Ocular trauma from land mines among soldiers treated at a University Hospital in Medellín,Colombia

Introduction:

Currently ocular combat injuries are complex and associated with poor visual outcomes. Our objective is to characterize the military population that suffer land mine combat ocular trauma in Colombia and identify the type of wound, treatment and visual outcomes.

Methods:

Retrospectively review of medical history of soldiers evaluated in Pablo Tobon Uribe Hospital, whom had land mine trauma during January of 2004 and December 2012.

Results:

635 soldiers had land mine trauma, 153 of them had ocular trauma (226 eyes). Open ocular trauma was observed in 29.6%. The Ocular Trauma Score was calculated in 183 eyes, the initial visual acuity was not possible to be reported in the rest of them; the 45% of the eyes were classified in category 3. Three patients had no light perception in both eyes. 97.3% of the eyes received medical treatment and 49.1% had surgery also. Primary evisceration was made in 5.8% and enucleation in 1.8%. Intraocular foreign body was observed by ultrasonography in 11.1% and in 5.8% by orbital tomography. Eleven patients were legally blind at discharge.

Conclusions:

The ocular trauma related to a land mine is highly destructive at an ocular level. The treatments associated with better visual outcomes are primary closure of globe and systemic antibiotics; although the characteristics of the wound itself are the main prognostic factor. The Ocular trauma score is a useful tool for determining visual outcome in combat ocular trauma.     

Identification of blaOXA-128 and blaOXA-129, two novel OXA-type extended-spectrum-β-lactamases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in Hunan Province, China

We collected 97 non-repetitive carbapenemases-sensitive clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Human Province, China, during the period of October 2006 to January 2007. From these isolates, we identified two novel oxacillin-hydrolysing (OXA) type extended-spectrum-β-lactamases (ESBLs): bla OXA-128 and bla OXA-129, which contain the mutations of I89V from bla OXA-56 and K134N from bla OXA-10, respectively. Clinical isolates containing either bla OXA-128 or bla OXA-129 show resistance to cephamycin-class antibiotics but sensitive to carbapenem-class antibiotics. The occurrence of novel OXA-type lactamases suggests a regional prevalent pattern of ESBLs Pseudomonas aeruginosa in this area.     

A simple test for the detection of KPC and metallo-β-lactamase carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates with the use of meropenem disks supplemented with aminophenylboronic acid,dipicolinic acid and cloxacillin

We evaluated the ability of the combination disk test (CDT) and the Modified Hodge Test (MHT) to discriminate between various carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (KPC, n = 36; metallo-β-lactamase (MBL), n = 38) and carbapenemase non-producers (n = 75). For the CDT, the optimal inhibitor concentrations and cut-off values were: 600 µg of 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APB) per disk (an increment of ≥4 mm), 1000 µg of dipicolinic acid (DPA) per disk (an increment of ≥5 mm) and 3000 µg of cloxacillin per disk (an increment of ≥3 mm). APB had excellent sensitivity (97%) and specificity (97%) for the detection of KPC enzymes. DPA detected MBL enzymes with a sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 81%, respectively. The MHT resulted in a low sensitivity (78%) and specificity (57%). The CDT could be very useful in daily practice to provide fast and reliable detection of KPC and MBL carbapenemases among P. aeruginosa isolates.     

Phase 1 study of MEDI3902, an investigational anti–Pseudomonas aeruginosa PcrV and Psl bispecific human monoclonal antibody,in healthy adults

ObjectivesMEDI3902 is a bivalent, bispecific human immunoglobulin G1κ monoclonal antibody that binds to both the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PcrV protein involved in host cell cytotoxicity and the Psl exopolysaccharide involved in P. aeruginosa colonization and tissue adherence. MEDI3902 is being developed for the prevention of nosocomial P. aeruginosa pneumonia in high-risk patients.MethodsThis phase 1 dose-escalation study (NCT02255760) evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, antidrug antibody (ADA) responses and ex vivo anticytotoxicity and opsonophagocytic killing activities of MEDI3902 after a single intravenous infusion in healthy adults aged 18 to 60 years. Fifty-six subjects were randomized in a 3:1 ratio to receive 250, 750, 1500 or 3000 mg of MEDI3902 or placebo and followed for 60 days afterwards.ResultsTreatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were mild or moderate in severity; no serious TEAEs were observed. The most common TEAEs were infusion-related reactions. MEDI3902 exhibited approximately linear pharmacokinetics across the 250, 750 and 1500 mg doses and nonlinear pharmacokinetics between the 1500 and 3000 mg doses. One subject in the 3000 mg group tested positive for ADA on day 61 and had a lower MEDI3902 serum concentration from days 43 to 61 than ADA-negative subjects. Serum anticytotoxicity antibody concentrations and opsonophagocytic killing activity were correlated with MEDI3902 serum concentrations across all doses.ConclusionsPhase 1 study results of MEDI3902 in healthy subjects support further evaluation of its safety and efficacy in subjects at risk for P. aeruginosa pneumonia.     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Michoacán,Mexico: Morelia and rural Michoacán

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 498 Mexicans from the state of Michoacán living in the city of Morelia (N = 150) and rural communities (N = 348), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the ten most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Michoacán include 12 Native American and two European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Michoacán are Native American (48.79 ± 1.44%) and European (43.10 ± 0.86%), while African genetic component is less apparent (8.11 ± 0.85%). Our findings add to the growing knowledge on the population genetics of Western Mexico and provide new HLA data on populations from Michoacán.     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in three populations from Coahuila,Mexico: Torreón,Saltillo and rural Coahuila

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 684 Mexicans from the state of Coahuila living in Saltillo (N = 72), Torreón (N = 396) and rural communities (N = 216), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the ten most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Coahuila include eight Native American and two European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Coahuila are European (49.72 ± 4.18% by ML; 37.49% of European haplotypes) and Native American (45.01 ± 2.69% by ML; 42.98% of Native American haplotypes), while African genetic component is less apparent (5.27 ± 1.88% by ML; 9.92% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Yucatán,Mexico: Mérida and rural Yucatán

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 324 Mexicans from the state of Yucatán living in the city of Mérida (N = 192) and rural communities (N = 132), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We found that the most frequent haplotypes in the state of Yucatán include 16 Native American and one European haplotype. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Yucatán are Native American (81.54 ± 4.99% by ML; 62.92% of Native American haplotypes) and European (11.50 ± 15.43% by ML; 23.26% of European haplotypes), and a less prominent African genetic component (6.96 ± 10.47% by ML; 5.93% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Nuevo León,Mexico: Monterrey and rural Nuevo León

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 665 Mexicans from the state of Nuevo León living in the city of Monterrey (N = 226) and rural communities (N = 439), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the most frequent haplotypes in the state of Nuevo León include 12 Native American and three European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Nuevo León are Native American (54.53 ± 0.87% by ML; 48.88% of Native American haplotypes) and European (38.67 ± 4.06% by ML; 32.59% of European haplotypes), and a less prominent African genetic component (6.80 ± 4.30% by ML; 8.26% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in three populations from Sonora,Mexico: Ciudad Obregón,Hermosillo and rural Sonora

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 439 Mexicans from the state of Sonora living in Ciudad Obregón (N = 143), Hermosillo (N = 99), and rural communities (N = 197) to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the 13 most frequent haplotypes for the state of Sonora include nine Native American, three European and one Asian haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Sonora are European (51.25 ± 2.90% by ML; 37.70% of European haplotypes) and Native American (43.35 ± 2.57% by ML; 39.64% of Native American haplotypes), while the African genetic component was less apparent (5.39 ± 2.54% by ML; 11.04% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in three populations from Guanajuato,Mexico: Guanajuato City,León and rural Guanajuato

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 262 Mexicans from the state of Guanajuato living in the cities of Guanajuato (N = 78), León (N = 22) and rural communities (N = 162), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Guanajuato include 12 Native American and three European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Guanajuato are Native American (50.64 ± 2.11% by ML, 43.35% of Native American haplotypes) and European (44.14 ± 1.14% by ML; 39.35% of European haplotypes), while African genetic component is less apparent (5.22 ± 2.08% by ML; 8.36% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from San Luis Potosí, Mexico: San Luis Potosí City and rural San Luis Potosí

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 117 Mexicans from the state of San Luis Potosí living in the city of San Luis Potosí (N = 30) and rural communities (N = 87), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the most frequent haplotypes in the state include 13 Native American, six European, two African and two Asian haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components are Native American (52.72 ± 0.66% by ML; 48.29% of Native American haplotypes) and European (34.62 ± 4.28% by ML; 32.48% of European haplotypes), and a relatively high African genetic component (12.66 ± 4.61% by ML; 10.26% of African haplotypes).     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Quintana Roo,Mexico: Cancún and rural Quintana Roo

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 98 Mexicans from the state of Quintana Roo living in the city of Cancún (N = 48) and rural communities (N = 50), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies and their linkage disequilibrium. We found that the most frequent haplotypes in Quintana Roo include ten Native American and two European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Quintana Roo are Native American (80.85 ± 3.70% by ML; 60.20% of Native American haplotypes) and European (15.19 ± 14.25% by ML; 26.02% of European haplotypes), and a less prominent African genetic component (3.96 ± 10.75% by ML; 6.63% of African haplotypes).     

First histological and virological report of fibropapilloma associated with herpesvirus in Chelonia mydas at Príncipe Island, West Africa

Marine turtle fibropapillomatosis is an emerging disease that affects marine turtles worldwide. This report describes the histopathological features and involvement of chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus in marine turtle fibropapillomatosis detected in the green turtle Chelonia mydas at Príncipe Island, Gulf of Guinea. The histopathological findings confirmed the presence of fibropapillomas with both verrucous and fibromatous subtypes. Quantitative real-time PCR was used for detection of chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus in tissue samples (n = 18) collected from afflicted (n = 10) and apparently healthy turtles (n = 2), revealing 94.4% positive samples, confirming the presence of viral sequences not only in fibropapillomatosis lesions but also in the skin of apparently healthy animals.     

In vitro activity of cefiderocol,cefepime/enmetazobactam,cefepime/zidebactam,eravacycline, omadacycline,and other comparative agents against carbapenem-non-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii isolates associated from bloodstream infection in Taiwan between 2018–2020

Background/purposeThis study aimed to investigate the in vitro susceptibilities of carbapenem-non-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CNSPA) and Acinetobacter baumannii (CNSAB) isolates to cefiderocol, novel β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) combinations, new tetracycline analogues, and other comparative antibiotics.MethodsIn total, 405 non-duplicate bacteremic CNSPA (n = 150) and CNSAB (n = 255) isolates were collected from 16 hospitals in Taiwan between 2018 and 2020. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the broth microdilution method, and susceptibilities were interpreted according to the relevant guidelines or in accordance with results of previous studies and non-species-related pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data.ResultsAmong the isolates tested, cefiderocol demonstrated potent in vitro activity against CNSPA (MIC_50/90, 0.25/1 mg/L; 100% of isolates were inhibited at ≤4 mg/L) and CNSAB (MIC_50/90, 0.5/2 mg/L; 94.9% of isolates were inhibited at ≤4 mg/L) isolates. More than 80% of CNSPA isolates were susceptible to cefiderocol, ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam, and amikacin, based on breakpoints established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Activities of new BLI combinations varied significantly. Tetracycline analogues, including tigecycline (MIC_50/90, 1/2 mg/L; 92.5% of CNSAB isolates were inhibited at ≤2 mg/L) and eravacycline (MIC_50/90, 0.5/1 mg/L; 99.6% of CNSAB isolates were inhibited at ≤2 mg/L) exhibited more potent in vitro activity against CNSAB than omadacycline (MIC_50/90, 4/8 mg/L).ConclusionsThe spread of CNSPA and CNSAB poses a major challenge to global health. Significant resistance be developed even before a novel agent becomes commercially available. The development of on-site antimicrobial susceptibility tests for these novel agents is of great clinical importance.     

Genomic and biological characterization of chiltepín yellow mosaic virus, a new tymovirus infecting Capsicum annuum var. aviculare in Mexico

The characterization of viruses infecting wild plants is a key step towards understanding the ecology of plant viruses. In this work, the complete genomic nucleotide sequence of a new tymovirus species infecting chiltepin, the wild ancestor of Capsicum annuum pepper crops, in Mexico was determined, and its host range has been explored. The genome of 6,517 nucleotides has the three open reading frames described for tymoviruses, putatively encoding an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, a movement protein and a coat protein. The 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions have structures with typical signatures of the tymoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this new virus is closely related to the other tymoviruses isolated from solanaceous plants. Its host range is mainly limited to solanaceous species, which notably include cultivated Capsicum species. In the latter, infection resulted in a severe reduction of growth, indicating the potential of this virus to be a significant crop pathogen. The name of chiltepin yellow mosaic virus (ChiYMV) is proposed for this new tymovirus.