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PubMed1988

Tropical spastic paraparesis in Colombia.

A high-incidence focus of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) occurs on the South Pacific coast of Colombia. Of 55 patients studied, 52 (94.5%) had IgG antibodies to the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid. Control groups did not show similar high positivity. Our results suggest that HTLV-I or other antigenically related retroviruses may be the cause of TSP in Colombia. Similar clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological findings have been reported in widely remote geographical regions of the world, with very similar clinical pictures of TSP in all high-incidence regions. The demonstration of IgG antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with TSP in the Caribbean and Seychelles Islands, southern Japan, and the Ivory Coast indicate that the HTLV-I retrovirus could be the cause of this "tropical" myeloneuropathy.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Viral hepatitis in Colombia: a study of the "hepatitis of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta".

The prevalences of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis delta virus and hepatitis A virus infections were studied in two regions of Colombia. In Bogota, 10 of 53 patients with acute hepatitis were HBsAg positive and three of these were hepatitis D antigen positive. Hepatitis A virus was the major cause of acute hepatitis in this group. In 366 healthy controls from Bogota, 1.6% were HBsAg positive and 7.1% had at least one marker of HBV infection. In northern Colombia, individuals from three villages with outbreaks of the fulminant "hepatitis of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta" were tested. The prevalences of HBsAg (1.8 to 23%) and HBV infection (35 to 93%) were generally high and varied from village to village; 60% of the HBsAg carriers in one village were positive for antibody to hepatitis D antigen, and two individuals in the outbreak area had circulating hepatitis D antigen. The findings suggest that HBV and the associated hepatitis delta virus are etiologic factors in the "hepatitis of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta."

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tuberculosis control and managed competition in Colombia.

Law 100 introduced the Health Sector Reform in Colombia, a model of managed competition. This article addresses the effects of this model in terms of output and outcomes of TB control. Trends in main TB control indicators were analysed using secondary data sources, and 25 interviews were done with key informants from public and private insurers and provider institutions, and from the health directorate level. We found a deterioration in the performance of TB control: a decreasing number of BCG vaccine doses applied, a reduction in case finding and contacts identification, low cure rates and an increasing loss of follow up, which mainly affects poor people. Fragmentation occurred as the atomization and discontinuity of the technical processes took place, there was a lack of coordination, as well as a breakdown between individual and collective interventions, and the health information system began to disintegrate. The introduction of the Managed Competition (MC) in Colombia appeared to have adverse effects on TB control due to the dominance of the economic rationality in the health system and the weak state stewardship. Our recommendations are to restructure the reform's public health component, strengthen the technical capacity in public health of the state, mainly at the local and departmental levels, and to improve the health information system by reorienting its objectives to public health goals.

BCG Vaccine↗

PubMed1996

Residues of organochlorines in mallards and blue-winged teal collected in Colombia and Wisconsin, 1984-1989.

We compared the seasonal concentrations of 12 organochlorine (OC) compounds in samples of breast muscle, associated skin, and subcutaneous fat of blue-winged teal (Anas discors) collected in Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia (1987-1988), and of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and blue-winged teal collected in Wisconsin (1984-1989). Although these species have similar feeding habits and overlapping breeding distributions, their winter ranges differ markedly. Most blue-winged teal winter in the Neotropics, whereas most mallards remain in the temperate regions of North America. A seasonal comparison of OC exposure in these species may help determine the geographic origins of contamination. All examined OCs were found to be below concentrations known to affect reproduction in waterfowl. DDE was most often detected in blue-winged teal and PCBs, in mallards. DDE exposure may have predominantly occurred outside of Wisconsin. The DDE concentration in blue-winged teal samples collected in Wisconsin in the spring (GM=0.406 microg/g) were greater (P<0.001) than in the fall (GM=0. 033 microg/g) and greater than the concentrations in mallard samples from the spring (GM=0.058 microg/g; P<0.001). Ciénaga Grande, however, was not a source of DDE contamination. The DDE concentrations in blue-winged teal samples from Ciénaga Grande did not differ between the spring (GM=0.037 microg/g) and the fall (GM=0. 039 microg/g) and were lower (P<0.001) than the concentration in blue-winged teal samples from Wisconsin in the spring. In contrast, PCB contamination seemed to have occurred in Wisconsin and affected mostly mallards. PCBs were not detected in the samples from Colombia and were detected in only five (8.3%) of the blue-winged teal samples from Wisconsin (GM=0.025 microg/g), however, those compounds were detected in 47% of the mallard samples collected in Wisconsin (GM=0.272 microg/g). DDE and PCB concentrations were greater (P=0.0) in mallard samples collected from wetlands adjacent to Lake Michigan than in samples from inland wetlands.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polyps in a low-risk colonic cancer population in Colombia, South America.

Colonic polyps were systematically searched for in 508 specimens collected from unselected autopsies in individuals more than 10 years of age from Medellín, Colombia, a low-incidence geographic region for colorectal cancer. Adenomatous polyps have a low prevalence rate in both sexes, comparable to that found in Cali, Colombia and other populations with low risk for cancer. They were found more frequently in the right side of the colon and are rare in the sigmoid colon. They begin to appear in the third decade of life in both sexes. Prevalence rates for single and multiple polyps increase with age in both sexes, males showing higher rates than females at every age group. Adenomatous polyps in this population are usually less than 3 mm in diameter and do not show villous changes or epithelial atypia. Hyperplastic polyps were more frequently observed than adenomatous polyps and rates show a progressive increase with age in both sexes. Multiplicity also increases with age. Most polyps are located in the low rectum and sigmoid followed by the cecum and ascending colon. Usually hyperplastic polyps are smaller than 3 mm in diameter and do not show epithelial atypia. Juvenile polyps were infrequently found in this series because children less than 10 years old were excluded. Diverticular disease was also rare and, when found, was not associated with adenomatous polyps. The association between adenomatous polyps and colonic cancer is discussed based on findings in this report.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Molecular phylogeny of human T-cell leukemia virus type I and II of Amerindians in Colombia and Chile.

Six human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and eight human T-cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II) cases newly isolated from the South American countries of Colombia and Chile were analyzed together with the two Amerindian HTLV-I isolates previously reported. All of the HTLV-I isolates belonged to the transcontinental subgroup of the "cosmopolitan" group, and Colombian isolates, including those from native Amerindians and Negroes, formed a single tight cluster within this subgroup. The transcontinental subgroup consisted of isolates from various regions such as the Caribbean basin, India, Iran, South Africa, Sakhalin, and Japan, and included isolates from the "Ainu" and "Okinawa" people, regarded as relatively pure Japanese descended from the prehistoric "Jomon" period which began more than 10,000 years ago. This implied a dissemination of the subgroup associated with the movement of human beings in ancient times. On the other hand, all of the HTLV-II isolates from native Amerindians in Colombia and Chile belonged to the HTLV-IIb subtype which has previously been reported to be mainly endemic in certain populations of native Amerindians. The southernmost isolate from Chile, showing wide distribution of the IIb subtype in native South Amerindians and largest heterogeneity of the subtype in Colombian isolates, supported the idea that the HTLV-IIb subtype has been endemic for a long time in native Indians of South America.

Chile↗

PubMed2005

Isolation and characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans varieties recovered from natural sources in Bogotá, Colombia, and study of ecological conditions in the area.

Cryptococcus neoformans, the etiological agent of cryptococcosis, has been associated with avian droppings and certain trees in different countries, including Colombia. C neoformans environmental isolates were obtained in urban areas in Bogotá, Colombia, and the strains recovered were phenotypically characterized. Attempts to determine the ecological conditions (micro- and macroclimatic) possibly related to their habitat were also undertaken. Four hundred and eighty samples from bark, soil around trunk bases, and detritus inside hollows of 32 trees were collected in three urban areas during a 5-month period, as well as 89 avian droppings samples from different places. Of plant samples, 6.7% collected from nine tree species yielded C. neoformans var. gattii, serotype B strains in 99% of the cases, and C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A in 1%. The yeast was more frequently recovered from bark than from soil or detritus inside hollows, and from trees with hollows or rotted wood rather than from trees in which birds nest. C. neoformans was present with higher frequency and density in the rainy season than in the dry season; we found that slightly higher temperature and humidity values of the microhabitat, as compared to those of the environment, favored fungal occurrence, but the phenological state of the tree did not. Of dropping samples, 7.9% yielded C. neoformans strains, all of them C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A. The yeast was obtained more frequently from dry droppings than from moist ones, but neither the sunlight exposure nor the site of collection of samples was correlated with this occurrence. Population density was significantly higher in droppings than in tree samples. Under laboratory conditions, isolates of different serotype showed similar capsular sizes. Water content and pH ranges were wide and did not show any significant difference between positive and negative samples.

Animals↗

PubMed2025

Unveiling the Genomic Landscape of Escherichia coli O1:K1:H7 ST59 in Non-complicated Urinary Infections from Colombia Through Whole-Genome Sequencing.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram-negative bacterium known for causing both intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. Among extraintestinal infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are particularly prevalent and impactful. In Colombia, limited information is available regarding the molecular epidemiology of E. coli. This lack of data hinders the understanding of the local epidemiological landscape and the identification of pathogenic lineages that may contribute to public health concerns. This study aimed to characterize an E. coli strain isolated from a 24-year-old female patient with a community-acquired lower UTI, focusing on genotypic analysis through whole-genome shotgun sequencing (WGSS) and subsequent bioinformatics investigations. The identified strain belongs to phylogroup F, with serotype O1:H7 and sequence type (ST) 59. Several virulence factors, including traT and afimbrial adhesins (afaC), were identified, with afaC being notably uncommon in ST59 phylogroup F. In addition, an antibiotic susceptibility test was performed, and the isolate was found to be sensitive to all the antibiotics tested. This work contributes to the understanding of E. coli phylogroup F in Colombia and provides valuable genomic data, shedding light on the virulence profile of this strain in lower urinary tract infections.

Female↗

PubMed2000

Occupational and environmental medicine in Colombia.

Colombia is a country rich in natural resources, with a steadily developing economy. Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) education and practice have developed relatively recently in Colombia, mainly in response to a series of long overdue (and still partially implemented) reforms to the health care, social benefits, and education systems. Expansion in general and occupational health coverage of the Colombian population and development of OEM education and training were to be achieved through a clear stimulus to private sector initiatives. Despite some measurable overall progress, the goals remain elusive. This article discusses several aspects and the perspectives for further development of the specialty in this country, in the context of the socioeconomic factors involved in that process.

Colombia↗

PubMed1988

Tropical spastic paraparesis. A clinical study of 50 patients from Tumaco (Colombia) and review of the worldwide features of the syndrome.

Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) is a chronic and slowly progressive endemic myelopathy occurring in geographical isolates in the Caribbean, South India, South Africa, the Seychelles, and Colombia. A detailed clinical and laboratory study was performed on 50 TSP patients from the island of Tumaco (Colombia), in a tropical rain forest area. Most patients were middle-aged blacks, 29 (58%) men and 21 women. In every case, neurological examination confirmed the presence of pyramidal signs in the lower limbs, plus, in 58%, moderate decrease in vibratory perception distally in the feet, bilaterally and symmetrically. Absent ankle jerks were found in 28%. Slow onset and chronic progression were documented in most patients. Positive treponemal serology, from yaws infection in childhood, was found in the serum in 92%, and in 19% also in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). No pleocytosis was documented on 27 CSF samples, but increased protein content occurred in 86%, with elevation of gamma-globulins in 78%. Treatment of 20 patients with high doses of penicillin produced no change in the clinical picture. TSP emerges from this review of the literature as a remarkably homogeneous clinical entity worldwide. A retrovirus-human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)--has been recently implicated as a possible etiology of the syndrome.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Malaria crisis activity in sera from individuals of different ethnic groups of Colombia.

Sera of negroes of African origin and of indians, living in a malaria endemic village on the Pacific Coast of Colombia, were analyzed to see if they could block intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro. A group of mestizos from a malaria-free city in Colombia was used as a negative control. Blood of each individual was studied for the presence of circulating parasites by thick and thin smears and their sera for antimalarial antibodies by IFAT and IRMA techniques. The inhibition of the intraerythrocytic growth induced by these sera was assessed by [3H]Hypoxanthine incorporation. All groups showed inhibitory activity independent of their exposure to malaria. Negro sera had the highest inhibitory activity even following the removal of antibody, and also the highest antimalarial antibody titers. The group of indians had reduced inhibitory activity and lower antibody titers compared to the negro sera. In the group of mestizos, who reported no malaria exposure, 14% had antibodies to asexual blood forms of P. falciparum and 60% induced significant inhibition.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Medicinal plants in Colombia.

The botanical aspects of the plants of Colombia have been studied thoroughly since the 18th century. Nevertheless, although plants are used to a large extent in traditional medicine in Colombia, there has been little investigation into their properties. Some research has not been initiated. This work is supported by the existence of the National Herbarium in Bogotá, in which there are 180 000 specimens belonging to 10 000 different species.

Colombia↗

PubMed2006

Trypanosoma cruzi: variability of stocks from Colombia determined by molecular karyotype and minicircle Southern blot analysis.

Nineteen Trypanosoma cruzi stocks, most of them of wild origin, and four Trypanosoma rangeli stocks from Colombia were analysed by molecular karyotype analysis with cloned DNA cruzipain as the probe. Another 27 cloned stocks of T. cruzi from different geographic areas of South America were used as reference for T. cruzi lineages. Phenetic analysis of chromosome size polymorphism demonstrated a great variability of Colombian T. cruzi stocks, suggesting that most belong to lineage I, although two of them belong to lineage II. The 2 lineage II T. cruzi, 17 T. cruzi lineage I, and 3 T. rangeli stocks from Colombia were studied further by Southern blot analysis with a panel of kinetoplast DNA minicircle probes. Hybridisation results indicate that the two T. cruzi II stocks are genetically distant from each other and from T. cruzi lineages IIb, IId, and IIe from Chile. Finally, T. cruzi minicircle probes do not cross-hybridise in any stringency condition tested with T. rangeli minicircles, a clear indication that these parasites can be easily distinguished by this method.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Succession pattern of carrion-feeding insects in Paramo, Colombia.

The minimum postmortem interval can be estimated based on knowledge of the pattern of insect succession on a corpse. To use this approach requires that we take into account the rates of insect development associated with particular climatological conditions of the region. This study is the first to look at insect succession on decomposing carcasses in the high altitude plains (Paramo) in Colombia, at 3035 m above sea level. Five stages of decomposition were designated with indicator species identified for each stage: Callíphora nigribasis at the fresh stage; Compsomyiops verena at the bloated stage; Compsomyiops boliviana during active decay; Stearibia nigriceps and Hydrotaea sp. during advanced decay and Leptocera sp. for dry remains. A succession table is presented for carrion-associated species of the region, which can be used for estimating time since death in similar areas. Compsomyiops boliviana is reported for the first time in Colombia.

Altitude↗

PubMed2004

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system: report of five biopsy-confirmed cases from Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: Primary (isolated) angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is a rare cause of cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and few leptomeningeal and brain biopsy (LBB)-confirmed cases have been reported from South America. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients with diagnosis of cerebral angiitis admitted between March 1991 and July 2001 to a single university hospital in Medellin, Colombia. Patients with definitive diagnosis of PACNS by Alrawi et al.'s LBB criteria were selected. We excluded other causes of cerebral angiitis as well as cases without LBB confirmation. RESULTS: We report five patients, four men and one woman, with a mean age at onset of 24.4 years, and an average disease progression of 12.4 days. Four presented with headache and motor weakness, three had seizures, and two had alterations of consciousness. Cerebral MRI was abnormal in all five cases; brain CT in four, and cerebral angiography in two. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was abnormal in two patients. Leptomeningeal and brain biopsies revealed mononuclear infiltration in the wall of small blood vessels in all. Three had concurrent meningeal and cerebral involvement, two had necrotizing angiitis, and one had vascular and encephalitic lesions. All received only steroid treatment; the 1-year follow-up revealed good prognosis without relapses. CONCLUSION: We report five biopsy-proven cases of PACNS from Colombia associated with neurological and neuroimaging abnormalities; these patients presented a mild inflammatory disease that was correlated with few CSF abnormalities and good response to single steroid treatment without relapses. Leptomeningeal and brain biopsy is mandatory for a definitive diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

A phylogenetic reconstruction of the epidemiological history of canine rabies virus variants in Colombia.

Historically, canine rabies in Colombia has been caused by two geographically distinct canine variants of rabies virus (RV) which between 1992 and 2002 accounted for approximately 95% of Colombian rabies cases. Genetic variant 1 (GV1) has been isolated up until 1997 in the Central Region and the Department of Arauca, and is now considered extinct through a successful vaccination program. Genetic variant 2 (GV2) has been isolated from the northern Caribbean Region and continues to circulate at present. Here we have analyzed two sets of sequence data based upon either a 147 nucleotide region of the glycoprotein (G) gene or a 258 nucleotide region that combines a fragment of the non-coding intergenic region and a fragment of the polymerase gene. Using both maximum likelihood (ML) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods we have estimated the time of the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of the two variants to be between 1983 and 1988. Reconstructions of the population history suggest that GV2 has been circulating in Colombia since the 1960s and that GV1 evolved as a separate lineage from GV2. Estimations of the effective population size at present show the GV2 outbreak to be approximately 20 times greater than that of GV1. Demographic reconstructions were unable to detect a decrease in population size concurrent with the elimination of GV1. We find a raised rate of nucleotide substitution for GV1 gene sequences when compared to that of GV2, although all estimates have wide confidence limits. We demonstrate that phylogenetic reconstructions and sequence analysis can be used to support incidence data from the field in the assessment of RV epidemiology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Chromosome aberrations among cigarette smokers in Colombia.

Worldwide, the annual morbimortality caused by cigarette smoking is a major public health concern. In Colombia, up to 33% of the adult population has smoked at some point in life, raising important national issues on the disease burden from tobacco. The aim of this study was to establish whether cigarette smoking increases the frequency of chromosome aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of smokers (n = 52) compared with non-smokers (n = 52) in Popayán, Colombia. After signing a consent form, volunteers provided a blood sample (20 ml) to establish cell cultures at 52 h. For CA analysis, 100 complete metaphase cells from each subject were evaluated. The CA frequency was significantly higher in smokers (8.38 +/- 0.61) than in non-smokers (3.13 +/- 0.29), showing the highest number of CA (14.83 +/- 1.01) among heavy smokers (>20 pack-years). Interestingly, light smokers (< or =10 pack-years) also showed a significant increase in CA when compared to non-smokers (6.62 +/- 0.53 versus 3.13 +/- 0.29, P < 0.01, respectively). In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between the frequency of CA and the intensity of smoking in pack-years (R2 = 0.60). Our study indicates that the genotoxic effects in lymphocytes from smokers are most likely caused by cigarette smoke constituents, providing scientific evidence to encourage national campaigns to prevent tobacco consumption.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Community level effects of gender inequality on intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy in Colombia: testing the feminist perspective.

Violence against women, especially by intimate partners, is a serious public health problem that is associated with physical, reproductive, and mental health consequences. The effect of intimate partner violence on women's ability to control their fertility and the mechanisms through which these phenomena are related merit further investigation. Building on findings from a previous analysis in which a statistically significant relationship between intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy in Colombia was found, this analysis examines the effect of gender inequality on this association using data from the 2000 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey. Specifically, the objective of this analysis is to explore whether gender inequality (as measured by women's autonomy, women's status, male patriarchal control, and intimate partner violence) in municipalities partially explains the association between intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy in Colombia. Results of logistic regression analysis with multi-level data show that living in a municipality with high rates of male patriarchal control significantly increased women's odds of having an unintended pregnancy by almost four times. Also, living in a municipality with high rates of intimate partner violence increased one's odds of unintended pregnancy by more than 2.5 times, and non-abused women living in municipalities with high rates of intimate partner violence were at a significantly increased risk of unintended pregnancy. In addition, abused women living in a municipality with high personal female decision-making autonomy had more than a fourfold increased risk of having an unintended pregnancy. These findings demonstrate the need for reproductive health programs to target areas at particularly high risk for unintended pregnancy by reducing intimate partner violence and gender inequality.

Battered Women↗