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Crithidia acanthocephali is a trypanosomatid species that was initially described in the digestive tract of Hemiptera. However, this parasite was recently detected in honey bee colonies in Spain, raising the question as to whether bees can act as true hosts for this species. To address this issue, worker bees were experimentally infected with choanomastigotes from the early stationary growth phase and after 12 days, their hindgut was extracted for analysis by light microscopy and TEM. Although no cellular lesions were observed in the honey bee's tissue, trypanosomatids had differentiated and adopted a haptomonad morphology, transforming their flagella into an attachment pad. This structure allows the protozoa to remain attached to the gut walls via hemidesmosomes-such as junctions. The impact of this species on honey bee health, as well as the pathogenic mechanisms involved, remains unknown. Nevertheless, these results suggest that insect trypanosomatids may have a broader range of hosts than initially thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Lotmaria passim and Crithidia mellificae were detected in Castilla – La Mancha. • L. passim parasitic load in the colonies differed between Spring and Autumn. • Lotmaria load increased within the same season from one year to the next. • Trypanosomatid load in the colonies increased although the number of infected colonies decreased. Bee trypanosomatids have not been widely studied due to the original belief that these organisms were not pathogenic to honey bees. However, trypanosomatids have been linked to increased winter mortality in honey bee colonies in recent years and it has been shown that these pathogens can shorten a honey bee worker's lifespan in laboratory conditions. These studies found that this mortality corresponded to dose-dependent infection. Although Lotmaria passim is the most prevalent species worldwide, the natural load in colonies remains poorly investigated. Here we describe a new highly specific and sensitive qPCR method that allows the differentiation and quantification of the parasitic load of each of the three most common trypanosomatid species described to date in honey bee colonies: L. passim , Crithidia mellificae , and Crithidia bombi. We have used this new method to analyze honey bee colonies in central Spain and confirm that L. passim is the most common species and the one with higher parasitic loads in the colonies, which increased over the years, being higher in spring than in autumn. Crithidia mellificae was present along the study, with the highest prevalence in autumn 2019 and lately it was only found in non-quantifiable loads. Crithidia bombi was not detected in any of the colonies analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, sheep transhumance has connected the Spanish highlands with the lowlands, creating a livestock system with important social, economic, cultural, and landscape effects. About 5 million sheep were involved in transhumant movements in the mid-1700s, but transhumance started to decay in the nineteenth century and almost disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s, transhumant sheep did not number more than 25,000 in the study area; at present the number exceeds 134,000, with herders practicing both descending and ascending transhumance. In this article we provide information not only on current numbers of transhumant sheep but also on the origins and destinations of the flocks. We also confirm that the reputation of transhumance, once regarded as quaint and antiquated, has been enhanced by the ecosystem services it provides and by the cultural and heritage continuities it renders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim: To describe and test a new technique to obtain midstream urine samples in newborns. Design and methods: This was a prospective feasibility and safety study conducted in the neonatal unit of University Infanta Sofía Hospital, Madrid. A new technique based on bladder and lumbar stimulation manoeuvres was tested over a period of 4 months in 80 admitted patients aged less than 30 days. The main variable was the success rate in obtaining a midstream urine sample within 5 min. Secondary variables were time to obtain the sample and complications. Results: This technique was successful in 86.3% of infants. Median time to sample collection was 45 s (IQR 30). No complications other than controlled crying were observed. Conclusions: A new, quick and safe technique with a high success rate is described, whereby the discomfort and waste of time usually associated with bag collection methods can be avoided. INSETS: What is already known on this topic;What this study adds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otero-Motta AP, Ordóñez JL, González-Celador R, Rivas B, García-Macías MC, Bullón A, Abad MM. Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in cytologic abnormalities from unvaccinated women living in north-western Spain. APMIS 2011; 119: 204-215. Cervical cancer and its precursors low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) are associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV), in particular HPV 16 and 18. The distribution of the HPV genotype varies with the severity of cervical disease, age and the geographic location of the patients. We report the results of a population study carried out in a region of north-western (NW) Spain aimed at determining the prevalence of single and multiple infections by 35 types of HPV using low-density microarrays for 113 cases with negative for intraepithelial lesions or malignancies; 588 with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS)/LSIL; 183 with HSIL; and seven cases of squamous cell carcinomas. Of the 891 patients analysed, 50.2% had single infections and 49.8% had multiple HPV infections. In women aged below 30 years, there was a predominance of multiple infections (p = 0.027). ASCUS/LSIL was associated with multiple and HSIL with single infections (p = 0.025). We observed significant increases in the percentage of infections due to a high-risk (HR) type of HPV when the severity of the cytological lesion increased (p = 0.001). No relationship was found between greater aggressiveness in the cytological diagnosis and a higher number of HPV types involved in multiple infections. The five most frequent genotypes were HPV 16 (26.3%), 53 (18.2%), 51 (17.3%), 6 (14.8%) and 66 (13.1%). The prevalence of HPV 16, 33 and 58 increased significantly from ACUS/LSIL to HSIL and the prevalence of HPV 51, 53 and 66 decreased. HPV 16 was the only genotype that showed a significant increase in prevalence when the severity of the cytological disease increased in single infections (p = 0.0001). The implementation of bivalent prophylactic vaccination could potentially lead to prevention in 32% of the population included in the study - in at least a quarter of patients with ACUS/LSIL (26.7%), and in half of HSIL (50.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted in Madrid, Spain between 2018 and 2023 shows a significant decrease in the pediatric bacterial community-acquired pneumonia cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a notable postpandemic increase surpassing prepandemic incidence. Streptococcus pneumoniae remains predominant, with an increasing prevalence of serotype 3, while Streptococcus pyogenes was the second most common pathogen., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) is an important human pathogen that is responsible for a broad range of infections, from uncomplicated to more severe and invasive diseases with high morbidity/mortality. The M protein (emm type) is a critical virulence factor. Several studies have shown an increased incidence of invasive S. pyogenes disease. This was associated with an increase in the prevalence of M1 and M3 types, well-recognised virulent M types. The aim of the present study was to confirm the resurgence of invasive S. pyogenes disease during 2011-2018 and to identify the relationship between specific M types with disease presentation., Material and Methods: Isolates were confirmed using standard techniques: colony morphology, β-haemolysis, biochemical tests, and agglutination with specific antisera (DiaMondiaL Strep Kit, DiaMondiaL, Langenhagen, Germany). The antibiotic sensitivity was performed using microdilution (Vitek®2 Compact, bioMeriéux, Inc., Durham, NC). Molecular analysis included the determination of the emm gene and superantigen profile., Results: A total of 29 invasive isolates were collected (2011-2018) from blood (16), pleural fluid (9), synovial fluid (3), and cerebrospinal fluid (1). One strain per year was isolated between 2011 and 2013, with 2, 5, 4, 6, and 9 strains being isolated between 2014 and 2018, respectively. The most frequent clinical presentations were bacteraemia and pneumonia (10 and 9 cases). The predominant types were M1 (11 isolates) and M3 (3 isolates). A correlation was found between M1 and M3 types, and pneumonia (6/7 cases) and deep soft tissue infections (3/3 cases)., Conclusions: An increased incidence of invasive S. pyogenes disease was observed during the study period, with M1 and M3 types being those most commonly isolated and associated with pneumonia and deep soft tissue infections., (Copyright © 2019 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

IntroductionEnterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is an emerging pathogen that causes a wide range of disorders including severe neurological manifestations. In the past 20 years, this virus has been associated with large outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease with neurological complications in the Asia-Pacific region, while in Europe mainly sporadic cases have been reported. In spring 2016, however, an EV-A71 outbreak associated with severe neurological cases was reported in Catalonia and spread further to other Spanish regions.AimOur objective was to investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the outbreak.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective study which included 233 EV-A71-positive samples collected during 2016 from hospitalised patients. We analysed the clinical manifestations associated with EV-A71 infections and performed phylogenetic analyses of the 3'-VP1 and 3Dpol regions from all Spanish strains and a set of EV-A71 from other countries.ResultsMost EV-A71 infections were reported in children (mean age: 2.6 years) and the highest incidence was between May and July 2016 (83%). Most isolates (218/233) were classified as subgenogroup C1 and 217 of them were grouped in one cluster phylogenetically related to a new recombinant variant strain associated with severe neurological diseases in Germany and France in 2015 and 2016. Moreover, we found a clear association of EV-A71-C1 infection with severe neurological disorders, brainstem encephalitis being the most commonly reported.ConclusionAn emerging recombinant variant of EV-A71-C1 was responsible for the large outbreak in 2016 in Spain that was associated with many severe neurological cases.

Introduction: Invasive disease as a result Campylobacter spp. is rarely reported. Bloodstream infections have been reported in patients with immune deficiency or other serious underlying conditions. We conducted a prospective study to know the incidence of Campylobacter jejuni bacteremia in pediatric patients and its susceptibility to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin., Methods: The identification of Campylobacter isolates was based on routine culture methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using a disk diffusion method., Results: During April 2010-June 2012, at Hospital Niño Jesús of Madrid, Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 171 stool specimens in 154 patients. The median age was 2 years (3 months-21 year). One hundred and one (66%) isolates were identified as C. jejuni. Nine patients with enteritis due C. jejuni (9%) were immunocompromised. Erythromycin resistance was observed in 5% of the isolates. The resistance to ciprofloxacin was 88%. Blood cultures were obtained of 19 patients infected with C. jejuni (19%). Of these, one had C. jejuni bacteremia. During the study period, other episode of C. jejuni bacteremia was detected in one patient different without positive stool culture for C. jejuni (0.34% of all bloodstreams infections). Both patients were immunocompromised., Conclusions: Campylobacter spp. is an uncommon cause of bloodstream infection in our serie occurring in pediatric patients with immune deficiency as predisposing factor. In our institution, empirical use of fluoroquinolones for Campylobacter infections should not be recommended by the high rate of resistance. Moreover in our study the resistance to erythromycin is low, however is advisable its surveillance.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) infection is endemic in the American Indian population and Pygmy tribes in Africa. Nevertheless, HTLV-2 infection has been predominantly detected in U.S. and European injecting drug users (IDU). Noteworthy is that the HTLV-2a subtype is the main circulating variant in North America and Eastern Europe whereas the HTLV-2b subtype is mainly found in Western Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain where coinfection with HIV-1 is frequent. Twelve Spanish subjects infected with HTLV-2 were recruited for the study. All of them were IDUs coinfected with HIV-1. Molecular epidemiology was done by sequencing the LTR, env, and tax regions and by generating phylogenetic trees. The present study showed that all the sequences belonged to the HTLV-2b subtype and were closely related to other Spanish and Portuguese reported sequences, clearly differentiated from those belonging to the HTLV-2a subtype from Eastern Europe. Therefore, infection with HTLV-2b remains prevalent in Spain based on previous studies.