RESUMO
The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System-Zika Postpartum Emergency Response study, implemented in Puerto Rico during the Zika virus outbreak (2016-2017) and after Hurricanes Irma and María (2017-2018), collected pregnancy-related data using postpartum hospital-based surveys and telephone follow-up surveys. Response rates of 75% or more were observed across five study surveys. The study informed programs, increased the Puerto Rico Department of Health's capacity to conduct maternalâinfant health surveillance, and demonstrated the effectiveness of this methodology for collecting data during public health emergencies. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(4):574-578. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306687).
Assuntos
Infecção por Zika virus , Zika virus , Emergências , Feminino , Humanos , Período Pós-Parto , Gravidez , Saúde Pública , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Vitaminas , Infecção por Zika virus/epidemiologiaRESUMO
We examined pregnant women's use of personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites during the 2016-2017 Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico. Healthcare provider counseling on recommended measures was associated with increased use of insect repellent among pregnant women but not with wearing protective clothing.
Assuntos
Mordeduras e Picadas/prevenção & controle , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez , Infecção por Zika virus , Adulto , Surtos de Doenças , Feminino , Humanos , Repelentes de Insetos , Mosquitos Vetores/virologia , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Roupa de Proteção , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Adulto Jovem , Zika virus , Infecção por Zika virus/epidemiologia , Infecção por Zika virus/prevenção & controleRESUMO
We examined condom use throughout pregnancy during the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico during 2016. Overall, <25% of women reported consistent condom use during pregnancy. However, healthcare provider counseling was associated with a 3-fold increase in consistent use, reinforcing the value of provider counseling in Zika prevention efforts.
Assuntos
Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Infecção por Zika virus/prevenção & controle , Infecção por Zika virus/transmissão , Zika virus , Surtos de Doenças , Feminino , História do Século XXI , Humanos , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/história , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/virologia , Prevalência , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Medição de Risco , Fatores de Risco , Infecção por Zika virus/história , Infecção por Zika virus/virologiaRESUMO
Background: Previously we reported the use of a monoclonal antibody-based (HP10) antigen (Ag) detection lateral flow assay (LFA) for the diagnosis of extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis (EP-NCC). The assay performed well when used with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples but not with their paired serum samples, due to false-positive reactions in some known negative control cases. Methods: Our novel modification involves pretreatment of serum samples using a combination of sodium deoxycholate and dithiothreitol. Results: The modification overcomes the problem of false positives when using negative serum samples from clinically characterized cases of EP-NCC and bovine cysticercosis. In general, there was good agreement between HP10 Ag enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the HP10 Ag-LFA, but the HP10 Ag-ELISA was marginally more sensitive than the modified HP10 Ag-LFA. Conclusions: The modified HP10 Ag-LFA provides a field test for the rapid identification of endemic human and bovine cysticercosis.
Assuntos
Bioensaio/métodos , Sangue/parasitologia , Cisticercose/sangue , Cisticercose/diagnóstico , Cysticercus/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Bovinos , Ácido Desoxicólico , Ditiotreitol , Equador/epidemiologia , Reações Falso-Positivas , Feminino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
Zika virus infection during pregnancy remains a serious health threat in Puerto Rico. Infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly, brain abnormalities, and other severe birth defects (1). From January 1, 2016 through March 29, 2017, Puerto Rico reported approximately 3,300 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection (2). There is currently no vaccine or intervention to prevent the adverse effects of Zika virus infection during pregnancy; therefore, prevention has been the focus of public health activities, especially for pregnant women (3). CDC and the Puerto Rico Department of Health analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Zika Postpartum Emergency Response (PRAMS-ZPER) survey conducted from August through December 2016 among Puerto Rico residents with a live birth. Most women (98.1%) reported using at least one measure to avoid mosquitos in their home environment. However, only 45.8% of women reported wearing mosquito repellent daily, and 11.5% reported wearing pants and shirts with long sleeves daily. Approximately one third (38.5%) reported abstaining from sex or using condoms consistently throughout pregnancy. Overall, 76.9% of women reported having been tested for Zika virus by their health care provider during the first or second trimester of pregnancy. These results can be used to assess and refine Zika virus infection prevention messaging and interventions for pregnant women and to reinforce measures to promote prenatal testing for Zika.
Assuntos
Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Gestantes/psicologia , Prática de Saúde Pública , Infecção por Zika virus/prevenção & controle , Adulto , Preservativos/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Repelentes de Insetos , Programas de Rastreamento/estatística & dados numéricos , Controle de Mosquitos/estatística & dados numéricos , Gravidez , Roupa de Proteção/estatística & dados numéricos , Porto Rico , Medição de Risco , Abstinência Sexual/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
To study diagnostic epitopes within the Taenia solium 8 kDa antigen family, six overlapping synthetic peptides from an 8 kDa family member (Ts8B2) were synthesized and evaluated by ELISA and MABA with sera from patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC), from infected pigs and from rabbits immunized with recombinant Ts8B2 protein. The pre-immune rabbit sera and the Ts8B2 recombinant protein served as negative and positive controls, respectively. A similar analysis was done with the already described antigenic peptides from another member of the 8 kDa family, highly similar to Ts8B2, the CyDA antigen. Surprisingly, neither the Ts8B2 peptides nor the CyDA peptides were recognized by infected human and porcine sera. However, the entire Ts8B2 recombinant, as well as amino and carboxy-terminal halves were recognized by the positive serum samples. The observed lack of recognition of linear Ts8B2 peptides suggests that the principal serological response to the Ts8B2 family is focused on conformational epitopes in contrast to the previously observed antigenicity of the CyDA peptides. This differential antigenicity of 8 kDa family peptides could be related with parasite antigenic variability. The fact that rabbits experimentally immunized with Ts8B2 did make anti-peptide antibodies to peptides Ts8B2-6 and CyDA-6, located in the carboxy-terminal region demonstrated that the Ts8B2 peptides are not intrinsically non-immunogenic.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Helmintos/imunologia , Cisticercose/diagnóstico , Epitopos/imunologia , Taenia solium/imunologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Variação Antigênica , Antígenos de Helmintos/química , Antígenos de Helmintos/genética , Clonagem Molecular , Cisticercose/imunologia , Cisticercose/parasitologia , Cysticercus/genética , Cysticercus/imunologia , Cysticercus/isolamento & purificação , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Epitopos/química , Epitopos/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Immunoblotting , Coelhos , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/imunologia , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Alinhamento de Sequência , Suínos , Taenia solium/genética , Taenia solium/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
There is a paucity of quantitative data on the status of porcine cysticercosis in Venezuela, information which is essential for understanding the level of disease transmission. This study was, therefore, conducted in a typical small rural community in Yaracuy State, Venezuela, where previous cases of human Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis had been reported and where the free-ranging pig management practices and the lack of rudimentary sanitary facilities indicated an obvious risk for transmission of the disease. Serum samples from 52 village pigs were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for anti-cysticercal antibodies (Ab-ELISA), using T. solium cyst fluid as the antigen and the HP10, monoclonal antibody-based, antigen trapping ELISA for parasite antigen (HP10 Ag-ELISA). Significantly, a high proportion of the animals (65.4% for the Ab-ELISA and 42.3% for the HP10 Ag-ELISA) were sero-positive. Five of the pigs, which were selected on that basis of positive tongue palpation, were killed for autopsy, and large numbers of viable cysticerci were found in the carcases. This unequivocal documentation of porcine cysticercosis in Venezuelan pigs presents clear evidence that T. solium is actively transmitted in Venezuela. Further detailed studies and implementation of appropriate control measures are therefore indicated.
Assuntos
Cisticercose/veterinária , Doenças dos Suínos/transmissão , Criação de Animais Domésticos , Animais , Cisticercose/epidemiologia , Cisticercose/transmissão , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática/veterinária , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Suínos , Doenças dos Suínos/epidemiologia , Doenças dos Suínos/parasitologia , Venezuela/epidemiologiaRESUMO
This study evaluates five synthetic peptides derived from four, potentially protective, Taenia saginata oncosphere molecules for the serodiagnosis of T. solium cysticercosis/neurocysticercosis in three distinct Venezuelan endemic regions. The peptides, all of which have been described previously, are designated HP6-3, Ts45W-1, Ts45W-5, Ts45S-10 and TEG-1. In clinically verified and seropositive hospital cases, combining the results of three of the individual peptide-based ELISAs (HP6-3, Ts45W-1 and Ts45W-5) afforded the best balance between sensitivity (85%) and specificity (83.5%), a significant improvement on the 63.6% specificity obtained with the routinely employed T. solium cyst-fluid-based ELISA. Similarly, in the seropositive Venezuelan endemic zone samples, 89.09% of Amerindians, 77.27% of symptomatic rural subjects and 67.83% of non-symptomatic rural subjects were also classed as seropositive by the combined peptide-based ELISAs. The profile of antibody recognition to individual peptides varied between the different groups of samples examined. The relevance of the above findings for the serology and prognosis of T. solium cysticercosis/neurocysticercosis in hospital- and field-based situations is discussed.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Helmintos/imunologia , Cisticercose/diagnóstico , Taenia solium/imunologia , Animais , Anticorpos Anti-Helmínticos/sangue , Cisticercose/epidemiologia , Doenças Endêmicas/estatística & dados numéricos , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática/métodos , Epitopos , Humanos , Neurocisticercose/diagnóstico , Neurocisticercose/epidemiologia , Prognóstico , Saúde da População Rural , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Venezuela/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Transgenic lines of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, expressing a synthetic cry1A gene (tic107) from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were evaluated in screenhouse and conventional field trials for efficacy against lepidopteran pests. In screenhouse trials, Bt soybean and negative checks (isogenic segregants and parental lines) were evaluated against Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner and Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) in the United States and against A. gemmatalis, Epinotia aporema (Walsingham), Rachiplusia nu (Guenée), and Spilosoma virginica (F.) in Argentina. Bt soybean exhibited virtually complete efficacy against each of these pests, whereas negative checks suffered significant damage. Bt soybean and negative checks also were evaluated in conventional trials against native populations of A. gemmatalis and P. includens in the southeastern United States. Each of these insects caused significant damage to negative checks in one or more locations, whereas Bt soybean exhibited virtually complete efficacy against these pests. In the laboratory, lyophilized leaf tissues from Bt soybean incorporated in artificial diet at a concentration representing a 25-fold dilution of fresh tissue caused complete mortality of A. gemmatalis and near complete mortality of P. includens neonates after 11 d, whereas mortality on negative checks did not exceed 10% for either insect. Average TIC107 expression approached or exceeded 50 microg/g fresh weight at V3 stage of growth and 200 microg/g by R6 stage of growth. These results demonstrate that expression of TIC107 in soybean can not only achieve highly efficacious control of several lepidopterans under field conditions but also provide a high dose for effective insect resistance management.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Toxinas Bacterianas/genética , Endotoxinas/genética , Expressão Gênica , Glycine max/genética , Lepidópteros , Controle Biológico de Vetores , Plantas Geneticamente Modificadas/genética , Animais , Argentina , Toxinas de Bacillus thuringiensis , Proteínas Hemolisinas , Estados UnidosRESUMO
A serological study was undertaken in 1998 to evaluate levels of Taenia solium cysticercosis in 3 rural Venezuelan communities. Infection with viable metacestodes was diagnosed with a trapping enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that detects a secreted product of viable parasites. Anti-metacestode antibodies were assayed by ELISA using T. solium vesicular fluid as antigen. A total of 1254 sera was collected from 3 communities (Canoabo, Sanare, and Rio Tocuyo) where previous studies had suggested the presence of T. solium. Our results demonstrate an unusually high seroprevalence of cysticercosis, indicating an attendant risk of transmitting the disease to other areas. The seroprevalence of infection with viable cysts, as indicated by detection of circulating parasite antigen, was 9.1% in Canoabo, 6.1% in Sanare, and 5.7% in Rio Tocuyo. The corresponding frequency of antibodies to T. solium cyst antigens was 36.5% in Canoabo, 36.5% in Sanare, and 4% in Rio Tocuyo. As these communities are probably representative of many others in Venezuela, T. solium cysticercosis may be a significant public health problem and more work is certainly indicated. An important finding was that local knowledge of the disease and its transmission do not necessarily guarantee diminished disease prevalence, indicating a lack of appropriate vigilance towards disease control.
Assuntos
Cisticercose/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Anticorpos Anti-Helmínticos/sangue , Antígenos de Helmintos/sangue , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Cisticercose/imunologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Saúde da População Rural , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Taenia solium/imunologia , Venezuela/epidemiologiaRESUMO
This study investigated the protective capacity of the recombinant Taenia saginata Tso18 antigen administered as a DNA vaccine in the Taenia crassiceps murine model of cysticercosis. This Tso18 DNA sequence, isolated from a T. saginata oncosphere cDNA library, has homologies with Taenia solium and Echinococcus sp. It was cloned in the pcDNA3.1 plasmid and injected once intramuscularly into mice. Compared to saline-vaccinated control mice, immunization reduced the parasite burden by 57.3-81.4%, while lower levels of non-specific protection were induced in control mice injected with the plasmid pcDNA3.1 (18.8-33.1%) or a plasmid with irrelevant construct, pcDNA3.1/3D15 (33.4-38.8%). Importantly, significant levels of protection were observed between the pcDNA3.1/Tso18 plasmid and pcDNA3.1/3D15 plasmid immunized mice. Mice immunized with pTso18 synthesized low levels of, primarily IgG1 sub-class, antibodies. These antibodies were shown to recognize a 66 kDa antigen fraction of T. crassiceps and T. solium. Splenocytes enriched in both CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+ T cells from these vaccinated mice proliferated in vitro when exposed to antigens from both T. solium and T. crassiceps cestodes. Immunolocalization studies revealed the Tso18 antigen in oncospheres of T. saginata and T. solium, in the adult tapeworm and in the tegument of T. solium cysticerci. The protective capacity of this antigen and its extensive distribution in different stages, species and genera of cestodes points to the potential of Tso18 antigen for the possible design of a vaccine against cestodes.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Helmintos/imunologia , Cisticercose/prevenção & controle , DNA de Helmintos/imunologia , Taenia saginata/imunologia , Taenia/imunologia , Animais , Células Cultivadas , Reações Cruzadas , Cisticercose/imunologia , DNA de Helmintos/genética , Estágios do Ciclo de Vida/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Baço/citologia , Linfócitos T/imunologia , Vacinação , Vacinas de DNARESUMO
The potential value of PCRs in the species-specific diagnosis of have been investigated, using samples of T. saginata and T. solium from different geographical areas. The PCRs examining inter-species differences were based on the sequence of the HDP2 DNA fragment, specific for T. saginata/T. solium, and the sequence of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 and spacer 2 (ITS-1 and ITS-2). This PCR analysis of DNA isolates confirmed morphologic diagnosis and allowed the speciation of samples too small or fragmented for morphologic identification, with clear and consistent inter-species differences between T. saginata (twenty-two) and T. solium (three) geographical isolates. Possible intra-species genomic variability, within these species, was similarly studied through analysis of PCR amplification products (PCR-RFLP) and only encountered one exceptional T. saginata isolate from Kenya, which yielded a unique PCR-RFLP pattern, different from T. saginata DNA of Mexican (one sample) and Spanish (seven samples) origin.