Nora Beatriz Molina

First genotyping of Giardia lamblia from human and animal feces in Argentina, South America

The purpose of this study was to investigate the genotypes of Giardia lamblia from human and animal feces and their epidemiological and clinical characteristics in Argentina, South America. Seventy isolates, 60 from humans (adults and children), eight from dogs and two from cows were processed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Data corresponding to demographic, socio-cultural and environmental variables and presence/absence of signs/symptoms were collected. The triosephosphate isomerase gene was amplified from 43 (71.66%) of the 60 human fecal samples. Among these, 3/43 (6.98%) were genotype AII and 40/43 (93.02%) were genotype B. Assemblage AII was detected in three children who lived together in a shantytown and they were oligosymptomatic and none had diarrhea. This genotype was not found in animals. Genotype B showed a high prevalence in both adults and children. It was also found in polysymptomatic people, many of whom presented diarrhea. It was also found only in one dog. The present study represents the first contribution to the knowledge of G. lamblia genotypes in Argentina.

High prevalences of infection with Giardia intestinalis genotype B among children in urban and rural areas of Argentina

Abstract The protozoan parasite most frequently associated with diarrhoea worldwide is Giardia intestinalis. In 2005, a study was initiated to identify the genotypes of this parasite infecting children in the Argentinian provinces of Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Chaco, and to explore the associations between the genotype detected in a child, the characteristics of the child’s household and the child’s clinical presentation. Overall, 998 children (504 boys and 494 girls) aged between 2–14 years, with or without symptoms, were enrolled. The G. intestinalis in 94 of the 117 stool samples found positive for the parasite by microscopy were successfully genotyped by PCR. Seventy-seven of the children were found to be infected with genotype B only and 14 with genotype AII only, three children being found to have mixed (AII and B) infections. Only genotype B was detected in children from rural areas (P<0·05) and most Giardia detected in children from households with a piped water supply were also of this genotype (P<0·05). The other household characteristics investigated (quality of building, history of flooding, type of sanitation, level of overcrowding, and presence/absence of pet dogs) had no significant effect on the genotype distribution. Children infected with genotype AII were significantly younger than those infected with genotype B (P<0·05) and there was a significant positive association between infection with genotype B and abdominal pain (P<0·05). Diarrhoea was not, however, found to be significantly associated with genotype-AII or genotype-B infection. This is the first published report on the Giardia genotypes circulating in the provinces of Mendoza and Chaco. The results indicate the importance of asymptomatic children in the transmission of Giardia among the young.

Nutritional status in parasitized and nonparasitized children from two districts of buenos aires, Argentina

The Program for the Control of Intestinal Parasites and Nutrition was designed to intervene in small communities to prevent and control the effects of parasitic infections on childrens health. Objectives: To analyze the association between nutritional status and parasitic infection in suburban and rural children from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Methods: Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric (weight, height, BMI, skinfolds, upper arm circumference, muscle, and fat upper arm areas) and biochemical (Hb, Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu) indicators. Parasitological analysis were made on both serial stool and perianal swab samples. A total of 708 children aged 3–11 were measured. The biochemical analysis included 217 blood samples and the parasitological study included 284 samples. Results: Anthropometric status was similar in both settings with low rates of underweight and stunting (<6%), and high rates of overweight (∼17%) and obesity (∼12%). Ca deficiency was significantly higher in suburban children where 80% of them were hypocalcemic. Around 70% of fecal samples contained parasites. Among infected children, the most prevalent species were Blastocystis hominis and Enterobius vermicularis (∼43%) followed by Giardia lamblia (∼17%). Differences in parasitological status between districts were not significant. In the suburban district parasitized children were lighter, shorter, and had a lower upper arm circumference than their non‐infected peers. No differences in anthropometric status were seen among infected and uninfected rural children. Conclusions: The results suggest an association between intestinal parasites and physical growth in suburban children. Rural children seem to be protected against the effects of parasitic infection. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:73–79, 2014.

Comparación de métodos de lisis y extracción de ADN de trofozoítos de Giardia lamblia

Se evaluo la eficiencia de procedimientos de lisis y tratamientos de extraccion de ADN de trofozoitos de Giardia lamblia respecto a la eficiencia de ruptura, cantidad y pureza de ADN, ademas de los tiempos de procesamiento y costos. Se testearon cinco metodos de lisis (agua destilada y calor; agua destilada, calor y proteinasa K; buffer de lisis D; buffer de lisis E y un kit comercial) y tres metodos de purificacion de ADN (fenol:cloroformo: isoamilico; Chelex 100 y un kit comercial). Los datos obtenidos se analizaron estadisticamente. La combinacion de buffer de lisis E y Chelex fue un metodo simple y economico, que produjo alto rendimiento de ADN con baja pureza. Ella tecnica comercial fue un metodo simple, mas costoso que produjo bajas cantidades de ADN con un nivel de pureza apropiado para estudios moleculares

Bibliometric analysis of scientific literature on intestinal parasites in Argentina during the period 1985–2014

The study of scientific production is a good indicator of the progress in research and knowledge generation. Bibliometrics is a scientific discipline that uses a set of indicators to quantitatively express the bibliographic characteristics of scientific publications. The scientific literature on the epidemiology of intestinal parasites in Argentina is scattered in numerous sources, hindering access and visibility to the scientific community. Our purpose was to perform a quantitative, bibliometric study of the scientific literature on intestinal parasites in humans in Argentina published in the period 1985-2014. This bibliometric analysis showed an increase in the number of articles on intestinal parasites in humans in Argentina published over the past 30 years. Those articles showed a collaboration index similar to that of the literature, with a high index of institutionality for national institutions and a very low one for international collaboration. The original articles were published in scientific journals in the American Continent, Europe and Asia. The use of bibliometric indicators can provide a solid tool for the diagnosis and survey of the research on epidemiology of intestinal parasites and contributes to the dissemination and visibility of information on the scientific production developed in Argentina.