Infections In Portugal Research Articles

The control of hospital infection in Portugal

Portugal is a country with 10 million inhabitants. The healthcare system is financed by the government and assistance is available to all citizens, regardless of ability to pay. Although there are some private hospitals, the vast majority of hospital beds (26 115) is public. For several years, implementation of hospital infection control activities has been carried out in an irregular way. Since 1996, the creation of a local infection control committee (ICC) in every health institution, public or private, has become a legal obligation. Despite this requirement, infection control does not exist in the country as a medical or a nursing speciality and formal training programmes on infection control do not exist in medical schools on a regular basis. Education in the last few years is available only through programmes developed occasionally by the Infection Control Programme (formerly Infection Control Project) of the Ministry of Health and a few nursing schools.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis from community acquired respiratory infections in 2000

The Viriato Study is a nationwide, multicenter prospective study of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens commonly associated with community-acquired respiratory tract infections in Portugal. In 2000, 28 laboratories participated in the study with a total of 1071 strains, with testing undertaken in a central laboratory. Of the 213 Streptococcus pyogenes strains isolated from patients with acute tonsillitis, all were susceptible to penicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate and cefuroxime, but 21.1% were resistant to erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and 16.4% to tetracycline. From patients with lower respiratory tract infection, 403 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 366 of Streptococcus pneumoniae and 89 of Moraxella catarrhalis were studied. 13.1% of H. influenzae and 94.4% of M. catarrhalis produced beta-lactamase. Among S. pneumoniae isolates, 25.1% were resistant to penicillin (8.8% showing high-level resistance), 14.5% to tetracycline, 12.8% to erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, and 10.1% to cefuroxime. Overall, penicillin was the most active antimicrobial against S. pyogenes and amoxycillin/clavulanate the most active in vitro simultaneously against H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis isolated from patients with community-acquired LRTI in Portugal.

A survey on hepatitis A in Portuguese children and adolescents.

In the early 1980s, Portugal could be classified as a highly endemic area for hepatitis A. However, marked economic and sanitary improvements took place during the following years. In this study we evaluated the temporal trends in the prevalence of hepatitis A in children and adolescents, to identify risk factors for the infection. The study sample included students aged 6 to 19 years (n=999), attending public and private schools. All randomly selected participants gave information on social, demographic, clinical and behavioural variables, but only 667 (67.4%) agreed to provide a blood sample for the determination of total and immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies. The prevalence of anti-HAV-positive subjects was 27.9%, with a linear age-related increase (r=0.87, P=0.011) from 20.9% at 6-7 years to 37.8% at 18-19 years. The crowding index and the level of maternal education were the only independent predictors of hepatitis A infection. This study showed a clear decrease in hepatitis A prevalence in our population. However, it remains a common infection in Portugal, easily acquired early in life and associated with indicators of poverty.

Anti-hepatitis B and anti-Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines

The epidemiologic aspects of hepatitis B are analysed. The author proposes the vaccination of all children, risk groups and teenagers. Also the high incidence of Haemophilus influenzae infections in Portugal justifies the use of an anti-Hib vaccine administered to all children under 5 years, preferentially in the first year of life.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: The importance of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infections in Portugal

Hepatocellular carcinoma: The importance of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infections in Portugal

Mycological study of 519 cases of ringworm infections in Portugal. Significance of multiple localizations. Tinea as a single infection.

The A. studied 572 cases of dematomycosis and identified the causative agent in 519 (90.7%). “Mosaic fungi” were observed through direct examination only in scales from feet, independently of demonstration of dermatophytes; for this reason diagnostic value was not attached to those figures. The nutritional tests in 126 strains confirmedGeorg's results and was particularly useful for the identification ofT. tonsurans, T. megninii andT. verrucosum. Account is given about the agents obtained from the different localizations.T. verrucosum was identified for the first time in Portugal, andT. megninii seemed more frequent than in other countries. The A. found 66 cases with multiple localizations and assumes that tinea must be considered a single infection produced by dermatophytes in skin and its appendages independently of its clinical form or localization.