FATORES ASSOCIADOS AO TEMPO DE EVOLUÇÃO DA MPOX DE ACORDO COM A SITUAÇÃO SOROLÓGICA PARA O HIV ENTRE INDIVÍDUOS ACOMPANHADOS EM CENTRO DE REFERÊNCIA NO RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL

Introdução/objetivo: O Brasil foi o segundo país mais afetado pelo surto de mpox em 2022, com maior frequência de casos entre homens cisgêneros que fazem sexo com homens. Neste surto, observou-se predomínio de lesões mucocutâneas-anogenitais e baixa letalidade (0,15%). Cerca de 38-50% dos casos ocorreram em pessoas vivendo com HIV(PVHA). A imunossupressão pelo HIV pode impactar na gravidade e na duração do quadro de mpox, o que determina a duração do isolamento. Esse estudo objetiva identificar fatores associados ao tempo até resolução das lesões entre pessoas diagnosticadas com mpox no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Métodos: Coorte prospectiva de casos confirmados de mpox acompanhados em centro de referência no Rio de Janeiro (jun-2022 a fev-2023). Os perfis sociodemográfico e clínico foram descritos de acordo com o status sorológico para o HIV e o grau de imunossupressão. As variáveis associadas à resolução das lesões foram identificadas por meio de modelos quartis univariados (T = 75%). Resultados: Foram acompanhados 236 casos de mpox até resolução das lesões, entre os quais 49,6% eram PVHA. PVHA reportaram menos relações sexuais 30 dias anteriores(87.3% vs 93.2%), apresentaram mais frequentemente úlceras anais (49.6% vs 23.7%) e genitais (83.8% vs 73.1%), proctite (31.6% vs 17.6%) e coinfecção com outras ISTs (42.7% vs 23.4%). A mediana de tempo até resolução das lesões foi de 24 dias, sem diferença de acordo com status para HIV (p = 0.28). PVHA com imunossupressão severa (CD4+ 200céls/mm3 e pessoas negativas para HIV, diferindo em até 79 dias (p < 0,001). Independentemente do status de HIV, infecção bacteriana secundária e acometimento de tecidos profundos estiveram associados a maior tempo de resolução das lesões de mpox, acrescentando 20 dias (p = 0.05) e 76 dias (p < 0.001), respectivamente. Conclusão: Nossos achados indicam a imunossupressão avançada pelo HIV como fator associado a cursos clínicos da mpox mais longos, podendo estender o período de transmissibilidade viral, refletindo no tempo de isolamento. Isso pode agravar questões biopsicossociais, impactando na qualidade de vida do paciente e nas medidas de saúde pública. PVHA e com imunossupressão mais severa apresentam maior vulnerabilidade na evolução da mpox, devendo ser priorizados nas estratégias profiláticas e terapêuticas

CARACTERÍSTICAS SOCIODEMOGRÁFICAS, CLÍNICAS E LABORATORIAIS DE INDIVÍDUOS DIAGNOSTICADOS COM INFECÇÃO VIRAL AGUDA E RECENTE (IVA) PELO HIV NO RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL

Introdução: O diagnóstico de IVA pelo HIV exige alta suspeição, devido ao período de soroconversão, sendo necessários exames de 4ª geração ou carga viral em indivíduos com quadro clínico sugestivo ou exposição sexual recente, sobretudo no contexto de início de PrEP ou PEP. O início precoce da terapia antirretroviral (TAR) em pessoas com IVA pode reduzir reservatórios virais, sendo de potencial interesse em pesquisas de cura funcional. Nosso trabalho objetiva descrever o perfil de indivíduos com IVA acompanhados no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Métodos: Coorte prospectiva, incluiu sequencialmente pessoas ≥ 18 anos diagnosticadas com IVA pelo HIV de 2013-2023 acompanhadas em centro no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Foram coletados dados sociodemográficos, clínicos, comportamentais e laboratoriais. Realizamos uma análise descritiva das características no atendimento inicial. Participantes foram submetidos a TCLE e o projeto foi submetido ao Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa local. Resultados: Dos 103 participantes, 91% eram homens cis (96% HSH, n = 89/93), 7% travestis/mulheres trans (TMT), 1% não binárie e 1% mulher cis, majoritariamente com idade < 30 anos (65%), autodeclarados pretos/pardos (59%) e de escolaridade pós-secundária (58%). Enquanto 58% apresentaram síndrome retroviral aguda, o diagnóstico de IVA ocorreu no acompanhamento de PrEP/PEP em 34%. A mediana de log de carga viral HIV pré-tratamento foi 4.7, com CD4 de 577 cél/mm3, sendo 74% com CD4/CD8<1. O tempo mediano entre diagnóstico e início de TAR foi 4 dias. Foram utilizados preferencialmente esquemas de primeira linha contendo efavirenz (43%) ou inibidor da integrase (41%). Foi frequente uso de drogas estimulantes (18%), diagnóstico prévio de IST (63%), parceria sexual de situação sorológica desconhecida (67%), uso recente de PEP (20%) e diagnóstico concomitante de sífilis (17%). Conclusões: Nossos achados corroboram dados nacionais que mostram maior vulnerabilidade para infecção pelo HIV entre a população jovem e preta, sobretudo HSH e TMT. Necessidade de alta suspeição clínica e acesso aos métodos diagnósticos adequados podem atrasar o diagnóstico e tratamento da IVA, impactando no tamanho dos reservatórios virais. A estruturação e descentralização de serviços com uma abordagem integral de saúde sexual pode contribuir não só para identificação precoce de pessoas com IVA, mas para consolidar estratégias de prevenção para HIV e outras IST

INFECÇÕES SEXUALMENTE TRANSMISSÍVEIS (IST) ENTRE HOMENS QUE FAZEM SEXO COM HOMENS (HSH), TRAVESTIS E MULHERES TRANS (TMT) EM USO DE PROFILAXIA PRÉ-EXPOSIÇÃO PARA HIV (PREP) NO BRASIL

Introdução: A incorporação da PrEP como política de saúde pública ampliou a testagem de IST no Brasil. O país é um dos mais afetados pela sífilis a nível global, no entanto carece de dados populacionais sobre clamídia (CT) e gonorreia (NG). O ImPrEP foi um estudo que avaliou a implementação da PrEP no Brasil, México e Peru. No Brasil, incluiu 3.928 HSH e TMT. O objetivo desse trabalho é explorar dados relacionados às vulnerabilidades para IST no Brasil entre participantes acompanhados no ImPrEP. Métodos: De 2018 a 2020, incluímos HSH e TMT ≥ 18 anos, com seguimento até 2021. Exames para IST bacterianas foram coletados na inclusão e trimestralmente (sífilis) ou anualmente (CT/NG). Consideramos todos os participantes do ImPrEP no Brasil com realização de pelo menos um exame para qualquer IST bacteriana (sífilis, CT/NG) durante o estudo. Realizamos análise descritiva das frequências de IST por unidade federativa (UF) e das características sociodemográficas e comportamentais dos participantes. Resultados: Incluímos 3.478 participantes de 8 UF de todas as regiões do país, com maior concentração no Rio de Janeiro (RJ) (30%) e São Paulo (SP) (27%). Desses, 25% tinham 18-24 anos, 51% eram não brancos, 80% com escolaridade pós-secundária, 96% HSH e 4% TMT. Na inclusão, a prevalência de sífilis foi maior no Distrito Federal (DF) (17%) e no Amazonas (AM) (15.6%), enquanto CT/NG não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre UF. Maior incidência de sífilis foi identificada em Santa Catarina (SC) (15.8/100 pessoas-ano), DF (14.8/100 pessoas-ano) e Bahia (BA) (13.5/100 pessoas-ano). Após iniciar PrEP, 35% dos participantes foram diagnosticados com alguma IST bacteriana, sem associação com a UF de origem. Em SC, participantes reportaram mais frequentemente múltiplas parcerias sexuais (53%), no entanto menos relações anais receptivas sem uso de preservativo (39%). O uso excessivo de álcool foi mais frequente em AM (82%) e BA (80%), enquanto o uso de drogas estimulantes ocorreu mais no DF (35%), SP (24%) e RJ (18%). Conclusão: Nossos achados contribuem para caracterização da prevalência de IST entre usuários de PrEP de diferentes estados brasileiros, trazendo dados inéditos sobre infecção por CT/NG nessa população. Considerando a diversidade territorial e cultural do Brasil, vulnerabilidades distintas podem estar envolvidas na dinâmica de transmissão de IST, e a implementação de políticas públicas de prevenção para o HIV e IST deve ser adaptada às realidades locais

Mpox in people with advanced HIV infection: a global case series.

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV have accounted for 38-50% of those affected in the 2022 multicountry mpox outbreak. Most reported cases were in people who had high CD4 cell counts and similar outcomes to those without HIV. Emerging data suggest worse clinical outcomes and higher mortality in people with more advanced HIV. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of mpox in a cohort of people with HIV and low CD4 cell counts (CD4 <350 cells per mm3). METHODS: A network of clinicians from 19 countries provided data of confirmed mpox cases between May 11, 2022, and Jan 18, 2023, in people with HIV infection. Contributing centres completed deidentified structured case report sheets to include variables of interest relevant to people living with HIV and to capture more severe outcomes. We restricted this series to include only adults older than 18 years living with HIV and with a CD4 cell count of less than 350 cells per mm3 or, in settings where a CD4 count was not always routinely available, an HIV infection clinically classified as US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stage C. We describe their clinical presentation, complications, and causes of death. Analyses were descriptive. FINDINGS: We included data of 382 cases: 367 cisgender men, four cisgender women, and ten transgender women. The median age of individuals included was 35 (IQR 30-43) years. At mpox diagnosis, 349 (91%) individuals were known to be living with HIV; 228 (65%) of 349 adherent to antiretroviral therapy (ART); 32 (8%) of 382 had a concurrent opportunistic illness. The median CD4 cell count was 211 (IQR 117-291) cells per mm3, with 85 (22%) individuals with CD4 cell counts of less than 100 cells per mm3 and 94 (25%) with 100-200 cells per mm3. Overall, 193 (51%) of 382 had undetectable viral load. Severe complications were more common in people with a CD4 cell count of less than 100 cells per mm3 than in those with more than 300 cells per mm3, including necrotising skin lesions (54% vs 7%), lung involvement (29% vs 0%) occasionally with nodules, and secondary infections and sepsis (44% vs 9%). Overall, 107 (28%) of 382 were hospitalised, of whom 27 (25%) died. All deaths occurred in people with CD4 counts of less than 200 cells per mm3. Among people with CD4 counts of less than 200 cells per mm3, more deaths occurred in those with high HIV viral load. An immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome to mpox was suspected in 21 (25%) of 85 people initiated or re-initiated on ART, of whom 12 (57%) of 21 died. 62 (16%) of 382 received tecovirimat and seven (2%) received cidofovir or brincidofovir. Three individuals had laboratory confirmation of tecovirimat resistance. INTERPRETATION: A severe necrotising form of mpox in the context of advanced immunosuppression appears to behave like an AIDS-defining condition, with a high prevalence of fulminant dermatological and systemic manifestations and death. FUNDING: None

Characteristics of women diagnosed with mpox infection compared to men: A case series from Brazil

Background: Cisgender men were mostly affected during the 2022 mpox multinational outbreak, with few cases reported in women. This study compares the characteristics of individuals diagnosed with mpox infection according to gender in Rio de Janeiro. Methods: We obtained surveillance data of mpox cases notified to Rio de Janeiro State Health Department (June 12 to December 15, 2022). We compared women (cisgender or transgender) to men (cisgender or transgender) using chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and Mood's median tests. Results: A total of 1306 mpox cases were reported; 1188 (91.0%) men (99.8% cisgender, 0.2% transgender), 108 (8.3%) women (87.0% cisgender, 13.0% transgender), and 10 (0.8%) non-binary persons. Compared to men, women were more frequently older (40+years: 34.3% vs. 25.1%; p < 0.001), reported more frequent non-sexual contact with a potential mpox case (21.4% vs. 9.8%; p = 0.004), fewer sexual partnerships (10.9 vs. 54.8%; p < 0.001), less sexual contact with a potential mpox case (18.5% vs. 43.0%; p < 0.001), fewer genital lesions (31.8% vs. 57.9%; p < 0.001), fewer systemic mpox signs/symptoms (38.0% vs. 50.1%; p = 0.015) and had a lower HIV prevalence (8.3% vs. 46.3%; p < 0.001), with all cases among transgender women. Eight women were hospitalized; no deaths occurred. The highest number of cases among women were notified in epidemiological week 34, when the number of cases among men started to decrease. Conclusions: Women diagnosed with mpox presented differences in epidemiological, behavioral, and clinical characteristics compared to men. Health services should provide a comprehensive assessment that accounts for gender diversity

Ambulatory and hospitalized patients with suspected and confirmed mpox: an observational cohort study from BrazilResearch in context

Summary: Background: By October 30, 2022, 76,871 cases of mpox were reported worldwide, with 20,614 cases in Latin America. This study reports characteristics of a case series of suspected and confirmed mpox cases at a referral infectious diseases center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational cohort study that enrolled all patients with suspected mpox between June 12 and August 19, 2022. Mpox was confirmed by a PCR test. We compared characteristics of confirmed and non-confirmed cases, and among confirmed cases according to HIV status using distribution tests. Kernel estimation was used for exploratory spatial analysis. Findings: Of 342 individuals with suspected mpox, 208 (60.8%) were confirmed cases. Compared to non-confirmed cases, confirmed cases were more frequent among individuals aged 30–39 years, cisgender men (96.2% vs. 66.4%; p < 0.0001), reporting recent sexual intercourse (95.0% vs. 69.4%; p < 0.0001) and using PrEP (31.6% vs. 10.1%; p < 0.0001). HIV (53.2% vs. 20.2%; p < 0.0001), HCV (9.8% vs. 1.1%; p = 0.0046), syphilis (21.2% vs. 16.3%; p = 0.43) and other STIs (33.0% vs. 21.6%; p = 0.042) were more frequent among confirmed mpox cases. Confirmed cases presented more genital (77.3% vs. 39.8%; p < 0.0001) and anal lesions (33.1% vs. 11.5%; p < 0.0001), proctitis (37.1% vs. 13.3%; p < 0.0001) and systemic signs and symptoms (83.2% vs. 64.5%; p = 0.0003) than non-confirmed cases. Compared to confirmed mpox HIV-negative, HIV-positive individuals were older, had more HCV coinfection (15.2% vs. 3.7%; p = 0.011), anal lesions (45.7% vs. 20.5%; p < 0.001) and clinical features of proctitis (45.2% vs. 29.3%; p = 0.058). Interpretation: Mpox transmission in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, rapidly evolved into a local epidemic, with sexual contact playing a crucial role in its dynamics and high rates of coinfections with other STI. Preventive measures must address stigma and social vulnerabilities. Funding: Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (INI-Fiocruz)

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data