Acta tropica
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We are living through an unprecedented crisis with the rapid spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide within a short time. The timely availability of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 genomes has enabled the scientific community to study the origin, structures, and pathogenesis of the virus. The pandemic has spurred research publication and resulted in an unprecedented number of therapeutic proposals. ⋯ Despite the acquisition of a vast body of scientific information, treatment depends only on the clinical management of the disease through supportive care. At the pandemic's 1-year mark, we summarize current information on SARS-CoV-2 origin and biology, and advances in the development of therapeutics. The updated information presented here provides a comprehensive report on the scientific progress made in the past year in understanding of SARS-CoV-2 biology and therapeutics.
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Originated in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) has quickly spread worldwide, reaching countries that already faced other endemics and epidemics. In Brazil, such a concerning situation includes arboviruses, among which the dengue virus stands out. Here, we determined the rate of SARS-CoV-2/dengue virus co-infection in a total of 178 patients with COVID-19 symtoms admitted into a large public hospital of the Federal District of Brazil. ⋯ Co-infected patients showed lower numbers of circulating lymphocytes and monocytes, higher glucose rates, and a worse pulmonary condition. Of note, prior infections with dengue virus did not influence clinical parameters, but active dengue fever resulted in higher hospitalization rate. In conclusion, amid the current complex epidemiological scenario in Brazil, our data support the notion that SARS-CoV-2 and dengue co-infection affects an important percentage of COVID-19 patients and leads to worse clinical parameters, requiring greater attention from health authorities.
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The COVID-19 zoonosis is bringing about a number of lessons to humanity. One is that of transforming our links with nature and, particularly, wildlife given the likely COVID-19 origin from illegal wildlife trading. ⋯ We herein state that some VBD prevention strategies could also be applied to zoonotic disease prevention, including COVID-19 or any type likely to be related to environmental conditions. The occurrence of future pandemic occurrence will depend on whether governments embrace these aims now.
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Observational Study
Experience in diagnosing congenital Zika syndrome in Brazilian children born to asymptomatic mothers.
Typical symptoms of primary Zika virus infection are not specific and share similarities with other arbovirus infections such as dengue fever and chikungunya. As acute infection can be asymptomatic in up to 73% of cases, infants with microcephaly represent a diagnostic challenge for pediatricians. We describe the frequency of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) in Brazilian children born to asymptomatic pregnant mothers and its differential diagnosis. ⋯ We emphasize the increasing importance of CZS in differential diagnosis of microcephaly at birth or post-natal period. Detailed clinical investigation assisted by neuroimaging tests may clarify the diagnosis of CZS when laboratory tests are not available during the acute phase of the disease.
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Globally over 200 million people are infected with schistosomiasis, and approximately 80% are caused by just two of five species, Schistosoma haematobium and Schitosoma mansoni that are broadly distributed, and often overlap across sub-Saharan Africa. Like most neglected tropical diseases, mortality is low (an estimated 200,000 deaths annually) and morbidity is considerably high and probably underestimated. Surprisingly, little attention has been given to co-infection with these two species. ⋯ From these 81, 63 had eggs of both species in urine, 6 had both species in stool, and 12 had eggs of both species present in both urine and stool. A comparatively large number of individuals from the concurrent infected group presented high and moderate infection intensities than the single infected groups. The overwhelmingly high prevalence of concurrent infections indicates further study of co-infection is needed, and points to a need call for a holistic disease control plan so Ghana can be part of nations to achieve the WHO roadmap target for schistosomiasis control by 2020.