Triatoma venosa presents a restricted geographical distribution in America and is considered as a secondary vector of Chagas disease in Colombia and Ecuador. A total of 120 adult insects were collected in domestic and peridomestic habitats in an endemic area of the department of Boyacá, Colombia, in order to determine their genetic structure through morphometric and molecular techniques. The head and wings of each specimen were used for the analyses of size, shape, and sexual dimorphism. A significant sexual dimorphism was found, although no differences in size among the studied groups were detected. Differences were found in the analyzed structures except for male heads. DNA was extracted from the legs in order to carry out the internal transcriber space-2 (ITS-2) amplification and the randon amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. Length polymorphisms were not detected in the ITS-2. Fst and Nm values were estimated (0.047 and 3.4, respectively). The high genetic flow found among the insects captured in the domicile and peridomiciliary environment does not permit a genetic differentiation, thus establishing the peridomicile as an important place for epidemiological surveillance.

Helicobacter pylori es un patógeno humano reportado de manera frecuente como responsable de afecciones gastrointestinales. En los últimos años, se ha sugerido una asociación causal entre infecciones crónicas por varios patógenos, entre ellos Helicobacter pylori, y la génesis y/o progresión de la aterosclerosis. Aunque se han realizado varios estudios, no hay evidencia contundente de que esta asociación sea verdadera. El propósito de este estudio fue investigar la presencia de Helicobacter pylori en muestras de tejido aórtico de pacientes con diagnóstico clínico de ectasia anulo-aórtica, mediante la amplificación por técnicas de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) de un fragmento del gen del 16S rDNA de este microorganismo. Se analizaron muestras de ADN de tejido aórtico obtenido de 20 pacientes. Se procesó un fragmento de aorta con lesión aterosclerótica aparente y otro de una región aparentemente sana en cada uno de los pacientes. No se detectaron ácidos nucleicos de Helicobacter pylori en ninguno de los especímenes analizados. Los resultados del estudio sugieren baja o nula asociación entre Helicobacter pylori y enfermedad coronaria en nuestro medio.

Helicobacter pylori is a human pathogen, frequently reported as responsible of gastrointestinal affections. During the last years, a causal relationship between chronic infections by several pathogens, among them the Helicobacter pylori, and the genesis and/ or progression of atherosclerosis, has been suggested. Although several studies have been realized, there is no conclusive evidence to assert this association. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Helicobacter pylori in aortic tissue samples from patients with clinical diagnosis of annulo-aortic ectasia, through PCR amplification of a gen fragment of the 16S rDNA of this microorganism. Samples of DNA aortic tissue obtained from 20 patients were analyzed. An aortic fragment with apparent atherosclerotic lesion, and another from an apparently healthy region, was examined in each patient. No Helicobacter pylori nucleic acids were detected in any of the analyzed specimens. The results of the study suggest low or null association between Helicobacter pylori and coronary disease in our environment.

Introducción. La ateroesclerosis es la principal causa de enfermedad coronaria y cerebrovascular, las cuales, a su vez, son las causas más comunes de mortalidad y morbilidad en el mundo occidental. Publicaciones recientes sugieren que ciertos microorganismos infecciosos podrían jugar un papel importante en la génesis y progresión de la aterosclerosis. De acuerdo con reportes seroepidemiológicos y de detección directa, Chlamydia pneumoniae podría ser el candidato más plausible. No obstante, no se ha determinado su papel específico en el proceso aterogénico, por lo cual en los últimos años ha surgido la necesidad de explorar diversas técnicas de detección de C. pneumoniae en arterias. Objetivo. El propósito de este estudio fue investigar la presencia de C. pneumoniae en muestras de tejido aórtico de catorce pacientes sometidos a cirugía de reemplazo aórtico, utilizando la amplificación del gen kdtA por PCR acoplada a un ensayo de hibridación in vitro. Materiales y métodos. De cada uno de catorce segmentos de aorta se obtuvo una muestra al azar para la extracción de ADN y la detección de C. pneumoniae por PCR-hibridación in vitro. Resultados. Doce (85,7%) de catorce muestras de tejido de aorta resultaron positivas para C. pneumoniae. Conclusión. Los resultados encontrados en este estudio sugieren que la presencia de C. pneumoniae es frecuente en el tipo de muestras analizado. En estudios posteriores resultaría importante examinar si esta proporción se mantiene en una muestra poblacional mayor

Introduction. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of coronary and cerebrovascular disease which, in turn, are the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in the western world. Recent publications suggest that infective microorganisms may play an important role in the genesis and progression of atherosclerosis. According to seroepidemiological and direct detection reports, Chlamydia pneumoniae is the most plausible candidate. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which the microorganism induces its pathological effect have not yet been conclusively determined; hence, the need exists to explore different detection techniques of C. pneumoniae on arteries. Objective. The purpose of the current study was to detect the presence of C. pneumoniae in aortic tissue samples from 14 patients submitted to aortic replacement surgery. Detection method involved kdtA gene amplification coupled with an in vitro hybridization assay. Materials and methods. Samples of aortic tissue for DNA extraction and C. pneumoniae detection by PCR- in vitro hybridization were randomly obtained from each of 14 aorta specimens. Results. C. pneumoniae was detected in 12 (85.7%) of the 14 aortic tissue samples. Conclusions. This result indicates a frequent association of C. pneumoniae with aortic tissue disease. Further studies are required to determine if this proportion of positive samples persists within larger samples.

Triatoma venosa es uno de los principales vectores secundarios de la enfermedad de Chagas en Colombia. Para estudiar su estructura genetica se colectaron 30 individuos adultos de T. venosa en los municipios de Somondoco (veredas de Cabrera y Barreras), Guateque (veredas de Llano Grande, Tincachoque, y Cantoras) y Sutatenza (veredas de Sisquique, Ovejeras, el Gaque y Piedra Larga), departamento de Boyaca, provenientes de dos habitats diferentes (peridomestico y domestico). El ADN genomico de cada individuo se amplified por RAPD utilizando 4 iniciadores, los productos se visualizaron mediante electroforesis en geles de poliacrilamida al 6% tenidos con plata. Al realizar un analisis mediante el programa SYNTAX 2000 y RAPDPLOT se obtuvo un dendrograma donde no se define un cluster para cada poblacion de insectos evaluada. Al analizar la matriz de datos con RAPDFST se obtuvo un Fst de Wright de 0,047 y de Weir & Cockerham de 0,056. La tasa efectiva de migracion en este analisis fue de 5,0 con la metodologia de Wright, y de 4,2 con la de Weir & Cockerham. Estos resultados preliminares indican una gran movilidad de los insectos entre los dos habitats y un elevado flujo genetico que no permite el establecimiento de diferenciacion genetica entre las poblaciones domesticas y peridomesticas analizadas.

Triatoma venosa is one of the main secondary vectors of Chagas Disease in Colombia. To study its genetic structure, 30 adult individuals of T. venosa were collected in the municipalities of Somondoco (villages of Cabrera and Barreras), Guateque (villages of Llano Grande, Tincachoque, and Cantoras) and Sutatenza (villages of Sisquique, Ovejeras, el Gaque and Piedra Larga) department of Boyaca, from two different habitats (peridomestic and domestic). Genomic DNA of each individual was amplified by RAPD using 4 primers; the products were visualized after polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis followed by 6% silver staining. The dendrogram obtained after analysis with SYNTAX 2000 and RAPDPLOT software did not define a cluster for each insect population evaluated. When the binary matrix was analyzed with RAPDFST software, the Wright's Fst was 0,047 and Weir & Cockerham's Fst was 0,056. The effective migration rate in this analysis was 5,0 under Wright's methodology and 4,2 under Weir & Cockerham's methodology. These preliminary results indicate a high mobility of the insects between the two habitats and a high genetic flow, which do not allow the establishment of genetic differentiation between the domestic and peridomestic populations analyzed.