José Juan Martínez-Maya

Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats from Mexico City.

In order to determine the frequency of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies in domestic cats and to identify the possible risk factors, 169 domestic cats from 16 municipalities of Mexico City were studied. Their serum was tested by indirect ELISA and the owners answered a questionnaire about age, gender, litter box hygiene, contact with other cats, housing (indoor, outdoor) and diet. We found 37 (21.8%) seropositive cats to T. gondii with an increase in frequency related to age. Main risk factors were female gender, feeding the pet with raw meat and infrequent cleaning of the litter box. The frequency of T. gondii antibodies found in domestic cats of Mexico City suggests active transmission within an urban environment.

Teniosis y detección de anticuerpos anticisticerco en personas de una comunidad rural del estado de Guerrero

OBJETIVO: Determinar la frecuencia de portadores de Taenia sp. y su relacion con el diagnostico de cisticercos en humanos en una comunidad rural del estado de Guerrero, Mexico. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Para detectar portadores de Taenia sp. se analizaron 403 muestras de heces de personas, por medio de ELISA para coproantigenos de Taenia sp., asi como 92 muestras de suero para detectar anticuerpos anticisticerco mediante inmunoelectrotransferencia. El diseno del estudio fue transversal y se llevo a cabo durante 1998. Se hizo estadistica descriptiva y se estimo razon de momios. RESULTADOS: De 403 muestras de heces evaluadas, cinco resultaron positivas (1.2 %). Solo en dos de las cinco personas positivas se obtuvo el cestodo adulto. En 3 (3.26%) de los 92 sueros se encontraron anticuerpos anticisticerco. Del total de sueros, 17 fueron de las personas con diagnostico positivo a teniosis por coproantigenos o que cohabitaban con ellos (primer grupo), los restantes 75 provenian de personas en quienes no se detectaron casos en las viviendas (segundo grupo). En el primer grupo se detectaron 2 (11.8%) sueros positivos, mientras que en el segundo solo 1 (1.3%) (RM= 9.87, I.C 0.64-295.56, p= 0.086). CONCLUSIONES: La dificultad para obtener el parasito adulto en las personas positivas a coproantigenos puede deberse a caracteristicas propias de este que dificultan su expulsion, a que la permanencia del cestodo en su huesped es menor a la esperada o a que el tratamiento fue insuficiente para obtener el parasito, o bien, a problemas de especificidad de la prueba. Es necesario realizar estudios tendientes a evaluar estas posibilidades, lo cual permitiria conocer mejor la dinamica de transmision de esta parasitosis, con el fin de establecer medidas de prevencion y control, ademas de poder comparar con mayor veracidad la eficacia de las pruebas diagnosticas en condiciones de campo.

Genetic Variation of Echinococcus canadensis (G7) in Mexico

We evaluated the genetic variation of Echinococcus G7 strain in larval and adult stages using a fragment of the mitochondrial cox1 gen. Viscera of pigs, bovines, and sheep and fecal samples of dogs were inspected for cystic and canine echinococcosis, respectively; only pigs had hydatid cysts. Bayesian inferences grouped the sequences in an E. canadensis G7 cluster, suggesting that, in Mexico, this strain might be mainly present. Additionally, the population genetic and network analysis showed that E. canadensis in Mexico is very diverse and has probably been introduced several times from different sources. Finally, a scarce genetic differentiation between G6 (camel strain) and G7 (pig strain) populations was identified.

Los Fitoestrógenos y el Efecto de su Consumo en Diferentes Órganos y Sistemas de Animales Domésticos

A B S T R A C T Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds having similar effects to estrogens. Several phytostrogen groups have been identified being the most characteristics the isoflavones like genistein, coumestans like coumestrol, and lignans represented by the enterolactone. Depending on the doses, they can act as agonists or antagonists of steroidal hormones. This apparently bimodal function is due to their capacity to interact with the alpha form of the estrogen receptor (ERα) in several organs of the female reproductive tract and to the beta form ERβ present in prostate, testis, ovaries, limph nodes and brain regions. It has been observed that an increase in genistein or coumestrol induces an increase in haemorrhagic follicles, miscarriages, LH-FSH surge suppression and even estrogenic syndrome, whereas in males, induces alterations in testis development and a decrease in sperm count. In this review, a panoramic view of the actual research of phytostrogen impact on the reproductive function and perspectives mainly for domestic animals is presented.

Efecto de algunos agentes físicos y químicos sobre el metacéstodo de Taenía solium presente en carne adobada y chorizo

Rivera-Guerrero MI, Sanchez-Rueda L, Rodriguez-Bataz E, Martinez-Villalobos AN, Martinez-Maya JJ. Efecto de algunos agentes fisicos y quimicos sobre el metacestodo de Taenia solium presente en carne adobada y chorizo. Salud Publica Mex 2004;46:425-429. El texto completo en ingles de este articulo esta disponible en: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html Resumen Objetivo. Evaluar el efecto de diferentes temperaturas y tiempos, asi como de algunos condimentos sobre la viabilidad de metacestodos de Taenia solium en chorizo y carne adobada. Material y metodos. Este trabajo se llevo a cabo en la Universidad Autonoma de Guerrero, en 1999. En la comunidad de Atzacoaloya, en el municipio de Chilapa de Alvarez, Guerrero, se compro carne de cerdo infectada, con la que se preparo carne adobada y chorizo; solo se empleo aquella en la cual se comprobo la viabilidad de los metacestodos. Los productos obtenidos fueron sometidos a: a) temperatura ambiente durante 12 a 100 horas; b) temperaturas de ‐10 a 37 oC por 24 horas, y c) ebullicion (97 °C) de 1 a 15 minutos. Para determinar el efecto de los condimentos se prepararon lotes con el doble de ingredientes de cada uno. Todas las evaluaciones se realizaron y evaluaron con tres repeticiones. Se establecieron diferencias de proporciones mediante χ

Anti-GK1 antibodies damage Taenia crassiceps cysticerci through complement activation

Taeniasis-cysticercosis, a zoonosis caused by Taenia solium, is prevalent in underdeveloped countries, where marginalization promotes its continued transmission. Pig cysticercosis, an essential stage for transmission, is preventable by vaccination. An efficient multiepitope vaccine against pig cysticercosis, S3Pvac, was developed. Previous studies showed that antibodies against one of the S3Pvac components, GK-1, are capable of damaging T. solium cysticerci, inhibiting their ability to transform into the adult stage in golden hamster gut. This study is aimed to evaluate one of the mechanisms that could mediate anti-GK-1 antibody-dependent protection. To this end, pig anti-GK-1 antibodies were produced and purified by using protein A. Proteomic analysis showed that the induced antibodies recognized the respective native cysticercal protein KE7 (Bobes et al. Infect Immun 85:e00395-17, 2017) and two additional T. solium proteins (endophilin B1 and Gp50). A new procedure to evaluate cysticercus viability, based on quantifying the cytochrome c released after parasite damage, was developed. Taenia crassiceps cysticerci were cultured in the presence of differing amounts of anti-GK-1 antibody and complement in a saturating concentration, along with the respective controls. Cysticercus viability was assessed by recording parasite motility, trypan blue exclusion, and cytochrome c levels in cysticercal soluble extract. Anti-GK-1 antibody significantly increased cysticercus damage as measured by all three methods. Parasite evaluation by electron microscopy after treatment with anti-GK-1 antibody plus complement demonstrated cysticercus damage as shorter, capsule-severed microtrichia; a decrease in glycocalyx length with respect to untreated cysts; and disaggregated desmosomes. These results demonstrate that anti-GK-1 antibodies damage cysticerci through classic complement activation.