48 research outputs found
SoroprevalĂŞncia da infecção pelo T. cruzi em doadores de sangue e cardiomiopatia chagásica em pacientes da regiĂŁo carbonĂfera de Coahuila, MĂ©xico
Context and Objective: Chagas disease is considered a worldwide emerging disease; it is endemic in Mexico and the state of Coahuila and is considered of little relevance. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. cruzi infection in blood donors and Chagas cardiomyopathy in patients from the coal mining region of Coahuila, Mexico. Design and Setting: Epidemiological, exploratory and prospective study in a general hospital during the period January to June 2011. Methods: We performed laboratory tests ELISA and indirect hemagglutination in three groups of individuals: 1) asymptomatic voluntary blood donors, 2) patients hospitalized in the cardiology department and 3) patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Results: There were three levels of seroprevalence: 0.31% in asymptomatic individuals, 1.25% in cardiac patients and in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in 21.14%. Conclusions: In spite of having detected autochthonous cases of Chagas disease, its importance to local public health remains to be established as well as the details of the dynamics of transmission so that the study is still in progress.Contexto e Objetivo: A doença de Chagas Ă© mundialmente considerada uma doença emergente, Ă© endĂŞmica no MĂ©xico e no estado de Coahuila e considerada de pouca relevância. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar a soroprevalĂŞncia da infecção pelo T. cruzi em doadores de sangue e cardiomiopatia chagásica em pacientes da regiĂŁo carbonĂfera de Coahuila, MĂ©xico. Desenho e Local: Estudo epidemiolĂłgico, exploratĂłrio e prospectivo em um hospital geral no perĂodo de janeiro a junho de 2011. MĂ©todos: Foram realizados testes de laboratĂłrio ELISA e hemoglutinação indireta em trĂŞs grupos de indivĂduos: 1) doadores de sangue voluntários assintomáticos, 2) pacientes internados na área de cardiologia e 3) pacientes com cardiomiopatia dilatada. Resultados: Foram achados trĂŞs nĂveis de soroprevalĂŞncia: 0,31% em indivĂduos doadores de sangue assintomáticos, 1,25% em pacientes cardiopatas e, em pacientes com cardiomiopatia dilatada 21,14%. ConclusĂŁo: Detectamos casos autĂłctones de doença de Chagas em área considerada nĂŁo endĂŞmica. Deve ser determinada sua importância na saĂşde pĂşblica regional e local, para estabelecer os detalhes do mecanismo de transmissĂŁo. O estudo ainda está em desenvolvimento
Utilization of an Eilat Virus-Based Chimera for Serological Detection of Chikungunya Infection.
In December of 2013, chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus in the family Togaviridae, was introduced to the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean, resulting in the first autochthonous cases reported in the Americas. As of January 2015, local and imported CHIKV has been reported in 50 American countries with over 1.1 million suspected cases. CHIKV causes a severe arthralgic disease for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics. Furthermore, the lack of a commercially available, sensitive, and affordable diagnostic assay limits surveillance and control efforts. To address this issue, we utilized an insect-specific alphavirus, Eilat virus (EILV), to develop a diagnostic antigen that does not require biosafety containment facilities to produce. We demonstrated that EILV/CHIKV replicates to high titers in insect cells and can be applied directly in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays without inactivation, resulting in highly sensitive detection of recent and past CHIKV infection, and outperforming traditional antigen preparations
Serologic Evidence of West Nile Virus Infection in Horses, Coahuila State, Mexico
Serum samples were obtained from 24 horses in the State of Coahuila, Mexico, in December 2002. Antibodies to West Nile virus were detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test in 15 (62.5%) horses. We report the first West Nile virus activity in northern Mexico
West Nile Virus Isolation in Human and Mosquitoes, Mexico
West Nile virus has been isolated for the first time in Mexico, from a sick person and from mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus). Partial sequencing and analysis of the 2 isolates indicate that they are genetically similar to other recent isolates from northern Mexico and the western United States