Staphylococcus sp, tratamiento antimicrobiano y resistencia en pioderma bacteriana superficial canina

En la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, existen pocos estudios sobre la frecuencia del tratamiento antimicrobiano en pioderma canina y el nivel de resistencia antimicrobiana de Staphylococcus sp. Los principales objetivos de este estudio fueron analizar la resistencia antimicrobiana de Staphylococcus sp, la frecuencia del tratamiento antimicrobiano y sus recidivas en caninos con pioderma. Se analizaron 39 caninos con diagnóstico clínico de pioderma, procedentes de clínicas veterinarias privadas del área de Buenos Aires. Se recogieron, en el momento de la pioderma activa, hisopados de lesiones cutáneas para cultivo bacteriano y análisis por espectrometría de masas. Además, se registró raza, sexo, clasificación clínica de la pioderma, tratamiento antimicrobiano y recaídas de la enfermedad. El 76% de los animales estudiados recibieron cefalexina por vía oral después del examen clínico, y dentro de este porcentaje, el 31,6% también recibió otros tipos de agentes antimicrobianos debido a recaídas. El 24% restante recibió como tratamiento antimicrobiano lincomicina, minociclina y/o doxiciclina. En el 60% de los animales estudiados, la pioderma diagnosticada tenía una causa alérgica, que a su vez coincidió con las recaídas y fue similar al porcentaje de resistencia a la meticilina (51%) de los diferentes aislamientos de Staphylococcus sp. El 80% de las resistencias a meticilina observadas se trataron previamente con cefalexina. Inesperadamente, el mayor porcentaje de resistencia observada fue a eritromicina, clindamicina (demostrando fenotipo constitutivo MLSB) y sulfatrimetoprim

Hepatozoonosis en caninos domésticos del Gran Buenos Aires

Canine hepatozoonosis (CH) is a disease transmitted by ingestion of ticks infected with Hepatozoon canis that can cause severe clinical signs depending on host immunity. The objective of this work was to detect the presence of H. canis in blood samples from clinically healthy dogs from GreaterBuenos Aires through microscopic observation in smears of peripheral blood and buff y coat.Secondly, the prevalence of CH in the different neighbor hoods, the association between thevariables breed, sex, age and the presence of ticks with the positive hematological diagnosisof CH and the association between hematological alterations and the presence of CH weredetermined. Of the 207 samples, 10 (4.83%) were positive by observation in peripheral bloodsmears and 15 (7.24%) in pH logistic layer smears. With respect to the variables evaluated, CHwas more frequent in adults, females, mixed-breed and with the presence of ticks; however, thedifferences were not significant. The highest percent age of positive samples was observed inthose patients from the neighbor hoods of Solano and Quilmes. With respect to the hematologicalalterations, anemia (20%), leukocytosis (40%), lymphocytosis (26.6%) and eosinophilia(80%) were higher in the group of positive samples to CH, however, the differences were notsignificant (p>0.05). There four study corroborate the endemic of CH in Greater Buenos Airesand show that the prevalence varies with the area from which the samples were obtained andthe moment in which the study was conducted. In addition, it reflects the use fullness of theleukocyte concentration to increase the probabilities of positive observation of gamontes whenmolecular methods are not available.La hepatozoonosis canina (HC) es una enfermedad transmitida por la ingestión de garrapatas infectadas con Hepatozoon canis que puede causar signos clínicos graves dependiendo de la inmunidad del hospedador. El objetivo de este trabajo fue detectar la presencia de H. canis en muestras de caninos sin signología provenientes del Gran Buenos Aires a través de la observación microscópica en extendidos de sangre periférica y capa flogística. Posteriormente, se determinó la casuística de la HC en los diferentes barrios, la asociación entre las variables raza, sexo, edad y la presencia de garrapatas con el diagnóstico hematológico positivo de HC y la asociación entre las alteraciones del hemograma y la presencia de HC. De las 207 muestras 10 (4,83%) fueron positivas mediante la observación en frotis de sangre periférica y 15 (7,24%) en frotis de sangre periférica y extendidos de la capa flogística. Con respecto a las variables evaluadas, la HC fue más frecuente en adultos, hembras, de raza mestiza y con presencia de garrapatas, no obstante las diferencias no fueron significativas. El mayor porcentaje de muestras positivas se observó en aquellos pacientes provenientes de los barrios de Solano y Quilmes. En relación a las alteraciones hematológicas en el grupo de muestras positivas a HC se observó anemia (20%), leucocitosis (40%), linfocitosis (26,6%) y eosinofilia (80%) en un mayor porcentaje con respecto al grupo de muestras negativas, no obstante las diferencias entre ambos grupos no fueron significativas (p>0,05). Este estudio corrobora la endemicidad de la HC en el Gran Buenos Aires y demuestra que la prevalencia varía con la procedencia de las muestras y del momento en que se realiza el estudio. Asimismo, refleja la utilidad de la concentración leucocitaria para aumentar las probabilidades de observación positiva de gamontes cuando no se disponga de métodos moleculares

Embolic strokes of undetermined source: prevalence and patient features in the ESUS Global Registry

Background: Recent evidence supports that most non-lacunar cryptogenic strokes are embolic. Accordingly, these strokes have been designated as embolic strokes of undetermined source (ESUS). Aims: We undertook an international survey to characterize the frequency and clinical features of ESUS patients across global regions. Methods: Consecutive patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke were retrospectively surveyed from 19 stroke research centers in 19 different countries to collect patients meeting criteria for ESUS. Results: Of 2144 patients with recent ischemic stroke, 351 (16%, 95% CI 15% to 18%) met ESUS criteria, similar across global regions (range 16% to 21%), and an additional 308 (14%) patients had incomplete evaluation required for ESUS diagnosis. The mean age of ESUS patients (62 years; SD = 15) was significantly lower than the 1793 non-ESUS ischemic stroke patients (68 years, p ≤ 0.001). Excluding patients with atrial fibrillation (n = 590, mean age = 75 years), the mean age of the remaining 1203 non-ESUS ischemic stroke patients was 64 years (p = 0.02 vs. ESUS patients). Among ESUS patients, hypertension, diabetes, and prior stroke were present in 64%, 25%, and 17%, respectively. Median NIHSS score was 4 (interquartile range 2–8). At discharge, 90% of ESUS patients received antiplatelet therapy and 7% received anticoagulation. Conclusions: This cross-sectional global sample of patients with recent ischemic stroke shows that one-sixth met criteria for ESUS, with additional ESUS patients likely among those with incomplete diagnostic investigation. ESUS patients were relatively young with mild strokes. Antiplatelet therapy was the standard antithrombotic therapy for secondary stroke prevention in all global regions

Prevalencia serológica a tres cepas de leptospiras en caninos de La Plata, Berisso y Ensenada

La leptospirosis canina es una enfermedad infecciosa, zoonótica, de distribución mundial causada por serotipos antigénicamente diferentes de Leptospira interrogans. Las serovares de L. interrogans icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, pyrogenes y grippotyphosa son las más comúnmente halladas en perros con Leptospirosis. Varios tipos de pruebas serológicas se han desarrollado, sin embargo, la prueba de Aglutinación Microscópica (MAT) desarrollada por Schüffner y Mochtar en 1927 continúa siendo la técnica de referencia internacional. Se realizó este estudio a efectos de conocer la seroprevalencia de Leptospirosis en caninos de la zona de La Plata, Berisso y Ensenada.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Regional, sex, and age differences in diagnostic testing among participants in the NAVIGATE-ESUS trial

Background and aim: The diagnosis of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is based on excluding other more likely stroke etiologies, and therefore diagnostic testing plays an especially crucial role. Our objective was to compare the diagnostic testing by region, sex, and age among the participants of NAVIGATE-ESUS trial. Methods: Participants were grouped according to five global regions (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and East Asia), age (<60, 60–74, and >75 years), and sex. Frequencies of each diagnostic test within areas of echocardiography, cardiac rhythm monitoring, and arterial imaging were described and compared across groups. A multivariable logistic regression model for each diagnostic test was fit to assess the independent influence of each of region, age, and sex and likelihood of testing. Results: We included 6985 patients in the analysis (918 from North America; 746 from Latin America; 2853 from Western Europe; 1118 from Eastern Europe; 1350 from East Asia). Average age (highest in Western Europe (69 years), lowest in Eastern Europe (65 years)), % females (highest in Latin America (44%) and lowest in East Asia (31%)), and use of each diagnostic test varied significantly across regions. Region, but not sex, was independently associated with use of each diagnostic test examined. Transesophageal echocardiography and either CT or MR angiogram were more often used in younger patients. Conclusion: Diagnostic testing differed by region, and less frequently by age, but not by sex. Our findings reflect the existing variations in global practice in diagnostic testing in ESUS patients

Swine hemoplasmosis detected in farms of Argentina by a new nested PCR assay

Swine hemoplasmosis or swine infectious anemia is a worldwide distribution disease caused by the hemotropic mycoplasmas Mycoplasma suis and Mycoplasma parvum. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of M. suis-M. parvum infection in subclinical pigs from herds of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, by means of new nested PCR. The PCR assay primers were designed based on the 16S ribosomal gene sequences of swine hemoplasmas available at GenBank. To standardize the assay, pig blood samples positive for hemoplasma by May Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) stained blood smears were used. A total of 482 pig blood samples were analyzed. A 32% (154/482) of MGG stained blood smears were positive to M. suis o M. parvum. From these 154 samples, 47% (72/154) were positive by PCR. Sequences of PCR products amplified with these primers always showed identity with M. suisor M. parvum, validating their specificity and highlighting the unspecific amplification with hemoplasmas of other species. This is the first assay designed in Argentina to identify M. suis and M. parvum. However, considering the advances in the knowledge of the genome of hemoplasmas worldwide, further studies should be performed to standardize new assays for the diagnosis of swine hemoplasmosis in Argentina

Characteristics of Recurrent Ischemic Stroke after Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: The concept of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) unifies a subgroup of cryptogenic strokes based on neuroimaging, a defined minimum set of diagnostic tests, and exclusion of certain causes. Despite an annual stroke recurrence rate of 5%, little is known about the etiology underlying recurrent stroke after ESUS. Objective: To identify the stroke subtype of recurrent ischemic strokes after ESUS, to explore the interaction with treatment assignment in each category, and to examine the consistency of cerebral location of qualifying ESUS and recurrent ischemic stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants: The NAVIGATE-ESUS trial was a randomized clinical trial conducted from December 23, 2014, to October 5, 2017. The trial compared the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban and aspirin in patients with recent ESUS (n = 7213). Ischemic stroke was validated in 309 of the 7213 patients by adjudicators blinded to treatment assignment and classified by local investigators into the categories ESUS or non-ESUS (ie, cardioembolic, atherosclerotic, lacunar, other determined cause, or insufficient testing). Five patients with recurrent strokes that could not be defined as ischemic or hemorrhagic in absence of neuroimaging or autopsy were excluded. Data for this secondary post hoc analysis were analyzed from March to June 2019. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive rivaroxaban, 15 mg/d, or aspirin, 100 mg/d. Main Outcomes and Measures: Association of recurrent ESUS with stroke characteristics. Results: A total of 309 patients (205 men [66%]; mean [SD] age, 68 [10] years) had ischemic stroke identified during the median follow-up of 11 (interquartile range [IQR], 12) months (annualized rate, 4.6%). Diagnostic testing was insufficient for etiological classification in 39 patients (13%). Of 270 classifiable ischemic strokes, 156 (58%) were ESUS and 114 (42%) were non-ESUS (37 [32%] cardioembolic, 26 [23%] atherosclerotic, 35 [31%] lacunar, and 16 [14%] other determined cause). Atrial fibrillation was found in 27 patients (9%) with recurrent ischemic stroke and was associated with higher morbidity (median change in modified Rankin scale score 2 [IQR, 3] vs 0 (IQR, 1]) and mortality (15% vs 1%) than other causes. Risk of recurrence did not differ significantly by subtype between treatment groups. For both the qualifying and recurrent strokes, location of infarct was more often in the left (46% and 54%, respectively) than right hemisphere (40% and 37%, respectively) or brainstem or cerebellum (14% and 9%, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance: In this secondary analysis of randomized clinical trial data, most recurrent strokes after ESUS were embolic and of undetermined source. Recurrences associated with atrial fibrillation were a minority but were more often disabling and fatal. More extensive investigation to identify the embolic source is important toward an effective antithrombotic strategy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02313909

Polymorphisms in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha gene in Mexican patients with preeclampsia: A case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the etiology of preeclampsia is still unclear, recent work suggests that changes in circulating angiogenic factors play a key role in its pathogenesis. In the trophoblast of women with preeclampsia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) is over-expressed, and induces the expression of non-angiogenic factors and inhibitors of trophoblast differentiation. This observation prompted the study of HIF-1α and its relation to preeclampsia. It has been described that the C1772T (P582S) and G1790A (A588T) polymorphisms of the <it>HIF1A </it>gene have significantly greater transcriptional activity, correlated with an increased expression of their proteins, than the wild-type sequence. In this work, we studied whether either or both <it>HIF1A </it>variants contribute to preeclampsia susceptibility.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genomic DNA was isolated from 150 preeclamptic and 105 healthy pregnant women. Exon 12 of the <it>HIF1A </it>gene was amplified by PCR, and the genotypes of <it>HIF1A </it>were determined by DNA sequencing.</p> <p>In preeclamptic women and controls, the frequencies of the T allele for C1772T were 4.3 vs. 4.8%, and the frequencies of the A allele for G1790A were 0.0 vs. 0.5%, respectively. No significant differences were found between groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The frequency of the C1772T and G1790A polymorphisms of the <it>HIF1A </it>gene is very low, and neither polymorphism is associated with the development of preeclampsia in the Mexican population.</p

Molecular and Phylogenetic Analyses Suggest an Additional Hepatitis B Virus Genotype “I”

A novel hepatitis B virus (HBV) strain (W29) was isolated from serum samples in the northwest of China. Phylogenetic and distance analyses indicate that this strain is grouped with a series of distinct strains discovered in Vietnam and Laos that have been proposed to be a new genotype I. TreeOrderScan and GroupScan methods were used to study the intergenotype recombination of this special group. Recombination plots and tree maps of W29 and these putative genotype I strains exhibit distinct characteristics that are unexpected in typical genotype C strains of HBV. The amino acids of P gene, S gene, X gene, and C gene of all genotypes (including subtypes) were compared, and eight unique sites were found in genotype I. In vitro and in vivo experiments were also conducted to determine phenotypic characteristics between W29 and other representative strains of different genotypes obtained from China. Secretion of HBsAg in Huh7 cells is uniformly abundant among genotypes A, B, C, and I (W29), but not genotype D. HBeAg secretion is low in genotype I (W29), whose level is close to genotype A and much lower than genotypes B, C, and D. Results from the acute hydrodynamic injection mouse model also exhibit a similar pattern. From an overview of the results, the viral markers of W29 (I1) in Huh7 cells and mice had a more similar level to genotype A than genotype C, although the latter was closer to W29 in distance analysis. All evidence suggests that W29, together with other related strains found in Vietnam and Laos, should be classified into a new genotype

Genotyping the hepatitis B virus with a fragment of the HBV DNA polymerase gene in Shenyang, China

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been classified into eight genotypes (A-H) based on intergenotypic divergence of at least 8% in the complete nucleotide sequence or more than 4% in the S gene. To facilitate the investigation of the relationship between the efficacy of drug treatment and the mutation with specific genotype of HBV, we have established a new genotyping strategy based on a fragment of the HBV DNA polymerase gene. Pairwise sequence and phylogenetic analyses were performed using CLUSTAL V (DNASTAR) on the eight (A-H) standard full-length nucleotide sequences of HBV DNA from GenBank (NCBI) and the corresponding semi-nested PCR products from the HBV DNA polymerase gene. The differences in the semi-nested PCR fragments of the polymerase genes among genotypes A through F were greater than 4%, which is consistent with the intergenotypic divergence of at least 4% in HBV DNA S gene sequences. Genotyping using the semi-nested PCR products of the DNA polymerase genes revealed that only genotypes B, C, and D were present in the 50 cases, from Shenyang, China, with a distribution of 11 cases (22%), 25 cases (50%), and 14 cases (28%) respectively. These results demonstrate that our new genotyping method utilizing a fragment of the HBV DNA polymerase gene is valid and can be employed as a general genotyping strategy in areas with prevalent HBV genotypes A through F. In Shenyang, China, genotypes C, B, and D were identified with this new genotyping method, and genotype C was demonstrated to be the dominant genotype