PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

F Pascual Velasco

Publications and source records attributed to F Pascual Velasco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Clinical presentation of acute Q fever in lanzarote (Canary Islands): a 2-year prospective study.

The clinical manifestations of acute Q fever may differ markedly from country to country. In this regard, fever and hepatitis seem to be the dominant clinical features of acute Coxiella burnetii infection in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. A possible interaction between environmental factors and some strains of C. burnetii could explain the different clinical presentations of acute Q fever.

Acute Disease

[Seroprevalence of Q fever among the adult population of Lanzarote (Canary Islands)].

Q fever is an endemic zoonosis in the Canary Islands. In 1986, we detected, in a pilot study, residual antibodies of the infection in 3% of the population from Lanzarote. In 1989, we performed a new study in order to assess seroprevalence of Q fever among the adult native population from the island. We studied 390 human serums obtained from an statistically representative sample. Age ranged from 30 to 64 years. Out of 390 serums, 196 (50.25%) were obtained from men and 194 (49.74%) from women. The serological technique used was the fixation of complement using Coxiella burnetii antigens in phase II. Titres equal or higher than 1/8 were considered positive. No statistically significant differences were observed with regard to seroprevalence rates considering sex, age, nor living in or outside the island's capital city. However, when dividing the island's territory in three areas (north, centre and south), and assessing independently their respective seroprevalences, we observed relatively higher seroprevalences in the furthest areas (13.3% in the north and 13.5% in the south) than in the central area (4.7%), although only the higher seroprevalence in the south reached statistical significance when compared with the mean prevalence. Probably, these observations indicate that, although Q fever is extended all over the island, it is a more frequent infection in rural areas of Lanzarote, at the north and the south, than in the central area, where the main urban areas are located.

Adult

[Acute suppurative arthritis: an unusual manifestation of murine typhus (endemic)].

A 37-year-old patient had fever, diffuse maculopapular rash and acute suppurative arthritis of both knees, which was totally cured with doxycycline without sequelae. Skin biopsy showed characteristic findings of rickettsiosis. In the serological investigation the Weil-Felix reaction was positive and antibodies against Rickettsia typhi but not against Rickettsia conorii were detected by indirect immunofluorescence. No similar case has found in the reviewed literature.

Adult

[Prevalence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in a healthy population in Lanzarote (Canary Islands)].

The Canary Islands area now appears to be a Q-fever endemic zone, especially the west side (La Palma island). The situation in the eastern islands in unknown. In order to evaluate the seric prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, 100 serum samples that were taken from the adult population of Lanzarote and, following strict criteria, were analysed using a complement fixation test; blood donors and patients who had suffered a recent infection were excluded. The study was carried out during November/1986. Three serum samples were positive, one had titers of 1/8 and the other two showed 1/64. This prevalence rate of residual Coxiella burnetii antibodies in Lanzarote (3%)--despite being low compared to other areas in Spain--together with te recent cases described, confirms the suspicion that the Canary Islands area is indeed a new endemic Q-fever zone.

Adolescent