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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Marine fungi from Mira river salt marsh in Portugal.

The occurrence of fungi in the Mira salt marsh, Portugal was investigated for 12 months. Baits of Spartina maritima stems were exposed to permanent or temporary submersion at the upper and lower limits of the intertidal zone. The baits were observed for fruit bodies and spores directly and after incubation in moist chambers. Twenty six marine species were identified (17 Ascomycota, two Basidiomycota and seven mitosporic fungi). Twenty four are new records for Portugal. Nia globospora Barata and Basílio was published as a new species. Species were characterized with respect to frequency of occurrence, colonization capability and substrate succession. The diversity and similarity indexes of the fungi under different conditions were determined.

Ascomycota↗
PubMed2002

Distribution of HLA alleles in Portugal and Cabo Verde. Relationships with the slave trade route.

HLA-A, -B, and -DR frequencies were analysed in populations from Portugal and the Madeira and Cabo Verde Archipelagos, aiming to characterize their genetic composition. Portuguese settlers colonized both Archipelagos in the 15th and 16th centuries. Madeira received many sub-Saharan slaves to work in the sugar plantations, and Cabo Verde served as a pivotal market in the Atlantic slave trade and was populated by individuals coming from the Senegambia region of the West African coast. The population of Madeira shows the highest genetic diversity and the presence of alleles and haplotypes usually linked to sub-Saharan populations, the haplotypes accounting for 3.5% of the total. Cabo Verde presents typical markers acknowledged to be of European or Ibero-Mediterranean origin, thus revealing the admixture of European settlers with Sub-Saharan slaves. Altogether the number of European haplotypes reaches 15% of the total. The Portuguese population shows a perceivable and significant heterogeneity both in allele and haplotype frequencies, unveiling a differential input of peoples from different origins. A PCA of the populations studied, plus other relevant ones, clearly shows gene heterogeneity in mainland Portugal as well as the differences and relationships between these populations and Madeira and Cabo Verde.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1978

Possible windborne spread of bluetongue to Portugal, June-July 1956.

The possible sources for the epidemic of bluetongue in Portugal at the beginning of July 1956 were examined. Introduction through authorized importation of domestic or wild ruminants was not feasible, since no cattle, sheep or goats were imported and the wild ruminants were confined to Lisbon Zoo, which was too far from the initial outbreaks. Weather maps were examined to see if the wind could have carried infected Culicoides midges from North Africa. On 21 June 1956 infected midges in Morocco could have been taken offshore by southeast winds and then carried by south winds unusual at that time of year to the south coast of Portugal. The 200-300 km sea crossing would have taken some 10 h and been by day when air temperatures near the sea surface were about 18-20 C. Bluetongue had not been reported at that time in Moroccco, and the possibility of the presence of the virus in moroccan animals without clinical signs is discussed.

Air Movements↗
PubMed2006

Antimicrobial susceptibility, serotype and genotype distribution of meningococci in Portugal, 2001-2002.

One hundred and eighteen Neisseria meningitidis isolates were recovered from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Portugal, over one year. Our study was undertaken to evaluate antimicrobial susceptibility, serogroup, serotype and genotype of isolates. One quarter (24.6%) of the isolates showed moderate resistance to penicillin and 47.4% were resistant to sulphadiazine. The two most common serosubtypes were C:2b:P1.5,2 (31.3%) and B:4:P1.15 (3.4%). Half (53.6%) of the isolates with moderate resistance to penicillin were phenotype C:2b:P1.5,2 (n=14), C:2b:P1.2 (n=1) or C:2b:NST (n=1); Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that all these isolates were genetically related. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis of representative clones from each PFGE pattern showed the predominance of the ST-8 complex/cluster A4 among N. meningitidis with moderate resistance to penicillin. This clonal complex has been principally found in Southern Europe. The apparent emergence and dissemination of the hypervirulent ST-8 complex/cluster A4 among serogroup C strains increases the need for a continued surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of meningococci and of genotypic markers in Portugal.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed1999

African horse sickness in Portugal: a successful eradication programme.

African horse sickness (AHS) was diagnosed for the first time in southern Portugal in autumn 1989, following outbreaks in Spain. AHS virus presence was confirmed by virus isolation and serotyping. An eradication campaign with four sanitary zones was set up by Central Veterinary Services in close collaboration with private organizations. Vaccination began on 6 October. In February 1990, vaccination was extended to all Portuguese equines (170000 animals). There were 137 outbreaks on 104 farms: 206 of the equidae present died (16%) or were slaughtered (14%); 81.5% were horses, 10.7% were donkeys and 7.8% were mules. Clinical AHS occurred more frequently in horses than donkeys and mules. In the vaccinated population, 82 animals (62.2% horses and 37.8% mules and donkeys), died or were slaughtered due to suspected or confirmed AHS. One year after ending vaccination, December 1991, Portugal was declared free of AHS. Cost of eradication was US$1955513 (US$11.5/Portuguese equine).

African Horse Sickness↗
PubMed2001

Rhizobia of chickpea from southern Portugal: symbiotic efficiency and genetic diversity.

AIMS: In order to evaluate differences between chickpea rhizobial populations from three geographical areas in southern Portugal (Beja, Elvas and Evora), isolates from the three regions were obtained and analysed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The genetic characterization of the isolates was done by plasmid profiles and restriction analysis of the nifH gene. Symbiotic efficiency of the isolates was also determined. Relationships between geographical origin, symbiotic efficiency and molecular characteristics were established. Beja soil revealed a larger rhizobia population as well as the presence of some of the isolates with higher symbiotic efficiency values. Isolates with a single plasmid showed a significantly higher symbiotic efficiency. CONCLUSION: Genetic and phenotypic differences were detected between the natural rhizobial populations from the three locations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The different yield potential with cultivars of chickpea usually obtained in the three regions of southern Portugal could be due to their different natural rhizobial populations.

Genetic Variation↗
PubMed1999

MUC1 gene polymorphism does not explain the different incidence of gastric cancer in Portugal and Denmark.

MUC1 is a highly polymorphic mucin type glycoprotein expressed on the surface of many epithelia, including gastric mucosa, and is present in several body fluids and mucous secretions. A genetic polymorphism due to variation in length of a 60 bp tandemly repeated sequence domain constitutes more than half of the coding region of the glycoprotein. We demonstrated previously in a Portuguese population sample that the frequency of small MUC1 alleles is increased in patients with gastric carcinoma, suggesting that the possession of small MUC1 alleles confers increased risk for gastric carcinoma development. This finding raised the possibility that the very high prevalence of gastric carcinoma in Portugal could be partly due to a high frequency of small MUC1 alleles in the Portuguese population. In the present study we compared the MUC1 allele distribution in a population of Danish blood donors with the distribution in a population of Portuguese blood donors. The frequency of small MUC1 alleles was significantly higher in the Danish than in the Portuguese sample, thus failing to lend support to the hypothesis that a relatively higher frequency of the small MUC1 alleles might account for the high prevalence of gastric carcinoma in Portugal when compared to Denmark.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Diversity of mtDNA lineages in Portugal: not a genetic edge of European variation.

The analysis of the hypervariable regions I and II of mitochondrial DNA in Portugal showed that this Iberian population presents a higher level of diversity than some neighbouring populations. The classification of the different sequences into haplogroups revealed the presence of all the most important European haplogroups, including those that expanded through Europe in the Palaeolithic, and those whose expansion has occurred during the Neolithic. Additionally a rather distinct African influence was detected in this Portuguese survey, as signalled by the distributions of haplogroups U6 and L, present at higher frequencies than those usually reported in Iberian populations. The geographical distributions of both haplogroups were quite different, with U6 being restricted to North Portugal whereas L was widespread all over the country. This seems to point to different population movements as the main contributors for the two haplogroup introductions. We hypothesise that the recent Black African slave trade could have been the mediator of most of the L sequence inputs, while the population movement associated with the Muslim rule of Iberia has predominantly introduced U6 lineages.

Europe↗
PubMed2005

Analysis of Y-chromosome variability and its comparison with mtDNA variability reveals different demographic histories between islands in the Azores Archipelago (Portugal).

We determined the Y-chromosomal composition of the population of the Azores Islands (Portugal), by analyzing 20 binary polymorphisms located in the non-recombining portion of the Y-chromosome (NRY), in 185 unrelated individuals from the three groups of islands forming the Archipelago (Eastern, Central and Western). Similar to that described for other Portuguese samples, the most frequent haplogroups were R1(xR1b3f) (55.1%), E(xE3a) (13%) and J (8.6%). Principal components analysis revealed a Western European profile for the Azorean population. No significant differences between Azores and mainland Portugal were observed. However, the haplogroup distribution across the three groups of islands was not similar (P<0.003). The Western group presented differences in the frequencies of haplogroups R1, E(xE3a) and I1b2 (27.3%, 22.7% and 13.6%, respectively) when compared to the other two groups. An assessment of the NRY variability, and its comparison with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability, was further evidence of the differential composition of males during the settlement of the three groups of islands, contrary to what has been previously deduced for the female settlers using mtDNA data.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Age at menarche in Coimbra (Portugal) school girls: a note on the secular changes.

The age at menarche and several menstrual symptoms were reported by 516 Portuguese school girls who took part in a cross-sectional anthropometric study in Coimbra, Portugal. The mean ages of menarche calculated using the recall method and also using probit analysis were 12.53 +/-1.27 and 12.03 +/- 1.26 years, respectively. Parents'educational level, place of residence and size of the family did not have any significant effect on the mean age at menarche in this sample of adolescents. The order of birth was the only variable that indicated a significative effect: the first borns reported a lower mean age at menarche (12.34 years) than the later borns (12.6 years). In this sample, 47% of the girls had a cycle length of >or = 29 days, 23.4% had irregular cycles, 59% reported that the duration of bleeding was 3-5 days and the majority, 49%, did not report any pain during the bleeding days. However, 14.3% and 24.45% reported severe and medium pain. The age at menarche has declined from 15.0 (girls born in 1880-1890) to 12.03 (girls born in 1970-1980) years in the Portuguese population. This decrease in age, and also the lack of influence of the family characteristics, appear as a result of the great improvements in the social and economic living conditions that occurred in Portugal, especially after the 1970s. These improvements are mainly related to better nutrition and better health care along with many other environmental factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Perinatal care in Portugal: effects of 15 years of a regionalized system.

AIM: To share information on the organization of perinatal care in Portugal. METHODS: Data were derived from the Programme of the National Committee for Mother and Child Health 1989, National Institute for Statistics, and Eurostat. RESULTS: In 1989, perinatal care in Portugal was reformed: the closure was proposed of maternity units with less than 1500 deliveries per year; hospitals were classified as level I (no deliveries), II (low-risk deliveries, intermediate care units) or III (high-risk deliveries, intensive care units), and functional coordinating units responsible for liaison between local health centres and hospitals were established. A nationwide system of neonatal transport began in 1987, and in 1990 postgraduate courses on neonatology were initiated. With this reform, in-hospital deliveries increased from 74% before the reform to 99% after. Maternal death rate decreased from 9.2/100,000 deliveries in 1989 to 5.3 in 2003 and, in the same period, the perinatal mortality rate decreased from 16.4 to 6.6/1000 (live births + stillborn with > or = 22 wk gestational age), the neonatal mortality rate decreased from 8.1 to 2.7/1000 live births, and the infant mortality rate from 12.2/1000 live births to 4/1000. CONCLUSION: Regionalization of perinatal care and neonatal transport are key factors for a successful perinatal health system.

Female↗
PubMed1999

Shoe manufacturing and solvent exposure in northern Portugal.

Shoe manufacturing is a traditional industry in northern Portugal. There are nearly 1500 factories that employ about 54,000 workers. Among the materials used in the shoe manufacturing process, that could be occupational hazards, are the adhesives, especially adhesives solutions based on organic solvents. The National Institute of Health (Oporto Branch) carried out a study of 100 factories in northern Portugal to study solvent exposure in shoe manufacturing. The surveyed population, (4615 workers) was young (mean age = 33 years; range = 18-45) and predominantly female (68.5%). The results from the air samples analyses show 20 different organic compounds existing in the workplaces. The more common compounds found were n-hexane, toluene, and acetone. The results of the study show that in 53.7 percent of the factories there are operations where the solvent exposure is significant and represents a health hazard to the workers. These operations are mainly gluing, waxing, and polishing stations. Occupational risk of exposure to solvents concerned 44.2 percent of the workers. This study points out the existence of inadequate ventilation in the workplaces and inappropriate personal protective equipment to prevent dermatitis risk from adhesives, wax, and polish. The organic solvents present in workplaces also increase fire risk.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Molecular epidemiology of HIV type 1 infection in Portugal: high prevalence of non-B subtypes.

In this study, we have investigated the diversity of current HIV-1 strains circulating in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, Portugal. A total of 217 HIV-1-positive blood samples, collected between October 1998 and December 2000, was genetically characterized in the gp120 C2V3C3 region (n = 205) or part of the gp41 N-terminal segment (n = 12) by heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) and/or DNA sequencing. The HMA subtyping efficiency (number of samples unambiguously subtyped by HMA divided by the total number of samples subtyped) was 65.9% (143 of 217), with indeterminate migration patterns of subtype A and G strains contributing significantly to this value. On the overall, subtype B was the most prevalent (50.2%), followed by subtypes G (21.7%), A (17.5%), and F (5.5%), whereas subtypes C, D, H, and J accounted altogether for 5.1% of the infections. Non-B subtypes were responsible for 77.4 and 33.1% of the infections among African immigrants and Portuguese subjects, respectively. Angolan individuals (n = 25) were the only ones infected with all the HIV-1 subtypes documented, probably reflecting a high degree of viral genetic diversification in their country of origin. Phylogenetic analysis showed a predominance of IbNG-like viruses among subtype A sequences and two new major subclusters within subtype G (G(P) and G(P)'). The majority of the Portuguese G sequences described formed a well-defined subcluster (G(P)), supported by bootstrap values >90%, phylogenetically distant from clade G sequences in databases. gag (p24/p7) sequence analysis of these variants confirmed the maintenance of the subtype G subclusters. The multiple subclustering observed for the major clades A, B, D, and G, as well as the variety of subtypes found, indicate a high diversity of HIV-1 variants circulating in Portugal and suggest a need for continuous epidemiologic surveillance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A multicenter study of the antimicrobial susceptibility of Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis isolated from patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections in 1999 in Portugal.

A nationwide multicenter study (including 25 laboratories) of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens commonly associated with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), with testing undertaken in a central laboratory, was conducted in Portugal in 1999. Antimicrobial resistance in Haemophilus influenzae has not increased in the last decade. Of the 498 isolates tested, 12.4% produced beta-lactamase and >95% were susceptible to all antimicrobials except ampicillin. In contrast, there was a rapid increase of resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Of the 312 isolates tested, 24.7% exhibited decreased susceptibility to penicillin (13.5% showed low-level and 11.2% high-level resistance), 13.8% were resistant to erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, and 13.6% to cefuroxime and to tetracycline. Of the 38 Moraxella catarrhalis tested, 81.6% produced beta-lactamase. Resistance to penicillin, cefuroxime, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin in S. pneumoniae and beta-lactamase production in H. influenzae were significantly higher in pediatric patients than in adults. Overall, amoxycillin/clavulanate was the most active antimicrobial agent in vitro against H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae, and M. catarrhalis isolated from patients with community-acquired LRTI in Portugal.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections in Portugal: results of a 3-year (1999-2001) multicenter surveillance study.

A nationwide multicenter study (including 31 laboratories) of the antimicrobial susceptibility of 1210 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) was carried out over 3 years (1999-2001) in Portugal. Testing of all isolates was undertaken in a central laboratory. Overall macrolide resistance was 13.1%. Decreased susceptibility to penicillin was 24.5% (15.5% low-level and 9.0% high-level resistance). Taken into consideration, the resistance rates reported in a previous surveillance study of 1989-1993, a six-fold increase of erythromycin resistance in the last decade was documented. Resistance to erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin was higher in pediatric patients than in adults. The overwhelming majority (82.3%) of macrolide-resistant isolates were multidrug resistant, although 44.9% were fully susceptible to penicillin. Most macrolide-resistant isolates (80.4%) showed the MLSB phenotype (76.6% MLSB-constitutive resistance, and 3.8% MLSB-inducible resistance) and were also resistant to clindamycin, tetracycline, and co-trimoxazole. The M phenotype was seen in 19.6% isolates and these had MIC90 values of 8 mg/L for erythromycin and clarithromycin, and of 12 mg/L for azithromycin. The clinical significance of macrolide resistance in the management of LRTI is discussed. Because of the specific situation concerning macrolide resistance described in S. pneumoniae, careful use of macrolide antibiotics in therapy and cautious monitoring of macrolide resistance should be continued in Portugal.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence and molecular characterization of human T cell leukemia virus type 2 in a group of intravenous drug users coinfected with HIV type 1 in Portugal.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 infections can be found in the large urban areas of the United States and Europe, where Spain and Italy are the most affected countries. The population most affected by the epidemic is characterized by high-risk behavior groups, mainly the sharing of needles between intravenous drug users (IDUs) with contaminated cellular blood products. It is also described that HTLV-2 infection appears as a coinfection with HIV-1. We have selected samples corresponding to 583 IDUs infected with HIV and screened for the presence of HTLV-1/2 antibodies. We have performed the molecular characterization of HTLV-2 in three confirmed positive cases on the basis of the long terminal repeat region. We can observe the Portuguese sequences (PortHl, PortNn, and PortVs) in the HTLV-2b cluster, grouping with the Spanish sequences, showing close phylogenetic relatedness. We may assume that HTLV-2 infection was introduced in Portugal from Spain. These results update previous reports that mentioned Portugal as being free of HTLV- 2 infections, and allow the identification of the subtype that is present, giving a first-hand description of the prevalence of HTLV-2 infection in a particular high-risk behavior group and justifying the importance of epidemiological surveillance in order to prevent dissemination of the infection.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Multidrug-resistant Iberian epidemic clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus endemic in a hospital in northern Portugal.

Forty-two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected during 1992-1995 at a hospital in the north of Portugal were characterized by a variety of genomic fingerprints. Hybridization of ClaI and SmaI restriction digests with the mecA- and Tn554-specific DNA probes was used to identify polymorphs and determine their localization in chromosomal DNA preparations, and pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis of SmaI digests was used to determine chromosomal backgrounds. A major clone (and its variants) carrying the mecA polymorph I, Tn554 type E in the PFGE background of pattern A, accounted for 85% of all MRSA tested in 1992-1993 and 66% in 1994-1995. This clone is closely related to the epidemic Iberian clone that was associated with outbreaks in Spain during 1989-1993 and was endemic in 1992-1993 in two hospitals in Lisbon (Portugal).

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed2005

West Nile virus in Southern Portugal, 2004.

West Nile virus (WNV) genomic RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in six out of 57 mosquito pools collected in Southern Portugal, during the summer of 2004, yielding an infection rate (IR) of 2.8/1,000 mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analysis of a 217-nucleotide fragment of the NS5 coding region, amplified from Culex pipiens s.l. and Culex univittatus unfed females, demonstrated a close relationship with WNV strains circulating in the Mediterranean basin (Italy, 1998; France, 2000; Morocco, 2003). The data in this short report demonstrate the presence of WNV in mosquitoes in Southern Portugal and the need of permanent surveillance for viral activity within the country.

Animals↗