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BACKGROUND: Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is caused by new world hantaviruses, among which Andes hantavirus (ANDV) is endemic to Chile and Southern Argentina. The disease caused by ANDV produces plasma leakage leading to enhanced vascular permeability and has a high case fatality rate (35%), mainly due to respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and myocardial dysfunction, hypoperfusion and shock. Host sociodemographic and genetic factors might influence the course and outcome of the disease. Yet, they have not been thoroughly characterized. AIM: To evaluate sociodemographic factors as risk factors in severity of HCPS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Study period: 2004-20013, attending in eight collaborative centers, etiological diagnosis was performed by serology or molecular biology, mild and severe HCPS were compared.139 Chilean patients were analyzed, 64 (46%) with severe disease among which 12 (19 %) died. RESULTS: European ethnicity had 5,1 times higher risk than Amerindian ethnic group to develop a severe HCPS, greater seriousness that was also associated with an urban residence. CONCLUSION: It was observed that ethnicity and type of residence were significant risk factors for HCPS severity. Hypotheses explaining these findings are discussed.

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Resumen Introducción: El síndrome cardiopulmonar por hantavirus (SCPH) es causado en Chile y en el sur de Argentina por el Andes hantavirus (ANDV), el que es endémico en esta zona. La enfermedad causada por ANDV produce un aumento de permeabilidad vascular y filtración de plasma con una alta tasa de letalidad (35%), debido principalmente a insuficiencia respiratoria por edema pulmonar y al desarrollo en los casos graves de compromiso miocárdico, hipoperfusión y shock. Aunque se sabe que los factores socio-demográficos del hospedero pueden influir en el curso y el resultado de la enfermedad, estos no se han caracterizado previamente en la población chilena. Objetivo: Evaluar la relación entre los factores socio-demográficos y la gravedad del SCPH. Pacientes y Métodos: Período de análisis 2004-20013, pacientes atendidos en ocho centros colaboradores, diagnóstico etiológico serológico o por biología molecular, se comparan SCPH leve y grave. Se analizaron 139 pacientes chilenos, 64 (46%) con enfermedad grave, entre los cuales 12 murieron (19%). Resultados: La etnia europea tuvo un riesgo 5,1 veces mayor de desarrollar un SCPH grave que la etnia amerindia, gravedad mayor que también se asoció a una residencia urbana. Conclusiones: Se observó una asociación estadísticamente significativa entre etnia, lugar de residencia y evolución de SCPH. Se discuten hipótesis que expliquen estos hallazgos.

Background: Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is caused by new world hantaviruses, among which Andes hantavirus (ANDV) is endemic to Chile and Southern Argentina. The disease caused by ANDV produces plasma leakage leading to enhanced vascular permeability and has a high case fatality rate (35%), mainly due to respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and myocardial dysfunction, hypoperfusion and shock. Host sociodemographic and genetic factors might influence the course and outcome of the disease. Yet, they have not been thoroughly characterized. Aim: To evaluate sociodemographic factors as risk factors in severity of HCPS. Patients and Methods: Study period: 2004-20013, attending in eight collaborative centers, etiological diagnosis was performed by serology or molecular biology, mild and severe HCPS were compared.139 Chilean patients were analyzed, 64 (46%) with severe disease among which 12 (19 %) died. Results: European ethnicity had 5,1 times higher risk than Amerindian ethnic group to develop a severe HCPS, greater seriousness that was also associated with an urban residence. Conclusion: It was observed that ethnicity and type of residence were significant risk factors for HCPS severity. Hypotheses explaining these findings are discussed.

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Background: New vaccination strategies are needed to control the increasing problem of pertussis in teenagers and adults. Aim: To determine the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa) vaccine with reduced antigen content. Material and Methods: A single dose of the dTpa vaccine was administered to 60 children 10 to 11 years old and 60 healthy adults. At the moment of vaccination and one month later, antibody levels were measured against 3 B pertussis antigens: anti-pertussis toxin (PT), anti-pertactin (PRN) and anti-filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), as well as anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria antibodies. Local and general symptoms were registered during 14 days following vaccine administration. Results: Antibody response for PT, FHA and PRN was 98.3 percent, 100 percent and 100 percent in adults and 98.2 percent, 100 percent and 98.2 percent in children. Seropositivity for all pertussis antigens was 100 percent in adults and in children one month after vaccination. Geometric mean titers (GMT) significantly increased in adults and children. The seroprotection level achieved for tetanus and diphtheria antibodies one month after vaccination was 96.7 percent for adults and 100 percent for children, respectively. No serious adverse events were reported during the study. Among local symptoms pain was the most frequent (88-90 percent), but it was mostly mild or moderate. Solicited general symptoms observed for children and adults, respectively, included headache (37 percent and 53 percent), fatigue (18 percent and 35 percent) gastrointestinal symptoms (18 percent and 25 percent) and fever (8 percent and 3 percent). Only one vaccinee had fever above 39­C. Conclusions: the dTpa vaccine showed an adequate safety profile and induced an intense immunological response to all antigens in adults and children aged 10-11

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Background: Diseases produced by Streptoccocus pyogenes are still a problem in Chile, as in the rest of the world. It exhibits in vitro susceptibility to different antimicrobials, but penicillin continues to be the treatment of choice. Alternative drugs have been developed for allergic patients, such as erythromycin, new macrolides and cephalosporins. Nevertheless, resistant strains are appearing due to the indiscriminate use of macrolides. Aim: To assess present antimicrobial susceptibility of S Pyogenes strains isolated from chilean patients. Material and Methods: The susceptibility to penicillin, macrolides, clindamycin, cephalotin and vancomycin of 153 S Pyogenes strains, obtained from different health centers of the Metropolitan Region and isolated between 1996 and 1998, was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer method. Agar dilution minimal inhibitory concentration was then determined to macrolide resistant strains. Results: All strains were susceptible to penicillin. There was a 7.2 percent cross-resistance to macrolides. Conclusions: These results confirm that S Pyogenes resistance to macrolides has increased considerably in the Metropolitan Region of Chile during the last years

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Background: the computer program WHONET generates a common database to analyze local or general antimicrobial resistance of bacteria. A surveillance of agents causing urinary tract infections in Chile has been performed using this program. Aim: to report the results after 12 months of urinary tract infection agent surveillance. Material and methods: since november, 1997, a surveillance of in vitro antimicrobial resistance, using agar diffusion techniques, has been performed in 20 to 40 bacterial strains per month, isolated from 11 hospitals in the country. Results have been analyzed using WHONET program. Results: in first 12 months, 3144 strains, 1625 coming from outpatients, have been studied. Seventy four percent of isolated strains were E. coli, 19 percent were other enterobacteria, 4.1 percent were non fermenting bacilli and 2.1 percent were Gram (+) cocci. Sixty five percent of E coli strains were resistant to ampicillin, 11 percent to cefazolin, 2.5 percent to cefuroxime, 19 percent to ceftriaxone, 9 percent to ceftazidime, 4.2 percent to gentamicin 1.3 percent to amikacin, 5.6 percent to ciprofloxacin, 8.4 percent to grepafloxacin, 4.3 percent to nitrofurantoin and 43 percent to trimeproprim/sulphamethoxazole. Eighty two percent of other enterobacteria strains were resistant to ampicillin, 45.5 percent to cefazolin, 33.5 percent to cefuroxime, 26.6 percent to ceftriaxone, 21.5 percent to ceftazidime, 30.3 percent to gentamicin 17.2 percent to amikacin, 21 percent to ciprofloxacin, 16.3 percent to grepafloxacin, 48.2 percent to nitrofurantoin and 44.6 percent to trimeproprim/sulphamethoxazole. There were differences in betalactamic resistance among hospitals. Conclusions: noteworthy is the high resistance rates to third generation cephalosporins, evidenced when the new cutoff values for E coli and klebsiella spp are used. This national surveillance provides updated information on antimicrobial resistance of agents causing urinary tract infections

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En los últimos años, a nivel mundial se han producido cambios en la etiología de la infección respiratoria y los microorganismos causases muestran resistencia progresiva a los antimicrobianos de uso habitual. Esto ha llevado a la búsqueda de nuevas alternativas terapéuticas. El propósito de este estudio fue comparar la susceptibilidad antimicrobiana in vítro, de 150 cepas bacterianas aisladas durante el primer semestre 1997, de adultos y niños con infeccion respiratoria superior o inferior, frente a la nueva asociación amoxicilina/ sulbactam (amox/sul) y otros 4 antimicrobianos de uso frecuente en Chile en estas patologías. Se determinó la CIM mediante técnica de dilución en agar de amoxicilina (amox), amox/ sul, cefuroxima (cefu), azitromicina (azit) y claritromicina (ciarl) frente a 55 cepas de S. pneumoniae, 44 cepas de H. ínfluenzae, 19 cepas de S. pyogenes y 32 S. aureus. Resultados. De las 55 cepas de S. pneumoniae, 9.1 por ciento fueron resistentes 1 amox, 7,3 por ciento a amox/Sul y cefu y ninguna presentó resistencia a azit o ciarl. Las 19 cepas de S. pyogenes estudiadas fueron sensibles a los 5 antimicrobianos, aunque cepas presentaron CIM límite a azit y ciarl (igual al valor de corte). De las 44 cepas de H. influenzae, 12,3 por ciento presentaron resistencia a amox y 9,1 por ciento a clarí. No se observó resistencia a amox/sul, cefu ni azit. En las cepas de S. aureus se observó resistencia importante a todos los antimicrobianos estudiados: 96 por ciento para amox, 56,3 por ciento para cefu, 59,4 por ciento para ciarl y azit y 46,9 por ciento para amox/sul. Conclusión: De acuerdo a nuestros resultados in vitro, la combinación amoxicilina/sulbactam, frente a bacterias causantes de infecciones respiratorias, tiene una cobertura comparable a otros antimicrobianos en uso e incluidos en este estudio (entre 100 y 54 por ciento) con la excepción de S. aureus que debería ser tratado con antimicrobianos con actividad antiestafilocóccica específica

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Protective immunity against rotavirus infection is directed against antigenic epitopes on the outer capsid proteins VP7 and VP4. The aim of this study was to characterize the VP7 and VP4 antigenic types circulating in different hospital areas of Santiago, Chile, obtained from children consulting for acute no bloody diarrhea in 5 hospitals representative of the 5 major health areas in Santiago. In addition, 256 rotavirus positive samples, obtained from children with acute diarrhea consulting in the north health area of Santiago between 1985-1987 were studied. All samples were processed for rotavirus by an ELISA and all rotavirus positive samples were selected for VP4 typing by PCR (types P1-P4). A total of 782 rotavirus positive samples were obtained of wich 618 (79 percent) were typeable for one specific VP7 type. VP7 type G1 represented 63 percent of the rotavirus positive samples and predominated in all areas evaluated throughout the entire period of observation. VP7 type G2 represented 13 percent of rotavirus samples, following G1 in predominance. G2 types decreased progressively in all areas in both study periods. G4 types were detected mainly during 1985-1987, and G3 types have so far not been detected. Preliminary analysis of VP4 types suggests that P1 types are predominant and closely associated with VP7 G1 type. These results are relevant for the adoption of appropiate preventive strategies for rotavirus infection, specifically aimed to the development of effective vaccines

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