Assessment of Alinity s Chagas as a Primary Diagnostic Test for Chronic Chagas Disease in a Non-Endemic Area of Europe (Barcelona, Spain).

Chagas disease (CD) has become a worldwide problem due to globalization. In Europe, most cases are imported and are diagnosed in the chronic phase by two serological tests, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays (CMIAs) are an emerging alternative to the diagnostic standard.

Usefulness of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry in the Characterization of Strains Causing Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Bolivia versus Gene Sequencing.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a proteomic technique with proven efficiency in the identification of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The present study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of MALDI-TOF MS for the characterization of species circulating in Bolivia using gene sequencing as a reference technique. 55 strains that were isolated from patients with tegumentary leishmaniasis were analyzed.

Autochthonous and imported tegumentary leishmaniasis in Catalonia (Spain): Aetiological evolution in the last four decades and usefulness of different typing approaches based on biochemical, molecular and proteomic markers.

Leishmaniasis is a transmissible disease caused by Leishmania protozoa. Spain is endemic for both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis, the autochthonous aetiological agent being Leishmania infantum. Around the world, the L.

Taxonomic Identification of Different Species of the Genus Aeromonas by Whole-Genome Sequencing and Use of Their Species-Specific β-Lactamases as Phylogenetic Markers.

Some species, potentially pathogenic for humans, are known to express up to three different classes of chromosomal β-lactamases, which may become hyperproduced and cause treatment failure. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of these species-specific β-lactamase genes as phylogenetic markers using whole-genome sequencing data. Core-genome alignments were generated for 36 genomes from seven different species and scanned for antimicrobial resistance genes.

ARCHITECT Chagas® as a single test candidate for Chagas disease diagnosis: evaluation of two algorithms implemented in a non-endemic setting (Barcelona, Spain).

Objectives: To evaluate two algorithms for the diagnosis of chronic and congenital Chagas disease (CD), both including the chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay ARCHITECT Chagas® (CMIA) as a single test but with an amended signal-to-cut-off ratio (S/CO) of ≥6, instead of an S/CO of ≥1 as indicated by the manufacturer.

Methods: The study encompassed two panels of retrospective samples: 831 sera from 786 adolescents and adults (panel A), and 96 sera from 35 newborn infants with CD-infected mothers (panel B). A CMIA-negative result was deemed conclusive, whereas samples with an S/CO ≥ 0.

Population Structure, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence-Associated Genes in Isolated From Three Ecological Niches: Gastroenteritis Patients, Broilers, and Wild Birds.

is the causal agent of the food-borne infection with the highest incidence in Europe. Both poultry and wild birds are a major reservoir. To gain insight into the population structure, virulence potential, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a collection of 150 isolates from three different ecological niches (broilers, wild birds, and human patients) was studied.

Introducing automation to the molecular diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection: A comparative study of sample treatments, DNA extraction methods and real-time PCR assays.

Background: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become a useful tool for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The development of automated DNA extraction methodologies and PCR systems is an important step toward the standardization of protocols in routine diagnosis. To date, there are only two commercially available Real-Time PCR assays for the routine laboratory detection of T.

Identification of Leishmania by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry Using a Free Web-Based Application and a Dedicated Mass-Spectral Library.

Human leishmaniases are widespread diseases with different clinical forms caused by about 20 species within the genus. species identification is relevant for therapeutic management and prognosis, especially for cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms. Several methods are available to identify species from culture, but they have not been standardized for the majority of the currently described species, with the exception of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis.

Towards a New Strategy for Diagnosis of Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.

The immigration of Latin American women of childbearing age has spread the congenital transmission of Chagas disease to areas of nonendemicity, and the disease is now a worldwide problem. Some European health authorities have implemented screening programs to prevent vertical transmission, but the lack of a uniform protocol calls for the urgent establishment of a new strategy common to all laboratories. Our aims were to (i) analyze the trend of passive IgG antibodies in the newborn by means of five serological tests for the diagnosis and follow-up of congenital infection, (ii) assess the utility of these techniques for diagnosing a congenital transmission, and (iii) propose a strategy for a prompt, efficient, and cost-effective diagnosis of infection.

Serological Diagnosis of Chronic Chagas Disease: Is It Time for a Change?

Chagas disease has spread to areas that are nonendemic for the disease with human migration. Since no single reference standard test is available, serological diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease requires at least two tests. New-generation techniques have significantly improved the accuracy of Chagas disease diagnosis by the use of a large mixture of recombinant antigens with different detection systems, such as chemiluminescence.

Risk of underdiagnosing amebic dysentery due to false-negative Entamoeba histolytica antigen detection.

Entamoeba histolytica antigen assays on stool are widely used to diagnose amebiasis. We report a case of confirmed amebic colitis with a false-negative antigen detection that became positive after treatment. Our results indicate that these assays may underdiagnose acute amebic infection when used alone and should be used cautiously.

Development of an experimental model of induced bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic rats with or without ascites.

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a severe complication of cirrhotic patients associated with a high mortality.

Aim: To develop an available experimental model of induced bacterial peritonitis in cirrhosis.

Material And Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats with carbon-tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis with (N=22) or without (N=101) ascites were randomized to receive an intraperitoneal administration of different concentrations of Escherichia coli (E.

Bacterial translocation is downregulated by anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody administration in rats with cirrhosis and ascites.

Background/aims: TNF-alpha is involved in the development of bacterial translocation in rats with cirrhosis. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of anti-TNF-alpha mAb treatment on the incidence of bacterial translocation and systemic infections in rats with cirrhosis and ascites.

Methods: Thirty rats with cirrhosis and ascites were randomly assigned to receive two intraperitoneal doses of anti-TNF-alpha mAb, distilled water or immunoglobulin on days 0 and 4.

[Waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus transmitted through drinking water].

Background: The aim of this study was to conduct an investigation into an outbreak of waterborne disease caused by Norovirus due to the consumption of contaminated drinking water.

Methods: The first week after the school summer holidays we detected an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a school in Borges Blanques (Lleida, Spain). A retrospective cohort study was carried out to investigate: water consumption and food (six items).

An outbreak of norovirus infection in a long-term-care unit in Spain.

Background: Norovirus belongs to the Caliciviridae family and causes outbreaks of infectious enteritis by fecal-oral transmission. In Spain, there have been few outbreaks reported due to this virus. We describe an outbreak on a long-term-care hospital ward.

An outbreak of food poisoning due to a genogroup I norovirus.

Norovirus infection is associated with approximately 90% of epidemic non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis. The objective of this study is to describe an outbreak of norovirus genogroup I gastroenteritis which affected workers in a hospital and was attributed to food prepared by an infected food handler. Forty cases were detected, of whom 80% were interviewed.

Cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli among summer camp attendees with salmonellosis.

Investigation of an acute gastroenteritis outbreak involving >100 persons at a summer camp in Girona, Spain, in June 2002 led to the detection of and extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant (ESCREC). Stool cultures were performed for 22 symptomatic campers, three asymptomatic food handlers, and 10 healthy household members. Of the 22 campers, 19 had , 9 had an ESCREC strain carrying an extended-spectrum β-lactamase, and 2 had a second ESCREC strain carrying a plasmidic cephamycinase.

Intestinal mucosal oxidative damage and bacterial translocation in cirrhotic rats.

Background: Bacterial translocation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis mainly due to intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Alterations in the functional integrity of the intestinal barrier caused by an increased production of free radical metabolites as a consequence of portal hypertension could also facilitate bacterial translocation in cirrhotic rats.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine intestinal mucosal lipid peroxidation and neutrophil infiltration and their relationship with portal hypertension and bacterial translocation in cirrhotic rats.

Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 and antioxidants on intestinal flora and bacterial translocation in rats with experimental cirrhosis.

Background/aims: Probiotics and antioxidants could be alternatives to antibiotics in the prevention of bacterial infections in cirrhosis. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 and antioxidants on intestinal flora, endotoxemia, and bacterial translocation in cirrhotic rats.

Methods: Twenty-nine Sprague-Dawley rats with cirrhosis induced by CCl(4) and ascites received Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 10(9)cfu/day in vehicle (antioxidants: vitamin C+glutamate) (n=10), vehicle alone (n=11), or water (n=8) by gavage.

Molecular epidemiology of caliciviruses causing outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in Spain.

The molecular epidemiology of human caliciviruses (HuCVs) causing sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis around eastern Spain (Catalonia and the Valencian Community) was studied by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and by sequencing part of the RNA polymerase gene in open reading frame 1. HuCVs were detected in 44 of 310 stool specimens (14.19%) negative for other enteric pathogens obtained from children with acute gastroenteritis.

Antibiotic resistance trends in enteropathogenic bacteria isolated in 1985-1987 and 1995-1998 in Barcelona.

Trends in resistance to antimicrobial agents used for therapy have been evaluated with 3,797 enteropathogenic bacteria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia, between 1985-1987 and 1995-1998. The greater increase in the rate of resistance was observed in Campylobacter jejuni for quinolones (from 1 to 82%) and tetracycline (from 23 to 72%) and in gastroenteric salmonellae for ampicillin (from 8 to 44%), chloramphenicol (from 1.7 to 26%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and nalidixic acid (from less than 0.

Emergence and dissemination of quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in the community.

We studied the evolution of resistance to quinolones in Escherichia coli from 1992 to 1997 in Barcelona, Spain. An increasing proportion of quinolone-resistant E. coli (QREC) infections was observed.

[Etiology of enteritis in a university general hospital in Barcelona (1992-1995)].

Background: The aim of the study was to describe the etiology of enteropathogenic agents over a four-year period (1992-1995) in a University Hospital in Barcelona.

Methods: We studied 12,793 stool samples, 4519 were obtained from patients under 15 years and 8274 were obtained from patients over 14 years. The specimens were examined for bacteriological, parasitological and virological enteropathogens.

Epidemiology of an unusually prolonged outbreak of typhoid fever in Terrassa, Spain.

An unusually prolonged outbreak of typhoid fever, from 1988 to 1994, in Terrassa (Barcelona, Spain), was caused by a casual food handler who was a carrier. The pattern of this outbreak suggested intermittent low-level exposure to Salmonella typhi. We found 70 patients with S.