Browsing by Author "Tavares, A."
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- Antimicrobial drug resistance of Campylobacter spp and Salmonella enterica: national data in food producing animals and food of animal originPublication . Clemente, L.; Correia, I.; Ferreira, E.; Manageiro, V.; Jones-Dias, D.; Albuquerque, T.; Themudo, P.; Rocha, T.; Tavares, A.; Geraldes, M.; Barahona, M.J.; Caniça, M.Campylobacter spp and Salmonella enterica are the two most common causes of bacterial foodborne illnesses in humans in developed countries, being food producing animals one the main reservoirs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was determined through Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, in 448 isolates of Campylobacter spp recovered from broiler ceca at slaughter (n=351) and broiler carcasses (n=97); and 1600 isolates of S. enterica feed (n=43) and food products of animal origin (n=527). Screening and identification of beta-lactamase and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were performed by PCR and sequencing. The highest level of resistance in Campylobacter spp isolates recovered from broilers and carcasses was recorded to ciprofloxacin, followed by tetracycline, erythromycin and streptomycin. Four isolates of Campylobacter coli were resistant to gentamicin.
- Effect biomarkers in e-waste management workersPublication . Silva, Maria João; Aimonen, K.; Louro, Henriqueta; Tavares, A.; Moreira, R.; Catalan, J.; Duca, R.C.; Godderis, L.; Mahiout, S.; Martins, C.; Martinsone, I.; Matisane, L.; Namorado, S.; Van Nieuwenhuyse, A.; Pinhal, H.; Porras, S.; Remes, J.; Scheepers, P.; Verdonck, J.; Viegas, S.; Santonen, T.; HBM4EU E-waste study teamDuring e-waste handling/processing, a broad range of toxic chemicals (metals and persistent organic compounds), are released and may affect workers’ health. This work intended to identify genotoxic effects in workers from European e-waste management companies. Micronuclei were analysed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (MNPBL) from 95 workers and 50 controls and in reticulocytes (MNRET) from 82 workers and 41 controls. No statistically significant differences were detected between the total exposed and control groups, for both MNPBL and MNRET frequencies. Stratification of workers in subgroups according to the main activities performed revealed that the subgroup involved in batteries recycling (n=23) presented a frequency of MNPBL significantly higher than that of controls. Significant differences in MNPBL frequencies were also found between battery workers and the subgroups handling/processing white goods, metals and plastics, and miscellaneous E-waste; no differences in MNRET frequencies among subgroups were detected. Worth to note, the subgroup dealing with brown goods (n=12) displayed the highest MNPBL and MNRET frequencies, although statistical significances were not observed when comparing with the other subgroups or controls. These preliminary results highlight the value of adding effect biomarkers to biomonitoring campaigns, to uncover groups of workers at enhanced risk and to prioritize risk management measures’ implementation.
- A importância dos artrópodes ixodídeos para a Saúde Pública na Região de Saúde do CentroPublication . Torres, C.; Santos, A.S.; Lopes de Carvalho, I.; Gomes, F.; Serrada, E.; Gonçalo, J.; Codeiro, E.; Menezes de Almeida, L.; Tavares, A.; Santos Silva, M.; Núncio, M.S.; Pimentel, J.P.As doenças transmitidas por vetores têm reemergido → alterações climáticas, demográficas, genéticas nos agentes patogénicos, resistências a inseticidas e mobilidade de populações e bens. Os ixodídeos são um dos vetores com mais impacto na Saúde Pública. Este estudo pretende caracterizar a distribuição de ixodídeos por critérios temporo-espaciais, ambientais e parasitismo, no âmbito da Rede de Vigilância de Vetores (REVIVE), da Administração Regional de Saúde do Centro (ARSC) de 2015 a 2019.
- Perspectives of health care providers in Portugal on the provision of care to migrant patients with TB or HIV-TB co-infectionPublication . Tavares, A.; Garcia, A.; Abecasis, A.; Viveiros, M.; Dias, S.Introduction: Migrants’ access to and use of health care often plays an important role in their vulnerability to infectious diseases, namely tuberculosis and HIV. Despite the increasing efforts of health systems, some difficulties in prevention and treatment remain. Studies of the provision of care to migrants with TB or HIV-TB are still scarce. This study aims to analyse the providers’ perspectives on the provision of care to migrants infected with TB or HIV-TB.
- Risk assessment of multiple mycotoxins in infant food consumed by Portuguese children – the contribute of the MYCOMIX projectPublication . Alvito, Paula; Assunção, Ricardo; Borges, T.; Leal, S.; Loureiro, S.; Louro, Henriqueta; Nunes, Baltazar; Silva, M.J.; Tavares, A.; Martins, Carla; Vasco, Elsa; Calhau, Maria AntóniaThere is a growing concern within public health about mycotoxin involvement in human diseases, namely those related to children. Scarce data are available in the literature concerning the occurrence of multiple mycotoxins in infant food and their combined toxicity, and no data exists in Portugal concerning this issue. In order to contribute to fill this gap, the MycoMix project, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, gathered a multidisciplinary team aiming at answering several questions: 1) Are Portuguese children exposed daily to one or several mycotoxins through food? 2) Can this co-exposure affect children´s health? and 3) Are there interaction effect between mycotoxins? Within this project, Portuguese children (< 3 years old, n=103) food consumption data were obtained using a 3 days food diary in a pilot study performed at a Primary Health Care Unit. The main declared infant foods were purchased from the Lisbon market along 2014-15 and analyzed by means of HPLC and LC-MS/MS analytical techniques for multiple mycotoxins co-occurrence. Toxicological studies including bioaccessibility and cyto and genotoxic interactions between detected mycotoxins were also performed using in vitro approaches. Preliminary results showed that 96 % of the analyzed breakfast cereals (BC) were contaminated with one to six different mycotoxins in the same sample and children exposure to single mycotoxins present in BC were well below the tolerable daily intake (TDI) although the margin of exposure (MOS) values for multiple mycotoxins were near one. Bioaccessibility values for single mycotoxins ranged between 42-106% for patulin and aflatoxin M1 in cereal based foods and in infant formulae. Cito and genotoxicity studies on the detected mycotoxins provided evidence on the interaction effect between some binary mixtures of mycotoxins. The assessment of all data is expected to contribute to a more accurate risk assessment of multiple mycotoxins in infant foods consumed by Portuguese children, warranting the safety of infant health. Results obtained within MYCOMIX highlight the challenges posed by the occurrence of multiple chemicals co-occurring in foods.