Chikungunya fever is a debilitating disease caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that can result in long-lasting arthralgias. The early diagnosis of CHIKV relies on PCR during the acute infection phase to allow differential diagnosis with other co-circulating arboviruses such as dengue and Zika. Alternatively, serology can support diagnosis and provide epidemiological information on current and past outbreaks. Many commercial serological ELISA assays are based on the inactivated whole CHIKV, but their sensitivity and specificity show great variability. We produced recombinant CHIKV E2 that is suitable for ELISA assays, which was used for the serodiagnosis of CHIKV infections occurring in an arbovirus endemic Mexican region within Michoacán state. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016–2017; sera was obtained from 15 healthy donors and 68 patients presenting undifferentiated febrile illness. Serum samples were screened by RT-PCR and by our in-house ELISA assay. Our results indicate that IgM and IgG anti-CHIKV E2 antibodies were detected with our ELISA assay with higher sensitivity than a commercially available CHIKV ELISA kit. Our simple and sensitive ELISA assay for the serodiagnosis of CHIKV infections can be applied to population-based seroprevalence surveys and has potential for monitoring vaccine immunogenicity in CHIKV vaccine clinical trials.

A common hallmark of dengue infections is the dysfunction of the vascular endothelium induced by different biological mechanisms. In this paper, we studied the role of recombinant NS1 proteins representing the four dengue serotypes, and their role in promoting the expression and release of endocan, which is a highly specific biomarker of endothelial cell activation. We evaluated mRNA expression and the levels of endocan protein in vitro following the stimulation of HUVEC and HMEC-1 cell lines with recombinant NS1 proteins. NS1 proteins increase endocan mRNA expression 48 h post-activation in both endothelial cell lines. Endocan mRNA expression levels were higher in HUVEC and HMEC-1 cells stimulated with NS1 proteins than in non-stimulated cells (p < 0.05). A two-fold to three-fold increase in endocan protein release was observed after the stimulation of HUVECs or HMEC-1 cells with NS1 proteins compared with that in non-stimulated cells (p < 0.05). The blockade of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) signaling on HMEC-1 cells with an antagonistic antibody prevented NS1-dependent endocan production. Dengue-infected patients showed elevated serum endocan levels (≥30 ng/mL) during early dengue infection. High endocan serum levels were associated with laboratory abnormalities, such as lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia, and are associated with the presence of NS1 in the serum.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of bovine leukosis virus (BLV) in specialized and dual-purpose dairy cows located in the central zone of Veracruz state in Mexico, using endpoint polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The study population consisted of 307 specialized dairy cows and 95 dual-purpose cows from 13 municipalities located in the study area. All cows were apparently healthy and >_ 3 years old. Cows were stratified by age (3 -5, 6 -8 and >_ 9 years). The overall prevalence of infection was 6.96%; the calculated prevalence in dairy cows was 7.82% and in dual-purpose cows it was 4.21%. The municipality with the highest proportion was Acajete (14.28%), followed by Huatusco and Tomatlan (11.53%). The association analysis confirms the infection's independence to the cows' productive purpose. The results by age strata were 3 -5 (4.60%), 6 -8 (8.00%) and >_ 9 (18.40%) with X2 = 9.96, with an odds ratio of 4.68 for the stratum >_ 9 years with a significant difference. The present study determined the prevalence of proviral DNA of BLV in dairy and dual-purpose cows in six municipalities in the central zone of Veracruz state, Mexico, using endpoint PCR. (c) 2023 Urmia University. All rights reserved.

Goals: This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of celiac disease in Mexican patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, hypothesizing that prevalence would align with rates observed in other populations. Background: The association between celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid diseases has been documented globally, with varying seroprevalence rates. Historically, Mexican Mestizos were considered at low risk for celiac disease, yet recent findings suggest similar prevalence to other regions. However, data regarding Hispanic patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases are limited. Study: This observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study involved 170 Mexican Mestizo patients diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid diseases, specifically Hashimoto thyroiditis or Graves’ disease. Data on demographics, disease history, and symptoms were collected. Celiac disease seroprevalence was assessed using immunoglobulin A anti-tissue transglutaminase, immunoglobulin A deamidated gliadin peptide, and immunoglobulin G deamidated gliadin peptide antibodies, with values above a specified threshold considered positive. Results: Among the participants, 92.4% were female, with a mean age of 45.4 years. Hashimoto thyroiditis was present in 80.6% of cases, whereas Graves disease accounted for 19.4%. The overall celiac disease seroprevalence was 8.8% (95% CI; 5.4-14.1). All individuals with positive serology had Hashimoto thyroiditis, and although no gastrointestinal symptoms were linked to seropositivity, anemia was more common in celiac-positive subjects. Conclusions: Celiac disease seroprevalence among Mexican Mestizo patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases aligns with other populations. Serological screening for celiac disease is recommended, even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Further biopsy-confirmed studies are necessary.