Background: Contact investigation is cardinal in the control of tuberculosis (TB) since it helps to stop its transmission. In Chile, the National TB Program strategy does not include latent TB infection testing, regular chemoprophylaxis or follow-up in adults. Active TB was found in only 1.2% of contacts at country-level during 2018. Aim: To evaluate the performance of a systematic screening of adult household contacts with targeted chemoprophylaxis and prolonged active follow-up. Material and Methods: Prospective cohort of household contacts in Santiago. Two face-to-face visits (at 0 and 12 weeks) that included QuantiFERON TB-Gold plus tests (QFT), chest radiography (CXR) at 0 and 24 weeks and, periodic text messaging or phone call follow-up for up to 48 weeks were implemented. Contacts with positive QFT were referred for TB chemoprophylaxis. Results: A total of 200 contacts were enrolled, 69% were migrants. At baseline evaluation, 45% had a positive QFT result and 1.6% had co-prevalent active TB. At follow-up, 13% contacts further converted to QFT (+), and 5.1% more were diagnosed with active TB (mean follow-up time 32 weeks). Of these 10 further active TB cases, 6 (60%) had a negative QFT and all (100%) had normal CXR at baseline; while three cases occurred in QFT converters. Conclusions: In this cohort of household contacts, 6.7 % were diagnosed with active TB (more than 2/3 at follow-up) and 13% had a late QFT (+) conversion. Active and prolonged contacts' follow-up are essential to detect new infections and tackle the TB epidemic in Chile.

ResumenLas especies Echinometra lucunter, Echinometra viridis, Lytechinus variegatus, Tripneustes ventricosus, and Diadema antillarum son los erizos de mar más comunes en los hábitat litorales del Caribe. Los erizos de mar T. ventricosus y L. variegatus habitan generalmente los pastos marinos mientras que las otras tres especies se encuentran asociadas a sustratos rocosos. Los hábitos alimentarios de estas especies han sido bien documentados y son reconocidas como herbívoros - omnívoros; sin embargo, pocas de estas especies han sido caracterizadas isotópicamente. Utilizamos los isótopos estables para caracterizar estas cinco especies de erizos y establecer las posiciones tróficas para las especies que cohabitan los mismos ecosistemas. También cuantificamos la contribución de los recursos alimentarios para E. lucunter. Los erizos T. ventricosus y D. antillarum mostraron los mayores valores de δ15N y valores similares de δ13C que variaron desde -11.6 ± 0.63 a -10.4 ± 0.99 %; donde el erizo E. lucunter mostró los valores más negativos con -15.40 ± 0.76 %. Las comunidades de algas no mostraron diferencias en valores promedio de δ15N (F= 1.300, df= 3, p= 0.301), pero sí mostraron variaciones en los valores de δ13C (F= 7.410, df= 3, p= 0.001). Los estudios de amplitud de elipses de nicho determinaron que las especies de los biotopos rocosos (D. antillarum, E. lucunter y E. viridis) no mostraron solapamiento de nicho. Similar resultado también se encontró en las especies de erizos que habitan en los pastos marinos. Sin embargo, la distancia entre estas dos especies fue menor respecto a la distancia entre las especies de erizos que habitan en los sustratos rocosos. Nuestros resultados muestran que las especies que habitan en los pastos marinos mostraron valores más elevados de δ13C en comparación con las especies de los sustratos rocosos. No se encontraron diferencias espaciales para E. lucunter en δ15N, pero sí en δ13C. Los modelos de mezcla bayesianos demuestran la plasticidad alimentaria de E. lucunter, especie capaz de utilizar múltiples recursos algales dependiendo de la disponibilidad por sitio. Semejanzas en δ15N entre D. antillarum y T. ventricosus parecen indicar similitudes tróficas entre ambas especies. Si bien T. ventricosus es reconocido como omnívoro, D. antillarum siempre ha sido considerado un herbívoro generalista. Finalmente, la falta de solapamiento entre las especies en los dos biotopos parece indicar una estrategia de partición de recursos para evitar la competencia de nicho entre especies concurrentes.

AbstractThe species Echinometra lucunter, Echinometra viridis, Lytechinus variegatus, Tripneustes ventricosus, and Diadema antillarum are the most common sea urchins of littoral habitats in the Caribbean. T. ventricosus and L. variegatus are associated with seagrass beds, while the other three species usually inhabit hardground substrates. Food preferences of these species are well documented and they are commonly accepted as being primarily herbivorous-omnivorous; nevertheless, few of them have previously been characterized isotopically. We used this approach for assessing the isotopic characterization of five echinoids. We established the trophic position of two groups of co-occurring species and quantified the contribution of food resources in the diet of Echinometra lucunter, considered the most common sea urchin in the Caribbean region. The species T. ventricosus and D. antillarum showed the highest values of δ15N. Sea urchins exhibited similar values of δ13C varying from -11.6 ± 0.63 to -10.4 ± 0.99%. The echinoid E. lucunter displayed the lowest values of carbon, from -15.40 ± 0.76%. Significant differences among species were found for δ15N and δ13C. Seaweed communities exhibited no differences among sites for overall δ15N (F= 1.300, df= 3, p= 0.301), but we found spatial differences for δ13C (F= 7.410, df= 3, p= 0.001). The ellipse-based metrics of niche width analysis found that the hardground biotope species (D. antillarum, E. lucunter, and E. viridis) did not overlap each other. Similar results were obtained for the co-occurring species of the seagrass biotope; however, the distance between these species was closer than that of the hardground biotope species. The Bayesian mixing models run for E. lucunter at all four localities found differences in food resources contribution. The algae D. menstrualis, C. crassa and B. triquetrum dominated in CGD; whereas C. nitens, Gracilaria spp., and D. caribaea represented the main contributor algae to the diet of E. lucunter at LQY. In Culebra Island, no dominance of any particular algae was detected in TMD, where six of the eight species exhibited a similar contribution. Similarities in δ15N between D. antillarum and T. ventricosus may hint towards a similar trophic level for these species, although T. ventricosus is widely accepted as an omnivore, while D. antillarum is considered a generalist herbivore. The lack of overlap among species in the two biotopes seems to indicate a resource partitioning strategy to avoid niche competition among co-occurring species. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (2): 837-848. Epub 2016 June 01.

Analisou-se a composição nutricional e isotópica (C e N) de folhas de mogno (. Swietenia macrophylla King) em plantações estabelecidas em solos e climas contrastantes na América Central (Quintana Roo, Yucatán, México) e na América do Sul (Pará, Brasil). O objetivo foi determinar a adaptabilidade dessa espécie para grandes diferenças na disponibilidade de nutrientes e regimes de chuva. As concentrações de nutrientes das folhas e solos foram determinadas espectrofotometricamente, e razões isotópicas foram medidas utilizando espectrometria de massa. No Pará, os solos foram mais arenosos e ácidos, recebendo acima de 2.000 mm de chuva, enquanto em Quintana Roo os solos foram predominantemente argilosos, com pH neutro a alcalino, devido ao substrato calcário subjacente, com cerca de 1.300 mm de chuva. A razão área/peso foliar foi semelhante para ambos os sítios de estudo, mas em Quintana Roo as folhas foram significativamente menores. Concentrações de N e K em folhas adultas foram semelhantes. A concentração de Ca foi apenas ligeiramente inferior no Pará, apesar das grandes diferenças na disponibilidade de Ca. Folhas desse sítio possuíam concentrações ligeiramente maiores de P e menores de Al. Diferenças na eficiência do uso da água medida pela δ13C foram insignificantes, e o principal efeito da menor precipitação em Quintana Roo parece ser uma redução na área foliar. Assinatura isotópica do N (δ 15N) foi mais positiva no Pará, que em Quintana Roo, sugerindo maiores taxas de desnitrificação no primeiro sítio de estudo. Os resultados revelaram comportamento calciotrófico e uma notável capacidade do mogno para compensar as grandes diferenças de textura e disponibilidade de nutrientes do solo.

We analyzed the nutritional composition and isotope ratios (C and N) of big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) leaves in plantations established on contrasting soils and climates in Central America (State of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, México) and South America (State of Pará, Brazil). The objective was to determine the adaptability of this species to large differences in nutrient availability and rainfall regimes. Nutrient concentrations of leaves and soils were determined spectrophotometrically, and isotope ratios were measured using mass spectrometric techniques.In Pará soils were sandier, and acidic, receiving above 2000 mm of rain, whereas in Quintana Roo soils were predominantly clayey, with neutral to alkaline pH due to the underlying calcareous substrate, with about 1300 mm of rain. Leaf area/weight ratio was similar for both sites, but leaves from Quintana Roo were significantly smaller. Average N and K concentrations of adult leaves were similar, whereas Ca concentration was only slightly lower in Pará in spite of large differences in Ca availability. Leaves from this site had slightly higher P and lower Al concentrations. Differences in water use efficiency as measured by the natural abundance of 13C were negligible, the main effect of lower rainfall in Quintana Roo seemed to be a reduction in leaf area. The N isotope signature (δ15N) was more positive in Pará than in Quintana Roo, suggesting higher denitrification rates in the former. Results reveal a calciotrophic behavior and a remarkable capacity of mahogany to compensate for large differences in soil texture and nutrient availability.

The objective of this work was to determine the removal efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from soil contaminated with hydrocarbons using two different types of agricultural residues, filter cake mud and the sugarcane bagasse pith, as amendment and bulking agents. To test these approaches, a microcosms test was applied to soil contaminated with 14 300 mg kg-1 of TPH and 23.14 mg kg-1 of PAH. The soil treatments consisted of the following ratios of soil to residue (%/%): 100:0, 98:2, 98:4 and 98:6, and macronutrient addition was based on a carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus ratio (C:N:P, %/ % / %) of 100:10:1. Statistical analysis indicated that there were significant differences between the filter cake mud and the sugarcane bagasse pith treatments, in which the TPH removal efficiency was 60.1% using sugarcane bagasse pith and 51.4% with filter cake mud. A filter cake mud ratio of 96:4 produced the highest observed removal efficiency of PAH (43%), and a sugarcane bagasse pith ratio of 98:2 resulted in a PAH removal efficiency of 41%. Filter cake mud treatment could be an alternative for use in the bioremediation process of soils polluted with hydrocarbons.

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la eficiencia de remoción de hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos (HAP) y de hidrocarburos totales del petróleo (HTP) de un suelo contaminado con petróleo crudo, utilizando dos tipos de residuos agroindustriales, la cachaza y el bagazo de caña de azúcar como enmiendas y texturizante. Para ello, se realizaron pruebas en microcosmos de cultivos sólidos para la biorremediación de un suelo contaminado con 14300 mg kg-1 de HTP y 23.14 mg kg-1 de HAP. Las relaciones suelo:residuo utilizadas en las pruebas fueron las siguientes (%): 100:0, 98:2, 96:4 y 94:6, y la adición de macronutrimentos con base en la relación carbono/nitrógeno/fósforo (%%%) de 100:10:1. El análisis estadístico indicó que hay diferencias significativas entre algunos de los tratamientos de remoción al utilizar cachaza y el bagazo de caña (p < 0.0001). La remoción de HTP fue de 60.1 % para bagazo y de 51.4 % para cachaza. Con cachaza en una relación 96:4 se logró una remoción de 43 % de HAP, mientras que el bagazo en una relación 98:2 removió 41 %. La cachaza resulta ser una alternativa para ser utilizada en los procesos biorremediación de suelos contaminados con hidrocarburos.