Enteritis eosinofílica idiopática en una vaca lechera de Antioquia

RESUMEN La Enteritis Eosinofílica Idiopática (EEI) es una enfermedad de causa desconocida, reportada en los humanos y en varias especies animales. En el bovino se ha aceptado desde 1998 como una entidad poco común, con escasos reportes a nivel mundial. En este estudio se documenta una vaca que presentó inflamación intestinal de curso crónico, diagnosticada como EEI con base en el análisis de los hallazgos clínicos, histopatológicos y la exclusión de otras enfermedades intestinales. Esta comunicación constituye el primer reporte en Colombia de esta condición en el bovino y tiene como objetivo describir los hallazgos clínicos y anatomopatológicos encontrados y discutir sus posibles causas y mecanismos de enfermedad. Debido a que no se identificaron agentes infecciosos en el caso estudiado y a que la vaca presentó concomitantemente neoplasias, se postula como mecanismo de enfermedad más probable, el síndrome hipereosinofilia paraneoplásica

Seroprevalencia de Mycobacterium avium Subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) en una granja de ganado de carne de bosque húmedo tropical en Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia

The present study determines the seroprevalence of MAP in beef cattle of a farm in tropical moist forest located in the municipality of Caucasia. Blood samples from all animals over two years of age (n=151) were obtained together with information on the epidemiological characteristics of the animal (age, breed, sex, parity, reproductive state, days postpartum). Serum samples were analyzed with an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and the information analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics (two-way frequency tables). ELISA results showed a seroprevalence of 33.8% (IC 95% 26.1-41.4) showed statistically significant association between ELISA results and breed. According to the results, high seroprevalence of paratuberculosis level was determined in a beef farm for the first time in Colombia. Further studies on beef cattle herds should be carried out to increase the knowledge of the prevalence of this disease in the country.El presente estudio se realizó para determinar la seroprevalencia a MAP en ganado de carne de una granja en bosque húmedo tropical ubicada en el municipio de Caucasia. Se tomaron muestras de sangre de todos los bovinos mayores de dos años (n=151) y se obtuvo información de características individuales (edad, raza, sexo, número de partos, estado reproductivo y días posparto). Las muestras de suero fueron analizadas mediante el Ensayo por inmunoabsorción ligado a enzimas (ELISA), mientras que la información fue analizada usando estadística descriptiva y analítica (Prueba de chi cuadrado y prueba exacta de Fisher). Los resultados de ELISA mostraron una seroprevalencia del 33.8% (IC 95% 26.1-41.4) y el análisis estadístico mostró asociación estadísticamente significativa entre el resultado de ELISA y la raza. De acuerdo a los resultados, un alto nivel de seroprevalencia fue determinado en ganado de carne por primera vez en Colombia. Futuros estudios en este tipo de ganado deben ser realizados para aumentar el conocimiento de la prevalencia de la enfermedad en el país

Estudio serológico de Neospora caninum en ganado de leche del altiplano Norte de Antioquia, Colombia

RESUMEN Objetivos. Determinar la seroprevalencia de Neospora caninum en ganado lechero sin vacunar del altiplano Norte de Antioquia. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio transversal para determinar la prevalencia de neosporosis en bovinos de la principal zona lechera antioqueña. En Mayo-Junio del 2014 se recolectaron muestras de sangre de 1003 bovinos en 29 hatos ubicados en el municipio de San Pedro de los Milagros, en Antioquia. Los niveles de anticuerpos de N. caninum se midieron mediante un kit de inmunoensayo enzimático (ELISA) y los resultados se clasificaron como positivos o negativos. Resultados. Se observaron bovinos seropositivos en todos los hatos, con una prevalencia entre el 7 y 97%, y una media (±SE) del 37.1% (±4.2). La distribución de los animales seropositivos por grupos  de <1, 1-2, 2-3 y ≥3 años de edad fue del 25.5, 30.3, 46.1 y 39.1%, respectivamente. Conclusiones. Se detectó una alta tasa de seroprevalencia de N. caninum en la principal zona de ganado lechero de Antioquia. La gran variación entre hatos apunta a que existen factores de riesgo cuya identificación sería esencial a la hora de instaurar programas de control. En vista de que cualquier vaca seropositiva tiene un mayor riesgo de abortar que congéneres no infectados, los próximos estudios deberían abordar la epidemiología de abortos atribuible a neosporosis previo a establecer cualquier plan de control

Differences in the immune response elicited by two immunization schedules with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a randomized phase 3 clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The development of vaccines to control the COVID-19 pandemic progression is a worldwide priority. CoronaVac® is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine approved for emergency use with robust efficacy and immunogenicity data reported in trials in China, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile. METHODS: This study is a randomized, multicenter, and controlled phase 3 trial in healthy Chilean adults aged ≥18 years. Volunteers received two doses of CoronaVac® separated by two (0-14 schedule) or four weeks (0-28 schedule). 2,302 volunteers were enrolled, 440 were part of the immunogenicity arm, and blood samples were obtained at different times. Samples from a single center are reported. Humoral immune responses were evaluated by measuring the neutralizing capacities of circulating antibodies. Cellular immune responses were assessed by ELISPOT and flow cytometry. Correlation matrixes were performed to evaluate correlations in the data measured. RESULTS: Both schedules exhibited robust neutralizing capacities with the response induced by the 0-28 schedule being better. No differences were found in the concentration of antibodies against the virus and different variants of concern between schedules. Stimulation of PBMCs with MPs induced the secretion of IFN-g and the expression of activation induced markers for both schedules. Correlation matrixes showed strong correlations between neutralizing antibodies and IFN-g secretion. CONCLUSIONS: Immunization with CoronaVac® in Chilean adults promotes robust cellular and humoral immune responses. The 0-28 schedule induced a stronger humoral immune response than the 0-14 schedule. FUNDING: Ministry of Health, Government of Chile, Confederation of Production and Commerce & Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Chile. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT04651790

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Incidence, clinical characteristics and management of inflammatory bowel disease in Spain: large-scale epidemiological study

(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD—Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)—during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100, 000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31–56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbiomes are vast communities of microorganisms and viruses that populate all natural ecosystems. Viruses have been considered to be the most variable component of microbiomes, as supported by virome surveys and examples of high genomic mosaicism. However, recent evidence suggests that the human gut virome is remarkably stable compared with that of other environments. Here, we investigate the origin, evolution and epidemiology of crAssphage, a widespread human gut virus. Through a global collaboration, we obtained DNA sequences of crAssphage from more than one-third of the world's countries and showed that the phylogeography of crAssphage is locally clustered within countries, cities and individuals. We also found fully colinear crAssphage-like genomes in both Old-World and New-World primates, suggesting that the association of crAssphage with primates may be millions of years old. Finally, by exploiting a large cohort of more than 1,000 individuals, we tested whether crAssphage is associated with bacterial taxonomic groups of the gut microbiome, diverse human health parameters and a wide range of dietary factors. We identified strong correlations with different clades of bacteria that are related to Bacteroidetes and weak associations with several diet categories, but no significant association with health or disease. We conclude that crAssphage is a benign cosmopolitan virus that may have coevolved with the human lineage and is an integral part of the normal human gut virome

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbiomes are vast communities of microorganisms and viruses that populate all natural ecosystems. Viruses have been considered to be the most variable component of microbiomes, as supported by virome surveys and examples of high genomic mosaicism. However, recent evidence suggests that the human gut virome is remarkably stable compared with that of other environments. Here, we investigate the origin, evolution and epidemiology of crAssphage, a widespread human gut virus. Through a global collaboration, we obtained DNA sequences of crAssphage from more than one-third of the world’s countries and showed that the phylogeography of crAssphage is locally clustered within countries, cities and individuals. We also found fully colinear crAssphage-like genomes in both Old-World and New-World primates, suggesting that the association of crAssphage with primates may be millions of years old. Finally, by exploiting a large cohort of more than 1,000 individuals, we tested whether crAssphage is associated with bacterial taxonomic groups of the gut microbiome, diverse human health parameters and a wide range of dietary factors. We identified strong correlations with different clades of bacteria that are related to Bacteroidetes and weak associations with several diet categories, but no significant association with health or disease. We conclude that crAssphage is a benign cosmopolitan virus that may have coevolved with the human lineage and is an integral part of the normal human gut virome