Cross comparison of alternative diagnostic protocols including substitution to the clinical sample, RNA extraction method and nucleic acid amplification technology for COVID-19 diagnosis.

Background: the gold-standard diagnostic protocol (GSDP) for COVID-19 consists of a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) sample processed through traditional RNA extraction (TRE) and amplified with retrotranscription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Multiple alternatives were developed to decrease time/cost of GSDP, including alternative clinical samples, RNA extraction methods and nucleic acid amplification. Thus, we carried out a cross comparison of various alternatives methods against GSDP and each other.

Clinical manifestations of Rickettsia rickettsii in a familial outbreak in Panama.

We report an isolated outbreak of Rickettsia rickettsii in the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous region, located 750 m (tropical wet) above sea level, in a jungle and mountainous area of Western Panama. Seven members of a family were infected simultaneously, resulting in four deaths. Family outbreaks have been previously described and are responsible for 4-8% of the cases described [1-4].

Isolation of Rickettsia rickettsii in Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Outbreak, Panama.

We report new cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in patients from Kinkantu, Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous comarca, Panama. We isolated Rickettsia rickettsii in cell culture after intraperitoneal inoculation of guinea pigs with tissues from a deceased patient. Our results indicate that Rocky Mountain spotted fever is emerging in this region.

Performance of a Point of Care Test for Detecting IgM and IgG Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 and Seroprevalence in Blood Donors and Health Care Workers in Panama.

Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has reached 28 million cases worldwide in 1 year. The serological detection of antibodies against the virus will play a pivotal role in complementing molecular tests to improve diagnostic accuracy, contact tracing, vaccine efficacy testing, and seroprevalence surveillance. Here, we aimed first to evaluate a lateral flow assay's ability to identify specific IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and second, to report the seroprevalence estimates of these antibodies among health care workers and healthy volunteer blood donors in Panama.

Rickettsia amblyommatis isolated from Amblyomma mixtum (Acari: Ixodida) from two sites in Panama.

Rickettsia amblyommatis is widely distributed in the Americas, and has been reported to infect different species of ticks within its distribution. In Panama, R. amblyommatis is the most common Rickettsia and its presence was molecularly detected in nine species of ticks and one flea species.

Evolution of late presentation to care and advanced HIV in newly HIV diagnosed subjects in the Republic of Panama: 2012-2017.

Most of the information on clinical factors related to HIV infection is focused on key populations and young people. Therefore, there is little information on clinical factors related to HIV infection in older persons (>45 years old). In this study, data on CD4 lymphocyte counts were analyzed on adults who are linked to care and have their first CD4 cell count done from different regions of the Republic of Panama from 2012 to 2017.

Novel HLA class I associations with HIV-1 control in a unique genetically admixed population.

Associations between HLA class I alleles and HIV progression in populations exhibiting Amerindian and Caucasian genetic admixture remain understudied. Using univariable and multivariable analyses we evaluated HLA associations with five HIV clinical parameters in 3,213 HIV clade B-infected, ART-naïve individuals from Mexico and Central America (MEX/CAM cohort). A Canadian cohort (HOMER, n = 1622) was used for comparison.

HIV-1 Antiretroviral Drug Resistance Mutations in Treatment Naïve and Experienced Panamanian Subjects: Impact on National Use of EFV-Based Schemes.

The use of antiretroviral therapy in HIV infected subjects prevents AIDS-related illness and delayed occurrence of death. In Panama, rollout of ART started in 1999 and national coverage has reached 62.8% since then.

Distribution of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Hard Ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) from Panamanian Urban and Rural Environments (2007-2013).

Tick-borne rickettsiosis is an important emerging disease in Panama; to date, there have been 12 confirmed cases, including eight fatalities. To evaluate the distribution of rickettsiae in Panamanian ticks, we collected questing and on-host ticks in urban and rural towns in elevations varying between 0 and 2300 m. A total of 63 sites (13 urban and 50 rural towns) were used to develop models of spatial distributions.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes Circulating in Different Risk Groups of Panama, Evidence of the Introduction of Genotype A2 in the Country.

The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) can cause acute or chronic infection it is also associated with the development of liver cancer, thousands of new infections occur on a yearly basis, and many of these cases are located in certain areas of the Caribbean and Latin America. In these areas, the HBV prevalence is still high which makes this virus a serious public health concern to the entire region. Studies performed in Panama suggest a complex pattern in the distribution of HBV among the country's different risk groups.

High diversity of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Panamanian blood donors: a molecular analysis of new variants.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is an infectious agent that causes more than half of the cases of liver disease and cancer in the world. Globally there are around 250 million people chronically infected with this virus. Despite 16% of the cases of liver disease in Central America are caused by HBV, the information regarding its genetic diversity, genotypes and circulation is scarce.

Molecular characterisation of hepatitis B virus in the resident Chinese population in Panama City.

Despite the effectiveness of current hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines, it is estimated that 350 million individuals suffer from chronic HBV infection and more than 50% of these affected individuals live on the Asian continent. Panama is a country with a great diversity of foreign groups; the Chinese community is a large example of this phenomenon. There is an urgent need to perform studies that evaluate the prevalence and the genetic diversity of HBV in this community.

Molecular diagnosis of echovirus 30 as the etiological agent in an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in Panama: May-June 2008.

Introduction: Aseptic meningitis outbreaks are commonly caused by viral pathogens with enterovirus a common etiological agent. Between May and June of 2008, an outbreak of 173 cases of aseptic meningitis occurred in the Chiriqui Province of Panama. Molecular techniques were used to identify the etiological agent.

Two pathogens and one disease: detection and identification of flea-borne Rickettsiae in areas endemic for murine typhus in California.

Results of an environmental assessment conducted in a newly emergent focus of murine typhus in southern California are described. Opossums, Didelphis virginiana Kerr, infested with cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis Buché, in the suburban area were abundant. Animal and flea specimens were tested for the DNA of two flea-borne rickettsiae, Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis.

Simple, specific molecular typing of dengue virus isolates using one-step RT-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism.

A one-step RT-PCR and one-enzyme RFLP was used to detect and distinguish among flaviviruses, including the four serotypes of dengue and the St. Louis Encephalitis, West Nile and Yellow Fever viruses in cultured virus samples or acute-phase human serum. Using a previously described RT-PCR, but novel RFLP procedure, results are obtained in 24 h with basic PCR and electrophoresis equipment.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Panama: a cluster description.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick-borne infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. We report a cluster of fatal cases of RMSF in 2007 in Panama, involving a pregnant woman and two children from the same family.  The woman presented with a fever followed by respiratory distress, maculopapular rash, and an eschar at the site from which a tick had been removed.

Rickettsial infection in domestic mammals and their ectoparasites in El Valle de Antón, Coclé, Panamá.

The present research evaluated the presence of Rickettsia spp. on ectoparasites of horses and dogs (using PCR techniques), and their sera (using immunofluorescence assay) in El Valle de Antón town in Panama. A total of 20 horses and 20 dogs were sampled, finding four species of ectoparasites on dogs (the ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, and the flea Ctenocephalides felis), and two tick species on horses (Amblyomma cajennense and Dermacentor nitens).

Detection and identification of rickettsial agents in ticks from domestic mammals in eastern Panama.

Several outbreaks of Rocky Mountain spotted fever have occurred in recent years in Colombian communities close to the border with Panama. However, little is known about rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases in eastern Panamanian provinces, the Darien Province and the Kuna Yala, located north of the endemic area in Colombia. In 2007, 289 ticks were collected in several towns from dogs, horses, mules, cows, and pigs.

Hantavirus infection and habitat associations among rodent populations in agroecosystems of Panama: implications for human disease risk.

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which is caused by infection with Choclo virus, is uncommon in Panama, yet seropositivity among rural residents is as high as 60%. To clarify the environmental risk factors favoring rodent-to-human transmission, we tested serum from 3,067 rodents captured over a five-year period for antibodies against recombinant N protein of hantavirus by enzyme immunoassay and strip immunoblot. Among 220 seropositive rodents, Oligoryzomys fulvescens, the reservoir of Choclo virus, had the highest overall seroprevalence (23.