Márcio Bezerra Santos

sCD163 levels as a biomarker of disease severity in leprosy and visceral leishmaniasis

Background CD163, receptor for the haptoglobin–hemoglobin complex, is expressed on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. A soluble form of CD163 (sCD163) has been associated with the M2 macrophage phenotype, and M2 macrophages have been shown to down-modulate inflammatory responses. In particular, previous studies have shown that M2 is closely associated with the most severe clinical presentation of leprosy (i.e. lepromatous leprosy (LL)), as well as tuberculosis. We hypothesized that sCD163 correlates with severity of diseases caused by intracellular pathogens. Methodology/Principal findings To assess this hypothesis, sCD163 levels were measured in the serum of leprosy and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients stratified by severity of the clinical presentation. sCD163 levels were significantly higher in patients with these diseases than those observed in healthy control individuals. Further analyses on infection and disease status of leprosy and VL patients revealed a clear association of sCD163 levels with clinical parameters of disease severity. In vitro culture assays revealed that Leishmania infection induced CD163 expression on the surface of both monocyte/macrophages and neutrophils, suggesting these cells as possible sources of sCD163. FACS analyses shows that the cells expressing CD163 produces both TNF-α and IL-4. Conclusions/Significance Taken together, our results reveal sCD163 as a potential biomarker of severity of diseases caused by intracellular pathogens M. leprae and Leishmania spp. and have a modulatory role, with a mix of an inflammatory property induced by TNF-α release, but that potentially induces an anti-inflammatory T cell response, related to IL-4 release.

Diarrhea incidence and intestinal infections among rotavirus vaccinated infants from a poor area in Brazil: a spatial analysis

BackgroundAcute diarrhea is the second leading cause of mortality among children under 5 years of age in developing countries. The pathogen most strongly associated with diarrhea is rotavirus followed by enteric pathogens such as bacteria, helminthes and protozoan. Adequate sanitation and water supply contribute to decrease acute diarrhea incidence of most etiologic agents, although vaccination remains the most important intervention to control rotavirus acute diarrhea. This study aimed to describe environmental conditions and analyze spatially the acute diarrhea and intestinal infection among rotavirus vaccinated infants from Laranjeiras-Sergipe, Brazil.MethodsChildren were enrolled between 2 and 11 months of age and followed through 12 months. Demographic, socioeconomic and environmental data were obtained from a questionnaire, and immunization data were obtained from children vaccination card. Children stool samples were collected each month in order to run laboratory analyses. The household spatial localization was obtained by using a Global Positioning System (GPS). Spatial analysis was performed using the TerraView computer program and Kernel intensity estimation.ResultsA total of 1,113 stool samples were collected with 80 being diarrhea associated. Diarrhea incidence rate was 0.5 ± 1.0 episodes/child/year. The overall infection rates by Ascaris lumbricoides, Endolimax nana, Giardia lamblia and rotavirus were 5.1%, 3.0%, 0.9% and 2.6%, respectively. 3.8% of diarrhea-associated stool samples were positive for rotavirus and 11.3% were positive for helminths and protozoans. There were some changes on spatial distribution of intestinal infections and diarrhea episodes along the four trimesters evaluated.ConclusionsThe studied infants live equally in precarious conditions of sanitation which probably explain the significant rates of parasitic infections appearing in early life. The low acute diarrhea incidence in the studied rotavirus vaccinated population and the low number of symptomatic rotavirus infection may indicate vaccination efficacy to prevent acute diarrhea among young children in a poor environmental sanitary setting.

Spatial analysis for the identification of risk areas for schistosomiasis mansoni in the State of Sergipe, Brazil, 2005-2014.

INTRODUCTION: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infectious disease with a worldwide prevalence. The objective of this work is to identify risk areas for schistosomiasis mansoni transmission in the State of Sergipe, Brazil, during the period from 2005 to 2014. METHODS: We conducted an epidemiological study with secondary data from the Information System Control Program of Schistosomiasis [Sistema de Informação do Programa de Controle da Esquistossomose (SISPCE)]. Temporal trends were analyzed to obtain the annual percentage change (APC) in the rates of annual prevalence. In addition to the description of general indicators of the disease, the spatial analysis was descriptive, by means of the estimator of intensity kernel, and showed spatial dependence by indicators of global Moran (I) and Local Index of Spatial Association (LISA). Thematic maps of spatial distribution were made, identifying priority intervention areas in need of healthcare. RESULTS: There were 78,663 cases of schistosomiasis, with an average of 8.7% positivity recorded; 79.8% of the cases were treated, and Sergipe showed a decreasing positive trend (APC: -2.78). There was the presence of spatial autocorrelation and a significant global Moran index (I = 0.19; p-value = 0.03). We identified clusters of high-risk areas, mainly located in the northeast and southcentral of the state, which each had equally high infection rates. CONCLUSIONS: There was a decreasing positive trend of schistosomiasis in Sergipe. Spatial analysis identified the geographic distribution of risk and allowed the definition of priority areas for the maintenance and intensification of control interventions.

Spatial analysis and temporal trends of suicide mortality in Sergipe, Brazil, 2000-2015

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization defines suicide as the act of deliberately killing oneself. It is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds globally. OBJECTIVE To analyze the epidemiological profile and the spatial distribution of suicide deaths in the state of Sergipe. METHODS We performed an ecological time-series study with data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System (Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade - SIM) about deaths by suicide occurring between 2000 and 2015. We considered as suicide deaths cases recorded as voluntary self-inflicted injuries. Suicide rates were estimated and age-adjusted in the population above 9 years. We analyzed temporal trends by sex and age groups using the simple linear regression model. For the spatial analysis, we performed Kernel density estimation with the software TerraView version 4.2.2. RESULTS We identified 1,560 suicide cases in the state of Sergipe between 2000 and 2015, with a mean of 97.5 cases per year. We also observed that suicide rates in the state increased 102.3% (from 2.69/100,000 population in 2000 to 5.44 in 2015). Suicides occurred predominantly among males (1,160 cases; 74.35%), single people (1,010 cases; 64.7%), and brown-skinned people (1,039 cases; 66.6%). We observed significantly growing temporal trends in the general population, especially among male adults. Spatial analysis allowed us to draw a map that showed the regions with the highest occurrence of suicide. CONCLUSION We observed growing suicide trends in the state of Sergipe and the spatial analysis was an important tool that showed the areas with higher incidences of suicide.

Spatial analysis of viral hepatitis and schistosomiasis coinfection in an endemic area in Northeastern Brazil

INTRODUCTION: This cross-sectional study analyzed the spatial distribution of hepatitis B or C virus (HBV/HBC) and schistosomiasis coinfection. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from patients with Schistosoma mansoni infection. These were tested for serological markers of HBV/HCV infection. The spatial distribution of coinfection was analyzed using intensity kernel estimation. RESULTS: Overall, 9.4% of individuals had contact with HBV and 1.7% of samples tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies. We identified clusters of risk located in the central region. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial analysis allowed visualization of high-risk areas, leading to a definition of priority areas to be targeted for intensification of control interventions.