Evaluation of Serological Tests for Different Disease Stages of Leptospirosis Infection in Humans.

Background/objectives: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is widely distributed around the world and presents symptoms similar to other febrile illnesses in tropical regions, which complicates clinical diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and agreement between serological diagnostic tests for detecting both acute and convalescent human leptospirosis, using the micro agglutination test (MAT) as a reference in an endemic region of the Colombian Caribbean.

Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted on 275 participants with suspected leptospirosis.

The intestinal microbiome of infants with cow's milk-induced FPIES is enriched in taxa and genes of enterobacteria.

Objectives: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a severe type of non-IgE (immunoglobulin E)-mediated (NIM) food allergy, with cow's milk (CM) being the most common offending food. The relationship between the gut microbiota and its metabolites with the inflammatory process in infants with CM FPIES is unknown, although evidence suggests a microbial dysbiosis in NIM patients. This study was performed to contribute to the knowledge of the interaction between the gut microbiota and its derived metabolites with the local immune system in feces of infants with CM FPIES at diagnosis.

Gut microbiota and inflammatory mediators differentiate IgE mediated and non-IgE mediated cases of cow's milk protein at diagnosis.

Objective: Analyze fecal and blood samples at point of diagnosis in IgE mediated cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) and non-IgE mediated (NIM)-CMPA patients to look for potential new biomarkers.

Patients And Methods: Fourteen patients with IgE mediated CMPA and 13 with NIM-CMPA were recruited in three hospitals in the north of Spain, and were compared with 25 infants from a control group of the same age range. To characterize intestinal microbiota, 16S rDNA gene and internal transcribed spacer amplicons of bifidobacteria were sequenced with Illumina technology.

Molecular characterization and epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free-range chickens in the southwest region of Goiás: new genotypes.

The purpose of this study was to isolate Toxoplasma gondii from tissues of free-range chickens in the southwestern region of Goiás, to detect and molecularly characterize the genetic material of the parasite, and to determine the seroprevalence of the protozoan parasite in these animals. A seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies of 76% (19/25) was found among the chickens, while genetic material from their tissues was detected in 56% (14/25).

Microbial and immune faecal determinants in infants hospitalized with COVID-19 reflect bifidobacterial dysbiosis and immature intestinal immunity.

Unlabelled: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly worldwide, seriously endangering human health. Although SARS-CoV-2 had a lower impact on paediatric population, children with COVID-19 have been reported as suffering from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms at a higher rate than adults. The aim of this work was to evaluate faeces as a source of potential biomarkers of severity in the paediatric population, with an emphasis on intestinal microbiota and faecal immune mediators, trying to identify possible dysbiosis and immune intestinal dysfunction associated with the risk of hospitalization.

Critical features of an in vitro intestinal absorption model to study the first key aspects underlying food allergen sensitization.

New types of protein sources will enter our diet in a near future, reinforcing the need for a straightforward in vitro (cell-based) screening model to test and predict the safety of these novel proteins, in particular their potential risk for de novo allergic sensitization. The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) for allergen sensitization describes the current knowledge of key events underlying the complex cellular interactions that proceed allergic food sensitization. Currently, there is no consensus on the in vitro model to study the intestinal translocation of proteins as well as the epithelial activation, which comprise the first molecular initiation events (ME1-3) and the first key event of the AOP, respectively.

Effect of a model based on education and teleassistance for the management of obstetric emergencies in 10 rural populations from Colombia.

Introduction: Pregnant women and health providers in rural areas of low-income and middle-income countries face multiple problems concerning high-quality obstetric care. This study was performed to identify changes in maternal and perinatal indicators after implementing a model based on education and telecare between a high-complexity hospital in 10 low-complexity hospitals in a southwestern region of Colombia.

Methods: A quasiexperimental study with a historic control group and without a pretest was conducted between 2017 and 2019 to make comparisons before and after obstetric emergency care through the use of teleassistance from 10 primary care centers to the referral center (Fundación Valle del Lili, FVL).

Mapping Resistance to Argentinean () Head Blight Isolates in Wheat.

head blight (FHB) of wheat, caused by (Schwabe), is a destructive disease worldwide, reducing wheat yield and quality. To accelerate the improvement of scab tolerance in wheat, we assessed the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative mapping population (ITMI/MP) for Type I and II resistance against a wide population of Argentinean isolates of We discovered a total of 27 additive QTLs on ten different (2A, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 5D and 6D) wheat chromosomes for Type I and Type II resistances explaining a maximum of 15.99% variation.

IgG Avidity in Samples Collected on Filter Paper: Importance of The Early Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasmosis.

Objective:  The purpose of the present study is to standardize and evaluate the use of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody avidity test on blood samples from newborns collected on filter paper to perform the heel test aiming at its implementation in ongoing programs.

Methods:  Blood samples from newborns were collected on filter paper simultaneously with the heel prick test. All samples were subjected to immunoglobulin M IgM and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).

Spatial distribution and risk factors for sheep toxoplasmosis in Goiás, Brazilian Cerrado Region.

The present study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution and risk factors for infection by Toxoplasma gondii in sheep in the state of Goiás, located in the central-western region of Brazil. Through the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was analyzed in 1000 blood serum samples obtained from sheep in all macro and micro regions of the state of Goiás.

Molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free-range chickens reveals new genotypes in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotypic characteristics of Toxoplasma gondii isolated from free-range chickens in the metropolitan area of Goiânia, Goiás, in Brazil's central-west region. The seroprevalence rate was found to be 96%, according to an indirect hemagglutination assay. Brain and heart samples were processed by peptic digestion for a mice bioassay.

Copro-PCR in the detection and confirmation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in feces of stray and domiciled cats.

Molecular methods such as Copro-PCR stand out in the diagnosis of T. gondii, because they are highly sensitive and specific, and can distinguish T. gondii from other morphologically similar coccids.

Spatial distribution of Toxoplasma gondii in cows and associated risk factors.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of the prevalence of T. gondii in cows using the indirect immunofluorescence assay and determine associated risk factors. Serum samples were collected from 2970 cows on 263 rural farms in 223 municipalities.

Identification of Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Congenital and Acute Toxoplasmosis.

Background: The diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis can be inconclusive in many cases. Despite the several serological tests developed, the literature on biomarkers that can assist in the diagnosis of congenital an acute toxoplasmosis is limited. The objective of this study was to analyze the immunoreactive profile of Toxoplasma gondii protein bands with the potential to be biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of congenital and acute toxoplasmosis.

Effect of coinfection with influenza virus and bacteria on host damage.

Background: Influenza virus infection is often complicated by a bacterial infection, with this coinfection causing severe pneumonia. If not timely treated, the disease can cause death.

Objective: To demonstrate, in animal models, that coinfection with influenza virus and bacteria that affect the respiratory tract causes multisystemic damage.

Basic heel prick test: inclusion of screening, diagnosis and criteria for early confirmation of congenital infection by Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii can cross the placental barrier, causing fetal infection with potentially severe sequelae. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the serological screening for toxoplasmosis should be included in the basic neonatal heel prick test in order to establish criteria for the confirmation and/or exclusion of the diagnosis of congenital infection in newborns treated at three public health units in the metropolitan region of Goiania, Goias State, Brazil. Blood samples were collected on filter paper from newborns and later, peripheral blood samples from the mothers and their respective children were obtained to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of suspected congenital infection, by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgM and IgG) and a polymerase chain reaction assay.

Plasmodium falciparum malarial parasites from Brazil lack artemisinin resistance-associated mutations in the kelch13 gene.

Introduction: Mutations in the propeller domain of the Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 (k13) gene are associated with artemisinin resistance.

Methods: We developed a PCR protocol to sequence the pfk13 gene and determined its sequence in a batch of 50 samples collected from 2003 to 2016 in Brazil.

Results: We identified 1 K189T substitution located outside the propeller domain of the PfK13 protein in 36% of samples.

The first Acanthamoeba keratitis case in the Midwest region of Brazil: diagnosis, genotyping of the parasite and disease outcome.

We report an Acanthamoeba keratitis case associated with the use of contact lens in a 28-year-old female from Brasília, Brazil. Samples from corneal scraping and contact lens case were used for culture establishment, PCR amplification, and partial sequencing (fragments of ~400kb) of small subunit rDNA; both culture and PCR were positive. The sequence analyses of the cornea and of isolates from the contact lens case showed similarity with the T4 genotype.

Author Correction: Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia.

The original version of this Article contained an error in ref. 39, which incorrectly cited 'Fristrom, D. & Fristrom, J.

Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia.

As animals develop, tissue bending contributes to shape the organs into complex three-dimensional structures. However, the architecture and packing of curved epithelia remains largely unknown. Here we show by means of mathematical modelling that cells in bent epithelia can undergo intercalations along the apico-basal axis.

Course of serological tests in treated subjects with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Objective: To determine the course of serological tests in subjects with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection treated with anti-trypanosomal drugs.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using individual participant data. Survival analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model with random effects to adjust for covariates were applied.

Analysis of the accuracy of different laboratory methods for the diagnosis of intestinal parasites from stray and domiciled cats (Felis catus domesticus) in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.

Cats are carriers of zoonotic agents to humans, including intestinal parasites. The purpose of this study was to analyze the accuracy of different laboratory methods for the diagnosis of intestinal parasites. Fecal samples were processed by the Willis, Sheather, Faust and Hoffman-Janer-Pons-Lutz (HJPL) methods.

Epidemiological factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in postpartum women treated in the public healthcare system of Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil.

Introduction: Knowledge of the epidemiological profile and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection among postpartum women is a relevant issue, because this protozoan can be vertically transmitted to the developing fetus, which can cause severe and debilitating disease. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in postpartum women in Goiânia, GO, Brazil.

Taenia crassiceps antigens induce a Th2 immune response and attenuate injuries experimentally induced by neurotoxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice.

Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogenic agent responsible for causing both systemic and local disease which elicits a typically pro-inflammatory, Th1 immune response. Taenia crassiceps antigen induces a Th2 immune response that immunomodulates Th1 based infections. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate whether T.