53 research outputs found
Unusual Manifestation of Toscana Virus Infection, Spain
This study was supported in part by project 05/305, Junta de AndalucĂa, SpainYe
Genetic Diversity of Toscana Virus
Distribution of Toscana virus (TOSV) is evolving with climate change, and pathogenicity may be higher in nonexposed populations outside areas of current prevalence (Mediterranean Basin). To characterize genetic diversity of TOSV, we determined the coding sequences of isolates from Spain and France. TOSV is more diverse than other well-studied phleboviruses (e.g.,Rift Valley fever virus)
Increased infections by herpes simplex virus type 1 and polymicrobials of the genital tract, in the general population of a Spanish middle city
IntroducciĂłn. Las infecciones por genitopatĂłgenos son
un motivo de consulta frecuente en AtenciĂłn Primaria y en las
especialidades de Enfermedades Infecciosas, UrologĂa, GinecologĂa
y DermatologĂa. Las causas mĂĄs comunes son los microorganismos
oportunistas y los responsables de las infecciones
de transmisiĂłn sexual asociadas a prĂĄcticas sin protecciĂłn.
El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar los microorganismos
que causan estas infecciones en los pacientes atendidos en
el Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves de Granada y la
sensibilidad a los antibiĂłticos de Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio transversal y
retrospectivo, en el que se incluyeron los resultados emitidos,
entre enero de 2018 y diciembre de 2019, en el Laboratorio de
MicrobiologĂa a partir de todos los episodios estudiados mediante
procedimiento normalizados de trabajo.
Resultados: Los microorganismos mĂĄs frecuentemente
detectados fueron Gardnerella vaginalis (23,81%) seguido de
Candida spp. (20,9%), sobre todo en mujeres, N. gonorrhoeae
(11,36%) y Ureaplasma urealyticum (11,99%), sobre todo en
hombres. En multitud de ocasiones se presentaron de forma
combinada. En cuanto a los virus del herpes simple, en hombres
la infecciĂłn por ambas especies tuvo una presencia similar
(50%), mientras que en mujeres el tipo 1 fue mĂĄs prevalente
(76,52%). Los antibiĂłticos mĂĄs activos frente a N. gonorrhoeae
fueron cefotaxima (98%) y cefixima (100%), siendo poco activo
tetraciclina (39,02%).
Conclusiones. Los patĂłgenos mĂĄs frecuentes correspondieron
a aquellos que han causado habitualmente infecciones
en las mujeres, aunque N. gonorrhoeae fue el mĂĄs frecuente en varones y las infecciones mixtas no son un hallazgo casual.
Las infecciones por VHS-1 fueron mĂĄs frecuentes que por VHS-
2, lo cual confirma la tendencia de un cambio en la epidemiologĂa
del herpes genital.Introduction. Infections by genitopathogens are a frequent
reason for consultation in Primary Health Care and in
the specialties of Infectious Diseases, Urology, Gynecology,
and Dermatology. The most common causes are opportunistic
microorganisms and responsible for sexually transmitted
infections associated with unprotected sex. The objective is
to determine the microorganisms that cause these infections
in patients treated at the Hospital Universitario Virgen de las
Nieves in Granada and Neisseria gonorrhoeae susceptibility to
antibiotics.
Material and methods. A transversal-descriptive and retrospective
study was carried out, which included the results
issued, between January 2018 and December 2019, in the
Microbiology Laboratory from all the episodes studied using
standardized working procedures.
Results. The most frequently detected microorganisms
were Gardnerella vaginalis (23.81%) followed by Candida spp.
(20.9%), especially in females, and N. gonorrhoeae (11.36%)
and Ureaplasma urealyticum (11.99%), in males. Many times,
they were presented in combination. Regarding herpes simplex
viruses, infection by both species had a similar prevalence (50%) in males, while type 1 was more prevalent (76.52%) in
females. The most active antibiotics against N. gonorrhoeae
were cefotaxime (98%) and cefixime (100%). Tetracycline
(39.02%) a poorly active antibiotic.
Conclusions. The most frequent pathogens corresponded
to those that usually caused infections in females, although N.
gonorrhoeae was the most frequent in males and mixed infections
are not an accidental finding. HSV-1 infections were
more frequent than HSV-2, confirming the trend of a change
in the epidemiology of genital herpes
Toscana Virus in Spain
Toscana virus (TOSV, Phlebovirus, family Bunyaviridae) infection is one of the most prevalent arboviruses in Spain. Within the objectives of a multidisciplinary network, a study on the epidemiology of TOSV was conducted in Granada, in southern Spain. The overall seroprevalence rate was 24.9%, significantly increasing with age. TOSV was detected in 3 of 103 sandfly pools by viral culture or reverse transcriptionâpolymerase chain reaction from a region of the L gene. Nucleotide sequence homology was 99%â100% in TOSV from vectors and patients and 80%â81% compared to the Italian strain ISS Phl.3. Sequencing of the N gene of TOSV isolates from patients and vectors indicated 87%â88% and 100% homology at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively, compared to the Italian strain. These findings demonstrate the circulation of at least 2 different lineages of TOSV in the Mediterranean basin, the Italian lineage and the Spanish lineage.Grant sponsor was Red EVITAR, Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Spanish Ministry of Health, grant no. G03/059. Ximena Collao has a research grant from Valparaiso University (MECESUP project, Chile). The study of vectors, i.e., capture of
phlebotomines and taxonomic classification, was supported by the Junta de AndalucĂa, research grant CVI 176. Dr Sanbonmatsu-GĂĄmez is a microbiologist on a fellowship from the EVITAR network (Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Spanish Ministry of Health; grant no. G03/059). Her research interest focuses on viral infectious diseases, especially arthropodborne viral diseases
Comparison of epidemiology and clinical characteristics of infections by human parechovirus vs. those by enterovirus during the first month of life
Human parechoviruses (HPeV) have been recently recognized as important viral agents in paediatric infections. The aims of this study were to investigate the HPeV infection prevalence in infants <1 month in Spain and, secondly, to analyse the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the infected patients compared with those infected by enterovirus (EV). Infants <1 month with neurological or systemic symptoms were included in a multicentre prospective study. EV and HPeV detection by RT-PCR and genotyping were performed in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF), sera or throat swabs. Out of the total of 84 infants studied during 2013, 32 were EV positive (38 %) and 9 HPeV positive (11 %). HPeV-3 was identified in eight cases and HPeV-5 in one. Mean age of HPeV-positive patients was 18 days. Diagnoses were fever without source (FWS) (67 %), clinical sepsis (22 %) and encephalitis (11 %). Leukocytes in blood and CSF were normal. Pleocytosis (pâ=â0.03) and meningitis (pâ=â0.001) were significantly more frequent in patients with EV infections than with HPeV. Conclusions: Although HPeV-3 infections were detected less frequently than EV, they still account for approximately 10 % of the cases analysed in infants younger than 1 month. HPeV-3 was mainly associated with FWS and without leukocytosis and pleocytosis in CSF. In these cases, HPeV screening is desirable to identify the aetiologic agent and prevent unnecessary treatment and prolonged hospitalization.This study was partially supported by a grant from the Spanish National Health Institute PI12-00904.S
Successful development and clinical translation of a novel anterior lamellar artificial cornea
We thank the Andalusian Public Foundation Progress and Health, through the Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies, for assuming the roles and responsibilities of sponsoring this clinical trial. We thank Dr. Manuel de la Rosa and Dr. Salvador Arias Santiago for providing insight and expertise that assisted the research.The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public repository, ref. GSE86584 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE86584Blindness due to corneal diseases is a common pathology affecting up to 23 million individuals worldwide. The tissueâengineered anterior human cornea, which is currently being tested in a Phase I/II clinical trial to treat severe corneal trophic ulcers with preliminary good feasibility and safety results. This bioartificial cornea is based on a nanostructured fibrinâagarose biomaterial containing human allogeneic stromal keratocytes and cornea epithelial cells, mimicking the human native anterior cornea in terms of optical, mechanical, and biological behavior. This product is manufactured as a clinicalâgrade tissue engineering product, fulfilling European requirements and regulations. The clinical translation process included several phases: an initial in vitro and in vivo preclinical research plan, including preclinical advice from the Spanish Medicines Agency followed by additional preclinical development, the adaptation of the biofabrication protocols to a good manufacturing practice manufacturing process, including all quality controls required, and the design of an advanced therapy clinical trial. The experimental development and successful translation of advanced therapy medicinal products for clinical application has to overcome many obstacles, especially when undertaken by academia or SMEs. We expect that our experience and research strategy may help future researchers to efficiently transfer their preclinical results into the clinical settings.This study was supported by the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (I + D + I) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Carlos III Institute of Health), grants FIS PI14/0955 and FIS PI17/0391 (both cofinanced by ERDFâFEDER, European Union); by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equity, grant EC10â285; and by preclinical research funds from the Regional Ministry of Health through the Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies
How to increase the population of a Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae) colony: a new method
Specialist laboratory networks as preparedness and response tool - The emerging viral diseases-expert laboratory network and the chikungunya outbreak, Thailand, 2019
We illustrate the potential for specialist laboratory networks to be used as preparedness and response tool through rapid collection and sharing of data. Here, the Emerging Viral Diseases-Expert Laboratory Network (EVD-LabNet) and a laboratory assessment of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in returning European travellers related to an ongoing outbreak in Thailand was used for this purpose. EVD-LabNet rapidly collected data on laboratory requests, diagnosed CHIKV imported cases and sequences generated, and shared among its members and with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Data across the network showed an increase in CHIKV imported cases during 1 October 2018-30 April 2019 vs the same period in 2018 (172 vs 50), particularly an increase in cases known to be related to travel to Thailand (72 vs 1). Moreover, EVD-LabNet showed that strains were imported from Thailand that cluster with strains of the ECSA-IOL E1 A226 variant emerging in Pakistan in 2016 and involved in the 2017 outbreaks in Italy. CHIKV diagnostic requests increased by 23.6% between the two periods. The impact of using EVD-LabNet or similar networks as preparedness and response tool could be improved by standardisation of the collection, quality and mining of data in routine laboratory management systems
Comparison of epidemiology and clinical characteristics of infections by human parechovirus vs. those by enterovirus during the first month of life
Human parechoviruses (HPeV) have been recently recognized as important viral agents in paediatric infections. The aims of this study were to investigate the HPeV infection prevalence in infants <1Â month in Spain and, secondly, to analyse the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the infected patients compared with those infected by enterovirus (EV). Infants <1Â month with neurological or systemic symptoms were included in a multicentre prospective study. EV and HPeV detection by RT-PCR and genotyping were performed in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF), sera or throat swabs. Out of the total of 84 infants studied during 2013, 32 were EV positive (38Â %) and 9 HPeV positive (11Â %). HPeV-3 was identified in eight cases and HPeV-5 in one. Mean age of HPeV-positive patients was 18Â days. Diagnoses were fever without source (FWS) (67Â %), clinical sepsis (22Â %) and encephalitis (11Â %). Leukocytes in blood and CSF were normal. Pleocytosis (pâ=â0.03) and meningitis (pâ=â0.001) were significantly more frequent in patients with EV infections than with HPeV. Conclusions: Although HPeV-3 infections were detected less frequently than EV, they still account for approximately 10Â % of the cases analysed in infants younger than 1Â month. HPeV-3 was mainly associated with FWS and without leukocytosis and pleocytosis in CSF. In these cases, HPeV screening is desirable to identify the aetiologic agent and prevent unnecessary treatment and prolonged hospitalization
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