Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-9 (of 9 Records) |
Query Trace: Monzon J[original query] |
---|
Pathogenic Leptospira are widespread in the urban wildlife of southern California
Helman SK , Tokuyama AFN , Mummah RO , Stone NE , Gamble MW , Snedden CE , Borremans B , Gomez ACR , Cox C , Nussbaum J , Tweedt I , Haake DA , Galloway RL , Monzón J , Riley SPD , Sikich JA , Brown J , Friscia A , Sahl JW , Wagner DM , Lynch JW , Prager KC , Lloyd-Smith JO . Sci Rep 2023 13 (1) 14368 Leptospirosis, the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world, is broadly understudied in multi-host wildlife systems. Knowledge gaps regarding Leptospira circulation in wildlife, particularly in densely populated areas, contribute to frequent misdiagnoses in humans and domestic animals. We assessed Leptospira prevalence levels and risk factors in five target wildlife species across the greater Los Angeles region: striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), coyotes (Canis latrans), Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). We sampled more than 960 individual animals, including over 700 from target species in the greater Los Angeles region, and an additional 266 sampled opportunistically from other California regions and species. In the five target species seroprevalences ranged from 5 to 60%, and infection prevalences ranged from 0.8 to 15.2% in all except fox squirrels (0%). Leptospira phylogenomics and patterns of serologic reactivity suggest that mainland terrestrial wildlife, particularly mesocarnivores, could be the source of repeated observed introductions of Leptospira into local marine and island ecosystems. Overall, we found evidence of widespread Leptospira exposure in wildlife across Los Angeles and surrounding regions. This indicates exposure risk for humans and domestic animals and highlights that this pathogen can circulate endemically in many wildlife species even in densely populated urban areas. |
Pathogenic Leptospira are widespread in the urban wildlife of southern California (preprint)
Helman SK , Tokuyama AFN , Mummah RO , Gamble MW , Snedden CE , Borremans B , Gomez ACR , Cox C , Nussbaum J , Tweedt I , Haake DA , Galloway RL , Monzon J , Riley SPD , Sikich JA , Brown J , Friscia A , Lynch JW , Prager KC , Lloyd-Smith JO . bioRxiv 2023 15 Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world, yet it is broadly understudied in multi-host wildlife systems. Knowledge gaps regarding Leptospira circulation in wildlife, particularly in densely populated areas, contribute to frequent misdiagnoses in humans and domestic animals. We assessed Leptospira prevalence levels and risk factors in five target wildlife species across the greater Los Angeles region: striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), Northern raccoons (Procyon lotor), coyotes (Canis latrans), Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). We sampled more than 960 individual animals, including over 700 from target species in the greater Los Angeles region, and an additional 260 sampled opportunistically from other regions and species. In the five target species, seroprevalences ranged from 5-60% and active infection prevalences ranged from 0.8-15.2% in all except fox squirrels (0%). Patterns of serologic reactivity suggest that mainland terrestrial wildlife, particularly mesocarnivores, could be the source of repeated observed introductions of Leptospira into local marine and island ecosystems. Overall, we found evidence of widespread Leptospira exposure in wildlife across Los Angeles and surrounding regions. This indicates exposure risk for humans and domestic animals and highlights that this pathogen can circulate endemically in many wildlife species even in densely populated urban areas. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. |
COVID-19 attitudes and vaccine hesitancy among an agricultural community in southwest Guatemala: A cross-sectional survey
Rojop N , Calvimontes DM , Barrios E , Lamb MM , Paniagua-Avila A , Monzon J , Duca LM , Iwamoto C , Chard AN , Gomez M , Arias K , Roell Y , Bolanos GA , Zielinski-Gutierrez E , Azziz-Baumgartner E , Lopez MR , Cordon-Rosales C , Asturias EJ , Olson D . Vaccines (Basel) 2023 11 (6) Despite offering free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccines starting July 2021, Guatemala has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Latin America. From 28 September 2021 to 11 April 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of community members, adapting a CDC questionnaire to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine access and hesitancy. Of 233 participants ≥ 12 years, 127 (55%) received ≥1 dose of COVID-19 and 4 (2%) reported prior COVID-19 illness. Persons ≥ 12 years old who were unvaccinated (n = 106) were more likely to be female (73% vs. 41%, p < 0.001) and homemakers (69% vs. 24%, p < 0.01) compared with vaccinated participants (n = 127). Among those ≥18 years, the main reported motivation for vaccination among vaccinated participants was to protect the health of family/friends (101/117, 86%); on the other hand, 40 (55%) unvaccinated persons reported little/no confidence in public health institutions recommending COVID-19 vaccination. Community- and/or home-based vaccination programs, including vaccination of families through the workplace, may better reach female homemakers and reduce inequities and hesitancy. |
Sociodemographic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination among people in Guatemalan municipalities
Choudhary R , Carter E , Monzon J , Stewart A , Slotnick J , Samayoa Jerez LL , Rodriguez Araujo DS , Zielinski-Gutierrez E , Suchdev PS . Vaccines (Basel) 2023 11 (4) The Republic of Guatemala's reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage is among the lowest in the Americas and there are limited studies describing the disparities in vaccine uptake within the country. We performed a cross-sectional ecological analysis using multi-level modeling to identify sociodemographic characteristics that were associated with low COVID-19 vaccination coverage among Guatemalan municipalities as of 30 November 2022. Municipalities with a higher proportion of people experiencing poverty (β = -0.25, 95% CI: -0.43--0.07) had lower vaccination coverage. Municipalities with a higher proportion of people who had received at least a primary education (β = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.38-1.08), children (β = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.36-1.77), people aged 60 years and older (β = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.70-4.12), and testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.14-0.36) had higher vaccination coverage. In the simplified multivariable model, these factors explained 59.4% of the variation in COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Poverty remained significantly associated with low COVID-19 vaccination coverage in two subanalyses restricting the data to the time period of the highest national COVID-19-related death rate and to COVID-19 vaccination coverage only among those aged 60 years or older. Poverty is a key factor associated with low COVID-19 vaccination and focusing public health interventions in municipalities most affected by poverty may help address COVID-19 vaccination and health disparities in Guatemala. |
Clinical and economic impact of COVID-19 on agricultural workers, Guatemala
Olson D , Calvimontes DM , Lamb MM , Guzman G , Barrios E , Chacon A , Rojop N , Arias K , Gomez M , Bolanos GA , Monzon J , Chard AN , Iwamoto C , Duca LM , Vuong N , Fineman M , Lesteberg K , Beckham D , Santiago ML , Quicke K , Ebel G , Gutierrez EZ , Azziz-Baumgartner E , Hayden FG , Mansour H , Edwards K , Newman LS , Asturias EJ . Emerg Infect Dis 2022 28 (13) S277-s287 We evaluated clinical and socioeconomic burdens of respiratory disease in banana farm workers in Guatemala. We offered all eligible workers enrollment during June 15-December 30, 2020, and annually, then tracked them for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) through self-reporting to study nurses, sentinel surveillance at health posts, and absenteeism. Workers who had ILI submitted nasopharyngeal swab specimens for testing for influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2, then completed surveys at days 0, 7, and 28. Through October 10, 2021, a total of 1,833 workers reported 169 ILIs (12.0 cases/100 person-years), and 43 (25.4%) were laboratory-confirmed infections with SARS-CoV-2 (3.1 cases/100 person-years). Workers who had SARS-CoV-2positive ILIs reported more frequent anosmia, dysgeusia, difficulty concentrating, and irritability and worse clinical and well-being severity scores than workers who had test resultnegative ILIs. Workers who had positive results also had greater absenteeism and lost income. These results support prioritization of farm workers in Guatemala for COVID-19 vaccination. |
High SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Rapid Neutralizing Antibody Decline among Agricultural Workers in Rural Guatemala, June 2020-March 2021.
Iwamoto C , Lesteberg KE , Lamb MM , Calvimontes DM , Guo K , Barrett BS , Mickens KL , Duca LM , Monzon J , Chard AN , Guzman G , Barrios E , Rojop N , Arias K , Gomez M , Paiz C , Bolanos GA , Edwards KM , Zielinski Gutierrez E , Azziz-Baumgartner E , Asturias EJ , Santiago ML , Beckham JD , Olson D . Vaccines (Basel) 2022 10 (7) Essential agricultural workers work under occupational conditions that may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and transmission. Data from an agricultural worker cohort in Guatemala, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG (anti-N IgG) testing were used to estimate past infections and analyze risk factors associated with seropositivity at enrollment and association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The stability of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses were assessed in a subset of participants. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) for seroprevalence at enrollment was estimated accounting for correlations within worksites. At enrollment, 616 (46.2%) of 1334 (93.2%) participants had anti-N IgG results indicating prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. A cough ≤ 10 days prior to enrollment (aRR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13-1.46) and working as a packer (aRR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.67-2.38) or packing manager within the plants (aRR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.36-2.43) were associated with increased risk of seropositivity. COVID-19 incidence density among seronegative workers was 2.3/100 Person-Years (P-Y), higher than seropositive workers (0.4/100 P-Y). Most workers with follow-up NAb testing (65/77, 84%) exhibited a 95% average decrease in NAb titers in <6 months. While participants seropositive at baseline were less likely to experience a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during follow-up, NAb titers rapidly waned, underscoring the need for multipronged COVID-19 prevention strategies in the workplace, including vaccination. |
The burden of congenital rubella syndrome in the Philippines: results from a retrospective assessment
Lopez AL , Raguindin PF , Jonas Del Rosario J , Najarro RV , Du E , Aldaba J , Salonga AM , Monzon-Pajarillo AK , Santiago AP , Ou AC , Ducusin MJ . Western Pac Surveill Response J 2017 8 (2) 17-24 Introduction: In line with the regional aim of eliminating rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), phased introduction of rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) in the Philippines' routine immunization programme began in 2010. We estimated the burden of CRS in the country before widespread nationwide programmatic RCV use. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review in four tertiary hospitals. Children born between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014 and identified as possible CRS cases based on the presence of one or more potential manifestations of CRS documented in hospital or clinic charts were reviewed. Cases that met the clinical case definition of CRS were classified as either confirmed (with laboratory confirmation) or probable (without laboratory confirmation). Cases that did not fulfil the criteria for either confirmed or probable CRS were excluded from the analysis. Results: We identified 18 confirmed and 201 probable cases in this review. Depending on the hospital, the estimated incidence of CRS ranged from 30 to 233 cases per 100 000 live births. The estimated national burden of CRS was 20 to 31 cases per 100 000 annually. Discussion: This is the first attempt to assess the national CRS burden using in-country hospital data in the Philippines. Prospective surveillance for CRS and further strengthening of the ongoing measles-rubella surveillance are necessary to establish accurate estimates of the burden of CRS and the impact of programmatic RCV use in the future. |
Relevance, pathogenesis, and testing algorithm for mismatch repair-defective colorectal carcinomas: a report of the association for molecular pathology.
Funkhouser WK Jr , Lubin IM , Monzon FA , Zehnbauer BA , Evans JP , Ogino S , Nowak JA . J Mol Diagn 2012 14 (2) 91-103 Loss-of-function defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR), which manifest as high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI), occur in approximately 15% of all colorectal carcinomas (CRCs). This molecular subset of CRC characterizes patients with better stage-specific prognoses who experience no benefit from 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Most MMR-deficient (dMMR) CRCs are sporadic, but 15% to 20% are due to inherited predisposition (Lynch syndrome). High penetrance of CRCs in germline MMR gene mutation carriers emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnosis of Lynch syndrome carriers. Family-based (Amsterdam), patient/family-based (Bethesda), morphology-based, microsatellite-based, and IHC-based screening criteria do not individually detect all germline mutation carriers. These limitations support the use of multiple concurrent tests and the screening of all patients with newly diagnosed CRC. This approach is resource intensive but would increase detection of inherited and de novo germline mutations to guide family screening. Although CRC prognosis and prediction of 5-fluorouracil response are similar in both the Lynch and sporadic dMMR subgroups, these subgroups differ significantly with regard to the implications for family members. We recommend that new CRCs should be classified into sporadic MMR-proficient, sporadic dMMR, or Lynch dMMR subgroups. The concurrent use of MSI testing, MMR protein IHC, and BRAF c.1799T>A mutation analysis would detect almost all dMMR CRCs, would classify 94% of all new CRCs into these MMR subgroups, and would guide secondary molecular testing of the remainder. |
Detection of West Nile viral RNA from field-collected mosquitoes in tropical regions by conventional and real-time RT-PCR
Gonzalez-Reiche AS , Monzon-Pineda Mde L , Johnson BW , Morales-Betoulle ME . Methods Mol Biol 2010 630 109-24 West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus, which has rapidly spread and is currently widely distributed. Therefore, efforts for WNV early detection and ecological surveillance of this disease agent have been increased around the world. Although virus isolation is known to be the standard method for detection and identification of viruses, the use of RT-PCR assays as routine laboratory tests provides a rapid alterative suitable for the detection of viral RNA on field-collected samples. A method for WNV RNA genome detection in field-collected mosquitoes is presented in this chapter. This method has been designed for virus surveillance in tropical regions endemic for other flaviviruses. Reverse Transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) assays, both standard and real time, to detect WNV and other flaviviruses are described. A first screening for flavivirus RNA detection is performed using a conventional RT-PCR with two different sets of flavivirus consensus primers. Mosquito samples are then tested for WNV RNA by a real-time (TaqMan) RT-PCR assay. Sample preparation and RNA extraction procedures are also described. |
- Page last reviewed:Feb 1, 2024
- Page last updated:May 06, 2024
- Content source:
- Powered by CDC PHGKB Infrastructure