RESUMEN

The objectives of this study were to estimate: (a) the frequency of zoonoses in large animal veterinarians from rural areas of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and (b) to describe the use and disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) and selective veterinary clinical waste. A cross-sectional study was carried out on large animal veterinary practitioners in the Province of Buenos Aires (n = 106). One third (29.2%) of them had been diagnosed with a zoonosis by laboratory-methods, being brucellosis the most frequent (22.6%). The more years passed since their graduation, the greater the chances of becoming ill (p < 0.001). Gloves were the most adopted PPE; however, other elements had little or no use at all. Older and experienced professionals used PPE less frequently than young inexperienced practitioners. Some PPE was frequently reused and the final disposal of veterinary waste was often inappropriate. A change in behavior is an urgent need to preserve not only the veterinarians' health but also their families' wellbeing and to ensure proper disposal of potentially hazardous waste.

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron los siguientes: a) estimar la frecuencia de zoonosis en veterinarios de grandes animales que desarrollan su labor en la provincia de Buenos Aires; b) describir el uso y la disposición de los elementos de protección personal (EPP) y otros residuos generados durante el trabajo de estos veterinarios. Para ello se realizó un estudio transversal en una muestra de 106 profesionales. En un tercio de ellos (29,2%) se había sido diagnosticado por métodos de laboratorio alguna zoonosis; la brucelosis fue la más frecuente (22,6%). Se encontró que a mayor tiempo transcurrido desde la graduación, mayor era la probabilidad de enfermarse (p< 0,001). Sobre la base de las respuestas obtenidas en cuestionarios estructurados, se determinó lo siguiente: que los guantes fueron el EPP más adoptado, mientras que otros elementos tuvieron escasa o nula adopción; que los profesionales de mayor edad y experiencia usaron EPP con menos frecuencia que los practicantes más jóvenes e inexpertos; y que algunos EPP se reutilizaban con frecuencia y que la eliminación final de los desechos veterinarios fue a menudo inapropiada. Considerando estos hallazgos, es claro que se requiere un cambio de comportamiento para preservar no solo la salud de los veterinarios, sino también para asegurar el bienestar de sus familias y garantizar la eliminación adecuada de los residuos potencialmente peligrosos.

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RESUMEN

The objectives of this study were to estimate: (a) the frequency of zoonoses in large animal veterinarians from rural areas of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and (b) to describe the use and disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) and selective veterinary clinical waste. A cross-sectional study was carried out on large animal veterinary practitioners in the Province of Buenos Aires (n=106). One third (29.2%) of them had been diagnosed with a zoonosis by laboratory-methods, being brucellosis the most frequent (22.6%). The more years passed since their graduation, the greater the chances of becoming ill (p<0.001). Gloves were the most adopted PPE; however, other elements had little or no use at all. Older and experienced professionals used PPE less frequently than young inexperienced practitioners. Some PPE was frequently reused and the final disposal of veterinary waste was often inappropriate. A change in behavior is an urgent need to preserve not only the veterinarians' health but also their families' wellbeing and to ensure proper disposal of potentially hazardous waste.

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Se realizó la descripción de una intervención integral dirigida a médicos de familias y grupos básicos de trabajo, en consulta externa, a la comunidad y a los hipertensos del Policlínico Héroes del Moncada, del 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre de 2013. Se consignaron los temas que se impartirán a los médicos de familia y a los grupos básicos de trabajo, según la guía del Programa de Hipertensión Arterial. Se señalaron los acápites que deben ser llenados en la historia clínica y las acciones a desarrollar por el médico de familia en la consulta externa del hipertenso. Se expresaron las actividades y el procedimiento de intervención en la comunidad, así como la metodología y el programa para llevar a cabo en las escuelas de hipertensos(AU)

We described an integral intervention directed to family physicians and basic work groups in external consultation, to the community and hypertensive patients of the Policlinic Heroes del Moncada, carried out from January 1st to December 31st 2013. The themes taught to family physicians and basic work groups were identified taking into account the Arterial Hypertension Program guidelines. We indicated the items of the clinical record that should be filled out and the actions the family physician should develop in the hypertensive patient external consultation. We explained the activities and the intervention procedure in the community, and also the methodology and program to develop in the hypertensive patients schools(AU)

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RESUMEN

Se realizó la descripción de una intervención integral dirigida a médicos de familias y grupos básicos de trabajo, en consulta externa, a la comunidad y a los hipertensos del Policlínico Héroes del Moncada, del 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre de 2013. Se consignaron los temas que se impartirán a los médicos de familia y a los grupos básicos de trabajo, según la guía del Programa de Hipertensión Arterial. Se señalaron los acápites que deben ser llenados en la historia clínica y las acciones a desarrollar por el médico de familia en la consulta externa del hipertenso. Se expresaron las actividades y el procedimiento de intervención en la comunidad, así como la metodología y el programa para llevar a cabo en las escuelas de hipertensos.

We described an integral intervention directed to family physicians and basic work groups in external consultation, to the community and hypertensive patients of the Policlinic Heroes del Moncada, carried out from January 1st to December 31st 2013. The themes taught to family physicians and basic work groups were identified taking into account the Arterial Hypertension Program guidelines. We indicated the items of the clinical record that should be filled out and the actions the family physician should develop in the hypertensive patient external consultation. We explained the activities and the intervention procedure in the community, and also the methodology and program to develop in the hypertensive patients’ schools.

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Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is the paradigm of a transboundary animal disease. Beyond any doubt, it is the most serious challenge for livestock's health. Official Veterinary Services from free countries invest considerable amount of money to prevent its introduction, whereas those from endemic countries invest most of their resources in the control of the disease. A very important volume of scientific production is developed every year in different aspects of FMD, and for that reason, the current knowledge makes the diagnosis of the disease easier to a great extent. However, FMD is still endemic in about two-thirds of the countries, and periodically re-emergent in several countries. This paper is a review of recent publications, focusing mainly on control measures and current world epidemiological situation, emphasizing primarily pigs.

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A single serum-dilution liquid phase ELISA (slpELISA) was standardized to be used for serological evaluation of herd immunity against foot-and-mouth disease. The absorbance value at a dilution 1:64 of each serum sample was interpolated in a standard curve by plotting the antibody titers of six control sera determined by end point dilution liquid phase ELISA (lpELISA), against the absorbance values for the same control sera at 1:64 dilutions. A straight line was obtained by linear regression analysis (r>0.90) in the titer range of 1.40-2.40. The reliability of the antibody titers was confirmed by the simultaneous titration of 60 cattle sera by slpELISA and lpELISA, which showed an acceptable correlation (R(2)>0.87) for viral strains A24/Cruzeiro, A/Argentina/01, O1/Campos and C3/Indaial. Titers obtained by both methods were not significantly different (p>0.05), thus confirming that slpELISA could be used successfully to replace the conventional serial dilution ELISA for the assessment of protection status of cattle in epidemiological studies. In addition, this quantitative slpELISA provides an adequate method for monitoring the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns and is also suitable for the assessment of seroconversion of naive animals during early stages of infection.

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A model developed as a complementary tool in the surveillance of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was based on two main components: data and basic cartography. The data was obtained from the veterinary services of Argentina. It included different animal species, movement records and data on vaccination campaigns. The basic cartography was produced from cadastral maps of four departments of Buenos Aires province that were scanned, incorporated to a geographic information system and then overlapped to satellite images to adjust the borders of farms to the correct coordinates. Digital maps of the four departments were obtained, with all premises represented as polygons. Then, each premise was identified with its unique code, provided by the veterinary services. The data was processed and then linked to the maps. The output of the model are maps of different types, in which it is possible to characterise animal population at farm level, to analyse the evolution of the systematic vaccination campaigns against FMD, to determine patterns of animal movements and others.

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This paper describes the antigenic and molecular characterisation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strains isolated during the 2000-2002 epidemic in Argentina, and the strategy implemented for disease control. Two different FMDV serotypes, O and A, were involved. Of the various field isolates studied, two distinct O1 lineages (strains Corrientes/00 and Misiones/00) and two serotype A lineages (A/Argentina/00 and A/Argentina/01 prototypes) were identified. The genome sequences of these strains were compared with sequences of previous regional isolates and sequences of vaccine strains. O1 strains were found to be related to regional strains while serotype A strains were found to be more distanced from them. The updating of the antigenic composition of the vaccines used in the emergency was a key issue, since the outbreaks stopped shortly after the implementation of the vaccination programs. The O1 strains quickly disappeared from the field following strict control measures and the use of vaccines containing O1/Campos strain. However, in the case of the A serotype strains, the situation was different, since the use of a vaccine containing strain A24/Cruzeiro yielded acceptable levels of protection only after re-vaccination. Therefore, the new field strains A/Argentina/00 and A/Argentina/01 were incorporated into the vaccine, leading to an effective control of the disease. Viral circulation greatly diminished, as indicated by the significant reduction in the number of outbreaks and in the number of animals with antibodies against non-structural proteins. Satisfactory levels of protective antibodies were subsequently detected in the cattle population (above 75% protection). The absence of outbreaks after January 2002 indicated that the epidemic was controlled.

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