Browsing by Autor "Marco Solano"

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AMNIOTIC FLUID IS NOT USEFUL FOR DIAGNOSIS OF CONGENITAL TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI INFECTION
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2006) Myrna Virreira; Sabrina Sales Martínez; Cristina Alonso‐Vega; Faustino Torrico; Marco Solano; Mary Cruz Torrico; Rudy Parrado; Carine Truyens; Yves Carlier; Michal Svoboda
Although Trypanosoma cruzi can be transmitted transplacentally and induce congenital infection, no data are available about the presence of this parasite in human amniotic fluid. We examined 8, 19, and 4 amniotic fluid samples (collected at delivery or by aspiration of gastric content of neonates) from control uninfected mothers (M−B−), infected mothers delivering uninfected newborns (M+B−), and mothers of confirmed congenital cases (M+B+), respectively. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using nuclear and kinetoplastic DNA primers (Tcz1-Tcz2 and 121–122), were negative for all control M−B− samples, but positive for 5 of 19 M+B− and 2 of 4 M+B+ samples. To determine the number of parasites in the positive samples, real-time PCR using S35/S36 kinetoplastic DNA was performed. Only one M+B+ sample presented a high parasitic DNA amount, whereas the other six PCR-positive samples displayed traces of T. cruzi DNA. In conclusion, the release of parasites in amniotic fluid is probably a rare event that cannot be helpful for the routine diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease.
Assessment of Brucella melitensis disease burden in lactating goats in Mizque, Bolivia
(Elsevier BV, 2010) Jennifer A. Zambriski; Mayuko Saito; D.V. Nydam; H.A. Reyes-Garay; Roger Castillo; David Cepeda; Manuel Céspedes-Zambrano; P. Garcia-Vara; Ryan C. Maves; Marco Solano
Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from goats to people by direct contact or through ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products. In Latin America, where goats are a significant part of agriculture, human cases of brucellosis are reported in Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. In Bolivia, human cases of brucellosis have been described, but there is minimal epidemiologic knowledge. The objective of this study was to assess Brucella melitensis disease burden in lactating goats in Mizque, Bolivia. Methods: Milk and blood samples were collected from 229 lactating goats on 26 farms in Mizque, Bolivia, an agricultural town 100 km from Cochabamba, where human cases of brucellosis have been described. Herds, and goats within herds, were selected via convenience sample. Efforts were made to minimize selection bias. In herds with 16 or fewer lactating goats, all goats were sampled, otherwise, one-third of the lactating goats were sampled. Information from each herd and animal was collected by survey. Milk was analyzed via culture. Serum was analyzed for antibodies using the Rose Bengal plate test and the Lateral Flow Assay. Results: Median herd size was 33 adult goats (range: 10-150). The average reported age of the animals sampled was 3.4 years (SD: ±1.5). None of the animals sampled had a reported history of vaccination against Brucella melitensis. 20 (8.7%) goats sampled from 13 (50%) farms had a reported history of abortion. Of the 229 animals sampled, 0 had positive milk culture and serology results (95% CI = 0 – 1.6%). Conclusion: This region of Bolivia may be free from disease, or may have disease prevalence too low to be detected by the sample size. Given the tendency for disease to cluster within herds, the high disease prevalence in bordering countries, and lack of disease monitoring within Bolivia, the presence of Brucella melitensis in the Bolivian goat population cannot be ruled out. Larger studies conducted in multiple geographic regions of the country are warranted. For example, assuming 100% sensitivity of the tests, a population of 2500 animals, and desiring 95% certainty, the maximum possible prevalence is 1.3% even after finding 0 of 229 positive in this sample. Abstracts for SupplementInternational Journal of Infectious DiseasesVol. 14Preview Full-Text PDF Open Archive
Co-Infection of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and HIV: Report of a Case of Mucosal Leishmaniasis in Cochabamba, Bolivia
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2009) Faustino Torrico; Rudy Parrado; Rosario Castro; Carla Jimena Marquez; Mary Cruz Torrico; Marco Solano; Richard Reithinger; Ana Lineth García
We describe the first case of Leishmania/HIV co-infection reported in Bolivia. Initially hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia and bronchitis, the patient had numerous cutaneous and mucosal lesions caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. The patient was also diagnosed as severely immunocompromised because of HIV infection.
COMPARISON OF POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION METHODS FOR RELIABLE AND EASY DETECTION OF CONGENITAL TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI INFECTION
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2003) Myrna Virreira; Faustino Torrico; Carine Truyens; Cristina Alonso‐Vega; Marco Solano; Yves Carlier; Michal Svoboda
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a potentially interesting diagnostic tool for detecting congenital Trypanosoma cruzi infection at birth. We have compared the sensitivity and capacity of a group of T. cruzi PCR primers in detecting the complete spectrum of known T. cruzi lineages, and to improve and simplify the detection of infection in neonatal blood. We found that the two primers, Tcz1/Tcz2 and Diaz1/Diaz2, which target the 195-basepair satellite repeat, detected all parasitic lineages with the same sensitivity. However, the intensity of the amplicon was somewhat higher with Tcz1/Tcz2. For other tested primers (nuclear DNA primers BP1/BP2, O1/O2, Pon1/Pon2, and Tca1/Tca2 and kinetoplast DNA primers S35'/S36' and 121/122), either the intensity of amplicons varied according to T. cruzi lineages or the PCR assay was less sensitive. The use of the Tcz1/Tcz2 primers, which target a tandem repetitive sequence, requires a careful determination of the appropriate amount of Taq polymerase to avoid the formation of smears and multiple amplicon bands. The Tcz1/Tcz2 primers resulted in an intense 200-basepair amplicon with DNA extracted from blood equivalent to 0.02 parasites per assay when used with a simple DNA extraction method and of a low amount of Taq polymerase from a standard PCR kit. To better assess such PCR protocol, we assayed 311 samples of neonatal blood previously tested by parasitologic methods. The reliability of our PCR test was demonstrated, since all the 18 blood samples from newborns with congenital T. cruzi infection were positive, whereas the remaining samples (30 from control newborns of uninfected mothers and 262 of 263 from babies born to infected mothers) were negative. Since our PCR method is simple, reliable, robust, and inexpensive, it appears suitable for the detection of T. cruzi infection in neonatal blood, even in laboratories that are not equipped for performing the PCR.
CONGENITAL CHAGAS DISEASE IN BOLIVIA IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH DNA POLYMORPHISM OF TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI
(American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2006) Myrna Virreira; Cristina Alonso‐Vega; Marco Solano; Juan Jijena; Laurent Brutus; Zulema Bustamante; Carine Truyens; Dominique Schneider; Faustino Torrico; Yves Carlier
This study aims to typify the Trypanosoma cruzi (sub)lineage(s) in umbilical cord blood of congenitally infected Bolivian newborns, using PCR amplifications of "Region Markers", mini-exon or kDNA fragments followed by hybridization or sequencing. New probes were also designed to distinguish three variants within the TcIId sublineage. The IIb, IId, or IIe T. cruzi sublineages, as well as different variants of the IId sublineage, were detected in infected neonates, whereas mixed infections were not found. The frequencies of the IId sublineage were similar in neonates (95.1%) and adults of the same area (94.1%). The IId-infected newborns displayed either asymptomatic, or severe and fatal clinical forms of congenital Chagas disease, as well as low or high parasitemia. Altogether these data show that T. cruzi DNA polymorphism, based on the presently available markers, is not associated with the occurrence of congenital infection or the development of severe clinical forms of congenital Chagas disease.
Efecto antibacteriano de la miel de abeja en diferentes concentraciones frente a staphylococcus aureus
(2016) Darwin Jose Becerra Torrejon; Janette Claudia Cabrera Ureña; Marco Solano
Introducción: El Staphylococcus aureus es una bacteria grampositiva, catalasa-positiva dispuestas en racimos, los factores de virulencia incluyen componentes estructurales que facilitan la adherencia a los tejidos del hospedador, Específicamente a la miel se le han reconocido propiedades medicinales desde la antigüedad: como tratamiento terapéutico contra infecciones causadas por bacterias en heridas abiertas, ulceras, quemaduras e infecciones oculares. Objetivo: Determinar la actividad antibacteriano de la miel de abeja en sus diferentes concentraciones frente al Staphylococcus aureus. Metodología: El estudio es Experimental, prospectivo y transversal. Se basó en la utilización de 6 cultivos de Staphylococcus aureus en caldo nutritivo con una determinadas cantidad de colonias a las cuales se aplicó miel de abeja en concentraciones de 30%, 60% y 100% que se dejó incubar por 24 horas para luego observar el efecto antibacteriano a través de un cultivo en agar sangre en otras 24 hrs. Resultados: Comprobamos que la actividad bactericida de la miel frente al Staphylococcus Aureus es muy efectiva siendo esta una alternativa de tratamiento frente a dicha bacteria y se pudo constatar que la miel de abeja a una mayor concentración produce mayor efecto antibacteriano sobre el Staphylococcus aureus.
[Effects of maternal infection with Trypanosoma cruzi in pregnancy development and in the newborn infant].
(National Institutes of Health, 2005) Faustino Torrico; Mildred Castro; Marco Solano; Patricia Rodríguez; Mary‐Cruz Torrico; Carine Truyens; Yves Carlier
In the endemic regions of Bolivia the infection of the feminine population in fertile age by T. cruzi is frequent (20 to 50 % of the women in fertile age) and the rate of fetal maternal transmission is of approximately 5%. A great percentage of infected women do not transmit the infection to the fetus. The intention of the present study carried out at the Maternal-Infantile Hospital Germán Urquidi of Cochabamba (Bolivia) is to contribute to the knowledge regarding the pregnancy and birth of a newborn of Chagas infected women who do not transmit the infection to the fetus. 2124 mothers and 2,155 newborns were studied. The prevalence of infection by T. cruzi among these pregnant women is of 26,3%. Two groups of mothers were studied: 554 that presented infection by T. cruzi (group M+B-) and 1520 not infected (group control M-B-). Both groups of mothers are comparable in their anthropometric and obstetrical antecedents. The mothers (M+B+) are in average older than those not infected (p<0.05), which will probably have an influence on the number of gestations and abortion antecedents, which were of p<0.05 and p=0.01 respectively. Among the different anthropometric and biological parameters studied in newborns of groups M+B- and M-B -, no statistically significant differences between both groups were found. It can be inferred that the chronic maternal infection by T. cruzi seems to have no clinical influence, neither on the course of the pregnancy nor during birth, if a group of T. cruzi infected mothers is compared to a non infected group.
[Estimation of the parasitemia in Trypanosoma cruzi human infection: high parasitemias are associated with severe and fatal congenital Chagas disease].
(National Institutes of Health, 2005) Mary Cruz Torrico; Marco Solano; José Miguel Guzmán; Rudy Parrado; Eduardo Suárez; Cristina Alonzo-Vega; Carine Truyens; Yves Carlier; Faustino Torrico
The aim of this study was to validate the method of microhematocrit tube, as a rapid method to estimate the parasitemia in blood and to associate the parasites concentration with the morbidity and mortality of new born children with congenital Chagas diseases. Our results were determined experimentally and shown that the detection limit of the microhematocrit tube method is 40 parasites/ml when at least one of the four observed tubes is positive. Besides, it was also established that when the four examined tubes are positive the parasitemia in blood reaches more than 100 parasites/ml. It is important to highlight the modification made by our laboratory in the microscopic observation of the microhematocrit tubes with respect to the methodology used by previous investigators. A positive association exists between a high number of parasites in blood and the morbi-mortality of the newly born children with congenital chagas. The results of positive association between the parasitic load and the morbility and mortality could constitute an argument to understand the possible role of the parasite in the pathology of the disease.
Improved Completion Rates and Characterization of Drug Reactions with an Intensive Chagas Disease Treatment Program in Rural Bolivia
(Public Library of Science, 2013) Jeffrey A. Tornheim; Daniel Franz Lozano Beltrán; Robert H. Gilman; Mario Castellon; Marco Solano; Walter Sullca; Faustino Torrico; Caryn Bern
Intensive management improved completion and identified more ADEs, but did not reduce moderate or severe ADEs. Risk of dermatologic ADEs cannot be reduced by selecting younger adults or monitoring only during the first few weeks of treatment. Pill counts and phone-based encounters are reliable tools for treatment programming in rural Bolivia.
MaternalTrypanosoma cruziInfection Upregulates Capacity of Uninfected Neonate Cells To Produce Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines
(American Society for Microbiology, 2000) Johan Vekemans; Carine Truyens; Faustino Torrico; Marco Solano; Mary‐Cruz Torrico; Patricia Rodríguez; Cristina Alonso‐Vega; Yves Carlier
The possibility of maternal in utero modulation of the innate and/or adaptive immune responses of uninfected newborns from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mothers was investigated by studying the capacity of their whole blood cells to produce cytokines in response to T. cruzi lysate or lipopolysaccharide-plus-phytohemagglutinin (LPS-PHA) stimulation. Cells of such newborns occasionally released gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and no interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4 upon specific stimulation, while their mothers responded by the production of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4. Infection in mothers was also associated with a hyperactivation of maternal cells and also, strikingly, of cells of their uninfected neonates, since their release of proinflammatory (IL-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha]) as well as of anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and soluble TNF receptor) cytokines or factors was upregulated in the presence of LPS-PHA and/or parasite lysate. These results show that T. cruzi infection in mothers induces profound perturbations in the cytokine response of their uninfected neonates. Such maternal influence on neonatal innate immunity might contribute to limit the occurrence and severity of congenital infection.
Tegumentary leishmaniasis by Leishmania braziliensis complex in Cochabamba, Bolivia including the presence of L. braziliensis outlier
(Wiley, 2021) Mary Cruz Torrico; Anna Fernández‐Arévalo; Cristina Ballart; Marco Solano; Ernesto Rojas; Eva Ariza; Sílvia Tebar; Daniel Lozano; Alba Abràs; Joaquím Gascón
Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoans of the Leishmania genus, which includes more than 20 species capable of infecting humans worldwide. In the Americas, the most widespread specie is L. braziliensis, present in 18 countries including Bolivia. The taxonomic position of the L. braziliensis complex has been a subject of controversy, complicated further by the recent identification of a particular subpopulation named L. braziliensis atypical or outlier. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic analysis of the L. braziliensis complex in Bolivia and to describe the associated clinical characteristics. Forty-one strains were analyzed by sequencing an amplified 1245 bp fragment of the hsp70 gene, which allowed its identification as: 24 (59%) L. braziliensis, 16 (39%) L. braziliensis outlier, and one (2%) L. peruviana. In a dendrogram constructed, L. braziliensis and L. peruviana are grouped in the same cluster, whilst L. braziliensis outlier appears in a separate branch. Sequence alignment allowed the identification of five non-polymorphic nucleotide positions (288, 297, 642, 993, and 1213) that discriminate L. braziliensis and L. peruviana from L. braziliensis outlier. Moreover, nucleotide positions 51 and 561 enable L. peruviana to be discriminated from the other two taxa. A greater diversity was observed in L. braziliensis outlier than in L. braziliensis-L. peruviana. The 41 strains came from 32 patients with tegumentary leishmaniasis, among which 22 patients (69%) presented cutaneous lesions (11 caused by L. braziliensis and 11 by L. braziliensis outlier) and 10 patients (31%) mucocutaneous lesions (eight caused by L. braziliensis, one by L. braziliensis outlier, and one by L. peruviana). Nine patients (28%) simultaneously provided two isolates, each from a separate lesion, and in each case the same genotype was identified in both. Treatment failure was observed in six patients infected with L. braziliensis and one patient with L. peruviana.
Tegumentary leishmaniasis by Leishmania braziliensis complex in Bolivia: the presence of L. braziliensis outlier
(2021) Mary Cruz Torrico; Anna Fernández‐Arévalo; Cristina Ballart; Marco Solano; Ernesto Rojas; Eva Ariza; Sílvia Tebar; Daniel Lozano; Alba Abràs; Joaquím Gascón
Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoans of the Leishmania genus, which includes more than 20 species capable of infecting humans worldwide. In the Americas, the most widespread specie is L. braziliensis , present in 18 countries, including Bolivia. The taxonomic position of the L. braziliensis complex has been a subject of controversy, complicated further by the recent identification of a particular subpopulation named L. braziliensis atypical or outlier. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic analysis of the L. braziliensis complex in Bolivia and to describe the associated clinical characteristics. Forty-one strains were analyzed by sequencing an amplified 1245 bp fragment of the hsp70 gene, which allowed its identification as: 24 (59%) L. braziliensis , 16 (39%) L. braziliensis outlier and one (2%) L. peruviana . In a dendrogram constructed, L. braziliensis and L. peruviana are grouped in the same cluster, whilst L. braziliensis outlier appears in a separate branch. Sequence alignment allowed the identification of five non-polymorphic nucleotide positions (288, 297, 642, 993 and 1213) that discriminate L. braziliensis and L. peruviana from L. braziliensis outlier. Moreover, nucleotide positions 51 and 561 enable L. peruviana to be discriminated from the other two taxa. A greater diversity, was observed in L . braziliensis outlier than in L. braziliensis - L. peruviana . The 41 strains came from 32 patients with tegumentary leishmaniasis, among which 22 patients (69%) presented cutaneous lesions (11 caused by L. braziliensis and 11 by L. braziliensis outlier) and ten patients (31%) mucocutaneous lesions (eight caused by L. braziliensis , one by L. braziliensis outlier and one by L. peruviana ). Nine patients (28%) simultaneously provided two isolates, each from a separate lesion, and in each case the same genotype was identified in both. Treatment failure was observed in six patients infected with L. braziliensis and one patient with L. peruviana .
The need for culture in tegumentary leishmaniasis diagnosis in Bolivia: A comparative evaluation of four parasitological techniques using two sampling methods
(Elsevier BV, 2023) Mary Cruz Torrico; Cristina Ballart; Anna Fernández‐Arévalo; Marco Solano; Ernesto Rojas; Alba Abràs; Fabiola Gonzales; Yercin Mamani Ortiz; Albert Arnau; Daniel Lozano
Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida Trypanosomatidae): Ecology of the transmission cycle in the wild environment of the Andean valley of Cochabamba, Bolivia
(Elsevier BV, 2006) Mirko Rojas Cortez; Ana Paula Pinho; Patrícia Cuervo; Fernando D. Alfaro; Marco Solano; Samanta Cristina das Chagas Xavier; Paulo Sérgio D’Andrea; Octavio Fernandes; Faustino Torrico; François Noireau
Usefulness of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry in the Characterization of Leishmania Strains Causing Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Bolivia versus hsp70 Gene Sequencing
(American Society for Microbiology, 2023) Mary Cruz Torrico; Anna Fernández‐Arévalo; Cristina Ballart; Marco Solano; Ernesto Rojas; Alba Abràs; Fabiola Gonzales; Albert Arnau; Sílvia Tebar; Teresa Llovet
The objective of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of MALDI-TOF MS for the characterization of Leishmania species circulating in Bolivia, in comparison with the sequencing of the hsp70 gene. In our study, all of the isolates could be identified, and no misidentifications were observed at the complex level.