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The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). We included 56 patients older than 7 years and younger than 15, with clinical diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (AR). Blood samples were taken without anticoagulants, to obtain serum. IgG anti-RSV and total IgE were determined by the ELISA technique. The results showed that 38 (68%) were schoolchildren and 18 (32%) adolescents, 14 (25%) female and 42 (75%). Of the total number of patients studied, 52 (92.86%) were positive for the presence of IgG anti-RSV antibodies, with a significant overall prevalence, similar prevalence presented by the control group. A significant increase (346.8 ± 264.7 UL / ml) of IgE was observed in patients with RA who were seropositive for RSV compared to the control group without RA (116.3 ± 89.7 UL / ml). The results show a high seroprevalence of RSV in the region, especially in school age, this early infection could be determinant in the secretion of mediators that contribute to the appearance and severity of respiratory diseases such as allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Therefore it is concluded that the quantification of total IgE can be considered as a quality test for the diagnosis and monitoring of allergic rhinitis.

Background: Allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma are airways chronic inflammatory processes, with a correlation of 28-78%. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and classification of allergic rhinitis on asthmatic patients, according to the workshop Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), and to assess the total serum concentrations of IgE and the presence of nasal and blood eosinophilia. Material and method: A study was done with asthmatic patients ages 7 to 14, attending the Pediatric Service at the Hospital General del Sur Dr. Pedro Iturbe, Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela. Subjects were polled for signs and symptoms suggesting allergic rhinitis and its impact on quality of life. Blood and nasal swab samples were taken to perform laboratory tests in study. Results: There were 60 asthmatic patients, 73.3% males and 70% scholar age patients. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 93.3%, according to ARIA classification. Mild intermittent group was the most frequent type, with 42.8% the most frequent clinic sign was the allergic shiners (86.6%), and the predominant symptom was the nasal aqueous trickle (83.3%), while sleep disorders were the most common affection of quality of life (39.2%). In 85.7% of patients eosinophil percentage was higher than 3%, whereas in 75% total serum IgE values were higher than 100 Ul/mL. In patients with rhinitis, 61.9% of the nasal mucus showed altered eosinophils percentage higher than 10%. Conclusion: A high prevalence of allergic rhinitis is present in asthmatic patients, confirmed by laboratory tests, which proves an inflammatory response mediated by IgE.

Exanthematic diseases are a group of pathologies caused by viral agents, which appear frequently during the first years of life and respond in greater proportion to infections caused by viruses, such as measles, varicella (chickenpox), rubella (German measles) and dengue, among others. The objective of this study is to evaluate immunity to measles and chickenpox viruses in children and adolescents residing in the Páez municipality, state of Zulia, Venezuela. Without regard to sex, 174 samples from apparently healthy adolescents and children between 8 and 17 years old were studied and analyzed using the ELISA technique. A frequency of 59.7% was detected for the measles virus and 44.8% for varicella. Seroprevalence for measles and varicella was distributed homogeneously in all age groups. For both diseases, greater frequency was observed in males, without significant differences. The study demonstrated low immunity to these viruses and suggests increasing vaccination programs in this municipality to eliminate circulation of these infectious agents in the population.

El control biológico de vectores de importancia médica se presenta como una alternativa al uso de plaguicidas. La utilización de peces larvívoros se promueve como una nueva estrategia para el control de vectores. El propósito de este estudio es evaluar el potencial de dos especies ícticas para el control biológico de mosquitos Aedes aegypti (principal vector del dengue) en condiciones de laboratorio. Un creciente número de larvas de A. aegypti en estadíos I, II y III (n: 25, 50 y 100) fueron colocados en acuarios con goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) y guppys salvajes (Poecilia reticulata). Se cuantificó la relación peso corporal/ larvas ingeridas/hora en diez ensayos. La especie Poecilia reticulata reflejó una mayor (P menor 0,001) capacidad larvívora que C. auratus auratus, dado que cuando se administraron 25, 50 y 100 larvas, los Poecilia reticulata obtuvieron valores promedio de eliminación de 3,15 Ó 0,12; 5,50 Ó 0,31 y 10,95 Ó 0,25, respectivamente, frente a 1,21 Ó 0,03; 2,45 Ó 0,02 y 4,73 Ó 0,06 de los C. auratus auratus. Los resultados obtenidos son indicativos de que bajo las condiciones ensayadas, ambas especies de peces poseen alta capacidad de eliminación de larvas del mosquito A. aegypti; sin embargo, considerando su capacidad larvívora, disponibilidad, costo, características reproductivas y resistencia a las condiciones climáticas, la especie Poecilia reticulata ofrece ventajas importantes ante C. auratus auratus cuando ambos se evalúan integralmente como controladores poblacionales de mosquitos vectores.

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de anticuerpos contra EEV en la población de équidos de los municipios Mara, Almirante Padilla, Páez, Miranda, y Santa Rita del estado Zulia, Venezuela. Muestras de sangre de 1380 équidos fueron recolectadas entre enero 1999 y febrero 2001. La IgG anti-EEV fue detectada a través de un ensayo inmunoenzimático (ELISA). Los resultados muestran una seroprevalencia general del 38,6% (532 de 1380). La prevalencia en las municipalidades fue heterogénea como sigue: Santa Rita 87,56%, Mara 65,8%, Almirante Padilla 55,6%, Páez 32,9% y Miranda 7,8%. Se determinó una positividad del 51,8% en équidos no vacunados provenientes de los municipios Mara y Páez, con un incremento de la prevalencia (P < 0,05) en el grupo nacido después de la última epidemia en 1995, y en el grupo sin información de edad. Estos hallazgos sugieren una inmunidad adquirida de forma natural en estos animales. No se encontraron diferencias en las prevalencias de acuerdo a género y especie. Los équidos del municipio Santa Rita mostraron un alto porcentaje de inmunidad para EEV, por el contrario, un gran número de animales son susceptibles de adquirir la infección en el resto de municipalidades estudiadas. La prevalencia determinada sugiere fallas en la cobertura de vacunación, viabilidad de las vacunas utilizadas y en las estrategias programadas en las áreas en estudio. Estos esquemas deben ser evaluados para evitar un nuevo brote de EEV en esta zona.

The purpose of this work was to determine the effect of melatonin on the nitric oxide levels in murine splenocytes cultured with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus. After incubation, nitric oxide levels were measured by the diazotization assay. Those cultures with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus increased nitric oxide levels. Splenocytes infected and treated with 100 and 150 μg/ml of melatonin, decreased significantly the nitric oxide levels when compared to infected and non-treated splenocytes. These findings show that splenocytes infected with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus generate important amounts of nitric oxide and suggest that melatonin protects the mice infected with the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus by a mechanism involving the decreasing of nitric oxide concentrations in tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]