6320 research outputs found
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IFN-gamma expression and infectivity of Toxoplasma infected tissues are associated with an antibody response against GRA7 in experimentally infected pigs
No full textToxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite, can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of infected meat. However, there are currently no veterinary diagnostic tests available for the screening of animals at slaughter. In the current work, we investigated whether cytokine responses in the blood, and antibody responses against recombinant T. gondii GRA1, GRA7, MIC3 proteins and a chimeric antigen EC2 encoding MIC2-MIC3-SAG1, are associated with the infectivity of porcine tissues after experimental infection with T. gondii. Two weeks after experimental infection of conventional 5-week-old seronegative pigs, an IFN-gamma response was detected in the blood, with a kinetic profile that followed the magnitude of the GRA7 antibody response. Antibody responses to GRA1, MIC3 and EC2 were very weak or absent up to 6 weeks post infection. Antibodies against GRA7 occurred in all infected animals and were associated with the presence of the parasite in tissues at euthanasia a few months later, as demonstrated by quantitative real-time PCR and isolation by bio-assay. Remarkably, although brain and heart tissue remained infectious, musculus gastrocnemius and musculus longissimus dorsi were found clear of infectious parasites 6 months after experimental infection. Seropositive response in a GRA7 ELISA indicates a Toxoplasma infection in pigs and is predictive of the presence of infectious cysts in pig heart and brain. This new ELISA is a promising tool to study the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in pigs. Clearance of the infection in certain pig tissues suggests that the risk assessment of pig meat for human health needs further evaluation
Epidemiology and outcome of Shigella, Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in travellers returning from the tropics with fever and diarrhoea
No full textPolitical will for better health, a bottom-up process [viewpoint]
No full textLately, different voices in the global public health community have drawn attention to the interaction between the State and civil society in the context of reducing health inequities. A rights-based approach empowers people not only to claim their rights but also to demand accountability from the State. Lessons from history show that economic growth does not automatically have positive implications for population health. It may even be disruptive in the absence of strong stewardship and regulation by national and local public health authorities. The field research in which we have been involved over the past 20 years in the Philippines, Palestine, Cuba, and Europe confirms that organized communities and people's organizations can effectively pressure the state into action towards realizing the right to health. Class analysis, influencing power relations, and giving the State a central role have been identified as three key strategies of relevant social movements and NGOs. More interaction between academia and civil society organizations could contribute to enhance and safeguard the societal relevance of public health researches. Our own experience made us discover that social movements and public health researchers have a lot to learn from one another
Prevalence of Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
No full textHuman African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a major public health problem in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Active and passive surveillance for HAT is conducted but may underestimate the true prevalence of the disease. We used ELISA to screen 7,769 leftover dried blood spots from a nationally representative population-based survey, the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey. 26 samples were positive by ELISA. Three of these were also positive by trypanolysis and/or PCR. From these data, we estimate that there were 18,592 people with HAT (95% confidence interval, 4,883-32,302) in the DRC in 2007, slightly more than twice as many as were reported
Antimonial resistance in Leishmania donovani is associated with increased In Vivo parasite burden
No full textLeishmania donovani is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Antimonials (SSG) have long been the first-line treatment against VL, but have now been replaced by miltefosine (MIL) in the Indian subcontinent due to the emergence of SSG-resistance. Our previous study hypothesised that SSG-resistant L. donovani might have increased in vivo survival skills which could affect the efficacy of other treatments such as MIL. The present study attempts to validate these hypotheses. Fourteen strains derived from Nepalese clinical isolates with documented SSG-susceptibility were infected in BALB/c mice to study their survival capacity in drug free conditions (non-treated mice) and in MIL-treated mice. SSG-resistant parasites caused a significant higher in vivo parasite load compared to SSG-sensitive parasites. However, this did not seem to affect the strains' response to MIL-treatment since parasites from both phenotypes responded equally well to in vivo MIL exposure. We conclude that there is a positive association between SSG-resistance and in vivo survival skills in our sample of L. donovani strains which could suggest a higher virulence of SSG-R strains compared to SSG-S strains. These greater in vivo survival skills of SSG-R parasites do not seem to directly affect their susceptibility to MIL. However, it cannot be excluded that repeated MIL exposure will elicit different adaptations in these SSG-R parasites with superior survival skills compared to the SSG-S parasites. Our results therefore highlight the need to closely monitor drug efficacy in the field, especially in the context of the Kala-azar elimination programme ongoing in the Indian subcontinent
Retention and attrition during the preparation phase and after start of antiretroviral treatment in Thyolo, Malawi, and Kibera, Kenya: implications for programmes?
No full textAmong adults eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Thyolo (rural Malawi) and Kibera (Nairobi, Kenya), this study (a) reports on retention and attrition during the preparation phase and after starting ART and (b) identifies risk factors associated with attrition. 'Retention' implies being alive and on follow-up, whilst 'attrition' implies loss to follow-up, death or stopping treatment (if on ART). There were 11 309 ART-eligible patients from Malawi and 3633 from Kenya, of whom 8421 (74%) and 2792 (77%), respectively, went through the preparation phase and started ART. In Malawi, 2649 patients (23%) were lost to attrition in the preparation phase and 2189 (26%) after starting ART. Similarly, in Kenya 546 patients (15%) were lost to attrition in the ART preparation phase and 647 (23%) while on ART. Overall programme attrition was 43% (4838/11 309) for Malawi and 33% (1193/3633) for Kenya. Restricting cohort evaluation to 'on ART' (as is usually done) underestimates overall programme attrition by 38% in Malawi and 36% in Kenya. Risk factors associated with attrition in the preparation phase included male sex, age <35 years, advanced HIV/AIDS disease and increasing malnutrition. Considerable attrition occurs during the preparation phase of ART, and programme evaluations confined to on-treatment analysis significantly underestimate attrition. This has important operational implications, which are discussed here
Novel diarylpyridinones, diarylpyridazinones and diarylphthalazinones as potential HIV-1 nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
No full textIn this Letter, we report on diarylpyridinone, diarylpyridazinone and diarylphthalazinone analogs as potential inhibitors of HIV-1 nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase (NNRTIs). The most promising compounds in these series are three diarylpyridazinones 25a, 25l and 25n which demonstrated submicromolar activity against wild-type HIV-1 and moderate activity against the single mutant strain Ba-L V106A
