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Body weights in mixed species troops of Saguinus mystax mystax and Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons in Amazonian Peru.

An investigation of body weights of members of mixed species troops of Saguinus mystax mystax and Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons was conducted at the Rio Blanco Research Station in northeastern Peru. A total of 107 adult and subadult tamarin monkeys were trapped, measured, and released. Data collected indicate that mean body weights for adult male and female moustached tamarins are 564 gm and 626 gm, respectively, whereas for adult saddle-back tamarins these values are 412 gm and 411 gm. Subadults weighed 11-27% less than adults. Body weights recorded in this study are significantly greater than those previously reported for tamarins of the same species and age living in other areas of Amazonian Peru. We hypothesize that, in the case of moustached and saddle-back tamarins, advantages associated with feeding and foraging in mixed species troops facilitate greater efficiency in resource monitoring and result in the maintenance of larger body weights.

Age Factors↗

Differences in physical growth of Aymara and Quechua children living at high altitude in Peru.

Physical growth of Amerindian children living in two Aymara and three Quechua peasant communities in the Andean highlands of southern Peru (altitude 3,810-3,840 m) was studied, taking into account differences in the microclimate, agronomic situation, and sociodemographic variables. Anthropometric measurements were taken in 395 children aged under 14 years of age in a sample of 151 families in these communities, who were surveyed for sociodemographic variables as well. Data on the land system were available for 77 families. In comparison with reference populations from the United States (NCHS) and The Netherlands, stature, weight, head circumference, and midupper arm circumference (but not weight for stature) in the sample children were reduced. Growth retardation increased after the age of 1 year. Stature and weight in the present sample were very similar compared with previously published data on growth of rural Aymara children living near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Head circumference, midupper arm circumference, and weight for stature were significantly larger in Aymara children compared with Quechua children. Land was significantly more fragmented in Aymara compared with Quechua families, but amount of land owned was not different. Perinatal and infant mortality was elevated in Aymara vs. Quechua communities. Most families in Aymara communities used protected drinking water. One Quechua community had a severe microclimate, grim economic outlook, and weak social cohesion. Children in this community showed significant reductions in weight and midupper arm circumference compared with their peers in the other communities. We conclude that (presumably nutritionally mediated) intervillage and Aymara-Quechua differences in childhood physical growth existed in this rural high-altitude population in Peru and were associated with microclimate and the village economy, sociodemographic factors, and differences in the land system.

Adolescent↗

Land, language, and loci: mtDNA in Native Americans and the genetic history of Peru.

Despite a long history of complex societies and despite extensive present-day linguistic and ethnic diversity, relatively few populations in Peru have been sampled for population genetic investigations. In order to address questions about the relationships between South American populations and about the extent of correlation between genetic distance, language, and geography in the region, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region I sequences and mtDNA haplogroup markers were examined in 33 individuals from the state of Ancash, Peru. These sequences were compared to those from 19 American Indian populations using diversity estimates, AMOVA tests, mismatch distributions, a multidimensional scaling plot, and regressions. The results show correlations between genetics, linguistics, and geographical affinities, with stronger correlations between genetics and language. Additionally, the results suggest a pattern of differential gene flow and drift in western vs. eastern South America, supporting previous mtDNA and Y chromosome investigations.

Analysis of Variance↗

Seroprevalence of hepatitis C antibody in Peru.

The prevalence in Peru of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was determined in a survey of populations living in the northern jungle region and in groups at high risk of parenterally and sexually transmitted diseases. All sera were initially screened for anti-HCV using commercial first and second generation ELISAs; repeatedly reactive sera were further verified with a second generation immunoblot assay. Serum samples were also tested by ELISA for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc. None of 2,111 sera obtained in the survey of jungle residents was positive for anti-HCV by immunoblot assay. Twelve of 16 HIV-1 antibody positive hemophiliacs, one of 103 HIV-1 antibody positive homosexuals, and three of 602 HIV-1 negative registered female prostitutes were positive for anti-HCV. A high prevalence of total markers of hepatitis B infection was found in all subjects, especially in older subjects and groups at high risk of parenterally and sexually transmitted diseases. The findings of this study indicate that seropositivity for hepatitis C virus antibody is uncommon in Peru except in high risk groups and suggest that the epidemiology of hepatitis C differs substantially from hepatitis B.

Adolescent↗

Genetic and phylogeographic structure of populations of Pulex simulans (Siphonaptera) in Peru inferred from two genes ( CytB and CoII).

In this paper we discuss the potential usefulness of determining the phylogeographic and phylogenetic patterns of a vector for understanding the spread of pathogens or insecticide resistance. We do so using the example of Pulex simulans in Peru. Six populations from six different localities were investigated. Mitochondrial DNA sequences were obtained and branching patterns were inferred using phylogenetic reconstruction methods and nested clade analyses. Ten different haplotypes were discovered. Phylogenetic analysis revealed P. simulans in Peru as a monophyletic group, containing clades that were generally not geographically correlated. The data suggest that P. simulans is not a single genetic entity but rather that this species shows a high degree of intraspecific variation. Restricted gene flow with long distance dispersal coupled with range expansion and long distance colonization are likely to have contributed to the observed patterns of variation.

Animals↗

Biochemical characterization of new strains of Trypanosoma cruzi and T. rangeli isolates from Peru and Mexico.

Seven trypanosome stocks isolated have been characterized by lectin agglutination, isoenzyme analysis, and the end products excreted. The stocks were isolated from different geographic areas-one from Mexico (TM5), and six from Peru, four of these isolated from different species of triatoma (TP504, TP702, TP704 and TP706), the other two isolated from the salivary glands of Rhodnius ecuadorensis (TRa605 and TRa606). Additionally, one strain of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from a human case (strain TC-Maracay) and one strain of T. rangeli (TRa, Cajamarca-Peru strain), characterized and maintained in our laboratory, were used as reference strains. According to statistical study, the stocks were grouped into three clusters: (1) cluster I included the reference strain of T. cruzi (TC-Maracay); (2) cluster II was subdivided into two groups-subcluster IIA for the Mexican isolate (TM5) and subcluster IIB for the Peruvian ones, isolated from the salivary glands of Rhodnius ecuadorensis (TRa 605 and TRa 606) and the reference strain T. rangeli (TRa); these two new isolates were classified as T. rangeli; and (3) cluster III for the rest of the Peruvian isolates, which should be considered at least as a different strain from the T. cruzi strain Maracay. We show that the identification of T. cruzi and T. rangeli in mixed infections is readily achieved by biochemical methods. These findings identified three clusters of Mexican and Peruvian stocks that correlate with geographic origin, although assignment to a T. cruzi linage was not possible.

Agglutination Tests↗

Thermosediminibacter oceani gen. nov., sp. nov. and Thermosediminibacter litoriperuensis sp. nov., new anaerobic thermophilic bacteria isolated from Peru Margin.

A new group of anaerobic thermophilic bacteria was isolated from enrichment cultures obtained from deep sea sediments of Peru Margin collected during Leg 201 of the Ocean Drilling Program. A total of ten isolates were obtained from cores of 1-2 m below seafloor (mbsf) incubated at 60 degrees C: three isolates came from the sediment 426 m below sea level with a surface temperature of 9 degrees C (Site 1227), one from 252 m below sea level with a temperature of 12 degrees C (Site 1228), and six isolates under sulfate-reducing condition from the lower slope of the Peru Trench (Site 1230). Strain JW/IW-1228P from the Site 1228 and strain JW/YJL-1230-7/2 from the Site 1230 were chosen as representatives of the two identified clades. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence analysis, these isolates represent a novel group with Thermovenabulum and Caldanaerobacter as their closest relatives. The temperature range for growth was 52-76 degrees C with an optimum at around 68 degrees C for JW/IW-1228P and 43-76 degrees C with an optimum at around 64 degrees C for JW/YJL-1230-7/2. The pH(25C) range for growth was from 6.3 to 9.3 with an optimum at 7.5 for JW/IW-1228P and from 5 to 9.5 with an optimum at 7.9-8.4 for JW/YJL-1230-7/2. The salinity range for growth was from 0% to 6% (w/v) for JW/IW-1228P and from 0% to 4.5% (w/v) for JW/YJL-1230-7/2. The G+C [corrected] mol% of the genomic DNA was 46.3 +/- 0.7% (n = 4) for Thermosediminibacter oceani [corrected] JW/IW-1228PT [corrected] and 45.2 +/- 0.7 (n = 6) for Thermosediminibacter litoriperuensis [corrected] JW/YJL-1230-7/2T [corrected] DNA-DNA hybridization yielded 52% similarity between the two strains. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolates are located within the family, Thermoanaerobacteriaceae. Based on their morphological and physiological properties and phylogenetic analysis, it is proposed that strain JW/IW-1228P(T) is placed into a novel taxa, Thermosediminibacter oceani, gen. nov., sp. nov. (DSM 16646(T)=ATCC BAA-1034(T)), and JW/YJL-1230-7/2(T) into Thermosediminibacter litoriperuensis sp. nov. (DSM 16647(T) =ATCC BAA-1035(T)).

Anaerobiosis↗

Waterborne transmission of epidemic cholera in Trujillo, Peru: lessons for a continent at risk.

The epidemic of cholera that began in Peru in January, 1991, marked the first such epidemic in South America this century. Subsequently, over 533,000 cases and 4700 deaths have been reported from nineteen countries in that hemisphere. We investigated the epidemic in Trujillo, the second largest city in Peru. Trujillo's water supply was unchlorinated and water contamination was common. Suspect cholera cases were defined as persons presenting to a health facility with acute diarrhoea between Feb 1, and March 31, 1991. We studied a cohort of 150 patients who had been admitted to hospital and conducted a matched case-control study with 46 cases and 65 symptom-free and serologically uninfected controls; we also carried out a water quality study. By March 31, 1991, 16,400 cases of suspected cholera (attack rate 2.6%), 6673 hospital admissions, and 71 deaths (case-fatality rate 0.4%) had been reported in the province of Trujillo. 79% of stool cultures of patients with diarrhoea presenting to a single hospital yielded Vibrio cholerae O1. In the case-control study, drinking unboiled water (odds ratio [OR] 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-7.3), drinking water from a household water storage container in which hands had been introduced into the water (4.2, 1.2-14.9), and going to a fiesta (social event) (3.6, 1.1-11.1) were associated with illness. The water quality study showed progressive contamination during distribution and storage in the home: faecal coliform counts were highest in water from household storage containers and lowest in city well water. V cholerae O1, biotype El Tor, serotype Inaba, was isolated from three city water samples. Cholera control measures in Trujillo should focus on treatment of water and prevention of contamination during distribution and in the home. Trujillo's water and sanitation problems are common in South America; similar control measures are needed throughout the continent to prevent spread of epidemic cholera.

Adolescent↗

Socio-cultural determinants of child mortality in southern Peru: including some methodological considerations.

Among Amerindian children living at high altitude in the Andes in southern Peru, high child mortality rates have been reported in the literature, especially in the perinatal and neonatal period. We compared mortality rates in children calculated from retrospective survey data in 86 rural families from 2 Aymara and 3 Quechua peasant communities living at the same level of altitude (3825 m) in southern Peru. Relations between land tenure, socio-cultural factors and child mortality were studied, and methodological considerations in this field of interest are discussed. Checks on consistency of empirical data showed evidence for underreporting of neonatal female deaths with birth order 3 and more. Perinatal (124 vs 34 per 1000 births) and infant mortality (223 vs 111 per 1000 live births) was significantly higher in Aymara compared with Quechua children, but no difference was found after the first year of life. A short pregnancy interval was associated with an elevated perinatal and infant mortality rate, and a similar albeit insignificant association was found with increased maternal age. Amount of land owned and birth order were not related with child mortality. Although levels of maternal education are generally low in both cultures, a consistent decline in infant and child mortality was found with the amount of years mothers had attended school. However, the results suggest a U-shaped relationship between the amount of years of parental education and perinatal mortality in offspring. Late fetal and early neonatal mortality were particularly high in one Aymara community where mothers were found to have more years of education. Infanticide, a known phenomenon in the highlands of the Andes, is discussed in relation with the findings of the study. Although maternal and child health services are utilized by the majority of families in 4 of 5 study communities, 43 of 51 mothers under the age of 45 years reported that they delivered their last baby in the absence of traditional midwives or official medical supervision.

Adult↗

Neurocysticercosis and epilepsy in Peru.

This study was carried out to determine the prevailing type of epilepsy in neurocysticercosis. We also evaluated if it could account for the predominance of generalized epilepsy in Peru. We studied the records and EEGs of 49 cases of neurocysticercosis, representing 5.9% of all hospital admissions. Cysticercosis was diagnosed using clinical, blood, CSF (complement fixation, ELISA, immunoblot) and CT scan criteria. We found 49 epileptic patients. Their type of epilepsy was as follows: 35 subjects had generalized epilepsy and 14 had partial epilepsy (5 motor partial, 5 complex partial, both with secondary generalization and 4 motor partial). All but 3 patients were over 25 years old (mean 33 years). We conclude that generalized epilepsy is frequent among cysticercosis patients and that it may account, partially, for the predominance of generalized seizures in Peru and in other areas of South America where cysticercosis is endemic.

Adolescent↗

A serological and biochemical study of new field isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus type A in Peru, 1975 to 1981.

Three foot-and-mouth disease virus type A isolates recovered from field outbreaks in the Department of San Martin, Peru, during the period 1975 to 1981 were compared with each other, and the South American vaccine strains A24 and A27, by complement fixation (CF), virus neutralization (VN) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Complement fixation and VN tests gave comparable results distinguishing the field isolates from each other and from the vaccine strains. Analysis of the structural polypeptides by PAGE also showed clear differences between all the viruses examined. Samples from tissue culture passaged and mouse adapted strains of one of the field isolates gave identical patterns in PAGE, but differences were observed in the polypeptide pattern of the A24/BRA/55 strain and the Peru vaccine strain, which were serologically indistinguishable. Results illustrate a continued antigenic variation in an endemic area where vaccination has been used; however, asymmetric serological reactions between the A24 vaccine strain and the most recent field isolate indicated that a vaccine incorporating A24 should still give adequate protection.

Animals↗

Emergency medicine in Peru.

Emergency Medicine (EM) is a developing specialty in Peru, as is the case in many other countries around the world. The nation's first residency training program was started in 1993 at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM). This description of the development, organization, challenges, and goals of the EM specialty in Peru is based on personal experience and communication with other specialists in the country.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗

Cryotherapy treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: women's experiences in Peru.

Our objective was to examine cryotherapy experiences among women who received treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a cervical cancer prevention project in rural Peru. The sample consisted of all women receiving cryotherapy during a 4-month period (July through October 2001). Structured interviews were conducted to collect information about the adequacy of information provision, women's satisfaction with cryotherapy, their ability to comply with postcryotherapy recommendations and condom use, their experience with cryotherapy side effects, and their satisfaction with cryotherapy follow-up. Of the 224 women who were interviewed, user satisfaction with cryotherapy treatment was generally good. A few women engaged in sex earlier than 30 days after treatment, primarily due to partner pressure to resume sex and the women's inability to successfully negotiate abstention from sex. These couples were not always able to use condoms. The percentage of women reporting vaginal discharge was within the range of responses reported in other studies. Cryotherapy appears to be acceptable to women in low-resource settings such as Peru.

Adult↗

Postmortem findings and opportunistic infections in HIV-positive patients from a public hospital in Peru.

There is a paucity of HIV autopsy data from South America and none that document the postmortem findings in patients with HIV/AIDS in Peru. The purpose of this autopsy study was to determine the spectrum of opportunistic infections and the causes of mortality in HIV-positive patients at a public hospital in Lima. Clinico-epidemiological information regarding HIV infection in Peru is also reviewed. Sixteen HIV-related hospital postmortems, performed between 1999 and 2004, were included in this retrospective analysis. The primary cause of death was established in 12 patients: one died of neoplasia and 11 of infectious diseases, including 3 from pulmonary infection, 7 from disseminated infection, and 2 from central nervous system infection (one case had dual pathology). Opportunistic infections were identified in 14 cases, comprising cytomegalovirus, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, Pneumocystis pneumonia, aspergillosis, tuberculosis, varicella zoster virus, and cryptosporidiosis. Fourteen patients had at least one AIDS-related disease that had been neither clinically suspected nor diagnosed premortem. Moreover, 82% of the diagnoses considered to be of important clinical significance had not been suspected antemortem. The spectrum and frequency of certain opportunistic infections differed from other South American autopsy studies, highlighting the importance of performing HIV/AIDS postmortems in resource-limited countries where locally specific disease patterns may be observed.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Field evaluation of a coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of canine echinococcosis in a rural Andean village in Peru.

One hundred and six dogs (61 males and 45 females) were examined for Echinococcus granulosus infection in a farming cooperative in the central highlands of Peru during November 1998. Canine echinococcosis was diagnosed using direct microscopic examinations of purged feces following arecoline purging and a coproantigen-detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for E. granulosus. Mean age was 2 years with a range of 3 months to 9 years. The overall prevalence of canine echinococcosis using the ELISA test was 79% (84/106). Seventy-four dogs were successfully purged with arecoline. The frequency of canine echinococcosis was 82 (61/74) and 34% (25/74) by the coproantigen ELISA test and arecoline purging, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the coproantigen ELISA test was 88 and 95%, respectively. We found this assay to be especially advantageous in remote geographical areas. In future control programs against echinococcosis in Peru and other areas where E. granulosus is endemic the coproantigen ELISA should be used for the surveillance of the dog population.

Animals↗

Chronic exposure of sheep to a zinc smelter in Peru.

Liver levels of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, manganese, and zinc were assessed in adult female sheep living in the vicinity of a zinc smelter in Peru. The study was conducted on a large sheep-raising cooperative divided into seven management units, operated under a standardized husbandry system. Soil samples were analyzed for the same metals at varying distances from the smelter. A gradient of concentration of heavy metals in soil was found between 1 and 56 km from the smelter. Soil concentrations for all metals except manganese decreased significantly with increasing distance from the smelter. The strongest correlations were found for copper, lead, and zinc (P less than 0.001). Topographic features and prevailing wind direction appeared to play a role in the dispersion of pollutants. Liver samples were obtained from 153 sheep on five units of the cooperative. The centers of the units sampled were between 13 and 56 km from the smelter. Hepatic concentrations of arsenic, lead, manganese, and zinc decreased significantly with increasing distance from the smelter. Liver arsenic and liver zinc were significantly related to soil concentrations. Liver levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and manganese in sheep from the cooperative were significantly higher than those detected in control sheep from southern Peru. Sheep populations may serve as biological monitors for heavy metal accumulation and environmental carcinogenesis.

Animals↗

In vitro culture and biochemical characterization of six trypanosome isolates from Peru and Brazil.

Six trypanosomatids isolated from different geographical areas from South America (Peru and Brazil) and different vectors and reservoir hosts (the triatomine Panstrongylus chinai [TP1], Triatoma infestans [TP2], Rhodnius ecuadorensis [TP3], R. prolixus [TB1], Didelphys marsupialis [TB2]), and one from a human asymptomatic patient [TB3], were characterized using lectin agglutination, isoenzyme profile, in vitro culture final metabolite patterns, and compared with a reference strain (Trypanosoma cruzi, Maracay strain [TC]). The different isolates were cultured in vitro in Grace's medium supplemented with 10% inactivated bovine foetal serum. According to our results and the statistical study, the isolate obtained from R. ecuadorensis should be designed as a Trypanosoma rangeli sp., showing all other isolates strong similarities to T. cruzi. Between them, two clusters could be identified, strongly correlating with the geographical origin. Cluster I grouped isolates from Peru and T. cruzi reference strain, and cluster II grouped the three Brazilian isolates.

Agglutination Tests↗

Seasonal change in nutritional status among young children in an urban shanty town in Peru.

Seasonal variation in nutritional status among young children has been described in rural populations, but in few urban settings. We examined seasonality in 7 years of nutritional surveillance data from an urban shanty town near Lima, Peru, where children 0-35 months old were measured at intervals of 4-5 months. We compared nutritional status by month, using generalized estimating equations to account for the intercorrelations among measurements of the same person at different times. The periodicity of the seasonal variation was found to fit a model in which the month of the year was sine-transformed, and this sine-transformed model was used to examine possible interactions with age, sex and year of examination. A total of 38,626 measurements was available from 11,333 children. In late winter, mean weight-for-height was an estimated 0.38 Z score higher than in late summer. The seasonal effect occurred at all ages, in both sexes, and in each year of surveillance. The amplitude was greatest for children 6-23 months old. The summer trough in weight-for-height was lower in 1989 than in other years; children who experienced this summer low had lower mean height-for-age in subsequent years. The seasonal variation in nutritional status may be related to differences in dietary intake, or to the higher prevalence of bacterial diarrhoea in summer than in winter. The more marked drop in weight-for-height in 1989 and subsequent trough in height-for-age may be related to political and economic changes than adversely affected food access in Peru.

Body Height↗