RESUMO
Background: Cenurosis is a parasitic disease caused by Coenurus cerebralis, an intermediate form of Taenia multiceps multiceps, causing a fatal disease in production animals. Its adult form (Taenia) lodges in the small intestine of canids and can infect several intermediate hosts. Sheep are the main species affected by the disease, having nervous symptoms as one of its manifestations. This study aimed to describe the changes observed in computed tomography, as well as the clinical findings of a case of Cenurosis in a sheep on the western border of Rio Grande do Sul. Case: A ram was referred to the Centro Universitário da Região da Campanha (URCAMP) with neurological signs. Clinical, hematological, radiographic, tomographic and necroscopic evaluation of the animal was performed. There were no significant hematological and radiographic changes. During the neurological examination, corneal opacity was found in the right eyeball, associated with a visual deficit in the same eye. Also, when stimulated to move, it was possible to observe ataxia with ambulation to the left side, with right lateral displacement of the head. The tomography showed a hypodense area of approximately 3 cm at the base of the brain, in the region of the thalamus and third ventricle. Macroscopically, a translucent spherical cyst with approximately 4 cm in diameter was observed, containing the protoescolex/scolices of Taenia multiceps in the same region. Discussion: Computed tomography identified the presence of an apparently circular volume of approximately 4 cm in diameter, causing ventricular dilatation. This evidence of ventricular dilation corroborates aspects described in the literature, which found bilateral dilation of the ventricles by compression promoted by a cyst in the 4th ventricle. As the location of the cyst was located at the base of the brain, in the region of the third ventricle, it would be difficult to perform the surgery in the treatment of this case. Signs of ataxia, walking movements, decreased reflexes, nystagmus, unilateral blindness and lateral decubitus are commonly observed. Reports described that the main neurological alterations observed in 20 sheep with cenurosis were postural deficit, locomotion alteration, visual deficit and behavioral alterations, with more than 50% of the animals showing at least one of these signs. The main neurological signs observed in the case described were changes in gait, with walking, blindness, lateral head deviation and ataxia. These signs guide the clinical diagnosis of cenurosis. At necropsy, a spherical translucent cyst with approximately 4 cm in diameter was observed, containing the protoescolex/scolices of Taenia multiceps, which extended dorsally from the third ventricle to the base of the thalamus, laterally displaced to the right side. Rostrocaudal the lesion extended rostrally across the entire length of the thalamus to the beginning of the caudate nucleus and caudally to the base of the caudal colliculus, causing compression of the adjacent parenchyma, enabling the diagnosis of cenurosis. Similar findings are described as Coenurus cerebralis. This lesion pattern macroscopically characterizes the parasite lesions. Thus, it is concluded that the visualization of a hypodense area in CNS regions of sheep with neurological signs allows the diagnosis of cenurosis and precise location of the lesion. The description of this case adds information so that other professionals in the field can be successful in diagnosing the disease.
Assuntos
Animais , Teníase/veterinária , Cisticercose/veterinária , Ovinos/parasitologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Infecções por Cestoides/veterinária , Infecções por Cestoides/diagnóstico por imagem , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X/veterináriaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Parasitic infections affecting the central nervous system (CNS) present high morbidity and mortality rates and affect millions of people worldwide. The most important parasites affecting the CNS are protozoans (Plasmodium sp., Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma brucei), cestodes (Taenia solium) and free-living amoebae (Acantamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri). Current therapeutic regimens include the use of traditional chemicals or natural compounds that have very limited access to the CNS, despite their elevated toxicity to the host. Improvements are needed in drug administration and formulations to treat these infections and to allow the drug to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). METHODS: This work aims to elucidate the recent advancements in the use of nanoparticles as nanoscaled drug delivery systems (NDDS) for treating and controlling the parasitic infections that affect the CNS, addressing not only the nature and composition of the polymer chosen, but also the mechanisms by which these nanoparticles may cross the BBB and reach the infected tissue. RESULTS: There is a strong evidence in the literature demonstrating the potential usefulness of polymeric nanoparticles as functional carriers of drugs to the CNS. Some of them demonstrated the mechanisms by which drugloaded nanoparticles access the CNS and control the infection by using in vivo models, while others only describe the pharmacological ability of these particles to be utilized in in vitro environments. CONCLUSION: The scarcity of the studies trying to elucidate the compatibility as well as the exact mechanisms by which NDDS might be entering the CNS infected by parasites reveals new possibilities for further exploratory projects. There is an urgent need for new investments and motivations for applying nanotechnology to control parasitic infectious diseases worldwide.
Assuntos
Barreira Hematoencefálica , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/tratamento farmacológico , Sistemas de Liberação de Medicamentos , Nanopartículas , Doenças Parasitárias/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Humanos , NanotecnologiaRESUMO
Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and little is known about the occurrence and pathogenesis of this parasite in the CNS. The aims of this study were to evaluate the occurrence, viability and load of L. infantum in the CNS, and to identify the neurological histological alterations associated with this protozoan and its co-infections in naturally infected dogs. Forty-eight Leishmania-seropositive dogs from which L. infantum was isolated after necropsy were examined. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were analyzed by parasitological culture, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and the rapid immunochromatographic Dual Path Platform test. Brain, spinal cord and spleen samples were submitted to parasitological culture, qPCR, and histological techniques. Additionally, anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Ehrlichia canis antibodies in serum and distemper virus antigens in CSF were investigated. None of the dogs showed neurological signs. All dogs tested positive for L. infantum in the CNS. Viable forms of L. infantum were isolated from CSF, brain and spinal cord in 25% of the dogs. Anti-L. infantum antibodies were detected in CSF in 61% of 36 dogs. Inflammatory histological alterations were observed in the CNS of 31% of the animals; of these, 66% were seropositive for E. canis and/or T. gondii. Amastigote forms were associated with granulomatous non-suppurative encephalomyelitis in a dog without evidence of co-infections. The highest frequency of L. infantum DNA was observed in the brain (98%), followed by the spinal cord (96%), spleen (95%), and CSF (50%). The highest L. infantum load in CNS was found in the spinal cord. These results demonstrate that L. infantum can cross the blood-brain barrier, spread through CSF, and cause active infection in the entire CNS of dogs. Additionally, L. infantum can cause inflammation in the CNS that can lead to neurological signs with progression of the disease.
Assuntos
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/veterinária , Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Leishmania infantum/fisiologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/veterinária , Animais , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/sangue , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/imunologia , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Sistema Nervoso Central/patologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Coinfecção/microbiologia , Coinfecção/parasitologia , Coinfecção/veterinária , DNA de Protozoário/genética , Doenças do Cão/microbiologia , Cães , Ehrlichia canis/imunologia , Ehrlichia canis/fisiologia , Ehrlichiose/microbiologia , Ehrlichiose/veterinária , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno , Hibridização In Situ , Leishmania infantum/genética , Leishmania infantum/imunologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Leishmaniose Visceral/parasitologia , Carga Parasitária , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Toxoplasma/imunologia , Toxoplasma/fisiologia , Toxoplasmose/parasitologiaRESUMO
Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode endemic in humid tropical regions. The life cycle of this parasite is complex and unique due to its capacity to cause autoinfection, resulting in chronic infections. Innate and adaptive immune responses are responsible for clearing the parasite. Many risk factors have been described, but the most important is living in or having visited an endemic area. The clinical presentation of strongyloidiasis is varied and ranges from asymptomatic chronic infection to hyperinfection syndrome. Hyperinfection syndrome is more common in patients with immunosuppresion due to therapy with corticosteroids, coinfection with human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1), transplant patients, or patients receiving chemotherapy. Multiplication and migration of large parasite numbers cause worsening of the initial symptoms and leads to a high mortality rate. CNS involvement in strongyloidiasis has only been seen in patients with hyperinfection syndrome. Meningitis is the most common form of CNS involvement and gram-negative bacteria are the more frequent etiology. Repeated stool samples with concentration methods have a good sensitivity and specificity. In patients that are not from endemic areas serum antibody tests may be useful in the diagnosis. Treatment with a single dose of ivermectin is recommended for most patients. In severe or hyperinfection cases repeated doses may be needed.
Assuntos
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/etiologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Strongyloides stercoralis/patogenicidade , Estrongiloidíase/complicações , Animais , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/diagnóstico , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/terapia , Humanos , Estrongiloidíase/diagnóstico , Estrongiloidíase/imunologia , Estrongiloidíase/terapiaRESUMO
Isolated cerebellar mass lesion is an uncommon presentation of toxoplasmosis. The authors report one rare case in a 50-year-old HIV-infected male patient who presented with clipped speech, gait ataxia and incoordination. The cerebellar toxoplasmosis was suspected based on imaging findings, despite the atypical location. This case highlights the need for a high index of clinical suspicion among HIV-infected patients with neurological manifestations and suspicious neuroimaging findings.
Assuntos
Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/complicações , Infecções por HIV/complicações , Toxoplasma/isolamento & purificação , Toxoplasmose Cerebral/complicações , Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/diagnóstico , Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/tratamento farmacológico , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Anti-Infecciosos Urinários/uso terapêutico , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/complicações , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Quimioterapia Combinada , Infecções por HIV/tratamento farmacológico , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Toxoplasmose Cerebral/tratamento farmacológico , Toxoplasmose Cerebral/patologia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Trypanosoma cruzi causes a pan-infection, Chagas disease, in American mammals through fecal transmission by triatomine insects, resulting in an acute phase parasitemia with intracellularity mainly in the myocells and cells of the central nervous system (CNS).The parasites, due to the immune response, then decrease in number, characteristic of the life-long chronicity of the disease. We infected a mouse model with isolates obtained from reservoirs and vectors from rural and urban endemic areas in Venezuela. Intracellular proliferation and differentiation of the parasite in astrocytes, microglia, neurons, endothelial cells of the piarachnoid, cells of the Purkinje layer, and spinal ganglion cells, as well as extracellularly in the neuropil, were evaluated during the acute phase. Damages were identified as meningoencephalitis, astrocytosis, reactive microglia, acute neuronal degeneration by central chromatolysis, endothelial cell hyperplasia, edema of the neuropil, and satellitosis. This is the first time that satellitosis has been reported from a mammal infected with T. cruzi. Intracellular T. cruzi and inflammatory infiltrates were found in cardiac and skeletal myocytes and liver cells. No parasitism or alterations to the CNS were observed in the chronic mice, although they did show myocarditis and myocitis with extensive infiltrates. Our results are discussed in relation to hypotheses that deny the importance of the presence of tissue parasites versus the direct relationship between these and the damages produced during the chronic phase of Chagas disease. We also review the mechanisms proposed as responsible for the nervous phase of this parasitosis.
Assuntos
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Trypanosoma cruzi/patogenicidade , Animais , Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Sistema Nervoso Central/patologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/patologia , Doença de Chagas/patologia , Camundongos , VenezuelaRESUMO
Here, we report an outbreak of Trypanosoma vivax-induced trypanosomosis in Brazilian hair sheep on a farm in Paraíba state, a non-endemic region in northeastern Brazilian. Of 306 total sheep, 240 showed clinical signs and 216 died. Clinical signs included anorexia, lethargy, anemia, rough hair coat, weight loss, submandibular edema, abortion, and in some cases, neurological signs such as head pressing, lateral recumbence, paddling movements and muscle tremors. T. vivax was identified by blood smear analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At necropsy, animals exhibited watery blood, pale tissue coloring, and the presence of liquid in the peritoneal cavity and pericardial sac. Histologically, nonsuppurative myocarditis and meningoencephalitis with areas of malacia were observed. After treatment, no parasites were detected by blood smear analysis or PCR. Cattle and buffalo that remained in the same pasture were also infected but presented with asymptomatic infections. Epidemiological data suggest that T. vivax was introduced to the farm and the susceptible flock by buffalos that were asymptomatic carriers of the infection; T. vivax was most likely transmitted by Tabanus spp. bites and also iatrogenically.
Assuntos
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/veterinária , Doenças dos Ovinos/parasitologia , Trypanosoma vivax , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Búfalos , Bovinos , Doenças dos Bovinos/epidemiologia , Doenças dos Bovinos/parasitologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/patologia , Surtos de Doenças/veterinária , Ovinos , Fatores de Tempo , Tripanossomíase/parasitologiaRESUMO
Canine visceral leishmaniasis is an important emerging disease with a multitude of clinical symptoms, including neurological alterations. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are proteases implicated with the extracellular matrix remodelling and, within the central nervous system, these enzymes are involved with blood-brain-barrier disruption and inflammation. To establish the involvement of MMP-2 and -9 within the nervous tissue of dogs with spontaneous visceral leishmaniasis, fragments of nervous tissue from oligosymptomatic (n=9), symptomatic (n=8), neurological (n=12) and normal dogs (n=8) were subjected to zymographic and to immunohistochemical analysis. Immunohistochemistry evidenced MMP-2 staining in inflammatory cells inside and outside blood vessels. MMP-9 was found in endothelial cells and in the ependyma. Zymographic evaluation revealed only the latent forms of MMP-2 and -9 within the nervous tissue. ProMMP-9 activity in the infected animals was found higher than the normal dogs, but with no difference among the infected dogs. Oligosymptomatic dogs presented the highest proMMP-2 activity, followed by the symptomatic and then, by the neurological and the normal dogs. In summary, the nervous tissue compartment seems to be preserved in dogs with VL, due to the absence of active MMPs, even though the elevated levels of proMMP-2 and -9 would indicate a pro-inflammatory state in the brain.
Assuntos
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/veterinária , Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Leishmania donovani/imunologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/virologia , Metaloproteinase 2 da Matriz/imunologia , Metaloproteinase 9 da Matriz/imunologia , Animais , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/enzimologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/imunologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Doenças do Cão/enzimologia , Doenças do Cão/imunologia , Cães , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida/veterinária , Feminino , Imuno-Histoquímica/veterinária , Leishmaniose Visceral/enzimologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/imunologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/parasitologia , Masculino , Estatísticas não ParamétricasRESUMO
Durante los últimos años, otra ameba de vida libre, Balamuthia mandrillaris, ha sido identificada como agente etiológico de meningoencefalitis granulomatosa amebiana (MGA) en humanos. Presentamos el caso de una escolar de sexo femenino, inmunocompetente en quien se realizó el diagnóstico post mortem de MGA por este agente. Consultó por aparición de lesiones eritematosas e induradas que comprometían la zona centro-facial. En biopsia cutánea se evidenció una lesión granulomatosa con RPC positiva para secuencias génicas de Mycobacterium atípico, por lo que se inició tratamiento para micobacteriosis atípica extrapulmonar. Evolucionó con compromiso neurológico progresivo, falleciendo aproximadamente un año después de iniciar los síntomas. La necropsia reveló una MGA, cuyo estudio posterior demostró la presencia de B. mandrillaris. La infección por B. mandrillaris debe ser considerada en el diagnóstico diferencial de una enfermedad granulomatosa crónica que evoluciona con compromiso neurológico.
Assuntos
Humanos , Feminino , Criança , Amebíase/diagnóstico , Amebíase/parasitologia , Granuloma/parasitologia , Lobosea , Meningoencefalite/diagnóstico , Meningoencefalite/parasitologia , Amoeba , Amebíase/tratamento farmacológico , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Central/parasitologia , Eritema/parasitologia , Evolução Fatal , Nariz/patologia , Infecções Oportunistas , Progressão da DoençaRESUMO
The protozoan Neospora caninum has a veterinary importance because it causes abortion in cattle and neuromuscular alterations in dogs. We infected rat astrocytes, in vitro, with different concentrations of N. caninum. Astrocytes responded to infection by producing the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and the neurotoxic-free radical NO, 24 and 72 h post-infection. These data suggest that astrocytes, which are essential for brain function, are targets for the parasite and this represents a practical and valid model to study the effects of N. caninum on the CNS.