0000000000186377
AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Galán
Smoking may increase the risk of hospitalization due to influenza.
Background: Smoking may facilitate influenza virus infections and their severity. The objective was to investigate the risk of hospitalization due to influenza in Spanish smokers and ex-smokers. Methods: We carried out a multicentre, case-control study in 2011. Cases [patients a parts per thousand yen 18 years hospitalized > 24 h with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed influenza] were selected from 29 Spanish hospitals. For each case, we selected an outpatient aged a parts per thousand yen 18 years with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza matched by age (+/- 5 years), date of hospitalization of the case (+/- 10 days) and province of residence. We collected epidemiological variabl…
Complete Genome Sequence of Acidaminococcus intestini RYC-MR95, a Gram-Negative Bacterium from the Phylum Firmicutes
ABSTRACT Acidaminococcus intestini belongs to the family Acidaminococcaceae , order Selenomonadales , class Negativicutes , phylum Firmicutes . Negativicutes show the double-membrane system of Gram-negative bacteria, although their chromosomal backbone is closely related to that of Gram-positive bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes . The complete genome of a clinical A. intestini strain is here presented.
Simulating the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions limiting transmission in COVID-19 epidemics using a membrane computing model
Epidemics caused by microbial organisms are part of the natural phenomena of increasing biological complexity. The heterogeneity and constant variability of hosts, in terms of age, immunological status, family structure, lifestyle, work activities, social and leisure habits, daily division of time and other demographic characteristics make it extremely difficult to predict the evolution of epidemics. Such prediction is, however, critical for implementing intervention measures in due time and with appropriate intensity. General conclusions should be precluded, given that local parameters dominate the flow of local epidemics. Membrane computing models allows us to reproduce the objects (virus…
Sociodemographic Factors and Clinical Conditions Associated to Hospitalization in Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Virus Infected Patients in Spain, 2009–2010
The emergence and pandemic spread of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009 resulted in a serious alarm in clinical and public health services all over the world. One distinguishing feature of this new influenza pandemic was the different profile of hospitalized patients compared to those from traditional seasonal influenza infections. Our goal was to analyze sociodemographic and clinical factors associated to hospitalization following infection by influenza A(H1N1) virus. We report the results of a Spanish nationwide study with laboratory confirmed infection by the new pandemic virus in a case-control design based on hospitalized patients. The main risk factors for hospitalizatio…
Mutational Events in Cefotaximase Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases of the CTX-M-1 Cluster Involved in Ceftazidime Resistance
ABSTRACT CTX-M β-lactamases, which show a high cefotaxime hydrolytic activity, constitute the most prevalent extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) type found among clinical isolates. The recent explosive diversification of CTX-M enzymes seems to have taken place due to the appearance of more efficient enzymes which are capable of hydrolyzing both cefotaxime and ceftazidime, especially among the CTX-M-1 cluster. A combined strategy of in vitro stepwise evolution experiments using bla CTX-M-1 , bla CTX-M-3 , and bla CTX-M-10 genes and site-directed mutagenesis has been used to evaluate the role of ceftazidime and other β-lactam antibiotics in triggering the diversity found among enzymes belong…
No Major Host Genetic Risk Factor Contributed to A(H1N1)2009 Influenza Severity
Garcia-Etxebarria, Koldo et al.
Effectiveness of vaccination with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in preventing hospitalization with laboratory confirmed influenza during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons
Background: Since influenza predisposes to bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, studies have suggested that pneumococcal vaccination might reduce its occurrence during pandemics. We assessed the effectiveness of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination alone and in combination with influenza vaccination in preventing influenza hospitalization during the 2009–2010 pandemic wave and 2010–2011 influenza epidemic. Methods: We conducted a multicenter case-control study in 36 Spanish hospitals. We selected patients aged ≥ 18 y hospitalized with confirmed influenza and two hospitalized controls per case, matched according to age, date of hospitalization and province of residence.…
Recombination in viruses: Mechanisms, methods of study, and evolutionary consequences
© 2014 Elsevier B.V. Recombination is a pervasive process generating diversity in most viruses. It joins variants that arise independently within the same molecule, creating new opportunities for viruses to overcome selective pressures and to adapt to new environments and hosts. Consequently, the analysis of viral recombination attracts the interest of clinicians, epidemiologists, molecular biologists and evolutionary biologists. In this review we present an overview of three major areas related to viral recombination: (i) the molecular mechanisms that underlie recombination in model viruses, including DNA-viruses (Herpesvirus) and RNA-viruses (Human Influenza Virus and Human Immunodeficien…
Different prognosis in hospitalized patients with influenza one season after the pandemic H1N1 influenza of 2009-2010 in Spain
Background The present report compares prognosis in hospitalized cases with the H1N1 pandemic virus in two seasons. Methods Two series of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 pandemic influenza have been compared: 813 in the season 2009–2010 and 707 in the season 2010–2011. A detailed history of variables preceding hospital admission and during hospitalization was obtained by interview and clinical charts. A combined endpoint of death admission to intensive care was used as outcome due to the low number of deaths. Logistic regression was applied in the analysis for adverse outcome. Results Patients of the second season had different characteristics than in the first one (old…
Antibiotics as selectors and accelerators 1 of diversity in the mechanisms of resistance: from the resistome to genetic plasticity in the β-lactamases world
Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance determinants, natural molecules closely related to bacterial physiology and consistent with an ancient origin, are not only present in antibiotic-producing bacteria. Throughput sequencing technologies have revealed an unexpected reservoir of antibiotic resistance in the environment. These data suggest that co-evolution between antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes has occurred since the beginning of time. This evolutionary race has probably been slow because of highly regulated processes and low antibiotic concentrations. Therefore to understand this global problem, a new variable must be introduced, that the antibiotic resistance is a natural even…
Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in pregnant and nonpregnant women in Spain (2009-2010)
The present study aimed to compare the main features of infection with pandemic influenza A virus in pregnant and nonpregnant women admitted to hospitals in Spain during the first waves of the 2009-2010 influenza pandemic. This was a prospective (November 2009 to June 2010), multicenter observational study. All cases were women of reproductive age who had not been vaccinated against seasonal or pandemic influenza A. Influenza infection was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The sociodemographic and clinical data of all cases were reviewed. A total of 219 inpatients, including 49 pregnant women and 170 nonpregnant women, were enrolled in the study upon adm…
High-throughput sequencing (HTS) for the analysis of viral populations
The development of High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) technologies is having a major impact on the genomic analysis of viral populations. Current HTS platforms can capture nucleic acid variation across millions of genes for both selected amplicons and full viral genomes. HTS has already facilitated the discovery of new viruses, hinted new taxonomic classifications and provided a deeper and broader understanding of their diversity, population and genetic structure. Hence, HTS has already replaced standard Sanger sequencing in basic and applied research fields, but the next step is its implementation as a routine technology for the analysis of viruses in clinical settings. The most likely appli…
Comparison of the performance of 2 commercial multiplex PCR platforms for detection of respiratory viruses in upper and lower tract respiratory specimens
The performance of the CLART® PneumoVir system with that of the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v1 assay for detection of most common respiratory viruses in upper and lower tract respiratory specimens (n = 183) from unique patients with influenza-like syndrome or lower tract respiratory infection. Nested PCR coupled to automated sequencing was used for resolution of discrepancies. Fully concordant results were obtained for a total of 122 specimens, whereas 56 specimens gave partially (n = 21) or fully discordant (n = 35) results (Kappa coefficient, 0.62). The overall specificity of the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v1 assay was slightly higher than that of the CLART® PneumoVir assay for human bocavirus, infl…
Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing outpatient, inpatient, and severe cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
Background. In most seasons, the influenza vaccine is effective in preventing influenza, but it is not clear whether it is equally effective in preventing mild and severe cases. We designed a case-control study to compare the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in preventing outpatient, inpatient, and severe or fatal cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Methods. Hospitalized patients (n = 691) with laboratory-confirmed influenza in the 2010–2011 season recruited in 29 Spanish hospitals were individually matched by age, admission/visit date, and province with an outpatient with laboratory-confirmed influenza and an outpatient control. Severe cases were considered those patients admitt…
Antibiotics as selectors and accelerators of diversity in the mechanisms of resistance: from the resistome to genetic plasticity in the β-lactamases world
Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance determinants, natural molecules closely related to bacterial physiology and consistent with an ancient origin, are not only present in antibiotic-producing bacteria. Throughput sequencing technologies have revealed an unexpected reservoir of antibiotic resistance in the environment. These data suggest that co-evolution between antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes has occurred since the beginning of time. This evolutionary race has probably been slow because of highly regulated processes and low antibiotic concentrations. Therefore to understand this global problem, a new variable must be introduced, that the antibiotic resistance is a natural even…
Molecular Surveillance of HIV-1 in Madrid, Spain: a Phylogeographic Analysis ▿
ABSTRACT The molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 is constantly changing, mainly as a result of human migratory flows and the high adaptive ability of the virus. In recent years, Spain has become one of Europe's main destinations for immigrants and one of the western European countries with the highest rates of HIV-positive patients. Using a phylogeographic approach, we have analyzed the relationship between HIV-1 variants detected in immigrant and native populations of the urban area of Madrid. Our project was based on two coincidental facts. First, resistance tests were extended to naïve and newly diagnosed patients, and second, the Spanish government legislated the provision of legal status t…
Economic evaluation of health services costs during pandemic influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 infection in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Spain (2009)
Background: The healthcare and socio-economic burden resulting from influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 in Spain was considerable. Our aim was to estimate and compare the management (resource utilization) and economic healthcare impact in an at-risk group of unvaccinated pregnant women with an unvaccinated group of non-pregnant woman of childbearing age (15-44 yr old). Methods: We addressed this question with a longitudinal, observational, multicentre study. Inputs were the require-ments in managing both groups of women. Outcome measures were healthcare costs. Direct healthcare (including medical utilisation, prescriptions of antivirals, medication, diagnostic tests, and hospitalisation) costs and ind…