Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Parvovirus B19 is the cause of a variety of exanthematous diseases during childhood and adolescence, such as erythema infectiosum and papular purpuric gloves and socks syndrome. This is an unusual, benign and acute acrodermatitis. Aphtous stomatitis, fever and other systemic symptoms can be associated with the eruption of the purpuric rash. Uncommon patterns such as asymmetrical distribution or erythematous involvement have recently been described as additional features of PVB19-associated purpuric petechial eruption. This is a case report of a 12-year-old female with an atypical involvement of a papular-purpuric syndrome caused by human parvovirus B19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people around the world. Part of control strategies is testing a large proportion of the population to identify and isolate the infected subjects. Aim: To evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 detection by the performance of a reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) against SARS-CoV-2, using saliva as a matrix compared to a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) in order to simplify obtaining a diagnostic sample. Methods:  Adults in outpatient care were recruited, 95% of them symptomatic. We studied 530 paired saliva and NPS samples by SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR. Results: Fifty-nine individuals tested positive in NPS and 54 in saliva samples. Sensitivity for saliva sample was 91%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) 98%. The Kappa index was 0.95 and LR-0.08. On average, the cycle threshold (CT) of saliva was 3.99 points higher than those of NPS (p<0.0001) showing that viral load (VL) is lower in saliva than in NPS. Viral load in both decreased over the time after onset of symptoms.  Saliva sampling was preferred by subjects instead of NPS. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR using saliva, even with lower VL, is suitable for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in outpatient adults, especially at early stage of symptoms.

Given the actual risk of poliomyelitis outbreaks in the region due to poliovirus derived from the Sabin vaccine or the importation of wild poliovirus, the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases commissioned an ad hoc group of experts from the institution's Vaccines and Biologicals Committee, to draft an official position paper on the urgent need to increase immunization levels against the disease in the region and incorporate inactivated polio vaccine exclusive schedules in all national immunization programs. This publication discusses the main conclusions and recommendations generated as a result of such activity

Actinomycetaceae (que incluye los géneros Actinomyces, Nocardia y Rhodococcus) y Mycobacteriaceae (que incluye el género Mycobacterium) son familias del orden Actinomycetales. Aunque los Actinomycetales se clasifican como bacterias y las enfermedades micobacterianas se consideran invariablemente entre las infecciones bacterianas, no obstante, en la familia Actinomycetaceae en general se pueden encontrar microorganismos en colonizaciones, formando parte de microbiota oral o en el ambiente.Actinotignum schaalii es un cocobacilo Gram positivo perteneciente a la familia Actinomycetaceae que crece en anaerobiosis o microaerofilia como pequeñas colonias grisáceas, a veces β-hemolíticas, y es responsable mayoritariamente de infecciones urinarias, particularmente en adultos mayores e inmunocomprometidos o en malformaciones de la vía urinaria. También puede provocar complicaciones sépticas como endocarditis, bacteriemias, abscesos y discitis.Se describe en la literatura susceptibilidad para amoxicilina, ceftriaxona, gentamicina, vancomicina, linezolid y resistencia intrínseca para Colistin y tetraciclinas.

In 1530 the famous Veronese Renaissance doctor Geronimus Fracastorius wrote the immortal poem “Syphilis sive de morbo gallicus libre tres” (The three books of syphilis or French disease). This work is a beautiful Latin poem of 1300 hexameter lines. The first book describes the causes of the disease and the characteristic clinical presentation. In book two the main treatments are mentioned, especially mercury. Finally, in the third book, it is related how the Spanish sailors found natives of the island of Santo Domingo in America infected with syphilis and how they explained the origin of this devastating disease. The natives recounted how their shepherd ancestor named Syphilus had challenged the god Apollo or Phoebus in time immemorial, thus unleashing his wrath and thus being the first infected. From the myth of the shepherd Syphilus derives the current denomination of the disease that in times of Fracastoro was called the “French disease”, “Gallic disease” or “venereal lues”.

Existen escasas comunicaciones de infecciones por Enterobacter cancerogenus. Aunque ha sido aislado en heridas contaminadas asociadas a traumas, también ha sido reportado como agente etiológico en una amplia variedad de otras infecciones, siendo infrecuente la presencia de bacteriemia. Presentamos el primer caso reportado en Chile de una bacteriemia causada por este microorganismo, en un varón de 28 años con una fractura de pelvis estable debido a un accidente de tránsito de alta energía. Tuvo una buena respuesta clínica al tratamiento con ertapenem.

Introducción: el uso indebido de cefalosporinas puede provocar resistencia de las bacterias.Objetivo: determinar el perfil de prescripción e indicación de cefalosporinas en un grupo de pacientes afiliados al Sistema de Salud de Colombia.Métodos: estudio transversal, a partir de una base de datos poblacional, se obtuvo una muestra aleatoria de pacientes atendidos en consulta ambulatoria para identificar las indicaciones de cefalosporinas en registros clínicos. Se evaluaron variables farmacológicas relacionadas con formulación no indicada según guías de práctica clínica.Resultados: en 381 pacientes, con edad media 41,2±15,4 años, el 61,4% (n=234) eran mujeres. Cefalexina fue la más utilizada (n=318; 83,5%), con duración media del tratamiento de 7,3±3,2 días, seguida de cefradina (n=43, 11,3%) y ceftriaxona (n=20, 5,2%). Se prescribieron para infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos (n=177; 46,4%) (el 47,5% eran purulentas), del tracto urinario (n=70; 18,4%), de vías respiratorias superiores (n=57; 15,0%), e infecciones de transmisión sexual (n=21; 5,5%). Estaban indicadas en 169 pacientes (44,4%), pero sólo 103 (60,9%) tenían prescripciones que cumplían las recomendaciones de dosificación.Conclusiones: más de la mitad de pacientes prescritos con cefalosporinas en contexto ambulatorio tenían prescripciones consideradas no indicadas en particular por su uso en infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos purulentas.

Background: After the detection of the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 and the declaration of a health emergency in the country, community transmission of the virus remained low to moderate until November 2020, later becoming medium and high. Children under 15 years of age constitute the least affected group. The diagnosis is confirmed by RT-qPCR. The usefulness of the CT (cycle threshold) is discussed. Aim: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the relationship between the CT value and clinical presentation. Method: A descriptive, retrospective study was carried out in patients under 16 years of age with SARS-CoV-2 infection, assisted by a health provider in Montevideo between epidemiological week (EW) 3 of 2020 and EW 9 of 2021. Clinical variables, epidemiological notion, severity and evolution were described. The CT value at diagnosis was recorded and compared with the presence of symptoms. Results: Patients under 16 years of age represented 16.6% of the total infected (794 in 4,792). 70% of the cases occurred between the months of January and February 2021. 67.6% presented intradomiciliary contact. The mean age was 7.5 + 4.1 years, 51% were male. 55% presented symptoms and 45% were asymptomatic; no significant differences were observed in the mean, mode and age range of both groups. None presented comorbidities. In the group of 440 symptomatic patients, 55% presented fever: 32% associated with other symptoms, mainly upper respiratory symptoms, and 23% in isolation. The CT value was obtained in 536 of the 794 patients (67.5%). The mean CT was 29.7+5.8 in the symptomatic group vs. 31.5+5.7 in asymptomatic patients (p>0.05). Three patients were hospitalized, none required intensive care and none died. Conclusions: The prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children accompany that of adults and the majority had mild or asymptomatic forms, without complications. In this series, the CT value was not different in symptomatic and asymptomatic children. Close household contact was the main source of infection.