Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and associated risk factors in Huicholes in Mexico

BACKGROUND: Very little is known about the seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in ethnic groups in Mexico. Huicholes are an indigenous ethnic group living in a remote mountainous region in Mexico. We sought to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies in Huicholes; and to determine the association of Toxoplasma seropositivity with socio-demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of Huicholes. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional survey in Huicholes from September 2013 to January 2014. A convenience sampling method was used. We investigated the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies in 214 Huicholes using enzyme-linked immunoassays. A standardized questionnaire was used to obtain the characteristics of the Huicholes. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the association of Toxoplasma exposure and Huicholes’ characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 214 Huicholes studied (mean age: 37.98 ± 15.80 years), 71 (33.2%) were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and 47 (66.2%) of them were also positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies. Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection did not vary with age, sex, or occupation. However, seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies was significantly higher in female than in male Huicholes. Multivariate analysis of socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics showed that T. gondii exposure was associated with consumption of turkey meat (OR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.16-4.46; P = 0.01). In addition, seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was significantly higher in Huicholes suffering from dizziness and memory impairment than those without such clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate serological evidence of T. gondii exposure among Huicholes which may be impacting their health. Results of this first study of T. gondii infection in Huicholes may be useful for the design of optimal preventive measures against infection with T. gondii

Evaluation of antimycobacterial activity from marine and freshwater microalgae

La tuberculosis es considerada una de las enfermedades epidemiológicas más importantes a nivel mundial. El tratamiento actual para la tuberculosis consiste en la combinación y uso de fármacos antituberculoso por al menos 9 meses. En la actualidad, la búsqueda de nuevos agentes farmacológicos para el tratamiento de la tuberculosis es una tarea urgente. Las microalgas producen una amplia variedad de moléculas que poseen actividades biológicas de interés farmacéutico. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la actividad antimicobacteriana de los extractos crudos hexánicos obtenidos de 6 microalgas: Chlamydomonas mexicana, Porphyridium cruentum, Isochrysis galbana, Rhodomonas sp., Aphanocapsa marina y Nitzschia palea. Todos los extractos crudos inhibieron al menos el 90% del crecimiento de Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv a una concentración de 100 μg ml-1. El extracto crudo obtenido de I. galbana presentó la mayor actividad antimicobacteriana con un porcentaje de inhibición igual al del fármaco antituberculoso isoniazida y con una concentración inhibitoria mínima de 50 μg ml-1. Estos hallazgos demuestran que las microalgas son una excelente fuente para la búsqueda de nuevos compuestos antimicobacterianos.Tuberculosis is considered one of the most important epidemiological diseases worldwide. The current treatment for tuberculosis is a combination of antituberculosis drugs for at least 9 months. Nowadays, the search for new pharmacological agents for the treatment of tuberculosis is an urgent endeavor. Microalgae produce a wide variety of molecules that possess biological activities of pharmaceutical interest. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the antimycobacterial activity of hexane crude extracts of 6 microalgae: Chlamydomonas mexicana, Porphyridium cruentum, Isochrysis galbana, Rhodomonas sp., Aphanocapsa marina, and Nitzschia palea. All of the hexane extracts inhibited at least 90% of the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv at a concentration of 100 μg ml-1. The hexane crude extract of I. galbana had the highest antimycobacterial activity displaying a percentage inhibition that was equal to that of the antituberculosis drug isoniazid and having a minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 μg ml-1. These findings demonstrate that microalgae are an excellent source for the search of novel antimycobacterial compounds