No abstract

<p>El objetivo del presente estudio fue caracterizar los parásitos gastrointestinales zoonóticos en caninos con dueño del área urbana del Municipio de La Mesa, Cundinamarca. Con este fin, se realizó un censo tipo encuesta que determinó la población real de caninos y arrojó un total 1142 perros censados; de éstos, sólo se incluyeron 897 en el estudio por contar con información completa. Se tomaron 122 muestras de materia fecal de los caninos, las cuales fueron analizadas mediante la técnica de concentración de formol- acetato de etilo y leídas por microscopía. La prevalencia total de parasitosis encontrada fue 19.67% (24/122). El parásito hallado con mayor frecuencia fue <em>Ancylostoma</em> spp. (17.21%), seguido de <em>Trichuris</em> spp. (1.63%) y <em>Giardia</em> spp. (0.81%). En comparación con otros estudios en Colombia, la prevalencia hallada fue menor y no se encontraron multiparasitosis. No se constató relación (P &gt; 0.05) entre la presencia de parásitos y las variables estudiadas (raza, edad, sexo, desparasitación, vacunación, fuente de agua de consumo y lugar donde habita). Se concluye que la presencia de parásitos encontrada constituye un riesgo para la salud humana y animal, y por lo tanto, es necesario implementar estrategias educativas y sanitarias en la comunidad y elaborar planes de desparasitación y diagnóstico parasitológico para las mascotas.</p><

Background Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Meningococcal isolates have a highly dynamic population structure and can be phenotypically and genetically differentiated into serogroups and clonal complexes. The aim of this study was to describe the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of invasive isolates recovered in Colombia from 2013 to 2016. Methodology A total of 193 invasive isolates were analyzed. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics were determined by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing. Results Based on the results, meningococcal serogroups C, B and Y were responsible for 47.9%, 41.7%, and 9.4% of cases, respectively, and the distribution of serogroups B and C changed over time. Fifteen clonal groups and 14 clonal complexes (cc) were identified by PFGE and genome sequencing. The main clonal group included serogroup B isolates with sequence type (ST)-9493 and its four single-locus variants, which has only been identified in Colombian isolates. The clonal population structure demonstrates that the isolates in this study mainly belong to four clonal complexes: ST-11 cc, ST-32 cc, ST-35 cc and ST-41/44 cc. Thirty-eight pen A alleles were identified, but no correlation between MICs and specific sequences was observed. Conclusion This study shows that most meningococcal isolates recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Colombia are strains associated with distinct globally disseminated hyperinvasive clones.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is transmitted person-to-person mainly by close contact or droplets from respiratory tract. However, the actual time of viral shedding is still uncertain as well as the different routes of transmission. We aimed to characterize RNA shedding from nasopharyngeal and rectal samples in prolonged cases of mild COVID-19 in young male soldiers. Seventy patients from three different military locations were monitored after recommending to follow more strict isolation measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Then, nasopharyngeal, rectal, and blood samples were taken. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-PCR and specific antibodies by chemiluminescent immunoassays. The median nucleic acid conversion time (NACT) was 60 days (IQR: 7–85 days). Rectal swabs were taken in 60 % of patients. Seven patients (10 %) were positive in nasopharyngeal and rectal swabs, and five (7.14 %) remained positive in rectal swabs, but negative in nasopharyngeal samples. Four patients (5.71 %) that had been discharged, were positive again after 15 days. No significant difference was found in nucleic acid conversion time between age groups nor clinical classification. Maintaining distancing among different positive patients is essential as a possible re-exposure to the virus could cause a longer nucleic acid conversion time in SARS-COV-2 infections.

Objective. To evaluate the operative capacity of nine serological rapid tests to detect the IgM/IgG antibodies response in serum from patients with SARS-CoV-2 in different clinical stages. Methods. A cross-sectional study of serological rapid tests was designed to compare the performance of the evaluated immunochromatographic tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. A total of 293 samples was used, including negatives, asymptomatic, and symptomatic serum samples. Results. The sensitivity of the evaluated tests was low and moderate in the groups of asymptomatic serum samples and the group of serums coming from patients with less than 11 days since the onset of the symptoms. The specificity for the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies tests ranged between 86.5%-99% for IgM and 86.5%-99.5% for IgG. The sensitivity and the likelihood ratio were different according to the study groups. The usefulness of these tests is restricted to symptomatic patients and their sensitivity is greater than 85% after 11 days from the appearance of symptoms. Conclusions. Serological tests are not an adequate strategy for the identification of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic patients. Serological rapid tests for the detection of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be used as a diagnostic aid, but diagnosis must be confirmed by RT-PCR. Rapid tests should be reserved for patients with symptoms lasting more than 11 days.