Biomedical subjects

Marylin Hidalgo

Publications and source records attributed to Marylin Hidalgo.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Molecular subtyping of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates from Colombia and Argentina.

Salmonella Typhi is the etiological agent of typhoid fever with 16 million annual cases estimated worldwide. In Colombia and Argentina it is a notifiable disease but many cases have only a clinical diagnosis. Molecular subtyping of S. Typhi is necessary to complement epidemiologic analysis of typhoid fever. The aims of this study were to determine the genetic relationships between the strains circulating in both countries and to evaluate possible variations in the distribution of 12 virulence genes. A total of 136 isolates were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with XbaI following PulseNet protocols and analysis guidelines. Eighty-three different PFGE patterns were identified, showing high diversity among the strains from both countries. Three outbreaks, two in Colombia and one in Argentina, were caused by strains of different PFGE types. In Colombia, two PFGE patterns were found predominantly, which included 36.6% of the isolates from that country. No association was found between the PFGE patterns and the year or place of isolation of the strains, the age of the patients or type of sample. However, several clusters were detected, which included isolates recovered predominantly either from Colombia or Argentina. Most of the strains (97%) exhibited a single virulence profile, suggesting that the pathogenicity markers analyzed are of limited value for strain discrimination and do not correlate with the origin of the isolates (intestinal vs. extra-intestinal). Since the creation of PulseNet Latin America, this was the first international study conducted in South America. The PFGE types identified were incorporated into the Regional S. Typhi PulseNet Database and are now available for comparison with those of strains isolated in other regions. This information will be used for active surveillance, future studies, and outbreak investigations.

Argentina↗

PubMed2006

Molecular analysis of Salmonella enteritidis and Typhimurium clinical and food isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in Bogotá, Colombia.

In 1997, the Microbiology Group of the Colombian Instituto Nacional de Salud set up a surveillance program with the National Public Health Laboratories to monitor the principal etiological agents responsible for acute diarrheal disease. The main goal of this study was to determine the XbaI DNA digestion patterns of clinical and food Salmonella spp. isolates recovered in Bogotá from 1997 to 2002, and related them to the susceptibility patterns to antimicrobial agents. Two hundred and twenty-four Salmonella spp. isolates were studied, 153 (63%) S. Enteritidis and 71 (37%) S. Typhimurium. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was done using the XbaI restriction enzyme and Salmonella Braenderup H9812 as the molecular weight marker. For S. Enteritidis, pattern S. En0001 was found to be prevalent in 127 (83%) isolates, 78 (61%) susceptible to the antimicrobial agents tested. For S. Typhimurium, pattern S. Typ0001 was predominant in 18 (25%) isolates with different antimicrobial resistance profiles. Patterns S. En0001 and S. Typ0001 prevailed monthly during the 6 years of the study. Data collected demonstrate that there was a dominant pattern of S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium circulating in clinical and food isolates in Bogotá, Colombia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

[Cryptococcus spp. DNA extraction from environmental samples].

The genus Cryptococcus encompasses 38 species, but only 3 are associated with disease in humans and animals, Cryptococcus laurentii, Cryptococcus albidus and Cryptococcus neoformans. The last one is the most frequently reported. The disease is acquired by the inhalation of infectious propagules present in the environment. The habitat has been established using extraction techniques with buffer supplemented with antibiotics and plating in selective media. The aim of this work was to evaluate several DNA extraction techniques for Cryptocococus spp. from environmental samples. The control isolates were C. neoformans, C. albidus, C. laurentii and Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis. We also used vermiculita and soil samples contaminated with different yeast concentrations (10 to 10(6) cells/g) and samples naturally contaminated with C. neoformans. DNA was extracted with physical and chemical methods and with a commercial kit, and the DNA was purified with agarose blocks and silica columns. For the PCR amplification we used the CN4-CN5 primers, which are specific for C. neoformans. Only the commercial kit allowed DNA extraction and amplification from contaminated soil samples up to a concentration of 10 cells/g and from one sample naturally colonized. With this work we extracted and amplified DNA from Cryptococcus spp. from environmental samples with appropriate PCR specificity, it will be a tool to establish the ecological areas of C. neoformans in our country.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2003

[Accuracy of the slide agglutination method evaluated with PCR in typing Haemophilus influenzae isolates].

In 1998, the Colombian government initiated an immunization program for children under one year of age with a Haemophilus influenzae capsular type b conjugate vaccine. After two years, the surveillance program of the Colombian Instituto Nacional de Salud Microbiology Group reported a 40% decrease in meningitis cases caused by H. influenzae. This effect was attributed to the vaccination. The surveillance program uses the standardized slide agglutination technique to serotype H. influenzae. The current study validated the accuracy of the slide agglutination method by means of the PCR technique. From children under five years of age, 146 isolates were obtained. These were collected between 1999 and 2002, and were characterized by biochemical tests and serotyped by the INS as part of the surveillance program. PCR confirmed 93% of the H. influenzae serotype b and 92% of the other serotypes. When the slide agglutination technique is conducted under a strict quality control program, it remains a sensitive and specific tool for serotyping H. influenzae.

Agglutination Tests↗

PubMed2002

[Acute diarrhea outbreak caused by Shigella flexneri at a school in Madrid, Cundinamarca: phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolates].

Shigellosis is an acute diarrhoeal disease that is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. In 1997, the Colombian Instituto Nacional de Salud Microbiology Group organized a network surveillance program with the country's Public Health Laboratories (PHLs) to monitor the principal etiological agents responsible for acute diarrhoeal disease. In May, 2001, the PHL of the state of Cundinamarca reported a food poisoning outbreak involving an elementary school community. The main goal of the Microbiology Group involvement was to establish the molecular relationships among the isolates from the outbreak by phenotypic and genotypic methods of characterization. Stool cultures were obtained from 22 of 195 affected individuals. The Microbiology Group confirmed the identification of the isolates by biochemical and serological probes. The antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested against the following battery of antibiotics: chloramphenicol, trimehoprim-sulfamethozazole, cefotaxime, gentamicin, ampicillin and ciprofloxacin. The isolates were subjected to pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the following CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) protocols: Xbal restriction enzyme, Shigella sonnei CDC F2353 as the reference standard, and lambda phage as a molecular weight marker. In 15 of 22 (68%) stool cultures Shigella was recovered, all isolates were identified as Shigella flexneri serotype 6 biotype Newcastle with the same antimicrobial susceptibility profile. PFGE showed that 3 (20%) isolates were identical (100% genetic similarity) and the other 12 (80%) were very closely related (genetic similarity between 86-98%). The network system permitted the INS ready access to the isolates and the implementation of the PFGE permitted a quantitative characterization of the clonal relationship among the isolates from the outbreak.

Acute Disease↗