RESUMO
An epidemiological survey of Trypanosoma cruzi infection was carried out in Bodocó, located in the western part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Two hundred and forty-one individuals were parasitologically and immunologically screened. Although hemoculture did not reveal the presence of parasites in the blood, the sera of 5 individuals were scored as positive by the indirect fluorescence antibody test and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seropositivity in individuals above and below the age of 40 was 14.8 and 0.5%, respectively. These results indicate that recent infections with T. cruzi are rare in this area. However, since a T. cruzi-infected triatomid (Triatoma brasiliensis) was captured in a school classroom, this area must be considered endemic. When triatomid feces containing parasites were inoculated into a jird (mongolian gerbil), parasitemia appeared 10 days later. Immunohistochemical staining, using monoclonal antibody specific for T. cruzi, labeled organisms in jird tissues. These observations demonstrate that the jird is a suitable host for experimental T. cruzi infections and that monoclonal antibody is effective for detection of the parasite in host tissues.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Adulto , Animais , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Brasil/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/imunologia , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Criança , Humanos , Insetos Vetores/parasitologia , Panstrongylus/parasitologia , Vigilância da População , Triatoma/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/imunologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
To establish the relationship between schistosome-associated morbidity and infection intensity in northeast Brazil, a parasitological and ultrasonographical study was carried out on 484 inhabitants of 4 villages (I, II, III and IV) in São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, Brazil, where schistosomiasis is endemic. Quantitative stool examination using Knight's method demonstrated a high prevalence and moderate intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection, and also that the subjects in village IV had a significantly lower prevalence and intensity of infection than those of the other villages. By ultrasonography, periportal fibrosis (PPF) and splenomegaly were found in 52% of the 299 infected subjects and 66% of the 146 infected subjects aged over 16 years old, respectively; 32% and 31% of the 299 infected subjects had abnormally high values of total bile acid (TBA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, respectively. Liver and spleen size, PPF, and serum level of TBA and ALP were not correlated with infection intensity. There was no significant difference in the morbidity assessed by liver and spleen size, PPF, and serum analysis between the subjects in village IV and the other villages. These findings suggest the occurrence of a community with high morbidity associated with schistosomiasis regardless of low infection intensity.
Assuntos
Esquistossomose mansoni/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Distribuição por Idade , Anticorpos Anti-Helmínticos/sangue , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Fezes/parasitologia , Feminino , Fibrose/diagnóstico por imagem , Humanos , Lactente , Fígado/diagnóstico por imagem , Testes de Função Hepática , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Morbidade , Contagem de Ovos de Parasitas , Veia Porta/diagnóstico por imagem , Veia Porta/patologia , Prevalência , Saúde da População Rural , Esquistossomose mansoni/diagnóstico por imagem , Esquistossomose mansoni/imunologia , Esplenomegalia/diagnóstico por imagem , UltrassonografiaRESUMO
Parasitological examinations were carried out on 663 individuals of three different cities of Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil: Recife, Palmares and Bodocó. The population from a drought area of Pernambuco State, Bodocó, was investigated for amoebiasis and compared with Recife, metropolitan city (about 1.3 million of inhabitants) and another inland community, Palmares, located inside of the sugar-cane plantation region of the State. No evidence of invasive strains of E. histolytica were found in these inhabitants, provided that the isolated zymodemes I, III, IV, VIII, IX, X, XVII and XVIII are recognized as nonpathogenic strains of E. histolytica. Furthermore, the prevalence of intestinal helminths and other protozoan infections showed that these individuals are infected by other agents responsible for diarrhoeal diseases.
Assuntos
Disenteria Amebiana/epidemiologia , Entamoeba histolytica/patogenicidade , Adolescente , Adulto , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Fezes/parasitologia , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Enteropatias Parasitárias/epidemiologia , Masculino , Prevalência , Infecções por Protozoários/epidemiologiaAssuntos
Entamoeba histolytica/enzimologia , Isoenzimas/análise , Adolescente , Animais , Brasil , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Fezes/parasitologia , Feminino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
Of 3250 diarrheal stools received for microbiologic diagnosis at a private clinical laboratory in Recife, Brazil, strains of Vibrio were isolated from 55 (1.7%). The study was carried out from May 1989 through May 1991. For recovering Vibrio, fecal samples were enriched in alkaline peptone water supplemented with 2% NaCl and subcultured on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar (TCBS). Of the recovered species, V. parahaemolyticus was most commonly found (24 strains), followed by V. furnissii (15 strains), V. cholerae non-01 (6 strains), V. alginolyticus (4 strains), V. fluvialis (2 strains), and Vibrio sp. (1 strain). The low isolation rate of Vibrio raises doubts about the cost-effectiveness of the use of TCBS in the routine enterobacteriologic workup of clinical laboratories.
Assuntos
Gastroenterite/microbiologia , Vibrio/isolamento & purificação , Diarreia/microbiologia , Fezes/microbiologia , Humanos , Vibrio/classificaçãoRESUMO
The pathogenicity of 47 strains of Entamoeba histolytica isolated in Pernambuco, Brazil, was examined using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction-endonuclease digestion. Electrophoretic patterns of PCR products digested with HinfI revealed that all strains were nonpathogenic. The results were entirely in accord with phenotypic properties such as isoenzyme patterns and the failure to bind a pathogenic-isolate-specific monoclonal antibody. When the sensitivity of PCR was examined, amplified products could be detected from template DNA equivalent to five trophozoites. These observations indicate that PCR amplification of genomic DNA and subsequent restriction-enzyme digestion is a useful strategy for obtaining a sensitive and accurate diagnosis. The present study also demonstrates that nonpathogenic strains of E. histolytica predominate in northeastern Brazil.
Assuntos
DNA de Protozoário/análise , Entamoeba histolytica/patogenicidade , Entamebíase/parasitologia , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Brasil , Desoxirribonucleases de Sítio Específico do Tipo II , Entamoeba histolytica/classificação , Entamoeba histolytica/enzimologia , Entamoeba histolytica/genética , Humanos , Isoenzimas/análise , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Mapeamento por Restrição , Sensibilidade e EspecificidadeRESUMO
Immunoelectrophoretic studies on common antigens were carried out by using rabbits sera immunized against São Lourenço da Mata and Belo Horizonte strains of Schistosoma mansoni adult worms and antigens of Biomphalaria glabrata pigmented (Jaboatão--PE); B. glabrata albino (Belo Horizonte--MG) and B. straminea (São Lourenço da Mata, PE). Furthermore, the reverse approach was proceeded, namely, sera anti Biomphalaria snails produced in rabbits were tested against both strains of Schistosoma adult worm antigens. The analysis of the common antigens between the SLM strains of S. mansoni adult worm and B. glabrata pigmented showed 8 to 9 precipitin bands, 3 bands with B. glabrata albino and only 1 band with B. straminea crude extracts. On the other hand, the BH strain of S. mansoni adult worm antisera produced 6 to 7 bands with B. glabrata pigmented, 5 bands with B. glabrata albino and 1 band with B. straminea antigenic extract. Biomphalaria snails crude extracts were fractionated by Sephadex G-100 column and three fractions were collected from each snail strain. The fractions were tested with anti SLM and BH strains of S. mansoni adult worm sera by immunoelectrophoresis. The common antigens fractionated from Biomphalaria snails crude extracts and those found for both strains of S. mansoni adult worm mostly existed in the first fraction and they were estimated to have molecular weight over 158,000 daltons. In our laboratory, it was found a relationship between the antigenic similarities and experimental infection rates of S. mansoni towards Biomphalaria snails so that more bands were seen with increasing infection rates of S. mansoni.
Assuntos
Biomphalaria/imunologia , Epitopos/imunologia , Schistosoma mansoni/imunologia , Animais , Biomphalaria/parasitologia , Brasil , Humanos , Imunoeletroforese , Peso Molecular , Schistosoma mansoni/classificação , Schistosoma mansoni/fisiologia , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
Of 126 infants under 2 years, enrolled in a study on the etiology of acute diarrhea in Recife, Brazil, we selected 37 from whom no recognized enteropathogens, except classic enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, were identified. For comparison, we also examined 37 matched-control infants without diarrhea seen at the same hospital setting. This paper had the purpose to determine the prevalence of localized, diffuse, and aggregative-adhering E. coli strains in both groups. Three to five fecal E. coli colonies, of each case and control, were tested individually for adherence to HeLa cells by using the one step 3-h incubation assay. Strains of E. coli showing localized adherence were found significantly more often in patients (37.8%) than in controls (13.5%), p < 0.02, and they were practically confined to EPEC serovars 055:H-, 0111:H2, and 119:H6. In contrast, E. coli isolates exhibiting the diffuse or aggregative patterns of adherence were restricted to non-EPEC serogroups and were more frequently encountered among controls.