Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Central America and the Caribbean: A One Health Perspective.

Ticks have complex life cycles which involve blood-feeding stages found on wild and domestic animals, with humans as accidental hosts. At each blood-feeding stage, ticks can transmit and/or acquire pathogens from their hosts. Therefore, the circulation of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), especially the zoonotic ones, should be studied in a multi-layered manner, including all components of the chain of infections, following the 'One Health' tenets.

Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Cuba, Half a Century of Scientific Research.

Ticks and the vast array of pathogens they transmit, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminths, constitute a growing burden for human and animal health worldwide. In Cuba, the major tropical island in the Caribbean, ticks are an important cause of vector-borne diseases affecting livestock production, pet animal health and, to a lesser extent, human health. The higher number of tick species in the country belong to the Argasidae family and, probably less known, is the presence of an autochthonous tick species in the island, .

[Rapid serological diagnosis systems for human leptospirosis screening in Cuba].

Introduction: human leptospirosis requires rapid and early microbiological diagnosis since it is a common lethal disease worldwide.

Objectives: to increase the quality of microbiological diagnosis of this infection, to expand the knowledge on the circulation of groups of leptospiras in Cuba and to show the benefits of an agglutination assay using Cuban latex particles and of commercial immunochromatogenic systems LEPTO Dipstick, Lepto Tek Lateral Flow, Lepto Tek Dri Dot and SD Leptospira IgM-IgG.

Methods: this descriptive research used sera from positive and negative control cases to evaluate and measure the diagnostic value of rapid serological diagnosis systems with respect to the microagglutination method of reference (MAT).

[Diagnosis of Mycoplasma genitalium by MgPa and rRNA 16S gene amplification].

Objective: Mycoplasma genitalium has been associated with nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). Diagnosis by PCR has become the primary detection method for this organism. Thus, diagnosis by DNA amplification using the PCR technique should be utilized.

[Diagnosis of Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma parvum y Ureaplasma urealyticum in patients with bacterial vaginosis].

An observational descriptive study to determine the frequency of Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum isolates in patients with bacterial vaginosis was carried out in 296 patients who had vaginal secretion and were seen at two hospitals. The diagnosis was based on Amsel's criteria. Endocervical swabs were taken from women positive to this disease for M.

[Outbreak of human leptospirosis in Guantánamo Province].

A characterization of the epidemic occurred in Guantánamo province during October and November 2005, and as well as of the activities developed for its control was made. The existence of favourable factors was confirmed, and as a result from the 42nd statistical week on there was an increase in the number of medical attentions with clinical pictures and epidemiologic elements. 885 suspected cases were notified, 61 were microbiologically confirmed, accounting for a positivity of 69%.

[Microbiological confirmation of two emergent outbreaks of human leptospirosis in Cuba].

Clinical samples from 293 patients with suspicion of leptospirosis were studied for the microbiologic confirmation of these events, in October-December 2005, when there were 2 outbreaks in humans, in Cuba. Sera samples of patients in acute phase and during convalescence, as well as hemocultures performed before the beginning of the antibiotic therapy, were analyzed. Conventional techniques (passive hemagglutination test and serogroups hemagglutination), and advanced or fast diagnosis techniques (Lepto tek Dri-Dot, Lepto-Cuba, Latex-India, Lepto tek Lateral Flow) were used for serologic diagnosis.

[Reactogenecity and immunogenecity of Cuban trivalent inactivated vaccine against human leptospirosis in different vaccination schedules].

A controlled, randomized assay was performed to evaluate the reactogenecity and immunogenecity of Cuban trivalent vaccine against human leptospirosis (vax-SPIRAL) in healthy volunteers, using different vaccination schemes. A Russian-made vaccine was used as control. Adverse effects were local symptoms and signs (pain, rush, local infiltration, itching, necrosis and abscess) and general symptoms and signs(fever, low-grade fever, headache, lipotimia, nausea, vomiting, rash and general malaise).