IntroductionAsymptomatic carriers (AC) of the new SARS-CoV-2 represent an important source of spread for COVID-19. Early diagnosis of these cases is a powerful tool to control the pandemic. Our objective was to characterise patients with AC status and identify associated sociodemographic factors.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design and the national database of daily occurrence of COVID-19, we characterised both socially and demographically all ACs. Additional correspondence analysis and logistic regression model were performed to identify characteristics associated with AC state (OR, 95% CI).Results76.162 ACs (12.1%; 95% CI 12.0% to 12.2%) were identified, mainly before epidemiological week 35. Age≤26 years (1.18; 1.09 to 1.28), male sex (1.51; 1.40 to 1.62), cases imported from Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Puerto Rico, Spain, USA or Mexico (12.6; 3.03 to 52.5) and autochthonous cases (22.6; 5.62 to 91.4) increased the risk of identifying ACs. We also identified groups of departments with moderate (1.23; 1.13 to 1.34) and strong (19.8; 18.6 to 21.0) association with ACs.ConclusionSociodemographic characteristics strongly associated with AC were identified, which may explain its epidemiological relevance and usefulness to optimise mass screening strategies and prevent person-to-person transmission.
In recent decades, there has been great concern associated with environmental pollution as a risk factor for the development of different diseases in humans, and the canine species has been considered one of the closest sentinel animal models to evaluate these effects. In this sense, a review was carried out to identify the advances and information gaps on this topic. For this, a Scientometric approach was used, with the application of quantitative statistical analysis to bibliography. Results revealed that there has been in increase in scientific production during the last 20 years in journals such as Science of the Total Environment, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Environmental Health Perspectives , highlighting the participation of authors such as Sonne, Dietz and Letcher . In this way, the United States, Denmark , and Canada, as well as Universities such as Ehme, Aarhus, Hokkaido and California, are considered the most relevant countries and institutional affiliations in scientific production and collaboration in relation to this topic. In the same way, there is a growing interest in the development of various lines of research related to persistent organic compounds (PCBs, PBDEs) and heavy metals (Hg mainly), using dogs as sentinels, as well as the evaluation of new sources of contamination related to microorganisms. Finally, issues related to air pollutants, particulate matter and asthma appear as new areas of research, in which the canine sentinel model may show promise for the evaluation of its effects.
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