Diarrhea is one of the main causes of childhood illness worldwide, especially in developing countries, where diarrheal diseases represent a very important factor in infant mortality, reaching primarily, those under 5 years. It is estimated that adenoviruses can be the second causal agent for acute diarrhea after rotaviruses and that they contribute between 5 and 20% of the children hospitalized for diarrhea. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of enteric adenoviruses 40 and 41 using the PCR technique in diarrheal stool samples of 190 children of both sexes under 5 years old. Different municipalities and health centres in Zulia collected samples from January, 2011, to November, 2013. The study found 22.10% (42/190) positive reactions in the samples studied, demonstrating that this virus causes a great part of the diarrheal cases in children. According to source, the highest number of cases was in the Jesus Enrique Lossada municipality with 28.57%. Adenovirus dominated the nursing infant group with 52.38% (22/127), showing significant differences (p<0.05) when compared to other age groups. Males were the most affected with 57.14% (24/92) compared to females. The ratio in terms of virus positivity and clinical manifestations evidenced diarrhea in 42/42 (100%), followed by vomiting 28/42 (73.80%). The present study indicates that adenoviruses 40 and 41 are important etiological agents for diarrhea in the child population studied

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen involved in a series of infections whose impact is increased by its multiple factors of virulence and antimicrobial resistance. Erythromycininduced clindamycin resistance is a growing problem in various parts of the world. This study was retrospective and analyzed the behavior in response to antimicrobials of 4307 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated in a hospital in the city of Maracaibo between January 2006 and December 2013. The frequency of erythromycin-induced clindamycin resistance, its association with resistance to oxacillin and the biological origin of the samples from which the microorganism was isolated were determined. Susceptibility to oxacillin was checked by diffusion method with disk agar and the induced clindamycin resistance was evaluated using the D-test. 60 D-Test positive strains were detected (1.39%), of which 38 (63.33%) were sensitive to methicillin and 22 strains were resistant (36.67%. The total resistance to clindamycin (constitutive and induced) represented 31.43% (1354) of the total number of strains tested. The frequency of induced resistance to clindamycin in Staphylococcus aureus strains in the locality is still low for both methicillin sensitive and resistant strains

Bloodstream infections cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. To determine incidence of the main microorganisms isolated from blood cultures and their antimicrobial resistance in a university hospital, 31,486 blood culture reports processed from January, 2008, to December, 2012, were reviewed. The percentage of positive blood cultures was 9.49%; the highest number was obtained in intensive care units (36.22%). 3,054 microorganisms were isolated: 67.62% Gram positive, 25.51% Gram negative, 6.84% yeast and 0.03% strict anaerobes. The predominant organisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, S. aureus, Candida spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus spp., Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both, S. aureus and the coagulase-negative species showed high resistance to oxacillin (72.0% and 88.9%, respectively) and sensitivity to vancomycin. A 26.4% of enterococci (E. faecium almost exclusively) were resistant to vancomycin. Acinetobacter baumannii and K. pneumoniae showed a high rate of resistance to the tested antibiotics. Overall, most of the microorganisms showed a progressive increase in antimicrobial resistance during the five years studied. It is necessary to review and adjust hospital policies for antibiotic use and strengthen control measures for the infected patient

In order to compare the prevalence of intestinal microsporidiosis in children with severe malnutrition and eutrophic children at the Nutritional Recovery Unit, Chiquinquirá Hospital in Maracaibo, State of Zulia, a chain reaction technique was performed on the polymerase (PCR) to identify Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in stool samples from 50 healthy and 50 severely malnourished children, whose ages were stratified as follows: younger infants (0-11 months), older infants (12-23 months), preschool (2-6 years) and school children (7-12 years). Of the microsporidia species investigated, Enterocytozoon bieneusi was evident in 14% of severely malnourished children and 8% of the eutrophic children. No amplifications for Encephalitozoon intestinalis were obtained in the groups studied. On applying the chi-square statistical test, the result was not significant for the variables intestinal microsporidiosis and malnutrition. Conclusions are that the extent to which malnutrition and microsporidiosis relate is difficult to clarify, because malnutrition is a multifactorial condition, and it is not yet well established which of these two factors is the cause and which is the consequence

Staphylococcus aureus is part of the normal flora of the skin and mucous membranes, with the nostrils the primary reservoir. Patients with HIV/AIDS, carriers of S. aureus, are more likely to develop infections due to this organism. The aim was to determine the nasal carriage of S. aureus in children who come for outpatient consultation at the INNOCENS Foundation and its resistance to methicillin and erythromycin, using a prospective descriptive study. During the months February-April 2013, 38 nasal secretion samples were analyzed. The samples were inoculated onto blood agar plates and colonies compatible with Staphylococcus spp. were identified, including their species. In the S. aureus strains, resistance to oxacillin was detected by the disk diffusion method, a screening test (agar supplemented with 6 ug/mL of oxacillin and 4% sodium chloride) and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Of the 38 children with HIV, 17 (44.7 %) carried S. aureus in their nostrils. Of these, 3 were resistant to methicillin and 8 (47.1%) were resistant to erythromycin. Nasal carriage of S. aureus in children with HIV is a serious problem because it can further compromise their health.Staphylococcus aureus is part of the normal flora of the skin and mucous membranes, withthe nostrils the primary reservoir. Patients with HIV/AIDS, carriers of S. aureus, are more likely todevelop infections due to this organism. The aim was to determine the nasal carriage of S. aureusin children who come for outpatient consultation at the INNOCENS Foundation and its resistanceto methicillin and erythromycin, using a prospective descriptive study. During the monthsFebruary-April 2013, 38 nasal secretion samples were analyzed. The samples were inoculated ontoblood agar plates and colonies compatible with Staphylococcus spp. were identified, includingtheir species. In the S. aureus strains, resistance to oxacillin was detected by the disk diffusionmethod, a screening test (agar supplemented with 6 ug/mL of oxacillin and 4% sodium chloride)and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Of the 38 children with HIV, 17 (44.7 %) carried S.aureus in their nostrils. Of these, 3 were resistant to methicillin and 8 (47.1%) were resistant toerythromycin. Nasal carriage of S. aureus in children with HIV is a serious problem because it canfurther compromise their health

To determine the presence of anti-cysticercus antibodies in an Amerindian community in western Venezuela, ninety-three individuals between 1-78 years of age were studied. Anti-cysticercus antibodies were detected using the ELISA immune-enzymatic technique with antigenic extracts of vesicular fluid of Taenia crassiceps. Sera were considered positive at 1:256 dilutions; feces were studied by direct and concentrate parasitological examination. A 27.9% of the population had anti-cysticercus immunity, and all age groups were positives. No statistically significant differences in relation to sex or between age groups were observed. In the physical examination and medical history, no data relevant to a probable functional impairment related to cysticercosis were found. The overall percentage of parasitic infection was 81.5%, with a marked polyparasitism of 64.6% and a predominance of protozoan infection. No Taenia spp eggs were detected. This is the first study on the prevalence of anti-cysticercus antibodies in an indigenous community of western Venezuela with a high percentage of prevalence from childhood, suggesting early exposure to cysticercosis. In addition, a high prevalence of intestinal protozoa and helminthes were found, which supposes a significant health risk in this population