AimsTo determine the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in Colombian newborns from 19 hospital or maternal child health services from seven different cities of five natural geographic regions (Caribbean, Central, Andean, Amazonia and Eastern).Materials and MethodsWe collected 15,333 samples from umbilical cord blood between the period of March 2009 to May 2010 in 19 different hospitals and maternal-child health services from seven different cities. We applied an IgM ELISA assay (Vircell, Spain) to determine the frequency of IgM anti Toxoplasma. The results in blood cord samples were confirmed either by western blot and repeated ELISA IgM assay. In a sub-sample of 1,613 children that were negative by the anti-Toxoplasma IgM assay, the frequency of specific anti-Toxoplasma IgA by the ISAGA assay was determined. All children with positive samples by IgM, IgA, clinical diagnosis or treatment during pregnancy were recalled for confirmatory tests after day 10 of life.Results61 positive samples for specific IgM (0.39%) and 9 positives for IgA (0.5%) were found. 143 questionnaires were positive for a clinical diagnosis or treatment for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. 109 out of the 218 children that had some of the criteria for postnatal confirmatory tests were followed. Congenital toxoplasmosis infection was confirmed in 15 children: 7 were symptomatic, and three of them died before the first month of life (20% of lethality). A significant correlation was found between a high incidence of markers for congenital toxoplasmosis and higher mean annual rainfall for the city.ConclusionsIncidence for congenital toxoplasmosis is significantly different between hospitals or maternal child health services from different cities in Colombia. Mean annual rainfall was correlated with incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis.
This paper reports the triiodothyronine's (T3) effects on the early growth and survival of piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) produced from fertilized eggs hormone exposed. The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, eggs divided in 6 batches were immersed in T3 solutions: 0.01; 0.05; 0.1; 0.5 ppm; 1 ppm and control (no T3). After a 15-min immersion, eggs were transferred to incubators where larvae were kept up to 72 h after hatching. Larval weight, length and yolk sac volume were determined every 12 h. Sixty and 72 h after hatching, larvae exposed to 0.5 ppm T3 were significantly heavier than the others, and those exposed to 1 ppm T3 showed the lowest weight. The yolk sac absorption was not affected. In the second experimental phase, the resulting fry from the first phase were stocked into 3 boxes per treatment (5 larvae L(-1)) and fed with plankton, fish larvae and feed prepared in the hatchery (48% CP) in the first 3 days, plankton and feed from the 4th to the 10th day and only feed in the next (last) 5 days. Fry weight, length and specific growth rate were determined at 1, 5, 10 and 15 days. Survival was calculated in the last day. In the 15th day, fry length did not differ among treatments but the weight of the control group was higher. Higher survival in the T3-treated groups suggested lower predation among fry. The results allowed us to conclude that there was no expressive effect of T3 on the growth, but it improved the survival of the piracanjuba progeny.
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