High exposure of West Nile virus in equid and wild bird populations in Spain following the epidemic outbreak in 2020.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the circulation and risk factors associated with West Nile virus (WNV) exposure in equine and wild bird populations following the largest epidemic outbreak ever reported in Spain. A total of 305 equids and 171 wild birds were sampled between November 2020 and June 2021. IgG antibodies against flaviviruses were detected by blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) in 44.

Is drug-resistant Mycobacterium leprae a real cause for concern?: First approach to molecular monitoring of multibacillary Colombian patients with and without previous leprosy treatment.

Introduction: There is no information in Colombia on Mycobacterium leprae primary and secondary drug resistance in regards to the WHO-multidrug therapy regime. On the other hand, public health authorities around the world have issued various recommendations, one of which prompts for the immediate organization of resistance surveillance through simple molecular methods.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium leprae drug resistance to rifampicin, ofloxacin and dapsone in untreated and previously treated patients at the Centro Dermatológico Federico Lleras Acosta during the 1985-2004 period.

[Delay in leprosy diagnosis as a predictor of disability in a cohort of patients in Colombia, 2000-2010].

Objective: Evaluate predictive factors of disability at time of leprosy diagnosis in a cohort of Colombian patients, from 2000 to 2010.

Methods: Descriptive and analytical observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients admitted with a leprosy diagnosis to the Centro Dermatológico Federico Lleras Acosta in Bogotá, Colombia, from 2000 to 2010. Variables were analyzed descriptively and predictive factors for disability at diagnosis were identified through simple and multifactorial analyses (Cox proportional hazards model); hazard ratios for each factor in the model were calculated.

[Reliability and agreement of two smear reading scales for classification and monitoring of multidrug therapy in leprosy patients].

Introduction: After the clinical diagnosis of leprosy, classification methods are necessary to define a treatment and prognosis of patients consistent with bacterial load. Bacteria are detected in skin smear, and bacterial load typically is established by the internationally used Ridley's logarithmic scale, However, in Colombia an alternative semiquantitative scale is used.

Objective: The interobserver reproducibility was established for the Ridley and Colombia scales, and the level of correlation-matching was identified between the bacillary indices obtained in order to assess the degree of interchangeability.

Avian tuberculosis of zoonotic importance at a zoo on the Bogotá Andean plateau (Sabana), Colombia.

Given that exposure to captive wild animals at circuses or zoos can be a source of zoonotic infection, a case and control study was carried out with a collection of exotic fowl at a zoo in Bogotá, Colombia. The presence of Mycobacterium avium-II was directly related to the death of birds kept in the original enclosure, and of 50% of a group of sentinel birds. Failure to detect the organism in a control group of birds outside the enclosure indicated that the infection was limited to the original enclosed area.

[Mycobacteria-HIV/AIDS association in patients attending a teaching-hospital in Bogotá, Colombia].

Objective: Evaluating the frequency of mycobacterium infection in an HIV-positive population and its influence on medium-term survival, along with clinical and epidemiological factors associated with co-infection.

Methods: Several clinical specimens were studied for mycobacteria in a sample of 92 HIV+ patients at the San Juan de Dios teaching-hospital in Bogota, Colombia, during 1996. Factors associated with infection were measured using a prevalence ratio (PR), CI=95%, and logistic regression was used in the multivariable models.

Population genetics study of isoniazid resistance mutations and evolution of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The molecular basis for isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is complex. Putative isoniazid resistance mutations have been identified in katG, ahpC, inhA, kasA, and ndh. However, small sample sizes and related potential biases in sample selection have precluded the development of statistically valid and significant population genetic analyses of clinical isoniazid resistance.

Global phylogeny of Mycobacterium tuberculosis based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis: insights into tuberculosis evolution, phylogenetic accuracy of other DNA fingerprinting systems, and recommendations for a minimal standard SNP set.

We analyzed a global collection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains using 212 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. SNP nucleotide diversity was high (average across all SNPs, 0.19), and 96% of the SNP locus pairs were in complete linkage disequilibrium.

Role of embB codon 306 mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis revisited: a novel association with broad drug resistance and IS6110 clustering rather than ethambutol resistance.

Mutations at position 306 of embB (embB306) have been proposed as a marker for ethambutol resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, recent reports of embB306 mutations in ethambutol-susceptible isolates caused us to question the biological role of this mutation. We tested 1,020 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with different drug susceptibility patterns and of different geographical origins for associations between embB306 mutations, drug resistance patterns, and major genetic group.

[Development of a multiantigenic serological test for tuberculosis diagnosis].

Objective: The present work evaluated a multi-antigen printing immunoassay (MAPIA) for the serological diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Materials And Methods: Sera were obtained from 66 patients with tuberculosis, verified clinically and bacteriologically and from 47 healthy individuals (control group). Sample sera were used for detection of antibodies against 3 enriched mixtures of proteins and 5 unique recombinant antigens.

[Phenotypic and genotypic methods for detecting multidrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

Background: Expeditious charactization of drug susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is difficult and, calls for the design and evaluation of faster, cheaper and more effective new techniques.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to compare one genotypic and two phenotypic methods for rapid susceptibility detection of M. tuberculosis.

Multicenter evaluation of mycobacteria identification by PCR restriction enzyme analysis in laboratories from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The identification of mycobacterial species in clinical isolates is essential for making patient care decisions. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction enzyme analysis (PRA) is a simple and rapid identification method, based on amplification of 441 bp of the hsp65 gene and restriction with BstEII and HaeIII. As a contribution to the validation of PRA, a multicenter study was performed in eight laboratories located in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Guadeloupe.

[Respiratory syntomatic prevalence, infection and tuberculosis disease and associated factors: population-based study].

A cross sectional survey on TB epidemiological characteristics was carried out in Mitú (Vaupes, Colombia) with the aim of measuring the prevalence of TB cases, the prevalence of TB suspected cases, the coverage with BCG vaccine and the prevalence of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One hundred and sixty five (165) households were included in the survey using a randomized cluster sampling design (n=20 clusters) which yielded a sample size of 972 subjects. The prevalence of TB suspect cases was 3.

[Effect of some biocides on non-tuberculous mycobacteria].

The incidence of disease and nosocomial infections produced by non tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) has increased in immunocompetent patients, but also and more frequently, in immunosuppressed patients. Several studies have disclosed that mycobacteria are more resistant to biocides than non-sporulating bacteria; in addition, some species are particularly resistant. The biocide action of sodium hypochloride and glutaraldehyde on Mycobacterium aviumintracellulare, Mycobacterium gordonae, Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium chelonae was studied, using a modified Kelsey Maurer test.

[Developing and using a PCR test to detect subclinical Mycobacterium leprae infection].

Objective: While the prevalence of leprosy has declined around the world, there has not been a corresponding decrease in its incidence, thus indicating that it has not been possible to prevent transmission of the disease. Despite the small number of patients with lepromatous leprosy, the majority of the inhabitants of endemic areas show signs of exposure to Mycobacterium leprae, which could be explained by the presence of subclinical bacilliferous infections in the community. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect M.