotillo, Yucatán. Twenty-six urine samples were collected from the bladder and were used in the total DNA extraction. The identification of Leptospira spp. was intended through the polymerase chain reaction test in its endpoint variant. No evidence of Leptospira spp. was found in the urine samples. It is necessary to use other tissues for the identification of Leptospira spp., before concluding that the rodents used in the present study are not reservoirs of this bacteri

Molecular detection of pathogenic Leptospira in synanthropic and wild rodents captured in Yucatán, México

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira, which is endemic in México and considered a public and veterinary health problem. Rodents are the most relevant reservoirs of Leptospira spp. because the bacteria establish and reproduce in its renal tissue and are excreted through the urine. Objective: To identify the presence of Leptospira spp. in renal tissue from rodents captured in Yucatán, México. Materials and methods: Synanthropic and wild rodents were captured in the rural municipality of Cenotillo, Yucatán, México. We collected one kidney from each rodent and extracted the total DNA. The identification of Leptospira spp. was done by detecting two fragments of the 16S rRNA gene using end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We sequenced and analyzed positive products using alignment tools. Results: A total of 92 rodents belonging to seven different species were captured. The PCR yielded a global positivity of 5.4% (5/92). The alignment analysis of the sequenced products demonstrated a 100% of coverage and identity with Leptospira interrogans. This is the first molecular evidence of Leptospira spp. circulation in Heteromys gaumeri captured in Yucatán, México. Conclusion: Our results evidenced that rodents of Yucatán are reservoirs of Leptospira spp. and participate in the infection cycle of leptospirosis in the region

Bornavirus y enfermedades neuropsiquiátricas

La enfermedad producida por el virus de la enfermedad de Borna (VEB) o Borna Disease Virus (BDV), conocida como una encefalitis fatal, se ha reportado en caballos y ovejas en Europa Central, desde hace más de dos siglos. Los animales infectados por el VEB muestran cambios en el comportamiento: ansiedad, agresividad, separación del rebaño e hiperactividad. Estos signos también pueden encontrarse en seres humanos, con trastornos psiquiátricos como: enfermedad bipolar, depresión, esquizofrenia o encefatilis idiopáticas. Estas manifestaciones en los animales infectados se deben, principalmente, a la respuesta inmune contra las células infectadas del sistema nervioso central (SNC). Desde 1980 se ha demostrado evidencia serológica de infección por el VEB en humanos. Sin embargo, aún existe mucho por investigar en este tema. En numerosos estudios se ha intentado asociar la presencia de anticuerpos o de partículas virales con manifestaciones psiquiátricas. Debido a que los desórdenes psiquiátricos son un problema importante en salud pública, y a que la gran mayoría de los reportes científicos se han hecho en países desarrollados en donde la epidemiología de las enfermedades muestra un comportamiento muy distinto a la que se observa en países tropicales en vías de desarrollo, es necesario realizar análisis rigurosos para corroborar o refutar el efecto de la infección por el VEB en algunas enfermedades mentales.The disease caused by Borna Disease Virus (BDV), known as fatal encephalitis, has been diagnosed in horses and sheeps en Central Europe for over a century. Infected animals show changes in the behaviour such as anxiety, separation of the herd, and hyperactivity. This signs can be found in humans with psychiatric syndromes like bipolar disease, depression, schizophrenia, or idiopathic diseases. The manifestations in infected animals are due to the immune response against the infected cells in the central nervous system. Since 1980, serological evidence of BDV infection has been reported in humans and many suggested an association of specific antibodies or viral particles with psychiatric manifestations. Because most of the studies have been done in developed countries where epidemiological manifestations are different to those observed in tropical developing countries, it is necessary to do rigorous analysis to corroborate or refute the effect of BDV in some mental diseases

Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia typhi in hospitalized children diagnosed with Pediatric Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Merida, Yucatan

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) presents with fever, fatigue, elevated inflammatory markers (acute phase reactants), and a history of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or positive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, the risk of MIS-C in the pediatric population increased. However, exposure to other viruses and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 positive antibodies in children hospitalized for various pathogen-associated illnesses will also remain common and may complicate differential diagnoses with diseases endemic to the region such as rickettsial diseases. The objective was to highlight the desirability of medical personnel systematically incorporating rickettsiosis as a differential diagnosis for MIS-C when studying a child with fever, non-specific symptoms, and elevated inflammatory markers. In conclusion MIS-C should be considered in children with elevated inflammatory markers when there is a history of COVID-19 and they also meet criteria that have already been established by international agencies, such as CDC and WH

Infertilidad humana causada por Mycoplasma spp

In recent years the number of consultations of men and women to the fertility clinics has increased due to various factors such as: polycystic ovaries, Fallopian tube inflammation, decreasing quality of the egg due to age and ge- nital infection by pathogens such as Chlamydia and Mycoplasma spp. Genital Mycoplasma are considered a human pathogen of great importance as sexually transmitted agents and are involved in a variety of infections such as: urethritis, prostatitis, bacterial vaginitis and other inflammatory processes which leads to infertility. Therefore this review article (you have target) describes the influence of Mycoplasma spp. as cause of infertilityEn los últimos años, ha aumentado el número de consultas de hombres y mujeres a las clínicas de infertilidad, debido a diversos factores como ovarios poliquísticos, inflamación de las trompas de Falopio, disminución de la calidad del óvulo por la edad e infecciones genitales por agentes patógenos como Chlamydia y Mycoplasma spp. Los micoplasmas genitales son considerados patógenos humanos de gran importancia como agentes de transmisión sexual y están implicados en una gran variedad de infecciones, tales como uretritis, prostatitis, vaginosis bacteriana y otros procesos inflamatorios, que conducen a la infertilidad. Por lo tanto, este artículo de revisión tiene como objetivo describir la influencia que tiene Mycoplasma spp. como causa de infertilida

Infección reciente del virus del Oeste del Nilo en caballos del oriente de Yucatán, México

Objective. To determine the circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) in horses from the eastern Yucatán, Mexico. Materials and Methods. For convenience, 184 horses from 23 production units in the municipalities of Tizimín and Panabá, Yucatán, were studied. A blood serum sample was obtained from each studied horse and evaluated with an immunoglobulin M antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) to detect immunoglobulin M (IgM) against WNV. Additionally, positive reactor and suspect serum samples were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viral RNA. Results. Eight studied horses were seropositive (4.3%, 8/184) to WNV and two were suspects (1.1%, 2/184). All serum samples were negative by RT-PCR. Conclusions. The detection of IgM specific against WNV in the studied horses shows recent infections with the virus and indicates its circulation in eastern Yucatán, Mexico.Objetivo. Determinar la circulación del virus del Oeste del Nilo (VON) en caballos del oriente de Yucatán, México. Materiales y métodos. Por conveniencia se estudiaron 184 caballos localizados en 23 unidades de producción de los municipios de Tizimín y Panabá, Yucatán. De cada caballo se obtuvo una muestra de suero sanguíneo, la cual fue evaluada con un ensayo de inmunoabsorción enzimática de captura (MAC-ELISA) para detectar inmunoglobulinas de clase M (IgM) específicas contra VON. Adicionalmente, los sueros seroreactores y los sospechosos fueron analizados con una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa por retrotranscripción (RT-PCR) para detectar ARN viral. Resultados. Ocho caballos estudiados fueron seroreactores en la ELISA-MAC (4.3%, 8/184) y dos fueron sospechosos (1.1%, 2/184). Todos estos sueros fueron negativos a la RT-PCR. Conclusiones. La detección de IgM específicas contra VON en los caballos estudiados, demuestra infecciones recientes e indica la circulación del virus en el oriente de Yucatán