A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE OCCURRENCE OF KERATINOPHILIC FUNGI IN SOILS OF JAMAICA

This report represents the first study of keratinophilic fungi present insoils of Jamaica. Out of the 40 soil samples examined from different habitats, 30(75%) were positive for the presence of keratinophilic fungi, yielding 36 isolates ofkeratinophilic fungi. Microsporum gypseum complex (represented by 16isolates of M. gypseum, and four of M. fulvum) wasmost frequent, being present in 50% of the samples. A very high occurrence of thisdermatophyte in Jamaican soil is of public health significance. The remainingisolates of keratinophilic fungi were represented by Chrysosporiumspp (mainly C. indicum and C. tropicum) andSepedonium sp.     

PHLEBOTOMINE FAUNA (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) IN AN AREA OF FISHING TOURISM IN CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL

The aim of this study was to identify behavioral aspects of the sandfly fauna of afishing tourism area in the municipality of Bonito (MS). Monthly captures wereundertaken from December 2009 to November 2010, using automatic CDC type light traps,from 18h00 to 06h00, in a forested area, a savannah area, peridomiciles and animalshelters near peridomiciliary areas. Nyssomyia whitmani was the mostfrequent out of a total of 6,699 specimens collected, belonging to 16 species,followed by Psathyromyia bigeniculata and Lutzomyialongipalpis, found in all the environments investigated, though in theirgreatest numbers in the animal shelters. Ny. whitmani exhibited itshighest frequencies during the dry months, coincident with the fishing season, whenthe risk of transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis for tourists and inhabitantsincreases. Noteworthy was the finding of two species naturally infected byflagellates: Ny. whitmani and Pa. bigeniculata. Thelocal population and visiting tourists should be warned of the threat posed byleishmaniasis and the health authorities alerted to the need for adoptingenvironmental sanitary measures, especially regarding such animal shelters as theyseem to provide favorable conditions to the proliferation, maintenance and breedingopportunities of phlebotomines.     

SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR SURVEY OF Leptospira spp. AMONG CART HORSES FROM AN ENDEMIC AREA OF HUMAN LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CURITIBA,SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Introduction: Cart horses are a re-emerging populationemployed to carry recyclable material in cities.Methods: Sixty-two horses were sampled in an endemic areaof human leptospirosis. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) andreal-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were performed.Results: A seropositivity of 75.8% with serovarIcterohaemorrhagiae in 80.8% of the horses was observed. Blood and urinewere qPCR negative. MAT showed positive correlations with rainfall(p = 0.02) and flooding(p = 0.03).Conclusions: Although horses may be constantly exposed toLeptospira spp. in the environment mostly because ofrainfall and flooding, no leptospiremia or leptospiruria were observed in thisstudy.     

ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY OF PHLEBOTOMINES (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) IN AN AREA OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS OCCURRENCE,MUNICIPALITY OF ANGRA DOS REIS,COAST OF RIO DE JANEIRO STATE,BRAZIL

Over a complete two-year period, phlebotomine specimens were caught in anarea of cutaneous leishmaniasis occurrence in the municipality of Angra dos Reis. Amanual suction tube was used to catch phlebotomines on house walls, and also lighttraps in domestic and peridomestic settings and in the forest. This yielded 14,170specimens of 13 species: two in the genus Brumptomyia and eleven inthe genus Lutzomyia. L. intermedia predominantly indomestic and peridomestic settings, with little presence in the forest, with the sametrend being found in relation to L. migonei, thus proving that thesespecies have adapted to the human environment. L. fischeri appearedto be eclectic regarding location, but was seen to be proportionally more endophilic.L. intermedia and L. migonei were more numerousin peridomestic settings, throughout the year, while L. fischeri wasmore numerous in domestic settings except in March, April, May and September. Fromthe prevalence of L. intermedia, its proven anthropophily andfindings of this species naturally infected with Leishmania(Viannia) braziliensis, it can be incriminatedas the main vector for this agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the study area,especially in the peridomestic environment. L. fischeri may be acoadjuvant in carrying the parasite.     

VIROLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF RABIES IN BATS FROM AN URBAN AREA IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

The outbreaks of rabies in humans transmitted by Desmodus rotundus in 2004 and 2005,in the northeast of the Brazilian State of Para, eastern Amazon basin, made this apriority area for studies on this zoonosis. Given this, the present study providesdata on this phenomenon in an urban context, in order to assess the possiblecirculation of the classic rabies virus (RABV) among bat species in Capanema, a townin the Amazon basin. Bats were collected, in 2011, with mist nets during the wet anddry seasons. Samples of brain tissue and blood were collected for virological andserological survey, respectively. None of the 153 brain tissue samples analyzedtested positive for RABV infection, but 50.34% (95% CI: 45.67-55.01%) of the serumsamples analyzed were seropositive. Artibeus planirostris was the most commonspecies, with a high percentage of seropositive individuals (52.46%, 95% CI: 52.3152.60%). Statistically, equal proportions of seropositive results were obtained inthe rainy and dry seasons (c² = 0.057, d.f. = 1, p = 0.88). Significantlyhigher proportions of males (55.96%, 95% CI: 48.96-62.96%) and adults (52.37%, 95%CI: 47.35-57.39%) were seropositive. While none of the brain tissue samples testedpositive for infection, the high proportion of seropositive specimens indicates thatRABV may be widespread in this urban area.     

LABORATORY EVALUATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF Aedes aegypti IN TWO SEASONS: INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT PLACES AND DIFFERENT DENSITIES

Aedes aegypti is an important vector in Brazil being the main vector of the dengue-fever. This paper employs survival curves to describe the time in days from larvae to adult forms of Aedes aegypti raised, individually and collectively, and compares it during winter and spring when positioned inside and outside a laboratory. The study was conducted in São Vicente, a coastal city in Southeastern Brazil. The lowest water temperature in winter and in spring was 20 °C and the highest was 26 °C in spring. Higher and more stable temperatures were measured in the intra compared to the peri in both seasons. Consequently, larvae positioned in the intra resulted in the lowest median time to develop in the individual and collective experiment (nine and ten days, respectively). At least 25% of the larvae positioned in the intra in the individual experiment in the spring took only seven days to reach adulthood. Sex ratios and the median time development by sex did not show significant differences. These results indicate that efforts to control Aedes aegypti must be continuous and directed mainly to prevent the intra-domiciliary sites that can be infested in a week in order to reduce the human-vector contact.     

PHLEBOTOMINE SANDFLIES IN RURAL LOCATIONS IN THE STATE OF PARANA,SOUTHERN BRAZIL

SUMMARY

This study reports the fauna and frequency of sandflies in domestic animal shelters, residences and other ecotopes in rural areas of the municipality of Bandeirantes, Paraná State. Sandflies were collected twice in eight rural villages by using Falcon traps from 8pm to 6am in 2008. In these localities 4,790 sandflies were collected, which were represented by ten sandfly species, prevailing of Nyssomyia neivai and Nyssomyia whitmani species. It was observed that animal shelters are the domestic ecotopes where there is the greatest frequency of these insects. The localities where the collections were made had the environmental characteristics that allow the persistence of transmission of parasites from the American tegumentary leishmaniasis. Although the fauna and the behavior of sandflies species are similar in different localities, the method of controlling these insects should be adjusted to the environmental characteristics of each one of the most diverse endemic areas of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in the municipalities of Paraná State.     

Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) IN PERIDOMICILIARY AREA DURING ASYMPTOMATIC MALARIA TRANSMISSION IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST: MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF BLOOD-MEAL SOURCES INDICATES HUMANS AS PRIMARY INTERMEDIATE HOSTS

Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii has beenimplicated as the primary vector of human and simian malarias out of theBrazilian Amazon and specifically in the Atlantic Forest regions. The presenceof asymptomatic human cases, parasite-positive wild monkeys and the similaritybetween the parasites infecting them support the discussion whether theseinfections can be considered as a zoonosis. Although many aspects of the biologyof An. cruzii have already been addressed, studies conductedduring outbreaks of malaria transmission, aiming at the analysis of bloodfeeding and infectivity, are missing in the Atlantic Forest. This study wasconducted in the location of Palestina, Juquitiba, where annually the majorityof autochthonous human cases are notified in the Atlantic Forest of the state ofSão Paulo. Peridomiciliary sites were selected for collection of mosquitoesin a perimeter of up to 100 m around the residences of human malaria cases. Themosquitoes were analyzed with the purpose of molecular identification ofblood-meal sources and to examine the prevalence of Plasmodium.A total of 13,441 females of An. (Ker.) cruzii werecollected. The minimum infection rate was calculated at 0.03% and0.01%, respectively, for P. vivax and P.malariae and only human blood was detected in the blood-fedmosquitoes analyzed. This data reinforce the hypothesis that asymptomatic humancarriers are the main source of anopheline infection in the peridomiciliaryarea, making the probability of zoonotic transmission less likely to happen.     

DECREASING PREVALENCE OF THE ACUTE/SUBACUTE CLINICAL FORM OF PARACOCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS IN MATO GROSSO DO SUL STATE,BRAZIL

With the objective to evaluate the behavior of paracoccidioidomycosisin the last three decades, clinical and epidemiological data of 595 patientsadmitted to clinical services of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sulfrom 1980 to 2009 were investigated. Gender, age distribution, clinical form,comorbidity with tuberculosis or AIDS, and mortality were compared by decades ofclinical admission. It was shown that during the three decades there was adecrease in women percentage, and the same manner occurred a reduction inparticipants in the age group of 20 to 39 years. Moreover, the acute/subacuteforms have been diminished in the period. These fluctuations are closely relatedand can be simultaneously analyzed. Increased AIDS co-infection prevalence fromthe first to the second decade was also revealed, coinciding with the appearanceof the retroviral epidemic and stabilizing during the third decade. No change inthe tuberculosis co-infection rate was observed (overall = 6.9%). Itreinforces the importance of this co-morbidity. The overall mortality rateremained steady at 6.7%, not varying significantly from one decade to another.The persistent mortality rate calls attention to the importance of thisneglected disease.     

DISTRIBUTION OF DERMATOPHYTES FROM SOILS OF URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF CITIES OF PARAIBA STATE,BRAZIL

SUMMARY

The dermatophytes, keratinophilic fungi, represent important microorganisms of the soil microbiota, where there are cosmopolitan species and others with restricted geographic distribution. The aim of this study was to broaden the knowledge about the presence of dermatophytes in soils of urban (empty lots, schools, slums, squares, beaches and homes) and rural areas and about the evolution of their prevalence in soils of varying pH in cities of the four mesoregions of Paraiba State, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from 31 cities of Paraiba State. Of 212 samples, 62% showed fungal growth, particularly those from the Mata Paraibana mesoregion (43.5%), which has a tropical climate, hot and humid. Soil pH varied from 4.65 to 9.06, with 71% of the growth of dermatophytes occurring at alkaline pH (7.02 - 9.06) (ρ = 0.000). Of 131 strains isolated, 57.3% were geophilic species, particularly Trichophyton terrestre (31.3%) and Mycrosporum gypseum (21.4%). M. nanum and T. ajelloi were isolated for the first time in Paraiba State. The zoophilic species identified were T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (31.3 %) and T. verrucosum (7.6 %), and T. tonsurans was isolated as an anthropophilic species. The soils of urban areas including empty lots, schools, slums and squares of cities in the mesoregions of Paraiba State were found to be the most suitable reservoirs for almost all dermatophytes; their growth may have been influenced by environmental factors, soils with residues of human and/or animal keratin and alkaline pH.     

城市血吸虫病治疗费用分析

为了解城市血吸虫病治疗费用,调查了1994年芜湖市124例急性血吸虫病患者的治疗费用,结果表明,人均费用为927.75元,就业者比非就业者高34.28％;有误诊病史患者较未误诊者高41.08％;主要费用有患者工作损失费用、住院费和误诊疗费。城市血吸虫病给患者家庭和社会带来一定经济负担。     

ELEVATED TRANS-MAMMARY TRANSMISSION OF Toxocara canis LARVAE IN BALB/c MICE

Toxocariasis is a widespread zoonosis and is considered an important worldwide public health problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of trans-mammary Toxocara canis infection in newborn BALB/c mice nursed by females experimentally infected with 1,200 eggs after delivery. After 50 days of age, the presence of larvae in different organs of the offspring was investigated. Trans-mammary infection was confirmed in 73.9% of the mice that had been nursed by infected females. These data show a high trans-mammary transmission of T. canis and confirm the significance of this transmission route in paratenic hosts.     

PREVALENCE OF Calodium hepaticum (SYN. Capillaria hepatica) IN Rattus norvegicus IN THE URBAN AREA OF RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

The nematode Calodium hepaticum (syn.Capillaria hepatica) is a zoonotic helminth foundmainly infecting rats. It was studied the prevalence of C.hepaticum infection in Rattus norvegicus in anurban area of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), with low urban planning andsanitation. The presence of C. hepaticum was identified throughvisible yellowish-white lesions in liver tissue and histological analyses. Thetotal prevalence of infection was 45%, with no significant differencesbetween sex and age. The presence of infected rodents near the peridomestic areaposes substantial risk to human health.     

湖沼型血吸虫病流行区用蒿甲醚预防感染日本血吸虫的现场研究

目的 :观察湖沼型血吸虫病流行区用蒿甲醚预防日本血吸虫感染的效果。方法 :1996年4— 11月 ,选择安徽省贵池市唐田乡 2个村为试点 ,选择 6岁— 65岁村民随机配对分为蒿甲醚组和对照组。在服蒿甲醚前 2 0 d,经粪检查病 ,并服单剂吡喹酮 4 0 mg/kg— 50 mg/kg治疗。于 5月下旬口服第 1剂蒿甲醚 6mg/kg,以后每半个月服 1次 ,共 10次 ,对照组口服相同剂型的安慰剂。结果 :口服蒿甲醚 4 33例粪检全部阴性 ,无急性血吸虫病发生 ;对照组 4 52人的粪检感染率为8.9% ,并发生 1例急性血吸虫病。口服蒿甲醚对肝、肾功能、网织红细胞和心电图未见明显异常。结论 :在整个传播季节每半个月口服 1次蒿甲醚 6mg/kg,对湖沼型重度血吸虫病流行区人群有较好的预防作用 ,为制定防治湖区血吸虫病策略提供一种新的措施。     

EVALUATION OF THE MOLLUSCICIDAL POTENTIAL OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACTS OF Jatropha gossypiifolia Linnaeus, 1753 ON Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818)

The action of extracts from the stem, leaves, and fruit of Jatropha gossypiifolia on Biomphalaria glabrata was studied by analyzing survival, feeding capacity and oviposition ability. The extracts were obtained by macerating the plant parts in 92% ethanol, which were then evaporated until a dry residue was obtained and phytochemically studied. The molluscicidal activity on B. glabrata was investigated using the procedures recommended by WHO (1965). The amount of food ingested and oviposition were measured during each experiment. The extract of leaves from J. gossypiifolia was shown to be a strong molluscicidal agent, causing 100% mortality of B. glabrata, even in the lowest concentration tested, of 25 ppm. Regarding the fruit extract, there was variation in the mortality, depending on the concentration used (100, 75, 50 and 25 ppm). The snails that were in contact with the fruit extract had significant reduction in feeding and number of embryos in comparison to the control. The stem extract did not present molluscicidal activity nor had any influence on the feeding and oviposition abilities of B. glabrata, in the concentrations tested. In conclusion, the extracts of leaves and fruits of J. gossypiifolia investigated in this work show molluscicidal effect and may be sources of useful compounds for the schistosomiasis control.     

湖沼型血吸虫病流行区用蒿甲醚预防感染日本血吸虫的现场研究

目的 :观察湖沼型血吸虫病流行区用蒿甲醚预防日本血吸虫感染的效果。方法 :1996年4— 11月, 选择安徽省贵池市唐田乡 2个村为试点 ,选择 6岁— 65岁村民随机配对分为蒿甲醚组和对照组。在服蒿甲醚前 2 0 d,经粪检查病 ,并服单剂吡喹酮 4 0 mg/kg— 50 mg/kg治疗。于 5月下旬口服第 1剂蒿甲醚 6mg/kg, 以后每半个月服 1次 ,共 10次 ,对照组口服相同剂型的安慰剂。结果 :口服蒿甲醚 4 33例粪检全部阴性,无急性血吸虫病发生 ;对照组 4 52人的粪检感染率为8.9% ,并发生 1例急性血吸虫病。口服蒿甲醚对肝、肾功能、网织红细胞和心电图未见明显异常。结论 :在整个传播季节每半个月口服 1次蒿甲醚6 mg/kg, 对湖沼型重度血吸虫病流行区人群有较好的预防作用, 为制定防治湖区血吸虫病策略提供一种新的措施。     

RISK FACTORS OF HIV-1 VERTICAL TRANSMISSION (VT) AND THE INFLUENCE OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) IN PREGNANCY OUTCOME

In the absence of intervention, the rate of vertical transmission of HIVcan range from 15-45%. With the inclusion of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancyand the choice of delivery route this amounts to less than 2%. However ARV use duringpregnancy has generated several questions regarding the adverse effects of thegestational and neonatal outcome. This study aims to analyze the risk factors forvertical transmission of HIV-1 seropositive pregnant women living in Rio Grande andthe influence of the use of ARVs in pregnancy outcome. Among the 262 pregnant womenstudied the rate of vertical transmission of HIV was found to be 3.8%. Regarding theVT, there was a lower risk of transmission when antiretroviral drugs were used andprenatal care was conducted at the referral service. However, the use of ART did notinfluence the outcome of pregnancy. However, initiation of prenatal care after thefirst trimester had an influence on low birth weight, as well as performance of lessthan six visits increased the risk of prematurity. Therefore, the risk factorsanalyzed in this study appear to be related to the realization of inadequatepre-natal and maternal behavior.     

消灭血吸虫病地区血吸虫病性肝硬变患者30年回顾性调查

10年前血吸虫病已控制的上海市郊洞泾乡383例血吸虫病性肝硬变30年回顾性调查,从生存曲线,发现11～30年前切脾的243例1～30年的生存率均明显高于同时期未切脾的140例患者。术后(或初诊后)75％存活的年限,切脾、未切脾组分别为18和4年;30岁内切脾患者(27年)明显较长于31～40(18年)、41～50(17.5年)和50岁以上手术者(12年);巨脾型切脾(19.5年)明显较长于腹水型切脾患者(10.5年)。上消化道出血、腹水等并发症和病死率切脾组明显低于未切脾组,表明脾切除不仅能防止门脉高压并发症,且能增强体质减少其他疾病。死亡患者平均年龄与当地居民预期寿命相比,切脾组、未切脾组无差别,不少未切脾者寿命无明显缩短。