Publications by authors named "C Espul"
The second wave of COVID-19 occurred in South America in early 2021 and was mainly driven by Gamma and Lambda variants. In this study, we aimed to describe the emergence and local genomic diversity of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Argentina, from its initial entry into the country until its detection ceased. Molecular surveillance was conducted on 9356 samples from Argentina between October 2020 and April 2022, and sequencing, phylogenetic, and phylogeographic analyses were performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has lately been driven by Omicron. This work aimed to study the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages during the third and fourth waves of COVID-19 in Argentina. Molecular surveillance was performed on 3431 samples from Argentina, between EW44/2021 and EW31/2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental surveillance of water sources is important to monitoring viral hepatitis transmission in clinical settings. This study investigated the circulation of hepatitis A (HAV) and E (HEV) viruses in sewage and clinical samples from Argentina. Between 2016 and 2017, 80 raw sewage samples and 86 clinical samples (stool and serum) from suspected cases of hepatitis A and hepatitis E were obtained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSARS-CoV-2 variants with concerning characteristics have emerged since the end of 2020. Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants was performed on a total of 4,851 samples from the capital city and 10 provinces of Argentina, during 51 epidemiological weeks (EWs) that covered the end of the first wave and the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country (EW 44/2020 to EW 41/2021). The surveillance strategy was mainly based on Sanger sequencing of a Spike coding region that allows the identification of signature mutations associated with variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study investigates the prevalence of HBV and HCV in Central West Argentina, finding low HBV immunity and a notable presence of HCV, emphasizing the need for vaccination and screening.
- - Out of 622 participants, HBV prevalence was 1.8%, while HCV prevalence was higher at 2.6%, with HCV genotypes primarily being 1a and 1b.
- - The research demonstrates that dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is effective for detecting HBV and HCV, but there is room for improvement in its sensitivity and specificity.