Browsing by Autor "Herlan Gamboa"

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A Neuroepidemiological Survey in Rural Bolivia: Background and Methods
(Karger Publishers, 1998) Alessandra Nicoletti; A. Reggio; Alessandro Bartoloni; Gaetano Failla; Filippo Bartalesi; Mimmo Roselli; Herlan Gamboa; Esteban González Salazar; Franco Paradisi; G Tempera
A door-to-door survey was carried out in rural areas of the Cordillera province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. A cluster sample of 10,124 inhabitants was selected. The aim was to determine the prevalence of the most common neurological diseases (epilepsy, stroke, parkinsonism and peripheral neuropathy) in this population using a modification of the World Health Organization screening instrument. 1,130 subjects screened positive and were then investigated by neurologists. In this paper we describe the background and methods of the survey and the characteristics of the population.
Canine Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the Bolivian Chaco
(BioMed Central, 2018) Simona Gabrielli; Michele Spinicci; Fabio Macchioni; David Rojo; Valentina Totino; Patricia Rojas; Mimmo Roselli; Herlan Gamboa; Gabriella Cancrini; Alessandro Bartoloni
A cross-sectional study on Trypanosoma cruzi was carried out in 2013 to evaluate the role of dogs as possible source of infection for humans in two rural communities of the highly endemic Bolivian Chaco (Bartolo, Chuquisaca Department, n = 57 dogs; and Ivamirapinta, Santa Cruz Department, n = 48 dogs). Giemsa-stained thick and thin smears, rapid immunochromatographic test (ICT) (Chagas Quick test, Cypress Diagnostic, Belgium) and polymerase chain reaction for T. cruzi on dried blood spots were performed. All smears proved negative by microscopic examination, whereas 23/103 (22%) were positive by ICT and 5/105 (5%) blood samples contained T. cruzi DNA, evidencing the potential role of dogs in the domestic transmission of the parasite.
Decline in Total Serum IgE and Soluble CD30 in the Context of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Decline in Bolivia
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2020) Chiara Della Bella; Michele Spinicci; David Rojo; Alessia Grassi; Herlan Gamboa; Marisa Benagiano; Roberto Torrez; Simona Tapinassi; Simona Gabrielli; Gabriella Cancrini
In the Bolivian Chaco, recent surveys documented a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections as compared with the 1980s after thirty years of preventive chemotherapy (PC). Concomitant immunological rearrangements are expected. Because nematode infections are associated with increased levels of circulating IgE and glycoprotein CD30 soluble form (sCD30), this study aims to evaluate changes in serological markers of T helper (Th)2-cells activity between 1987 (high STH prevalence) and 2013 (low STH prevalence) in rural communities in the Bolivian Chaco area. We collected 151 sera during two different surveys in 1987 (n = 65) and 2013 (n = 86) and measured the concentration of total IgE and sCD30 by immunoassays. We found a statistically significant age-independent decrease in the total IgE (P < 0.0001) and sCD30 (P < 0.0001) from 1987 to 2013. The significant decrease in serological Th2 markers (IgE and sCD30) between 1987 and 2013 is consistent with the drop in STH prevalence in this geographical area during the same period of time. Further studies might elucidate the clinical and epidemiological impact of these serological rearrangements.
Feasibility of a Combined Mobile-Health Electrocardiographic and Rapid Diagnostic Test Screening for Chagas-Related Cardiac Alterations
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2021) Michele Spinicci; Carlo Fumagalli; Niccolò Maurizi; Enrico Guglielmi; Mimmo Roselli; Herlan Gamboa; Marianne Strohmeyer; Veronica Poma; Roberto Vargas; Iacopo Olivotto
Combined mobile-Health and RDTs was a reliable and effective low-cost strategy to identify patients at high risk of disease needing cardiologic assessment suggesting potential future applications.
Frequent carriage of enterococci and other Lactobacillales with OptrA and PoxtA ribosomal protection resistance mechanisms among children from rural areas of Bolivia
(Elsevier BV, 2026) Ilaria Baccani; Alberto Antonelli; Marco Coppi; Selene Rebecca Boncompagni; Tiziana di Maggio; Michele Spinicci; Marianne Strohmeyer; Herlan Gamboa; Veronica Poma; Ana Liz Villagrán
Present findings report the highest prevalence of faecal carriage of optrA- and poxtA-positive commensals so far observed in healthy subjects, raising concerns about the potential clinical and epidemiological implications.
Hymenolepis nana—An Emerging Intestinal Parasite Associated with Anemia in School Children from the Bolivian Chaco
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2018) Michele Spinicci; Fabio Macchioni; Simona Gabrielli; David Rojo; Herlan Gamboa; Ana Liz Villagrán; Yolanda Vallejos; Marianne Strohmeyer; Mimmo Roselli; Gabriella Cancrini
Tropical anemia can have multiple causes, whether socioeconomic, dietary, or infectious. In the Bolivian Chaco, soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), malaria, and Chagas disease are potential infectious causes of anemia among school-aged children (SAC). Following years of preventive chemotherapy with mebendazole, the prevalence of STH among SAC living in that area is now negligible, whereas protozoan infections are still highly prevalent (81%); Hymenolepis nana is the most frequent intestinal helminth (∼13%). We present results of hemoglobin (Hb) assessment and the association between parasitic infections and Hb levels of that SAC population. Overall, 511 SAC (girls:boys ratio 1:1, mean age 9.4 years [95% confidence interval {CI}: 9.3-9.5]) had Hb levels measured by using a point of care testing (HemoCue® Hb 301 System; HemoCue, Angelhome, Sweden). The prevalence of anemia was 23% (117/511), with mean and median Hb level = 12.2 g/dL (95% CI: 12.1-12.3; range 9.2-15.4 g/dL). By multivariate analysis, H. nana infection was associated with an increased risk of anemia (odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5-5.7, P = 0.002). Two samples (0.5%) were positive for Trypanosoma cruzi and none for Plasmodium spp. by polymerase chain reaction of the 439 children tested. Anemia is still a concern among SAC living in the Bolivian Chaco. Our findings call for a greater attention to fecal-oral emerging pathogens, such as H. nana, and highlight the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene improvements for disadvantaged population such as those living in the Bolivian Chaco.
Persistence of Trypanosoma cruzi vector-borne transmission among school-age children in the Bolivian Chaco documented by 24-month longitudinal serosurveillance
(Oxford University Press, 2022) Michele Spinicci; Fabio Macchioni; Herlan Gamboa; Veronica Poma; Ana Liz Villagrán; Marianne Strohmeyer; Mimmo Roselli; Roberto Vargas; Alessandro Bartoloni; Simona Gabrielli
Our findings support the persistence of vector-borne T. cruzi transmission in this area, highlighting the need for strengthening multidisciplinary efforts against Chagas disease.
Population Structure and Resistance Genes in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from a Remote Community with Minimal Antibiotic Exposure
(American Society for Microbiology, 2007) Lucia Pallecchi; Chiara Lucchetti; Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Antonia Mantella; Herlan Gamboa; Alessandra Carattoli; Franco Paradisi; Gian María Rossolini
In a previous study, we detected unexpectedly high levels of acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from a remote Guaraní Indian (Bolivia) community with very low levels of antibiotic exposure and limited exchanges with the exterior. Here we analyzed the structure of the resistant E. coli population from that community and the resistance mechanisms. The E. coli population (113 isolates from 72 inhabitants) showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, as evidenced by phylogenetic grouping (77% group A, 10% group B1, 8% group D, 5% group B2) and genotyping by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis (44 different RAPD types). The acquired resistance genes were always of the same types as those found in antibiotic-exposed settings [blaTEM, blaPSE-1, catI, cmlA6, tet(A), tet(B), dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA8, dfrA17, sul1, sul2, aphA1, aadA1, aadA2, aadA5, aadB, and sat-1]. Class 1 and class 2 integrons were found in 12% and 4% of the isolates, respectively, and harbored arrays of gene cassettes similar to those already described. The cotransferability of multiple-resistance traits was observed from selected isolates and was found to be associated with resistance conjugative plasmids of the F, P, and N types. Overall, these data suggest that the resistance observed in this remote community is likely the consequence of the dissemination of resistant bacteria and resistance genes from antibiotic-exposed settings (rather than of an independent in situ selection) which involved both the clonal expansion of resistant strains and the horizontal transfer/recombination of mobile genetic elements harboring resistance genes.
Relevant increase of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli carriage in school-aged children from rural areas of the Bolivian Chaco in a three-year period
(Elsevier BV, 2022) Selene Rebecca Boncompagni; Maria Micieli; Tiziana Di Maggio; Antonia Mantella; Anna Liz Villagrán; Tatiana Briggesth Miranda; Carmen Revollo; Veronica Poma; Herlan Gamboa; Michele Spinicci
Scaling down of a deworming programme among school‐age children after a thirty‐year successful intervention in the Bolivian Chaco
(Wiley, 2018) Michele Spinicci; Fabio Macchioni; David Rojo; Herlan Gamboa; Ana Liz Villagrán; Yolanda Vallejos; Marianne Strohmeyer; Mimmo Roselli; Simona Gabrielli; Gabriella Cancrini
Our findings support the role of preventive chemotherapy in reducing soil-transmitted helminthiases transmission, as otherwise poor hygienic and health conditions persist in the Bolivian Chaco. A national survey, involving areas from all the ecological zones of Bolivia, is now warranted.
Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the human population of the Bolivian Chaco: four serosurveys over a 26-year period (1987-2013)
(Open Learning on Enteric Pathogens, 2020) Michele Spinicci; Simona Gabrielli; David Rojo; Herlan Gamboa; Fabio Macchioni; Antonia Mantella; Yunni Lara; Ana Liz Villagrán; Mimmo Roselli; Marianne Strohmeyer
T. cruzi transmission is still active and CD remains a concern throughout the Bolivian Chaco. More efforts are needed in order to achieve a sustainable interruption of vector-borne CD transmission in this area.