Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and it is endemic in Central, South America, Mexico and the
South of the United States. It is an important cause of early mortality and morbidity, and it is associated with poverty and stigma. A third of
the cases evolve into chronic... cardiomyopathy and gastrointestinal disease. The infection is transmitted vertically and by blood/organ
donation and can reactivate with immunosuppression. Case identification requires awareness and screening programmes targeting the
population at risk (women in reproductive age, donors, immunocompromised patients). Treatment with benznidazole or nifurtimox is most
effective in the acute phase and prevents progression to chronic phase when given to children. Treating women antenatally reduces but does
not eliminate vertical transmission. Treatment is poorly tolerated, contraindicated during pregnancy, and has little effect modifying the
disease in the chronic phase. Screening is easily performed with serology. Migration has brought the disease outside of the endemic
countries, where the transmission continues vertically and via blood and tissue/organ donations. There are more than 32 million migrants
from Latin America living in non-endemic countries. However, the infection is massively underdiagnosed in this setting due to the lack of
awareness by patients, health authorities and professionals. Blood and tissue donation screening policies have significantly reduced
transmission in endemic countries but are not universally established in the non-endemic setting. Antenatal screening is not commonly
done. Other challenges include difficulties accessing and retaining patients in the healthcare system and lack of specific funding for the
interventions. Any strategy must be accompanied by education and awareness campaigns directed to patients, professionals and policy
makers. The involvement of patients and their communities is central and key for success and must be sought early and actively. This review
proposes strategies to address challenges faced by non-endemic countries
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Dengue is a significant public health problem. There are four dengue virus serotypes identified; however, its diagnosis is difficult due to the existence of many viruses, bacteria, and parasites producing the same clinical presentation, being present in the same geographical area and even producing ...coinfections. Therefore, determining whether a person has, had, or is infected with dengue virus is of great importance. In order to do so, direct and indirect laboratory tests have been developed to identify the virus or part of its structure that generally detects the antibody response. These techniques are used for diagnosis, epidemiological studies, monitoring, assessment and production of vaccines and antivirals, etc. They range from the use of cell cultures, animal models, inoculation by insects, and serology tests to the use of detection molecular tests and quantification of genetic material that are described in this chapter herein, a brief explanation of this methodology, its strengths and weaknesses, and its application in the dengue research.
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Microorganisms . 2022 Jul 14;10(7):1427.
Chagas disease (CD) is endemic in about 21 countries of the Americas. The disease has spread to recently Chagas-free regions, mainly due to migration, and can now also be diagnosed in countries such as the USA, Canada, many European and some African, eastern... Mediterranean and western Pacific countries. About 6 million people are infected and 70 million live with a daily risk of infection. Although many efforts have been made to control the disease, and some improvements were achieved, still, less than about 1% of the infected have access to diagnosis and treatment. This causes high morbidity and mortality rates with more than 12,000 deaths per year
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Testing Guidance and Interpretation of Results for Healthcare providers
Testing Guidance and Interpretation of Results for Healthcare Providers Dengue and Zika Virus
When is laboratory testing for Zika Virus infection reasonable? Testing algorithm for patients with and without symptoms.
This algorithm is addressed to laboratories
with established capacity(molecular, antigenic and/orserological) to detect dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and chikungunya(CHIKV) as part of the differential diagnosis for arborviruses. A BSL2 containment level is required to handle suspected samples.
Für wen ist eine Laboruntersuchung auf eine Zika Virus-Infektion sinnvoll? Diagnostisches Vorgehen bei Patienten mit und ohne Symptomen
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic organisms belonging to the genus Leptospira, that are transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans. Leptospirosis is a major direct zoonosis. Humanto-human transmission occurs only very rarely.
In response to the recent publication “Is onchocerciasis elimination in Africa feasible by 2025: a perspective based on lessons learnt from the African control programmes” by Dadzie et al., it is important to clarify and highlight the positive and unequivocal research and operational contributio...ns from the American experience towards the worldwide elimination of human onchocerciasis (river blindness).
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WHO's 2020 milestones for Chagas disease include having all endemic Latin American countries certified with no intradomiciliary Trypanosoma cruzi transmission, and infected patients under care. Evaluating the variation in historical exposure to infection is crucial for assessing progress and for und...erstanding the priorities to achieve these milestones.
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Global COVID-19 Clinical Platform: Case Record Form for suspected cases of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children and adolescents temporally related to COVID-19
Научная справка
24 апреля 2020 г.
При инфицировании в естественных условиях выработка иммунитета к патогенному микроорганизму проходит в несколько этапов и заним...ет от 1 до 2 недель. При вирусной инфекции врожденный иммунитет обеспечивает немедленную реакцию организма, которая заключается в активации неспецифического иммунного ответа, приводящего к замедлению инфекционного процесса макрофагами, нейтрофилами и дендритными клетками, и которая в ряде случаев обусловливает бессимптомное течение инфекции. Затем происходит активация адаптивного иммунного ответа, при котором в организме начинается выработка специфических антител, способных к связыванию с вирусными частицами. Данные антитела являются белками и носят название иммуноглобулинов. Кроме того, в организме образуются Т-клетки, способные распознавать и уничтожать другие клетки, пораженные вирусом. Это звено иммунитета носит название клеточного. Функционирование нескольких звеньев иммунитета при адаптивном ответе может способствовать элиминации вируса из организма, а при достаточной активности реакции – препятствовать переходу заболевания в тяжелую форму и повторному заражению той же инфекцией. Количественной мерой данного процесса является уровень антител в крови.
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