30 research outputs found
Prevalence and Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Young Children in the Absence of a Gold Standard
Introduction For adequate disease control the World Health Organization has proposed the diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) in groups of risk of developing the disease such as children. There is no gold standard (GS) test for the diagnosis of LTBI. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in young children in contact with a household case of tuberculosis (TB-HCC) and determine the accuracy and precision of the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube (QFT) used in the absence of a GS. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in children up to 6 years of age in Manaus/Brazil during the years 2009-2010. All the children had been vaccinated with the BCG and were classified into two groups according to the presence of a TB-HCC or no known contact with tuberculosis (TB). The variables studied were: the TST and QFT results and the intensity and length of exposure to the index tuberculosis case. We used the latent class model to determine the prevalence of LTBI and the accuracy of the tests. Results Fifty percent of the children with TB-HCC had LTBI, with the prevalence depending on the intensity and length of exposure to the index case. The sensitivity and specificity of TST were 73% [95% confidence interval (CI): 53-91] and 97% (95%CI: 89-100), respectively, versus 53% (95%CI: 41-66) and 81% (95%CI:71-90) for QFT. The positive predictive value of TST in children with TB-HCC was 91% (95%CI: 61-99), being 74% for QFT (95%CI: 47-95). Conclusions This is one of the first studies to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in children and the parameters of the main diagnostic tests using a latent class model. Our results suggest that children in contact with an index case have a high risk of infection. The accuracy and the predictive value of the two tests did not significantly differ. Combined use of the two tests showed scarce improvement in the diagnosis of LTBI
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Young Children: Analyzing the Performance of the Diagnostic Tests
This study evaluated the performance of the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Quantiferon-TB Gold in-Tube (QFT) and the possible association of factors which may modify their results in young children (0-6 years) with recent contact with an index tuberculosis case. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study including 135 children was conducted in Manaus, Amazonas-Brazil. The TST and QFT were performed and the tests results were analyzed in relation to the personal characteristics of the children studied and their relationship with the index case. Results: The rates of positivity were 34.8% (TST) and 26.7% (QFT), with 14.1% of indeterminations by the QFT. Concordance between tests was fair (Kappa = 0.35 P<0.001). Both the TST and QFT were associated with the intensity of exposure (Linear OR = 1.286, P = 0.005; Linear OR = 1.161, P = 0.035 respectively) with only the TST being associated with the time of exposure (Linear OR = 1.149, P = 0.009). The presence of intestinal helminths in the TST+ group was associated with negative QFT results (OR = 0.064, P = 0.049). In the TST- group lower levels of ferritin were associated with QFT+ results (Linear OR = 0.956, P = 0.036). Conclusions: Concordance between the TST and QFT was lower than expected. The factors associated with the discordant results were intestinal helminths, ferritin levels and exposure time to the index tuberculosis case. In TST+ group, helminths were associated with negative QFT results suggesting impaired cell-mediated immunity. The TST-&QFT+ group had a shorter exposure time and lower ferritin levels, suggesting that QFT is faster and ferritin may be a potential biomarker of early stages of tuberculosis infection
The Challenge of Assessing Microcephaly in the Context of the Zika Virus Epidemic
The present article examines the impact of the current
limitations of the microcephaly definition in the context of the
Zika virus outbreak. It highlights its dependence on the method
used for determining gestational age and other anthropometric
parameters, and includes original results of prevalence of
microcephaly in four countries from two different continents
(Mozambique, Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia). Alternative
definitions of microcephaly are proposed to allow the
identification of true cases of microcephaly in a more accurate
manner
Blood cytokine, chemokine and growth factor profiling in a cohort of pregnant women from tropical countries
The immune status of women changes during and after pregnancy, differs between blood compartments at delivery and is affected by environmental factors particularly in tropical areas endemic for multiple infections. We quantified the plasma concentration of a set of thirty-one TH1, TH2, TH17 and regulatory cytokines, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and growth factors (altogether biomarkers), in a cohort of 540 pregnant women from five malaria-endemic tropical countries. Samples were collected at recruitment (first antenatal visit), delivery (periphery, cord and placenta) and postpartum, allowing a longitudinal analysis. We found the lowest concentration of biomarkers at recruitment and the highest at postpartum, with few exceptions. Among them, IL-6, HGF and TGF-β had the highest levels at delivery, and even higher concentrations in the placenta compared to peripheral blood. Placental concentrations were generally higher than peripheral, except for eotaxin that was lower. We also compared plasma biomarker concentrations between the tropical cohort and a control group from Spain at delivery, presenting overall higher biomarker levels the tropical cohort, particularly pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. Only IL-6 presented lower levels in the tropical group. Moreover, a principal component analysis of biomarker concentrations at delivery showed that women from Spain grouped more homogenously, and that IL-6 and IL-8 clustered together in the tropical cohort but not in the Spanish one. Plasma cytokine concentrations correlated with Plasmodium antibody levels at postpartum but not during pregnancy. This basal profiling of immune mediators over gestation and in different compartments at delivery is important to subsequently understand response to infections and clinical outcomes in mothers and infants in tropical areas
Microsatellite Genotyping of Plasmodium vivax Isolates from Pregnant Women in Four Malaria Endemic Countries
Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed human parasite
and the main cause of human malaria outside the African
continent. However, the knowledge about the genetic variability
of P. vivax is limited when compared to the information
available for P. falciparum. We present the results of a study
aimed at characterizing the genetic structure of P. vivax
populations obtained from pregnant women from different malaria
endemic settings. Between June 2008 and October 2011 nearly 2000
pregnant women were recruited during routine antenatal care at
each site and followed up until delivery. A capillary blood
sample from the study participants was collected for genotyping
at different time points. Seven P. vivax microsatellite markers
were used for genotypic characterization on a total of 229 P.
vivax isolates obtained from Brazil, Colombia, India and Papua
New Guinea. In each population, the number of alleles per locus,
the expected heterozygosity and the levels of multilocus linkage
disequilibrium were assessed. The extent of genetic
differentiation among populations was also estimated. Six
microsatellite loci on 137 P. falciparum isolates from three
countries were screened for comparison. The mean value of
expected heterozygosity per country ranged from 0.839 to 0.874
for P. vivax and from 0.578 to 0.758 for P. falciparum. P. vivax
populations were more diverse than those of P. falciparum. In
some of the studied countries, the diversity of P. vivax
population was very high compared to the respective level of
endemicity. The level of inter-population differentiation was
moderate to high in all P. vivax and P. falciparum populations
studied
Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Pregnant Women in the Brazilian Amazon and the Risk Factors Associated with Prematurity and Low Birth Weight: A Descriptive Study
INTRODUCTION: Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent malaria
species in the American region. Brazil accounts for the higher
number of the malaria cases reported in pregnant women in the
Americas. This study aims to describe the characteristics of
pregnant women with malaria in an endemic area of the Brazilian
Amazon and the risk factors associated with prematurity and low
birth weight (LBW). METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Between December
2005 and March 2008, 503 pregnant women with malaria that
attended a tertiary health centre were enrolled and followed up
until delivery and reported a total of 1016 malaria episodes.
More than half of study women (54%) were between 20-29 years
old, and almost a third were adolescents. The prevalence of
anaemia at enrolment was 59%. Most women (286/503) reported more
than one malaria episode and most malaria episodes (84.5%,
846/1001) were due to P. vivax infection. Among women with only
P. vivax malaria, the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight
decreased in multigravidae (OR, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.16-0.82]; p =
0.015 and OR 0.24 [95% CI, 0.10-0.58]; p = 0.001, respectively).
The risk of preterm birth decreased with higher maternal age (OR
0.43 [95% CI, 0.19-0.95]; p = 0.037) and among those women who
reported higher antenatal care (ANC) attendance (OR, 0.32 [95%
CI, 0.15-0.70]; p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: This study shows that P.
vivax is the prevailing species among pregnant women with
malaria in the region and shows that vivax clinical malaria may
represent harmful consequences for the health of the mother and
their offsprings particularly on specific groups such as
adolescents, primigravidae and those women with lower ANC
attendance
Naturally Acquired Binding-Inhibitory Antibodies to Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein in Pregnant Women Are Associated with Higher Birth Weight in a Multicenter Study
A vaccine to eliminate malaria would need a multi-stage and
multi-species composition to achieve robust protection, but the
lack of knowledge about antigen targets and mechanisms of
protection precludes the development of fully efficacious
malaria vaccines, especially for Plasmodium vivax (Pv). Pregnant
women constitute a risk population who would greatly benefit
from a vaccine preventing the adverse events of Plasmodium
infection during gestation. We hypothesized that functional
immune responses against putative targets of naturally acquired
immunity to malaria and vaccine candidates will be associated
with protection against malaria infection and/or poor outcomes
during pregnancy. We measured (i) IgG responses to a large panel
of Pv and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) antigens, (ii) the capacity
of anti-Pv ligand Duffy binding protein (PvDBP) antibodies to
inhibit binding to Duffy antigen, and (iii) cellular immune
responses to two Pv antigens, in a subset of 1,056 pregnant
women from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India, and Papua New
Guinea (PNG). There were significant intraspecies and
interspecies correlations for most antibody responses (e.g.,
PfMSP119 versus PfAMA1, Spearman's rho = 0.81). Women from PNG
and Colombia had the highest levels of IgG overall.
Submicroscopic infections seemed sufficient to boost antibody
responses in Guatemala but not antigen-specific cellular
responses in PNG. Brazil had the highest percentage of Duffy
binding inhibition (p-values versus Colombia: 0.040; Guatemala:
0.047; India: 0.003, and PNG: 0.153) despite having low
anti-PvDBP IgG levels. Almost all antibodies had a positive
association with present infection, and coinfection with the
other species increased this association. Anti-PvDBP,
anti-PfMSP1, and anti-PfAMA1 IgG levels at recruitment were
positively associated with infection at delivery (p-values:
0.010, 0.003, and 0.023, respectively), suggesting that they are
markers of malaria exposure. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
from Pv-infected women presented fewer CD8+IFN-gamma+ T cells
and secreted more G-CSF and IL-4 independently of the stimulus
used in vitro. Functional anti-PvDBP levels at recruitment had a
positive association with birth weight (difference per doubling
antibody levels: 45 g, p-value: 0.046). Thus, naturally acquired
binding-inhibitory antibodies to PvDBP might confer protection
against poor outcomes of Pv malaria in pregnancy
Factors Associated with Tuberculosis Treatment Default in an Endemic Area of the Brazilian Amazon: A Case Control-Study
SETTING: Treatment default is a serious problem in tuberculosis control because it implies persistence of infection source, increased mortality, increased relapse rates and facilitates the development of resistant strains. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed tuberculosis treatment default determinants in the Amazonas State to contribute in planning appropriate control interventions. DESIGN: Observational study with a retrospective cohort using Brazilian Disease Notification System data from 2005 to 2010. A nested case control study design was used. Patients defaulting from treatment were considered as 'cases' and those completing treatment as 'controls'. In the analysis, 11,312 tuberculosis patients were included, 1,584 cases and 9,728 controls. RESULTS: Treatment default was observed to be associated to previous default (aOR 3.20; p<0.001), HIV positivity (aOR 1.62; p<0.001), alcoholism (aOR 1.51; p<0.001), low education level (aOR 1.35; p<0.001) and other co-morbidities (aOR 1.31; p = 0.05). Older patients (aOR 0.98; p = 0.001) and DOT (aOR 0,72; p<0.01) were considered as protective factor for default. CONCLUSIONS: Associated factors should be considered in addressing care and policy actions to tuberculosis control. Information on disease and treatment should be intensified and appropriate to the level of education of the population, in order to promote adherence to treatment and counter the spread of multidrug resistance to anti-TB drugs
The Challenge of Assessing Microcephaly in the Context of the Zika Virus Epidemic
The present article examines the impact of the current
limitations of the microcephaly definition in the context of the
Zika virus outbreak. It highlights its dependence on the method
used for determining gestational age and other anthropometric
parameters, and includes original results of prevalence of
microcephaly in four countries from two different continents
(Mozambique, Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia). Alternative
definitions of microcephaly are proposed to allow the
identification of true cases of microcephaly in a more accurate
manner