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West Nile virus (WNV) genomic RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in six out of 57 mosquito pools collected in Southern Portugal, during the summer of 2004, yielding an infection rate (IR) of 2.8/1,000 mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analysis of a 217-nucleotide fragment of the NS5 coding region, amplified from Culex pipiens s.l. and Culex univittatus unfed females, demonstrated a close relationship with WNV strains circulating in the Mediterranean basin (Italy, 1998; France, 2000; Morocco, 2003). The data in this short report demonstrate the presence of WNV in mosquitoes in Southern Portugal and the need of permanent surveillance for viral activity within the country.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To determine the age-and sex-specific prevalence of early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in two Portuguese population-based samples and to identify its risk factors. Population: A population of 6023 adults aged ≥55 years was recruited from two Portuguese primary healthcare units in the central region of Portugal -one from a coastal (n = 3000) and another from an inland town (n = 3023). Methods: Cross-sectional population-based study. Participants were enrolled in the two locations between August 2009 and October 2013. Responders underwent standardized interviews and ophthalmologic examination, including digital fundus imaging. All fundus photographs were graded according to an International Classification and Grading System. The main outcome measures consisted of age-and sex-adjusted prevalence of early and late AMD. Potential epidemiologic risk factors were also evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 6023 subjects enrolled, 5996 had gradable fundus images and were included in the analysis. The crude prevalence of early and late AMD was 6.99 and 0.67%, respectively, for the coastal town and 15.39 and 1.29% for the inland town. Age-and sex-adjusted prevalence of any AMD for the Portuguese population was 12.48% (95% CI: 11.61-13.33) with late AMD accounting for 1.16% (95% CI: 0.85-1.46). Neovascular AMD (NV-AMD) and geographic atrophy (GA) accounted for 0.55% (95% CI: 0.36-0.75) and 0.61% (95% CI: 0.37-0.84) of individuals, respectively. After adjusting for possible confounding factors, prevalence of early and late AMD increased with increasing age (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.23-1.49 for early and OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 2.22-4.08 for late AMD, per each decade of age increase, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, family history, smoking history, hypertension, diabetes and BMI, subjects from the inland town presented a significantly higher OR of early and late AMD than subjects from the coastal town (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 2.12-3.12, p < 0.001 for early and OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.07-3.95, p = 0.029 for late AMD). Conclusions: The prevalence of early and late AMD in this Portuguese population was similar to other large-scale population-based cohorts. After controlling for confounders, age and study site of inclusion were significant independent predictors for both early and late forms of the disease. Further analysis will be needed to completely unravel the underlying reasons for this difference regarding geographic location.

BackgroundClostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea, and several outbreaks with increased severity and mortality have been reported. In this study we report a C. difficile PCR ribotype 027 outbreak in Portugal, aiming to contribute to a better knowledge of the epidemiology of this agent in Europe.MethodsOutbreak report with retrospective study of medical records and active surveillance data of all inpatients with the diagnosis of CDI, from 1st January to 31th December 2012, in a Portuguese hospital. C. difficile isolates were characterized regarding ribotype, toxin genes and moxifloxin resistance. Outbreak control measures were taken, concerning communication, education, reinforcement of infection control measures, optimization of diagnosis and treatment of CDI, and antibiotic stewardship.ResultsFifty-three inpatients met the case definition of C. difficile-associated infection: 55% males, median age was 78.0 years (interquartile range: 71.0-86.0), 75% had co-morbidities, only 15% had a nonfatal condition, 68% had at least one criteria of severe disease at diagnosis, 89% received prior antibiotherapy, 79% of episodes were nosocomial. CDI rate peak was 13.89/10,000 bed days. Crude mortality rate at 6 months was 64.2% while CDI attributable cause was 11.3%. Worse outcome was related to older age (P = 0.022), severity criteria at diagnosis (leukocytosis (P = 0.008) and renal failure), and presence of fatal underlying condition (P = 0.025). PCR ribotype 027 was identified in 16 of 22 studied samples.ConclusionsThis is the first report of a 027-CDI outbreak in Portugal. We emphasize the relevance of the measures taken to control the outbreak and highlight the importance of implementing a close and active surveillance of CDI.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae , the bacterium responsible for the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea, has shown an extraordinary ability to develop antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to multiple classes of antimicrobials. With no available vaccine, managing N. gonorrhoeae infections demands effective preventive measures, antibiotic treatment and epidemiological surveillance. The latter two are progressively being supported by the generation of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data on behalf of national and international surveillance programmes. In this context, this study aims to perform N. gonorrhoeae clustering into genogroups based on WGS data, for enhanced prospective laboratory surveillance. Particularly, it aims to identify the major circulating WGS-genogroups in Europe and to establish a relationship between these and AMR. Ultimately, it enriches public databases by contributing with WGS data from Portuguese isolates spanning 15 years of surveillance. A total of 3791 carefully inspected N. gonorrhoeae genomes from isolates collected across Europe were analysed using a gene-by-gene approach (i.e. using cgMLST). Analysis of cluster composition and stability allowed the classification of isolates into a two-step hierarchical genogroup level determined by two allelic distance thresholds revealing cluster stability. Genogroup clustering in general agreed with available N. gonorrhoeae typing methods [i.e. MLST (multilocus sequence typing), NG-MAST ( N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing) and PubMLST core-genome groups], highlighting the predominant genogroups circulating in Europe, and revealed that the vast majority of the genogroups present a dominant AMR profile. Additionally, a non-static gene-by-gene approach combined with a more discriminatory threshold for potential epidemiological linkage enabled us to match data with previous reports on outbreaks or transmission chains. In conclusion, this genogroup assignment allows a comprehensive analysis of N. gonorrhoeae genetic diversity and the identification of the WGS-based genogroups circulating in Europe, while facilitating the assessment (and continuous monitoring) of their frequency, geographical dispersion and potential association with specific AMR signatures. This strategy may benefit public-health actions through the prioritization of genogroups to be controlled, the identification of emerging resistance carriage, and the potential facilitation of data sharing and communication.