Zika virus infection in pregnancy: a protocol for the joint analysis of the prospective cohort studies of the ZIKAlliance, ZikaPLAN and ZIKAction consortia.

Introduction: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy has been associated with microcephaly and severe neurological damage to the fetus. Our aim is to document the risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes and the prevalence of laboratory markers of congenital infection in deliveries to women experiencing ZIKV infection during pregnancy, using data from European Commission-funded prospective cohort studies in 20 centres in 11 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methods And Analysis: We will carry out a centre-by-centre analysis of the risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, comparing women with confirmed and suspected ZIKV infection in pregnancy to those with no evidence of infection in pregnancy.

A Randomized Controlled Study of a Fully Liquid DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP-T Hexavalent Vaccine for Primary and Booster Vaccinations of Healthy Infants and Toddlers in Latin America.

Background: Hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated poliovirus-hepatitis B-Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP-T)-containing vaccines are increasingly the standard of care. This study evaluated the primary series (NCT01177722) and booster (NCT01444781) of a fully liquid DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP-T vaccine in Latin America.

Methods: Infants (N = 1375) received hepatitis B vaccine at birth and were randomized to one of 3 batches of the investigational DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP-T or licensed control vaccine (DTaP-HB-IPV//PRP-T) at 2-4 to 6 months of age, coadministered with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) (2-4-6 months) and rotavirus vaccine (2-4 months).

Noninferiority of miltefosine versus meglumine antimoniate for cutaneous leishmaniasis in children.

Background: Children have a lower response rate to antimonial drugs and higher elimination rate of antimony (Sb) than adults. Oral miltefosine has not been evaluated for pediatric cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Methods: A randomized, noninferiority clinical trial with masked evaluation was conducted at 3 locations in Colombia where Leishmania panamensis and Leishmania guyanensis predominated.

[Mucosal complication of cutaneous leishmaniasis].

A 74-year-old man from the rural area of Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca Province, was diagnosed with uncontrolled hypertension, stage IV chronic renal failure and severe anemia. Fifteen years earlier, while living in Guaviare Province, he was diagnosed with leishmaniasis-with lesions located on the right upper and lower eyelids, left auricle and limbs. At that time, he received an incomplete treatment with antimonials.

Etiologic agent of an epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tolima, Colombia.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has been characterized as a zoonotic disease. However, peridomestic and domestic transmission have been recorded in at least nine countries in Central and South America. The present study was undertaken to identify the etiologic agent of a peridomestic epidemic of ACL in the Department of Tolima, Colombia.

[Antimicrobial resistance in gram negative bacteria isolated from intensive care units of Colombian hospitals, WHONET 2003, 2004 and 2005].

Introduction: Surveillance systems play a key role in the detection and control of bacterial resistance. It is necessary to constantly collect information from all institutions because the mechanisms of bacterial resistance can operate in different ways between countries, cities and even in hospitals in the same area. Therefore local information is important in order to learn about bacterial behaviour and design appropriate interventions for each institution.

[Ethics review committees for human research: the challenge of strengthening this process in Colombia].

Introduction: Ethics committees are a necessary resource to guarantee ethical integrity in human research; they must apply international standards in their ethical evaluation of research projects involving human subjects.

Objective: The ethics committees for human research of Colombia were characterized, and recommendations for strengthening them were formulated.

Materials And Methods: In 2003, 280 groups with research projects involving human subjects were selected from a list of research groups which form part of the science and technology network of Colciencias.

Prevalence and characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates from Colombian hospitals.

Gram-negative pathogens harboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) are widely prevalent in Latin America, but little is known about their prevalence in Colombia. A network of 8 tertiary care hospitals in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali, Colombia, was formed in January 2002 to determine the prevalence of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. We characterized and established the molecular epidemiology of ESBLs from these hospitals.