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Biomedical subjects

G Cilla

Publications and source records attributed to G Cilla.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Helicobacter pylori infection: a seroepidemiological study in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide. To evaluate the prevalence of this infection in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain) we studied the presence of antibodies against Helicobacter pylori (HPAb) using a second-generation EIA (Cobas Core). The study was performed on two groups of subjects: a middle-class group, 2-78 years-old (n = 1335) and a group of slum dwellers, 2-15 years-old (n = 89). In the middle-class group the prevalence of HPAb in children under 6 was 3.1% (3/96); the prevalence was significantly greater in older compared to younger age groups, reaching 84.3% (102/121) in adults 50-59 years. The geometric mean of the titer in seropositive subjects was also greater in older age groups. By logistic regression analysis the prevalence of HPAb was associated with age, educational level and geographic origin but not with sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, or use of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs. The prevalence of HPAb was much higher in the slum-dwelling group 2-15 years-old (55.5% of children 2-5 years-old). The results indicate that H. pylori infection was more common in adult people from our geographic region than in those from other developed countries and show that socioeconomically deprived children constitute at present a group at high risk of acquiring infection in our region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in middle-class and disadvantaged children in northern Spain (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country).

The prevalence of human toxocarosis in disadvantaged socioeconomic population in Europe is unknown. In Gipuzkoa the seroprevalence in middle-class children 2- to 5-years-old, and 6- to 16-year-olds, was zero (n = 135) and 4.4% (n = 320), respectively. In contrast, among socially and economically disadvantaged children the figures were 37% (n = 27) and 65.7% (n = 64). This high prevalence obliges us to consider toxocarosis as a public health problem.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Epidemiology of human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) infection in Spain. HTLV Spanish Study Group.

The human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) has recently been associated with the genesis of some subacute neurological syndromes and, rarely, with atypical T-lymphoid malignancies. The virus is endemic in some Amerindian and African tribes, and among intravenous drug users (IDUs) in North America and Europe. Given that HTLV-II is transmitted by the same routes as other human retroviruses, the screening of antibodies to HTLV-II in blood donors has became a matter of controversy in some countries. Herein, we describe the clinical, epidemiological and virological features of 113 individuals with HTLV-II infection identified in Spain up to September 1995. Most of them (94/113; 83%) were male, and all but seven were natives. Four were African immigrants living in Madrid and 3 had been born in other European countries. All but six subjects were IDUs, and sexual transmission of HTLV-II and transfusion were involved in five and one individual, respectively. Eighty-four percent of the IDUs infected with HTLV-II were co-infected by HIV-I (93/107). Clinical manifestations potentially linked to HTLV-II were absent, although an IDU male co-infected by HIV-1 and HTLV-II developed a severe non-inflammatory proximal myopathy. In conclusion, HTLV-II infection is present in Spain, mainly among IDUs, with a growing incidence and a current overall prevalence of 2.0 percent.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Epidemiology of HIV-2 infection in Spain. The HIV-2 Spanish Study Group.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection is endemic in West Africa, where it is responsible for many cases of AIDS. HIV-2-infected subjects have been described in other countries, mainly African immigrants, although infection in native individuals has been reported as well. The first cases of HIV-2 infection in Spain were identified in 1988. Through December 1995, 56 HIV-2 infected individuals have been diagnosed, primarily in large urban areas (23 cases in Madrid and 18 in Barcelona). All are African immigrants, except for 12 natives (21.4%), six of whom acquired the infection in endemic areas; the remaining six (2 women with numerous sexual partners and 4 homo/bisexual men) acquired the infection in Spain. Heterosexual transmission was probable in all but seven cases: five homo/bisexual males, a subject who likely acquired infection through parenteral exposure, and a child born to an HIV-2-infected mother. Nine patients (all Spanish born) have developed AIDS (16%), six of whom have died. In conclusion, HIV-2 infection is present in Spain at a low rate, and there is little evidence supporting an emerging ongoing transmission outside the population of African immigrants.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1996

Serologic response to measles-mumps-rubella vaccine among children with upper respiratory tract infection.

The influence of concurrent upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) on immune response to MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine was evaluated by measuring IgG levels for each viral component immediately before vaccination and 6 months after vaccination in 198 12-month-old children (101 children without URTI and 97 with URTI at time of vaccination). None of the children had antibodies to measles, mumps or rubella before vaccination. Seroconversion rates and the geometric means of the antibody titers in children without URTI and in children with URTI at the time of vaccination were similar. MMR vaccination should not be delayed in children with such infections.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1996

Genotyping of hepatitis C virus isolates from Basque Country, Spain.

The genotype of HCV was determined in 161 chronic HCV-infected patients. The patients were classified into three groups on the basis of the origin of the HCV infection: 50 patients had a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) but no HIV infection; 41 patients had received blood transfusions, and 70 patients had no known exposure. The distribution of HCV genotypes was associated with the origin of infection and age of patients: genotype 1b was predominant among patients who had received blood transfusions and those without evidence of parenteral exposure (84.6% and 67.7%, respectively), whereas genotype 3a was present in 65.3% of IVDUs. Patients with genotype 1b were older than those with genotypes 1a or 3a: 50.3 +/- 12 vs. 34.1 +/- 9.9 and 31 +/- 5.4 years, respectively. These findings suggest that the pattern of HCV genotypes in our region is changing and that genotype 1b may be substituted by 3a as the dominant genotype in the future.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Follow-up of chronic hepatitis B carriers. Serological course and risk of reactivation].

AIM: To investigate serologic changes and risk of reactivation in hepatitis B chronic carriers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred chronic HBs-Ag positive patients were included (follow-up greater than 18 months). According to the HBeAg/Anti-HBe status at the moment of inclusion they were classified in 3 groups: I: 40 patients HBeAg positive, II: 158 anti-HBe positive and III: 2 HBeAg/Anti-HBe negatives. All patients were screened in the follow-up for biochemical test, hepatitis B, C and D virus serology, DNA.HBV by hybridization, alpha fetoprotein and abdominal ultrasound. RESULTS: Mean age was 35 +/- 12 years (14-61), and mean follow-up 71 +/- 35.1 months (18-252). In the follow-up 28 patients in group I seroconverted HBeAg/Anti-HBe, 18 spontaneously (annual rate 10%). In group II four patients out off 158 were DNA HBV positive. Only 3 chronic HBV carriers lost HBsAg and developed Anti-HBs (annual rate 0,25%). Reactivation of viral activity was detected in 13 patients Anti-HBe positive, DNA.HBV negative. HBeAg appeared during reactivation in six, both HBeAg/Anti-HBe were negative in one, and six were unchanged. Reactivation was significantly more frequent in chronic carriers with high GPT activity (13 out off 75, 17.3%) than in patients with normal GPT (0 out off 107, 0%) (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Reactivation of HBV activity is frequent in HBsAg chronic carriers Anti-HBe positive, DNA.HBV negative and who are abnormal GPT levels; these patients should be considered at risk of reactivation. The control in the follow-up of HBV chronic carriers with persistently normal GPT, without advanced liver disease, may not be so frequent. The increased infectiousness during reactivation of HBV activity must be taken account for prophylaxis of HBV infection in chronic carriers contacts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Type 2 human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV-2) in Spain: analysis of the first 50 cases. Spanish Group for the Study of HIV-2].

BACKGROUND: Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is endemic in West Africa where it is responsible for many AIDS cases. HIV-2 has been described in subjects in other countries, mainly in African immigrants, although it may also be found in natives. The first cases of HIV-2 infection were identified in Spain in 1988. METHODS: The clinical, epidemiologic and virologic characteristics of the subjects with HIV-2 infection identified in Spain up to November 1994 are described. RESULTS: Fifty people have been diagnosed with HIV-2 infection, being found mainly around the large urban centers (20 cases in Madrid and 16 in Barcelona). All the cases were African immigrants except for 10 Spaniards (20%), 6 of whom had acquired the infection in endemic areas while the other 4 (one prostitute from Barcelona and 3 bisexual males from Guipúzcoa) had acquired the infection in Spain. Heterosexual transmission was implicated in all the cases except in 6 subjects (4 bisexual males, one case of probable intravenous transmission and one vertically infected child). Eight (all Spanish) patients have developed AIDS and 5 have died to date. At least 10 other subjects have a CD4+ lymphocyte count lower than 0.2 x 10(9)/l, one being the only pediatric patient (6-year-old male). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-2 infection is present in Spain, although there is no evidence for a rapid dissemination of the virus outside the collective of African immigrants. The Spaniards with HIV-2 infection represent 20% of the cases having contracted the virus through sexual relations with natives from endemic areas.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Anti-tetanus toxin titers in sera of the women who gave births in 1985 and 1989 in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain).

14.9% (208/1400) of the women who gave births in 1985 and 1989 in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain), was considered to have 'protective' levels (> or = 0.01 IU/ml) of tetanus antitoxin as measured by the passive haemagglutination test. Prevalence of protective antibodies was correlated to the years when women were born: 54.7% (64/117) of those born after 1965 were considered to have 'protective' levels (> or = 0.01 IU/ml) of tetanus antitoxin in contrast to those born before 1956 [only 6.2% (21/338)]. This is considered to be due to the infant immunization campaign introduced in 1965 in the Basque Country. Thus, we conclude that the tetanus immunization campaigns in the Basque Country adult population is urgent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of hepatitis A antibody among disadvantaged gypsy children in northern Spain.

The prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus (HAV) in a group of socially and economically disadvantaged Spanish gypsy children was compared to that of a group of non-gypsy middle-class children. The study included 438 children, 73 gypsies (38 girls and 35 boys, mean age 8.5 years, age range 2-16 years) and 365 non-gypsy controls, randomly selected by age. The presence of anti-HAV was investigated using ELISA. Among the gypsy children, 82% had antibodies to HAV compared with 9.3% of the children in the control group. The unfavourable living conditions of the gypsy population (e.g. homes with poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding) may explain the high prevalence of HAV infection. These findings underline the need for specific action which targets disadvantaged populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Coxiella burnetii infection in subjects with HIV infection and HIV infection in patients with Q fever.

The objective of the study was to determine whether HIV infection favors the acquisition of Coxiella burnetii infection or increases the frequency of symptomatic Coxiella infections. A total of 754 subjects were tested for Coxiella antibodies: 596 intravenous drug users (IVDUs) (306 HIV-infected IVDUs matched by aged and sex with 291 non-HIV-infected IVDUs), and 157 healthy puerperal women matched to the IVDU women. A total of 520 patients with Q fever were tested for HIV antibodies. The seroprevalence of Coxiella antibodies was similar in the 2 groups of IVDUs (19.3% of HIV + IVDUs vs 22.9% of HIV - IVDUs). Likewise, there was no difference in the prevalence of Coxiella antibodies in the groups of IVDU women and healthy women. Of the 520 subjects with acute Q fever, diagnosed between 1987 and 1992, only 4 (0.77%) had HIV infection. The proportions of HIV-infected subjects in the population of patients, with Q fever, of 20-39 years of age (the age of maximum incidence of both HIV and Coxiella infection in our region), coincided with the estimated proportions of HIV subjects in the respective general populations of the province. In conclusion, infection by Coxiella burnetii was not more frequent among HIV-infected subjects. It is not likely that Coxiella infection produces symptomatic infections more often in HIV-infected subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Immunity against tetanus in adults over the age of 49 years].

BACKGROUND: Despite the existence of an effective, cheap vaccine with few side effects, tetanus remains present in Spain with most of the cases being observed in subjects over the age of 49 years. The present seroepidemiologic study was performed to detect the degree of protection of this population. METHODS: The presence of antitetanic antibodies were determined in 324 subjects over the age of 49 (range: 50-88 years, mean 65.5 +/- 9.8 years) in Guipúzcoa. A passive hemagglutination technique (Tetan test; Istituto Sieroterápico Milanese) was used to detect tetanic antitoxoid antibodies following validation of the technique with a neutralizing test of the toxin in white mouse. RESULTS: Only 12.3% (40/324) of the subjects were considered as immune versus tetanus. The older subjects were the least protected: 7.7% (8/104) of those over 70 years of age versus 17.3% (17/98) of those from 50-59 years of age (chi 2 = 4.34, p = 0.037). The women were globally less protected: 5.4% versus 17% (33/194) males (chi 2 = 9.72; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the adult population over the age of 49 years in Guipúzcoa is not protected against tetanus. This is in contrast with the situation observed in the infant and adolescent population. Specific preventive measures directed at the adult and elderly population should be undertaken.

Age Factors↗