Salim Máttar

• Ph.D
• Professor (Full) at University of Córdoba

Background. Rickettsia are obligate intracellular gram-negative bacteria of the class Alphaproteobacteria and are vector-borne species that cause diseases in humans and animals. New Rickettsia species have been involved as human pathogens; however, the pathogenic potential of other species is unknown. Candidatus Rickettsia colombiensis is a new spe...

Introduction Tick‐borne diseases have a significant impact on public and animal health and represent a considerable financial burden on livestock farming. However, in many regions of Latin America, comprehensive epidemiological data, including species identification, geographical distribution and molecular profiling of ticks and their associated pa...

Influenza viruses are highly capable of mutating and adapting in mammalian hosts. While these viruses have been extensively studied in birds, research on their presence in bats has been limited. However, influenza viruses circulating in bats have shown notable molecular divergence. The present study aimed to characterize the phylogenetic, evolution...

Over the past century, arboviruses have significantly shaped public health in Latin America (Figure 1) [1-47]. Yellow fever virus (YFV) is the oldest known arbovirus in the Americas. Introduced in Africa in the 17th century, it was transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes until urban outbreaks were controlled, and urban YF was eliminated in Latin Am...

Background Dengue is hyperendemic in Colombia. It imposes a substantial economic burden on patients, caregivers, society, and the national health system. We intend to identify and synthesize the evidence regarding the economic burden of dengue in Colombia. Methods A systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42021257985) of economic studies was performed. A c...

Sandflies are insects of importance in public health for their role as vectors of different pathogens of human interest such as Leishmania, recent studies for vector control are focused into the microbiota looking for new agents for alternative biological control. This research aims to determine Wolbachia and Cardinium prevalence and strain identit...

In the last decades, South American hemorrhagic fevers (HFs) caused by hantaviruses and arenaviruses have emerged. Hantaviruses in the Americas cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in humans; the primary reservoirs of these viruses are rodents of the Sigmodontinae subfamily. The genus Hantavirus belongs to the Bunyaviridae family; hantaviruses...

Ticks are arthropod vectors that transmit pathogens important to human and animal health. The Objective of this work was to identify Uukuvirus lihanense in the metatranscriptome of hard ticks. Between October 2022 and June 2023, ticks were collected from rural areas of the Colombian Caribbean area of the departments of Córdoba and Cesar. High-throu...

During the pandemic, Latin American countries suffered the collapse of their health systems. This was caused by the high demand for care of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, which was added to the care of patients with other diseases. The significant increase in demand for health services caused medical and laboratory supplies to decline rapidly....

Influenza viruses have an excellent capacity for mutation and adaptation in mammalian hosts, which makes them viruses of medical and veterinary importance. Influenzaviruses have been studied mainly in birds but minor in bats. It is unknown whether Chiroptera are reservoirs of influenza viruses. However, circulation in bats showed molecular divergen...

Background Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites involved in transmitting viruses of public health importance. The objective of this work was to identify the Jingmen tick virus in hard ticks from the Colombian Caribbean, an arbovirus of importance for public health. Methods Ticks were collected in rural areas of Córdoba and Cesar, Colombi...

Introduction Migrant movements have tripled, and it is evident throughout the Americas. On the way to North America, people come from South America, the Caribbean, mainly Haiti, Cuba, Asia, and Africa. People migrate for work, study, humanitarian situations, poverty, violence in their territories, lifestyle change, or family reunification. Objetive...

Cómo citar: Marrugo-Negrete J., Paternina-Uribe R., Rosso-Pinto M., Negrete I., Mendoza M., et al. Material particulado, ¿un vehículo transmisor para el SARS-CoV-2?. En: Máttar S., Gastel-bondo-Pastrana B., editores. Lecciones aprendidas del COVID-19: Una mirada interdis-ciplinaria. Sincelejo (Colombia): Editorial CECAR, 2023. p. 194-205. DOI: http...

Viruses, parasites, and bacteria may cause nonspecific acute tropical febrile illnesses (NEATFI). They describe a life-threatening clinical syndrome characterized by an insidious onset of nonspecific signs, sometimes followed by hemorrhagic manifestations and shock. The similar histopathological findings and clinical manifestations of NEATFIs make...

Shewanella algae is an opportunistic Gram-negative bacillus that inhabits marine ecosystems and can cause sepsis in humans. This case report describes an 80-year-old obese woman with liver cirrhosis who presented with neurological and respiratory impairment. Shewanella algae were isolated in the blood cultures. Due to age and comorbidities, sepsis...

Objetivos: Estimar la carga de COVID-19 aguda en Córdoba, uno de los departamentos (estados) más afectados de Colombia, a través de la estimación de años de vida ajustados por discapacidad (AVISAS). Métodos: Los AVISAS se estimaron con base en el número de casos de infección por severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reportados por fuentes...

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the burden of acute COVID-19 in Córdoba, one of the most affected departments (states) in Colombia, through the estimation of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Methods: DALYs were estimated based on the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection cases reported by of...

Pasteurella multocida is a germ known to present opportunistic pathologies in most cases associated with contact with animals or their secretions. Systemic infections are rare and tend to occur in patients with risk factors or those who have contact with animals. A case of P. multocida bacteremia is presented in a 76-year-old male patient from a ru...

Introduction Currently, more than 4.5 billion doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been applied worldwide. However, some developing countries are still a long way from achieving herd immunity through vaccination. In some territories, such as the Colombian Amazon, mass immunization strategies have been implemented with the CoronaVac® vaccine. Due to it...

Three studies on the biology of Ornithodoros puertoricensis are available in the literature, using different hosts and incubation temperatures. In a previous study, we identified O. puertoricensis in the Colombian Caribbean. The aim of the present work was to analyze life cycle data along one generation from these specimens under laboratory conditi...

Background The genus Borrelia is composed of two well-defined monophyletic groups that contain pathogens in humans: the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex (Bb), and relapsing fever (RF) group borreliae. Recently, a third group, associated with reptiles and echidnas has been described. In general, RF group borreliae use rodents as reservoir hos...

Introduction Pregnant women continue to be vulnerable to COVID-19, and their immunosuppressed state could put them at greater risk of developing more severe forms of the disease. In Colombia and Latin America, there are few studies on the immune response of the newborn against SARS-CoV-2. Aim To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in...

Introduction Although more than half of the world's population is already vaccinated, the appearance of new variants of concern puts public health at risk due to the generation of new immunogens against the virus as a crucial and relevant strategy in the control of these new variants. Methods A preclinical study used a potential vaccine candidate...

Background The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to remain in asymptomatic individuals facilitates its dissemination and makes its control difficult. Objective. To establish a cohort of asymptomatic individuals, change to the symptomatic status, and determine the most frequent clinical manifestations. Methods Between April 9 and August 9, 2020, molecular dia...

The emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to surges in cases and the need for global genomic surveillance. While some variants rapidly spread worldwide, other variants only persist nationally. There is a need for more fine-scale analysis to understand transmission dynamics at a country scale. For instance, the Mu variant of...

The emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to surges in cases and the need for global genomic surveillance. While some variants rapidly spread worldwide, other variants only persist nationally. There is a need for more fine-scale analysis to understand transmission dynamics at a country scale. For instance, the Mu variant of...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, has evolved to have a wide range of hosts, including non-human primates, wild and domestic animals. The ACE2 protein has a high level of conservation and is the common receptor invertebrate species for a viral infection to occur; this...

The control of SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the main challenges for health authorities worldwide, and one of the strategies for its control would be to delve into the geospatial dynamics of this infection. The objective of this research was Describe the geospatial and epidemiological dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the department of Córdoba....

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus of zoonotic origin that can bind to ACE2 receptors on the cells of many wild and domestic mammals. Studies have shown that the virus can circulate among animals mutate, lead to animal-to-human zoonotic jump, and further onward spread between humans. Infection in pe...

El control de la infección por SARS-CoV-2 es uno de los principales desafíos para las autoridades sanitarias a nivel mundial, y una de las estrategias para su control sería profundizar en la dinámica geoespacial de esta infección. El objetivo de esta investigación fue describir la dinámica geoespacial y epidemiológica de la infección por SARS-CoV-2...

Background The epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) was associated with a sudden and unprecedented increase in infants born with microcephaly. Colombia was the second most affected country by the epidemic in the Americas. Primary caregivers of children with ZIKV-associated microcephaly, their mothers mainly, were at higher risk of suffering anxiety and de...

Introduction. COVID-19 is a pathology caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported more than 225 million cases and 4.5 million deaths worldwide. Objective: To describe the seropositivity, spatial distribution, and clinical and sociodemographic variables of SARS-CoV-2 in a community of the Colombian Amazon region....

Introduction. COVID-19 is a pathology caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. The World Health Organization has reported more than 94 million cases and two million deaths worldwide. Objective: To describe the seroprevalence, spatial distribution, and clinical and sociodemographic variables of SARS-CoV2 in a community of the Colombian Amazon region. Methods....

Wildlife animals have been affected by human activities and by the diminution of the areas needed to develop wildlife. In Colombia, artisanal and industrial mining focuses on gold extraction, which uses mercury and causes contamination in water sources. Bats may be susceptible to chemical contamination and primarily to bioaccumulated heavy metal co...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, has been proven to have a broad range of host species, including non-human primates, as well as domestic animals and pets. A high conservation degree in the structure of the ACE2 receptor, which is the critical protein for viral inf...

Background: Serological evaluation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an alter- native that allows us to determine the prevalence and dynamics of this infection in populations. The goal of this study was to determine the clinical and sociodemographic dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a region of the Colombian Carib...

In recent years, and now especially with the arrival of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there has been increased interest in understanding the role of bats in the dynamics of transmission and origin of this pandemic agent. To date, no systematic reviews have been published on this topic. This systematic review aime...

Bats are a group of mammals that harbor the most significant number of coronaviruses. The aim of present review article was to analyze the broad spectrum of the coronavirus coexisting in Chiropterans hosts. Bats have certain types of cell receptors that allow them to be the potential hosts of a large number of viruses without the presence of any cl...

Ticks of genus Ornithodoros are nidicolous parasites associated with a wide array of vertebrates. In humans, their bites cause hypersensitivity reactions and are capable to transmit pathogens of health concern. In the department of Córdoba, Caribbean region of Colombia, the first report of an Ornithodoros soft tick was made in 1980 by Betancourt, w...

Introduction. Currently, more than 1.8 billion doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been applied worldwide. However, some developing countries are still a long way from achieving herd immunity through vaccination. In some territories, such as the Colombian Amazon, mass immunization strategies have been implemented with the CoronaVac® vaccine. Due to i...

This study describe the infection fatality rate (IFR) by COVID-19 by age groups in one department of Colombia. It used results from a serological survey to stablish a closer estimation of the true proportion of infected people. It found an overall IFR of 0.24% quite lower than the overall CFR (5.6%). We conclude that CFR severely overestimate the l...

There are many doubts about the SARS-CoV-2 immune response's length, and it is unknown whether those patients may exhibit different kinetics in the secretion of IgG anti-SARS-CoV2 according to the severity of their infection. This research aimed to evaluate IgG antibodies' kinetics and persistence against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in a group of...

Background and aim: In 2016, the tilapia-producing farms in the department of Córdoba, Colombia, had witnessed outbreaks of disease with clinical signs compatible with those caused by the tilapia lake virus (TiLV). This study was conducted to confirm the presence of TiLV in some fish farms in the department of Córdoba. Materials and methods: A d...

Emerging diseases have significantly marked the last few decades (1-10). The emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in Africa, Asia, and Latin America which have reshaped these continents' the epidemiological landscape of these continents. The impact of these diseases, the establishment of local transmission in traditional...

Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have caused considerable havoc on society (1). Indeed, this has been a chronicle of an announced zoonosis (2, 3). Its impact has been even deeper in developing countries (4, 5), such as Colombia (6-8). So far, up to March 9, 2021, the world has recorded 117.5 million cases of COVID-19, with 2.6 milli...

Dengue, a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease, is the most common vector-borne disease in tropical and subtropical areas. In this study, we aim to demonstrate biological evidence of dengue virus infection in bats. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the departments of Cordoba and Sucre, Colombia. A total of 286 bats were captured following the e...

Introduction Despite the high volume of infections, some clinical aspects of this disease are still unknown. There are currently no studies in Colombia that describe the disease’s clinical and treatment aspects in detail. Objective Describe the characteristics and clinical management of a group of admitted patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a p...

Determinar la seroprevalencia de SARS-CoV-2 por grupo de edad para comprender el comportamiento de la infección en la población colombiana.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging viral pandemic disease. In the last 6 months, SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. As other world regions, South America has not contained the pandemic’s advance since it lacks the hospital and economic capacities...

Objectives: We investigated seroreactivity by using a commercial SARS-CoV-2 ELISA test in samples collected from different groups of individuals, including patients diagnosed to have Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya infection between 2015 and 2019, from an endemic area in the Caribbean Colombian region. Methods: A total of 127 sera samples obtained fr...

El estudio Seroprevalencia de SARS-CoV-2 durante la epidemia en Colombia: Estudio país es un estudio multicéntrico que incluye 10 ciudades de Colombia y se encuentra actualmente en ejecución de la fase de campo. El Reporte Preliminar No. 1 presenta los métodos y los resultados preliminares hasta esta fecha para Leticia, Barranquilla y Medellín. ht...

The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to remain in asymptomatic individuals facilitates its dissemination and makes its control difficult. Objective. To establish a cohort of asymptomatic individuals, change to the symptomatic state, and determine the most frequent clinical manifestations. Methods. Between April 9 and August 9, 2020, molecular diagnosis of SAR...

A serological survey was carried out in Monteria (500 000 population), a mid-size city in Colombia. An overall prevalence of 55.3% (95% confidence interval, 52.5%–57.8%) was found among a sample of 1.368 people randomly selected from the population. Test positivity was related to economic characteristics with the highest prevalence found in the mos...

Mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika (ZIKV) have spread in recent decades. We aimed to assess seroprevalence of arboviral infections in pregnant women living in Cereté, Caribbean Colombia. In 2016 a cross-sectional facility-based sero-survey study was performed among pregnant women (N = 90). Most of them (66%)...

Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause pregnancy loss and congenital Zika syndrome, among other poor health outcomes. The ZIKV epidemic in 2015-2017 disproportionately affected pregnant women in poor-resource settings. We aimed to understand perceptions and attitudes towards a hypothetical ZIKV vaccine, women's willingness to be vaccinated, and potential barr...

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can cause neurological manifestations such as microcephaly. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of ZIKV and mental health in women exposed to ZIKV during pregnancy in Colombia. This was a mixed-methods study based on structured interviews and psychological tests. Structured interviews were t...

Background and aim: Wildlife animals are reservoirs of a large number of microorganisms pathogenic to humans, and ticks could be responsible for the transmission of these pathogens. Rickettsia spp. are the most prevalent pathogens found in ticks. This study was conducted to detect Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from free-living and illegally t...

Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging pandemical virus. The virus has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths in less than six months. South America has suffered the pandemic because it lacks the hospital and economic capacities needed to contain the pandemic's advance....

Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging viral pandemic disease. In the last six months, SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. As other world regions, nowadays, South America has not contained the pandemic's advance since it lacks the hospital and economi...

Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging viral pandemic disease. In the last six months, SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. As other world regions, South America has not contained the pandemic's advance since it lacks the hospital and economic capaciti...

Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging pandemical virus that has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths in less than six months. South America has suffered the pandemic because it lacks the hospital and economic capacities needed to contain the pandemic's advance. Publi...

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging pandemical virus that has caused millions of reported cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths in less than six months. South America has suffered the pandemic because it lacks the hospital and economic capacities needed to contain the pandemic's advance. Publi...

The equine encephalitis viruses, Venezuelan (VEEV), East (EEEV) and West (WEEV), belong to the genus alphavirus, family Togaviridae and still represent a threat for human and animal public health in the Americas. In both, these infections are characterized by high viremia, rash, fever, encephalitis and death. VEEV encephalitis is similar, clinicall...

Background: Tick-borne phenuivirus (TBPVs) comprise human and animal viruses that can cause a variety of clinical syndromes ranging from self-limiting febrile illness to fatal haemorrhagic fevers. Objective: Detect Phlebovirus (Family Phenuiviridae) in ticks collected from domestic animals in Córdoba, Colombia. Methods: We collected 2365 ticks...

We formulate recommendations from a consensus working group on the criteria to evaluate the diagnostic performance (size and criteria of selection of samples to determine sensitivity, analytical specificity, criteria for limit of detection, criteria for gold standard to evaluate serological assays) that should be taken into account during the evalu...

Background and aim: Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an alphavirus that causes encephalitis with a high impact on public health in Latin America. However, only in Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mexico have found antibodies in VEEV in bats, using immunohistochemistry, the sensitivity and specificity are improved; thus, it is bett...

In North America, hantaviruses commonly cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Clinical descriptions of hantavirus-associated renal disease in the Americas are scarce. Herein, we discuss the case of a 61-year-old man whose predominant manifestations were acute kidney injury and proteinuria. Clinical recognition of renal signs in hantavirus infe...

Background: Tick-borne Phleboviruses (TBPVs) comprise human and animal viruses that can cause a variety of clinical syndromes ranging from self-limiting febrile illness to fatal haemorrhagic fevers. Objective: Detect Phlebovirus in ticks collected from domestic animals in Córdoba, Colombia. Methods: We collected 2,365 ticks from domestic animals in...

Background: Tick-borne phenuivirus (TBPVs) comprise human and animal viruses that can cause a variety of clinical syndromes ranging from self-limiting febrile illness to fatal haemorrhagic fevers. Objective: Detect Phlebovirus (Family Phenuiviridae) in ticks collected from domestic animals in Córdoba, Colombia. Methods: We collected 2,365 ticks fro...

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging flavivirus transmitted primarily through arthropods, endemic in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and is considered a global threat by the World Health Organization. Objective: To evaluate a commercial Zika virus test (IgG/IgM catalog number B815C, Biocan, Canada. Methods: We evaluated 30 sera of patients diag...

In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined emerging zoonoses as those “newly recognized or newly evolved, or that have occurred previously but show an increase in incidence or expansion in geographical, host or vector range” (1). Approximately 60% of infectious diseases affecting humans are of zoonotic origin (2), and vectors transmit alm...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is considered a public health problem due to its rapid spread and high morbidity. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of CHIKVs in Colombia. A descriptive and retrospective study was carried out using sera of patients infected with Chikungunya during the outbreak in Colombia....

Natural infection of dengue virus (DENV) in bats is an unexplored field in Colombia. To detect the presence of DENV in bats, a descriptive prospective study using a nonprobabilistic sampling was carried out; 286 bats in 12 sites were caught. Sample tissues of different animals were obtained; the RNA was obtained from tissues and a nested-RT-PCR was...

Introducción: Las Rickettsias son un género de bacterias Gram negativas intracelulares obligadas causantes de muchas epidemias en el mundo y son transmitidas principalmente por garrapatas, pulgas, piojos y ácaros. Las rickettsiosis son enfermedades infecciosas reemergentes sin vigilancia epidemiológica en Colombia. Hasta hace pocos años Rickettsia...

Background: Rickettsia felis is an emergent Rickettsial agent whose main vector is Ctenocephalides felis, but ticks, mites and lice are also infected. We aimed to search for molecular evidence of Rickettsia spp. in fleas collected from dogs and wild rodents (Heteromys anomalous) from three villages of Córdoba and Antioquia provinces (Northern of C...