Rickettsiosis is a re-emergent infectious disease without epidemiological surveillance in Colombia. This disease is generally undiagnosed and several deadly outbreaks have been reported in the country in the last decade. The aim of this study is to analyze the eco-epidemiological aspects of rickettsial seropositivity in rural areas of Colombia where outbreaks of the disease were previously reported. A cross-sectional study, which included 597 people living in 246 households from nine hamlets in two municipalities of Colombia, was conducted from November 2015 to January 2016. The survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic and household characteristics (exposure) data. Blood samples were collected to determine the rickettsial seropositivity in humans, horses and dogs (IFA, cut-off = 1/128). In addition, infections by rickettsiae were detected in ticks from humans and animals by real-time PCR targeting gltA and ompA genes. Data was analyzed by weighted multilevel clog-log regression model using three levels (person, household and hamlets) and rickettsial seropositivity in humans was the main outcome. Overall prevalence of rickettsial seropositivity in humans was 25.62% (95%CI 22.11–29.12). Age in years (PR = 1.01 95%CI 1.01–1.02) and male sex (PR = 1.65 95%CI 1.43–1.90) were risk markers for rickettsial seropositivity. Working outdoors (PR = 1.20 95%CI 1.02–1.41), deforestation and forest fragmentation for agriculture use (PR = 1.75 95%CI 1.51–2.02), opossum in peridomiciliary area (PR = 1.56 95%CI 1.37–1.79) and a high proportion of seropositive domestic animals in the home (PR20-40% vs <20% = 2.28 95%CI 1.59–3.23 and PR>40% vs <20% = 3.14 95%CI 2.43–4.04) were associated with rickettsial seropositivity in humans. This study showed the presence of Rickettsia antibodies in human populations and domestic animals. In addition, different species of rickettsiae were detected in ticks collected from humans and animals. Our results highlighted the role of domestic animals as sentinels of rickettsial infection to identify areas at risk of transmission, and the importance of preventive measures aimed at curtailing deforestation and the fragmentation of forests as a way of reducing the risk of transmission of emergent and re-emergent pathogens.

Other things being equal, students in Colombia's innovative multigrade rural school program achieve higher achievement scores than their counterparts in traditional schoolsat unit costs that appear to be only 5 to IQ percent higher.Policy Research WorkingPapers disseninate thc findings of work i progress and encourage the exchange of ideas amongBank staff and aU others interested in developiment issues. These papers carry the names of the authors, reflect only thei views, and should be used and cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions are the authors' own. They should not be attributed to the World Bank, its Board of D;rectors, its management, or any of iLs member countnes.

Varicella rates were similar in the 5- to 9- and 10- to 14-year age groups to rates from other published studies conducted in 1972 to 1978, 1980 to 1988 and 1990 to 1992; however, the rate in 15- to 19-year-olds was 2 to 4 times higher than published rates in the same age category.

Introduction: Burnout Syndrome (SB) has been studied in large numbers of professional people, but in our environment do not yet have reports on students of health sciences. The objective was to determine the prevalence of SB and factors associated in seven peruvianmedicine schools. Methods: Analytical, multicenter cross-sectional study. Through a self-applied to students who came to hospital offices in seven medical schools survey Peru. SB was defined as the positive test Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), besides other socio-educational and habits was measured variables. P values were obtained using generalized linear models, adjusting for the university of origin. Results: Of the 557, the median age was 22 years (interquartile range: 21-24 years), 50% (278) were women. 8% (47) had positive SB, ranging 1-22% depending on the seat of respondent, increasing its prevalence increases as the year of study, 3% (3rd), 9% (4th), 13% (5th) and 12% (6th). The variables that increased the frequency of SB were coursing the last two years prior to boarding school (p < 0.001) and smoking (p < 0.001); conversely, the more hours of study (p = 0.047) reduced the frequency of SB, adjusted for sex. Conclusions: A low frequency of SB among students was found, however, it is important to know which factors are related, to intervene in search of improving the mental health of future health professionals.

Recent efforts to study myxomycetes in many areas of the world have resulted in a considerable increase in the number and quality of regional species lists, especially during the last decade. However, in South America certain countries such as Peru continue to be highly understudied with respect to this group of organisms. During a series of surveys carried out in 2007 in several different areas of Peru, 49 species of myxomycetes not previously known for this country were recorded. Basic ecological information was also collected and analyzed in the context of available data on myxomycetes for the Neotropics. With the new species reported herein, the myxobiota of Peru is increased to 80 species, which is still a low number when the natural and biogeographical characteristics of Peruvian landscapes are considered.

Based on morphological investigations and a phylogeny constructed with partial sequences of the SSU rDNA gene, we revalidate the genus Alwisia and propose the combination Alwisia bombarda Berk. & Broome to be used against Tubifera bombarda (Berk. & Broome) G.W. Martin. Two new species, Alwisia morula and A. repens, are described based on material collected respectively in Costa Rica and Australia. Both new species lack a capillitium and possess individually stalked subspherical sporothecae. Alwisia repens differs from A. morula by its procumbent stalks and iridescent peridium. A comparison of 83 sequences of species in the genera Lycogala, Reticularia and Tubifera with a recent two-gene phylogeny of the bright-spored myxomycetes resulted in a similar topology of both Bayesian and maximum likelihood trees and placed A. bombarda, A. morula and A. repens in one well delimited clade within Reticulariaceae.

Myxomycetes associated with a high-elevation (>3000 m) oak forest in the Talamanca Range of Costa Rica were studied for 7 mo. Field collections were supplemented with collections obtained from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of bark and ground litter of Quercus costaricensis. Various microenvironmental parameters including pH, substrate moisture and diameter, height above the ground and canopy openness were recorded for each field collection, whereas macroenvironmental data for temperature and precipitation were obtained from a meteorological station near the study area. Niche breadth and niche overlap indices were calculated to assess possible resource partitioning by myxomycetes. Thirty-seven species were recorded, including 11 new records for Costa Rica, eight for Central America and one for the neotropics. Both PCA and NMS multivariate analyses indicated that pH and height above the ground explained most of the observed variation, although substrate diameter also seemed to be an important factor. Precipitation showed an inverse correlation with the number of fruitings, confirming its importance as a macroenvironmental factor. Niche overlap values were not higher for closely related species and values for niche breadths were similar for most of the more common species, suggesting that most members of the assemblage of myxomycetes present in the study site are ecological generalists.

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds, Amoebozoa) are often perceived as widely distributed, confounding to the “everything is everywhere” hypothesis. To test if gene flow within these spore-dispersed protists is restricted by geographical barriers, we chose the widespread but morphologically unmistakable species Hemitrichia serpula for a phylogeographic study. Partial sequences from nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (SSU) revealed 40 ribotypes among 135 specimens, belonging to three major clades. Each clade is dominated by specimens from a certain region and by one of two morphological varieties which can be differentiated by SEM micrographs. Partial sequences of the protein elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1A) showed each clade to possess a unique combination of SSU and EF1A genotypes. This pattern is best explained assuming the existence of several putative biospecies dominating in a particular geographical region. However, occasional mismatches between molecular data and morphological characters, but as well heterogeneous SSU and heterozygous EF1A sequences, point to ongoing speciation. Environmental niche models suggest that the putative biospecies are rather restricted by geographical barriers than by macroecological conditions. Like other protists, myxomycetes seem to follow the moderate endemicity hypothesis and are in active speciation, which is most likely shaped by limited gene flow and reproductive isolation.