Eduardo Ticona

Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo · Tropical and Infectious Diseases

We identified and characterized seven anellovirus genome sequences in the female genital tract through virome metagenomic sequencing of cervicovaginal lavage specimens from women living with HIV in Peru. Phylogenetic and genomic analyses indicate that they belong to three newly proposed Lamedtorquevirus, Memtorquevirus, and Samektorquevirus genera...

Despite successful suppression of plasma HIV replication by antiretroviral therapy (ART), some women living with HIV (WLHIV) can still experience genital HIV shedding (discordant shedding). Female genital tract (FGT) microbiome and virome dynamics during long-term ART in WLHIV are poorly understood but might contribute to discordant HIV shedding, a...

Infectious diseases are prevalent and can manifest in all organs of the body. Most infections are self-limited and resolve without complications, but others may have serious consequences such as need for hospitalization and death. Infection risk and disease manifestations are highly variable between hosts. A person and pathogen-centered management...

BACKGROUND: The WHO recommends systematic screening of TB in high TB prevalence settings. We evaluated an active case-finding strategy using sputum screening regardless of symptoms in a high TB prevalence Emergency Department (ED) in Peru.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo ED, which serves low-i...

Background The WHO recommended 1200mg/day of fluconazole (FCZ) in the induction phase of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV prior to 2018 in regions where amphotericin-B (AMB) was unavailable. A 2-stage AMB-controlled, dose-escalation study to determine the maximum tolerated dose and the safety/efficacy of an induction-consolidation strategy of hi...

Background Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the activation and pro-inflammatory profile of monocytes in individuals with LTBI, and their association with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods Individuals 40–70 years-old in Lima-Peru underwent QuantiFERON®-TB testing to de...

Background There are limited data on influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza illness among healthcare personnel (HCP). Methods HCP with direct patient contact working full-time in hospitals were followed during three influenza seasons in Israel (2016–2017 to 2018–2019) and Peru (2016 to 2018). Trivalent i...

Background: Tuberculosis has been linked to an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We assessed whether latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is associated with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in two TB-prevalent areas. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from studies conducted in Lima, Peru, and Kampala, U...

Background Persons with active tuberculosis (TB) have increased immune activation, which declines with TB treatment. Whether residual immune activation is present after completion of TB treatment is unknown. We conducted immunophenotyping of T cells and monocytes from individuals who had completed TB treatment, and compared them to controls without...

La COVID-19, en los escasos seis meses de su presencia, ha provocado una crisis sanitaria mundial, con mayor impacto en los países más pobres. En la actualidad, existe un mejor conocimiento de la clínica de esta enfermedad y su relación con los fenómenos fisiopatológicos; sin embargo, dada la alta letalidad, el mayor enfoque de su manejo se ha orie...

Cough is a characteristic symptom of tuberculosis, is the main cause of transmission, and is used to assess treatment response. We aimed to identify the best measure of cough severity and characterize changes during initial tuberculosis therapy. We conducted a prospective cohort of recently diagnosed ambulatory adult patients with pulmonary tubercu...

Background: During antiretroviral treatment (ART) with plasma HIV RNA below the limit-of-quantification, HIV RNA can be detected in genital or rectal secretions, termed "discordant shedding" (DS). We hypothesized that proliferating cells produce virions without HIV replication. Methods: ART-naive Peruvians initiating ART were observed for DS ove...

Background The Estudio Vacuna de Influenza Peru (VIP) cohort aims to describe the frequency of influenza virus infection, identify predictors of vaccine acceptance, examine the effects of repeated influenza vaccination on immunogenicity, and evaluate influenza vaccine effectiveness among HCP. Methods The VIP cohort prospectively followed HCP in Li...

La letalidad por COVID-19 así como su rápida diseminación son responsables de la actual crisis mundial; por ello, desde un inicio se buscaron medicamentos con acción antiviral frente a este agente. Es imposible, por ahora, saber qué persona en estado leve desarrollará una elevada carga viral o tiene una predisposición a desarrollar una respuesta ex...

Background: The concurrent treatment of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is challenging, owing to drug interactions, overlapping toxicities, and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). The efficacy and safety of dolutegravir (DTG) were assessed in adults with HIV and drug-susceptible tuberculosis. Methods: Internat...

Hace 26 años ingresó el Cólera en el Perú, ocacionando uno de los brotes más explosivos en la historia de esta enfermedad, el cual se produjo debido al ingreso del Vidrio cholerae 01, a la susceptibilidad de la poblacion a este agente y a las deficientes condiciones de saneamento del momento. Son diversos los agentes infecciosos responsables de Enf...

La terapia de la infección por el VIH ha tenido una evolución sorprendente, pasando desde el uso medidas paliativas, a lo actual, en que el tratamiento antirretroviral permite la recuperación de la salud del paciente con las consecuencias positivas para su familia y la sociedad.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the intensity of menopausal symptoms and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence in middle-aged women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 313 Peruvian women with HIV infection (age 40-59 years) were surveyed and clas...

Background: Disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) is an opportunistic fungal infection in severely immunocompromised patients with HIV infection. Haemophagocytic syndrome (HFS), which can occur in these co-infected patients when the immune response is significantly altered, is often associated with high mortality. Aims: To describe the epidemiologica...

En países con elevada endemia tuberculosa, las personas están muy cerca a esta enfermedad a lo largo de toda su vida. Sea porque algún familiar o amigo desarrolla la enfermedad o porque en el devenir de la vida experimenta la infección o la enfermedad. En el caso del médico o profesional de la salud, seguramente su cercanía será mayor, y preferente...

Background Delamanid is one of two recently approved drugs for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of delamanid in the first 6 months of treatment. Methods This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial was done at 17 sites in seven countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,...

Background TB transmission in healthcare facilities is an important public health problem, especially in the often-overcrowded settings of HIV treatment scale-up. The problem is compounded by the emergence of drug resistant TB. Natural ventilation is a low-cost environmental control measure for TB infection control where climate permits that is sui...

Background To evaluate the mortality in hospitalized patients with tuberculous meningitis and describe factors associated with an increased risk of mortality. Methods Retrospective study of hospitalized patients with tuberculous meningitis between 2006 and 2015 in Peru performing a generalized linear regression to identify factors predictive of in...

Access to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV has been increasing in Peru since a national ART program was initiated in 2004. Between 2007 and 2009, we found a 1% prevalence of pre-ART HIV drug resistance (PDR) among antiretrovir...

La terapia de la infección por el vrn ha tenido una evolución sorprendente, pasando desde el uso medidas paliativas, a lo actual, en que el tratamiento antirretroviral permite la recuperación de la salud del paciente con las consecuencias positivas para su familia y la sociedad. Un beneficio adicional esque eltratamiento disminuye elriesgo de conta...

Hace 26 años ingresó el Cólera en el Perú, ocasionando uno de los brotes más explosivos en la historia de esta enfermedad, el cual se produjo debido al ingreso del Vibrio cholerae O1, a la susceptibilidad de la población a este agente y a las deficientes condiciones de saneamiento del momento. Son diversos los agentes infecciosos responsables de Có...

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for Toxoplasma gondii multicopy genes has emerged as a promising strategy for sensitive detection of parasite DNA. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction can be performed from blood samples, which are minimally invasive to collect. However, there is no consensus about what type of blood specimen yields...

Introducción. La tuberculosis es un problema de salud pública en nuestro país. Los pacientes afectados tardan en acceder a los servicios de salud entre otros factores por el estigma y discriminación social que se tiene de esta enfermedad en la población. Además, el estigma tiene impacto en la relación social y familiar de los pacientes afectados. E...

Background We previously reported increased unstimulated blood levels of interferon-gamma in persons with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in the United States, suggesting enhanced immune activation in LTBI. To investigate this further in a TB-endemic setting, we assessed interferon-gamma levels in persons with and without LTBI in Peru. Method...

Dataset. This file contains a de-identified dataset related to the findings described in the manuscript. (XLSX)

Background Meningitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We evaluated the performance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing with the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay versus traditional approaches for diagnosing tuberculosis meningitis (TBM). Methods Patients were adults (n = 37) presenting with suspec...

DST results among patients with definite TBM. *Minimum of 9 colonies were not obtained for DST. Abbreviations N.A. (Not Applicable), Neg (Negative), Pos (Positive). DST for GeneXpert tests for resistance to Rifampicin, MGIT/LJ tests for resistance to Streptomycin, Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide. Ogawa used Proportions Method te...

To reduce transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in resource-limited countries where TB remains a major cause of mortality, novel diagnostic tools are urgently needed. We evaluated the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) as an easily measured, noninvasive potential biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response in parti...

Objective: During effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), low-level plasma viremias (LLV) (HIV RNA >30-1000 copies/ml) can be detected intermittently. We hypothesized that systemic inflammation is associated with LLV either as the cause or result of the production of virions from clonally expanded cells. Methods: Prospective cohort study of HIV-...

Background: Cough frequency, and its duration, is a lab-free biomarker that can be used in low-resource settings and has been associated with transmission and treatment response. Radiological characteristics associated with increased cough frequency may be important in understanding transmission. The relationship between cough frequency and cavita...

We conducted a cluster-randomized trial to estimate effects of directly observed combination antiretroviral therapy (DOT-cART) on retention with viral suppression among HIV-positive adults in Peru. We randomly allocated facilities to receive the 12-month intervention plus the standard of care, including adherence support provided through accompanim...

Background: Tuberculosis has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated whether latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) associates with AMI. Methods: We conducted a case-control study in two large national public hospital networks in Lima, Peru between July 2015 and...

The differential diagnosis for lymphadenopathy is wide and clinical presentations overlap, making obtaining an accurate diagnosis challenging. We sought to characterize the clinical and radiological characteristics, histological findings, and diagnoses for a cohort of patients with lymphadenopathy of unknown etiology. 121 Peruvian adults with lymph...

Background: Cough is the major determinant of tuberculosis transmission. Despite this, there is a paucity of information regarding characteristics of cough frequency throughout the day and in response to tuberculosis therapy. Here we evaluate the circadian cycle of cough; cough frequency risk factors; and the impact of appropriate treatment on cou...

Objetivos. Determinar el nivel de estigma relacionado a VIH/SIDA y su asociación con la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral (TARV) en pacientes de un hospital nacional de Lima, Perú. Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal que incluyó a pacientes adultos que seguían el programa de TARV con un mínimo de seis meses. Se consideró el estigma c...

Accidents caused by urticating or poisonous setae from lepidoptera caterpillars are known as erucism. These accidents are produced by accidental contact, especially in children, with bristles on the insect's body surface, connected to venom glands. Symptoms may be local or systemic, with deadly clinical presentations. The accident caused by Lonomia...

Hospital infection control measures are crucial to tuberculosis (TB) control strategies within settings caring for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, as these patients are at heightened risk of developing TB. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent drug that effectively sterilizes persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli. However, PZ...

Ascaris lumbricoides is considered the largest intestinal nematode with a higher incidence in the childhood, representing a truly medical and public health problem, principally in undeveloped countries. We present the case of an 83 year old man, born and coming from the amazon region, without any relevant previous history of disease, admitted in th...

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) rates in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care facility increased by the year 2000-56% of TB cases, eight times the national MDRTB rate. We reported the effect of tuberculosis infection control measures that were introduced in 2001 and that consisted of 1) building a respiratory isolation ward with mecha...

Introduction: Cough is a key symptom of tuberculosis (TB) as well as the main cause of transmission. However, a recent literature review found that cough frequency (number of coughs per hour) in patients with TB has only been studied once, in 1969. The main aim of this study is to describe cough frequency patterns before and after the start of TB...

In this study, 132 patients with lymphadenopathy were investigated. Fifty-two (39.4%) were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). The microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay provided rapid (13 days), accurate diagnosis (sensitivity, 65.4%) and reliable drug susceptibility testing (DST). Despite its lower sensitivity than that of other m...

Chikungunya is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted by Aedes mosquito bites. A viral mutation has allowed Aedes albopictus to become the preferred vector extending the geographic spread of the condition. The virus causes an acute febrile illness occasionally followed by a chronic rheumatic condition causing severe impairment. The diagnosis is usual...

The burden of tuberculosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is enormous worldwide. CVD rates are rapidly increasing in low- and middle-income countries. Public health programs have been challenged with the overlapping tuberculosis and CVD epidemics. Monocyte/macrophages, lymphocytes and cytokines involved in cellular mediated immune responses again...

Objective: Inflammatory biomarkers associated with cardiovascular disease are elevated in HIV-infected persons. These biomarkers improve with antiretroviral therapy (ART) but do not normalize to values observed in HIV-uninfected adults. Little is known regarding biomarkers of inflammation in HIV-infected Peruvians, in whom an increased burden of i...

Con el objetivo de determinar la asociación entre el número de rutas formales de transporte público urbano y la situación de la tuberculosis (TB) en cada distrito de Lima, se realizó un análisis correlacional y un modelo de regresión lineal entre ambas variables. Asimismo, se determinó el número de rutas de transporte público de mayor probabilidad...

In order to determine the association between the number of formal urban public transport routes and the situation of tuberculosis (TB) in each district of Lima, a correlational analysis and linear regression model between the two variables was performed. Also determined were the number of public transport routes most likely to transmit TB, the are...

Background: Understanding mechanisms that allow HIV infection to persist despite suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) may help develop cure strategies. We observed that cells with HIV integrated into genes associated with cell proliferation or cancer form persistent clones, defined as multiple cells with identical proviruses (HIV env C2-V5) and...

Cholera is a disease of poverty that remains prevalent in resource-limited countries. The abrupt emergence of an epidemic frequently takes communities and health systems by surprise. Spread is rapid and initial mortality high: delays in organizing an appropriate response, lack of health worker training, and high patient numbers contribute to high r...

The Cystoisospora belli, before denominated as Isospora belli, is the etiologic agent of cystoisosoporiasis, an opportunistic infection affecting immunocompromised patients, characterized by chronic diarrhea and weight loss. The incidence of chronic diarrhea for this agent, in HIV patients, has decreased considerably. This thanks to the advent of h...

Objective: To increase the adherence of health care workers to three infections control practices through an educational intervention. Methods: 440 health care workers were trained in infection control during the period of 11 months. The methodology training Video-based Supplemental Instruction (VSI) affecting three infection control practices: Was...

La Cystoisospora belli, antes denominada Isospora belli, es el agente etiológico de la cystoisosporiasis, una infección oportunista que afecta a pacientes inmunodeprimidos, caracterizada por diarrea crónica y pérdida ponderal. La incidencia de diarrea crónica por este agente, en pacientes infectados por el VIH, ha disminuido considerablemente. Ello...

La tuberculosis (TB) es la infección oportunista más común en los pacientes infectados con el VIH en países en desarrollo. La isoniacida (INH) es recomendada para la prevención de la TB latente, sin embargo el cumplimiento representa un problema. Objetivo: Identificar la tasa de cumplimiento de la quimioprofilaxis (QP) con INH y factores personales...

Introducción: Presentamos los resultados de la ejecución del Plan TBCero, que con un enfoque sociopolítico se desarrolla en la jurisdicción del centro de salud de San Cosme, distrito de La Victoria. Esta es un área de elevado riesgo de transmisión de TB (AERT-TB), que presenta la más alta tasa de incidencia de TB del Perú, y donde las condiciones c...

Transmission of drug-resistant HIV (TDR) has been associated with virologic failure of "first-line," nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). A national ART program began in Peru in 2004. We evaluated the prevalence of TDR in individuals initiating ART and their virologic outcome during 2 years of AR...

Se reporta el caso de un recién nacido varón, producto de embarazo de 36 semanas, con diagnóstico de neumonía congénita y examen confirmatorio de infección por el virus de la influenza A (H1N1), sin ningún otro tipo de contacto sospechoso. La madre ingresó al hospital con insuficiencia respiratoria y antecedente de proceso gripal de cinco días de e...

Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are used by undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) patients. TB infection control measures are seldom prioritized, making EDs potential foci of unrecognised nosocomial transmission. To quantify TB infection risk among health care workers in an ED in a high TB-burden setting, Lima, Peru, and to evaluate TB infection co...

We report the case of a male newborn, product of a 36 week pregnancy, with diagnosis of congenital pneumonia and with a confirmatory test for influenza A (H1N1) virus, without any other suspicious contact. The mother was admitted to the hospital with respiratory failure and the history of a flu-like episode of 5 days of evolution, during the first...

Se reporta el caso de un recién nacido varón, producto de embarazo de 36 semanas, con diagnóstico de neumonía congénita y examen confirmatorio de infección por el virus de la influenza A (H1N1), sin ningún otro tipo de contacto sospechoso. La madre ingresó al hospital con insuficiencia respiratoria y antecedente de proceso gripal de cinco días de e...

Se describe el caso de un varón de 47 años, con tiempo de enfermedad de dos días, caracterizado por pérdida de fuerza progresiva, simétrica y ascendente de miembros inferiores, se realizó punción lumbar luego de la tomografía cerebral y electromiografía lo cual evidenció polirradiculopatía motora pura con patrón axonal, compatible con el síndrome d...

We describe a case of a 47 years old male, with a history of 2 days of progressive, ascendant, symmetrical weakness in the lower extremities; a lumbar puncture was performed after the brain CT scan, as well as an electromyography, evidencing pure motor polyradiculopathy with axonal pattern, compatible with Guillain Barre syndrome. Afterwards, he re...

We describe a case of a 47 years old male, with a history of 2 days of progressive, ascendant, symmetrical weakness in the lower extremities; a lumbar puncture was performed after the brain CT scan, as well as an electromyography, evidencing pure motor polyradiculopathy with axonal pattern, compatible with Guillain Barre syndrome. Afterwards, he re...