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Objective: In this study, we investigated the occurrence of papillomavirus (PV) infection in non-human primates (NHP, Platyrrhine) of northeastern Argentina by using broad-spectrum PCR primers at the L1 gene. In addition, we conducted a phylogenetic and coalescence analysis of viral sequences to explore their evolutionary history and evaluate the co-speciation hypothesis in the context of primate evolution. Methods: We obtained samples of 57 individuals from wild and captive populations of Alouatta caraya, Sapajus nigritus and Sapajus cay. We assessed PV infection by PCR amplification with the CUT primer system and sequencing of 337 bp (112 amino acids) of the L1 protein. The viral sequences were analyzed by phylogenetic and Bayesian coalescence methods to estimate the age of the most common recent ancestor (tMCRA) with BEAST, v1.4.8 software. We evaluated viral/host tree congruence with TreeMap v3.0. Results: We identified two novel putative PV sequences of the genus Gamma- PV in Sapajus sp and Alouatta caraya (SPV1 and AcPV1, respectively). The tMRCA of SPV1 was estimated at 11,941,682 years before present (ybp) and that of AcPV1 at 46,638,071 ybp, both predating the coalescence times of their hosts: 6.4 million years (MYA) and 6.8 MYA, respectively. Based on the comparison of primate and viral phylogenies, we could not reject the null hypothesis that the PV tree is no more congruent with the host tree than a random tree would be (P>0.05). Thus, a model of virus-host coevolution was rejected. Conclusion: This study presents the first report of PV infection in Platyrrhine species from Argentina, expands the range of described hosts for these viruses, and proposes new scenarios for their origin and dispersal.

Highlights • HPV16/18 decreased by >93% in vaccinated sexually active Argentine girls. • Detected reduction of HPV31 and 45 would add to the success of immunization. • No genotype replacement was observed. • First HPV vaccination monitoring data reported from a Latin American country.

To contribute to the knowledge of the role of small mammals in the transmission cycle of tegumentary leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania braziliensis, we studied the small mammal community and its temporal and spatial association with phlebotominae, as well as small mammal infection by Leishmania spp. by PCR-RFLP analyses in an endemic area of northeastern Argentina. Ten small mammal samplings were conducted (2007–2009, 7506 Sherman trap nights and 422 cage trap nights). In two of these samplings, 16 capture stations each one consisting of a CDC light trap to capture phlebotominae, two to four Sherman traps and two cage traps were placed. We found co-occurrence of phlebotominae and small mammal captures in four stations, which were all the stations with small mammal captures and yielded 97% (2295 specimens, including 21 gravid females) of the total phlebotominae captures, suggesting that small mammals may provide a potential source of blood for phlebotominae females. One Didelphis albiventris and two Rattus rattus were associated with high captures of Nyssomyia whitmani, vector of L. braziliensis in the study area. The PCR-RFLP analyses confirm the presence of L. braziliensis in two sigmodontine small mammals (Akodon sp. and Euryoryzomys russatus) for the first time in Argentina, to our knowledge. Fil: Fernández, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina. La Red de Investigación de la Leishmaniasis en Argentina; Argentina Fil: Fraschina, Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina Fil: Acardi, Soraya Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. La Red de Investigación de la Leishmaniasis en Argentina; Argentina Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. La Red de Investigación de la Leishmaniasis en Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina Fil: Lestani, Eduardo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina Fil: Giuliani, Magalí Gabriela. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina Fil: Busch, Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina Fil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. La Red de Investigación de la Leishmaniasis en Argentina; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina

In 2011, Argentina launched a government-funded national Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program incorporating a bivalent HPV vaccine, with a 0-1-6-month schedule, for girls 11 years of age, born after January 2000. Monitoring the changes of HPV infection prevalence among young women has been proposed as an endpoint for early assessment of HPV vaccination programs. However, the data on HPV prevalence at young ages are very limited. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of HPV infection and type-specific distribution in sexually active 15-17-year-old non-vaccinated girls. Cervical samples from 1073 adolescents were collected for HPV detection and genotyping using the BSGP5+/GP6+PCR-reverse line blot (RLB) assay. Out of 957 specimens analyzed, 56.3% were positive for any HPV type; 42.2% harbored at least one high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) type and 30.8% low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) types. Multiple and single infections were identified in 36.3% and 20.0% of the samples respectively. The 6 most common HR-HPV types were HPV16 (11.1%), HPV52 (10.8%), HPV56 (8.3%), HPV51 (7.4%), HPV58 (7.3%) and HPV31 (7.1%). The prevalence of HR-HPV-16/18 was 15.2%. In conclusion, results confirm that HPV (particularly HR-types) are very common among sexually active adolescents, and prevalence rises quickly after their sexual debut. Our HPV type-specific prevalence baseline may be used to monitor post-vaccinal longitudinal changes in Argentina.

Background: Misiones Province in northeastern Argentina is considered to be a region with a high prevalence of HPV infection and a high mortality rate due to cervical cancer. The reasons for this epidemiological trend are not completely understood. To gain insight into this problem, we explored the relationship between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ancestry, HPV infection, and development of cervical lesions/cancer in women from the city of Posadas in Misiones Province. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-one women, including 92 cases of patients diagnosed with cervical lesions and 169 controls, were analyzed. mtDNA ancestry was assessed through HVS1 sequencing, while the detection and typing of HPV infection was conducted through nested multiplex PCR analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted with the resulting data to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) adjusted by socio-demographic variables. Results: The study participants showed 68.6% Amerindian, 26.1% European and 5.3% African mtDNA ancestry, respectively. Multiple regression analysis showed that women with African mtDNAs were three times more likely to develop a cervical lesion than those with Native American or European mtDNAs [OR of 3.8 (1.2–11.5) for ancestry and OR of 3.5 (1.0–12.0) for L haplogroups], although the associated p values were not significant when tested under more complex multivariate models. HPV infection and the development of cervical lesions/cancer were significant for all tested models, with the highest OR values for HPV16 [OR of 24.2 (9.3–62.7)] and HPV-58 [OR of 19.0 (2.4–147.7)]. Conclusion: HPV infection remains a central risk factor for cervical cancer in the Posadas population. The potential role of African mtDNA ancestry opens a new avenue for future medical association studies in multiethnic populations, and will require further confirmation in large-scale studies. Fil: Badano, Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Sanabria, Daiana Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Tótaro, Roxana María. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Rubinstein, Samara. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos Fil: Gili, Juan Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET.; Argentina Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Picconi, Maria A.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentina Fil: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Schurr, Theodore G.. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) plays a central role in the development of cervical cancer. Worldwide studies indicate the existence of HPV16 variants that show different geographic distributions and oncogenic potential. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to describe the genetic variation of HPV16 isolates identified in urban women with different grades of cervical lesions living in northeastern Argentina. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 116 HPV16-positive cervical samples (16 NLIM, 62 L-SIL, 16 H-SIL and 22 cervical cancer) from patients attending health centers in Misiones (Argentina) during 2006-13. HPV16 isolates were genetically characterized through PCR amplification and direct sequencing of 364 bp within the long control region, and the resulting sequences classified into variants based on phylogenetic analysis (lineages A, B, C and D). A potential association between HPV16 variants and lesion grade was evaluated through an odds ratio (OR) test. A temporal framework for the origin of HPV16 variants was assessed through coalescence analysis (BEAST v 1.7.5). RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis of HPV16 sequences showed that 92.1% of the samples clustered with lineage A, and 6.9% to lineage D. HPV16 variants from lineage D were more frequently associated with high-grade lesions and cancer (HSIL+) than lineage A variants at an OR of 13.8 (1.6-117.0). The time to most common recent ancestor (tMCRA) of all variants was 119,103 years before present (HPD 95%=48,486-197,239), a date consistent with the time frame for modern human evolution. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that HPV16 variants from lineage D may represent an additional risk factor for the development of cervical cancer in women living in northeastern Argentina. This study provides new information about viral isolates present in Argentina that will contribute to the monitoring of HPV16 infection in the vaccine era. Fil: Badano, Ines. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Totaro, Maria Elina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Culasso, Andrés Carlos Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina Fil: Sanabria, Daiana Jimena. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Schurr, Theodore G.. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos Fil: Balette, Ileana Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Roisman, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Basiletti, Jorge. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Adm.nacional de Laboratorio E Instituto de Salud "dr.c.g.malbran". Departamento Virus; Argentina Fil: Picconi, María Alejandra. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Adm.nacional de Laboratorio E Instituto de Salud "dr.c.g.malbran". Departamento Virus; Argentina Fil: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina

Background The use of human and viral genetic markers offers a novel way to study human migration in multiethnic populations of Latin America. Objectives Our goal was to characterize the genetic diversity and geographical origins of JC Polyomavirus (JCPyV) and the genetic ancestry of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in inhabitants from 25 de Mayo, Misiones-Argentina, a small village of largely German ancestry located close to the border with Brazil. We also evaluated the extent of agreement between viral and mtDNA markers for the different ancestry components of this population. Study design 68 individuals were analyzed for JCPyV and mtDNA diversity. JCPyV detection and typing was conducted in urine samples by PCR amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene. mtDNA ancestry was assessed through HVS1 sequencing, with the resulting haplotypes being classified into haplogroups of Amerindian, European and African origin. The distribution of JCPyV diversity and mtDNA ancestry in the population was statistically evaluated by Fisher exact test and the level of agreement of both markers at the individual level was evaluated by Cohen's kappa coefficient. Results Our analysis showed that 57.4% of the samples were positive for JCPyV. Of these, the 47.6% were Asian-American Type 2, 33.3% European Type 1 and 19.1% African Type 3 in origin. The mtDNA ancestry of the study participants was 33.3% Amerindian and 66.7% European. There was a significant difference among the distribution of JCPyV diversity and mtDNA ancestry (p = 0.009) and at the individual level there was no correlation between the distribution of the both markers (κ = 0.154, p = 0.297). Conclusion The apparent incongruence between JCPyV diversity and mtDNA ancestry may reflect the original settlement process and more recent migration to 25 de Mayo, the latter involving viral spread through migrants from Brazil. Some potential limitations to our interpretations are also discussed.

The aim of this study is to describe genetic variation in the TNF promoter in the ethnically diverse population of Misiones, north-eastern Argentina. We analysed 210 women including 66 Amerindians of the Mbya-Guarani ethnic group and 144 white-admixed individuals from urban and rural areas of Misiones. Their DNA samples were surveyed for TNF polymorphisms -376 A/G, -308 A/G -244 A/G and -238 A/G by PCR amplification and direct sequencing and for the Amerindian marker -857 C/T by real-time PCR. Our main findings are as follows:(i) a distinctive pattern of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) distribution among these groups, (ii) genetic differentiation between the Mbya-Guarani and the white-admixed populations (P < 0.05), (iii) lower gene diversity (~0.05) in Mbya-Guarani compared with the whiteadmixed group (~0.21); and (iv) linkage disequilibrium between the -376A and -238A SNPs in white-admixed populations. These data highlight the principal role of population history in establishing present-day genetic variation at the TNF locus and provide a framework for undertaking ethnographic and disease association studies in Misiones. Fil: Badano, Ines. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina; Fil: Schurr, T. G.. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos de América; Fil: Stietz, S. M.. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina; Fil: Dulik, M. C.. University of Pennsylvania; Estados Unidos de América; Fil: Mampaey, M.. Provincia de Misiones. Ministerio de Salud Pública; Argentina; Fil: Quintero, I. M.. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina; Fil: Zinovich, J. B.. Provincia de Misiones. Ministerio de Salud Pública; Argentina; Fil: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina; Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide. The aims of this study were to describe the molecular epidemiology of HBV in the Province of Misiones, Argentina and estimate the phylodynamic of the main groups in a Bayesian coalescent framework. To this end, partial or complete genome sequences were obtained from 52 blood donor candidates. The phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of S/P region showed a predominance of genotype D (65.4%), followed by genotype F (30.8%) and genotype A as a minority (3.8%). At subgenotype level, the circulation of subgenotypes D3 (42.3%), D2 (13.5%), F1b (11.5%) and F4 (9.6%) was mainly identified. The Bayesian coalescent analysis of 29 complete genome sequences for the main groups revealed that the subgenotypes D2 and D3 had several introductions to the region, with ancestors dating back from 1921 to 1969 and diversification events until the late '70s. The genotype F in Misiones has a more recent history; subgenotype F4 isolates were intermixed with sequences from Argentina and neighboring countries and only one significant cluster dated back in 1994 was observed. Subgenotype F1b isolates exhibited low genetic distance and formed a closely related monophyletic cluster, suggesting a very recent introduction. In conclusion, the phylogenetic and coalescent analyses showed that the European genotype D has a higher circulation, a longer history of diversification and may be responsible for the largest proportion of chronic HBV infections in the Province of Misiones. Genotype F, especially subgenotype F1b, had a more recent introduction and its diversification in the last 20years might be related to its involvement in new transmission events.

Leishmania infantum is the etiological agent of the Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) disease in America, with Lutzomyia longipalpis phlebotomine sandflies as its proven vectors in Argentina, and infected dogs as its main urban reservoir. In Puerto Iguazú City (Misiones province, Argentina), human and canine cases of VL were recorded. Additionally, in the rural area known as “2000 Hectáreas”, less than 10 km away from the city, several human cases of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) were registered determining an endemic area with Leishmania braziliensis as the etiological agent. Because of this, several phlebotomine captures were done in this site showing that Nyssomyia whitmani is the most abundant sandfly followed by Migonemyia migonei. In this study, three of the sandflies captured were found infected whit L. infantum parasites, detected by PCR and sequencing. Two of them were N. whitmani and the other one was a M. migonei specimen, being this the first report of L. infantum natural infection for Argentina in these sandfly species. N. whitmani is the main vector of L. braziliensis in this area, and M. migonei has been suggested as a putative vector in other locations where human and canine cases of VL where reported with L. longipalpis apparently absent. In this context, we consider necessary further studies that could define the role of M. migonei and N. whitmani as specific or permissive vectors of L. infantum, their vectorial competence and capacity, and their actual role in the transmission of both Tegumentary and Visceral Leishmaniasis in the study area Fil: Moya, Sofía Lorián. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Giuliani, Magalí Gabriela. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Manteca Acosta, Mariana. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina Fil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

A retrospective analytical method is presented, based on theoretical eco-epidemiology, applied on a subnational spatial scale. This method was used here to describe scenarios for the transmission of leishmaniasis in the Argentine province of Misiones- bordering Brazil and Paraguay-and formed the basis for recommendations for surveillance and control appropriate to the subnational scale. An exhaustive search of the literature on leishmaniasis in the province was carried out. Three scenarios for the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were found, corresponding to three periods: from 1920 to 1997, during which the transmission of CL distributed over time and space was confirmed; 1998 to 2005, during which there were focal outbreaks of CL; and 2006 to 2014, during which outbreaks were also reported and the geographical dispersion of VL was documented. To describe the risk scenarios and the anthropic processes that produce them, the results were summarized and integrated into the social, historical, and bio-ecological context of each period. Surveillance and control recommendations are based on the territory studied. They include establishing active surveillance to monitor possible rising trends in parasitic and vector circulation, conducting studies of any focal outbreak in order to confirm indigenous transmission and severity. Also, it should be a legal requirement for persons responsible for projects that alter the environment to adopt additional control measures, such as studies assessing transmission risk, risk mitigation, early detection, and timely case management.

Over the last three decades the incidence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has increased sharply in Argentina and throughout the world. In the Iguazú Falls area, on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, the incidence of human ACL has risen since 2004. Most of the 36 cases of human ACL reported until 2005 have involved males over 15 years old (75%) infected during deforestation to establish individual farms. Captures carried out in primary forest, periurban areas, and deforested land sites yielded 18,438 sand flies belonging to 13 species; the most prevalent species were Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) whitmani (87.4%) and Lutzomyia (Mygonemyia.) migonei (7.6%). Cluster analysis was used to group traps according to species and abundance of sand flies. The group of traps located in recently deforested places, in pig and chicken dwellings of houses where ACL cases had been reported in the past, and at one house with an active ACL case, had the highest abundance of Lu. whitmani and Lu. whitmani + Lu. migonei as well as the highest ratio of Lu. whitmani/Lu. migonei. Leishmania sp. infections, both in Lu. whitmani, in Lu. quinquefer, and in smears from human cases were detected by DNA kinetoplast amplification using a generic PCR protocol. The risk of ACL outbreak in the Iguazú Falls area is still associated with economic and leisure activities in primary-secondary forest, including deforestation, rural settlements, fishing, hunting, and ecotourism. In addition, the risk of periurban transmission seems likely, and this is discussed within the framework of surveillance and prevention strategies. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Fil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Endemo-epidémicas; Argentina Fil: Acardi, Soraya Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Liotta, Domingo Javier. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Fernández, María Soledad. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Endemo-epidémicas; Argentina Fil: Lestani, Eduardo Ariel. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Endemo-epidémicas; Argentina Fil: López, Deborah. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Endemo-epidémicas; Argentina Fil: Mastrangelo, Andrea Veronica. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; Argentina Fil: Figueroa, Marianela. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Fattore, Gladys. Fundación Mundo Sano; Argentina

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical infection among women residing in a region of northeastern Argentina with a high incidence of cervical cancer. METHODS: A case-control study of 330 women participating in a cervical cytological screening program conducted in Posadas city, Misiones, Argentina, from February 1997 to November 1998 was carried out. Standardized questionnaires were administered, and clinical examination including colposcopy was performed. Fresh endocervical specimens for HPV DNA detection by generic polymerase chain reaction were collected and the products typed by dot-blot hybridization. RESULTS: Human papillomavirus DNA was found in 61% of samples analyzed (185/301). Samples with normal cytology had a 43% infection rate (85/199), while those classified as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and invasive cervical carcinoma had an infection rate of 96% (53/55), 100% (29/29), and 100% (18/18), respectively. Human papillomavirus typing showed a 64% (118/185) prevalence of type 16 among all the infected population analyzed; type 16 was detected among 49% (42/85) of infected samples with normal cytology and in an average of 74% (74/100) with abnormal cytology. Sexual behavior, residence in southern Paraguay, and history of a previous sexually transmitted diseases were the main risk factors associated with high-grade cervical lesions. CONCLUSIONS: An elevated prevalence of HPV infection was detected in this population, which also has a high incidence of cervical cancer. The broad distribution of high-risk HPV type 16 in women with normal cytology and colposcopy suggests that viral infection is an important determinant of regional cancer incidence.