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Oral susceptibility to yellow fever virus of Aedes aegypti from Brazil.

The oral susceptibility to yellow fever virus was evaluated in 23 Aedes aegypti samples from Brazil. Six Ae. aegypti samples from Africa, America and Asia were also tested for comparison. Mosquito samples from Asia showed the highest infection rates. Infection rates for the Brazilian Ae. aegypti reached 48.6%, but were under 13% in 60% of sample tested. We concluded that although the low infection rates estimated for some Brazilian mosquito samples may not favor the establishment of urban cycle of yellow fever in some parts of the country, the founding of Ae. aegypti of noteworthy susceptibility to the virus in cities located in endemic and transition areas of sylvatic yellow fever, do pose a threat of the re-emergence of the urban transmission of the disease in Brazil.

Aedes↗

Biology of Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772) (Acari: Ixodidae) on some laboratory hosts in Brazil.

The ixodid Amblyomma aureolatum is suspected to play a role in the epidemiology of wild life-cycle hemoparasites, which frequently infect dogs in rural and hunting areas in Brazil. Little is known about its bionomics. The objective of the present study was to evaluate some bionomic aspects of A. aureolatum ticks in Brazil. One engorged female, collected from a dog (Canis familiaris) in São Sebastião das Aguas Claras, State of Minas Gerais, was used to establish a colony in the laboratory. Subsequently its parasitic stage progeny were fed on domestic dogs and laboratory animals. The free-living stages were incubated at 27 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C and minimum 70% relative humidity in a BOD incubator. The egg incubation period ranged from 31 to 34 days; the parasitic period of larvae ranged from 4 to 6 days and ecdysis to nymphs occurred from day 19 up to day 22. The parasitic period of nymphs ranged from 5 to 8 days and the period of ecdysis to adults from 31 to 33 days. The parasitic period of adults ranged from 11 to 15 days, the pre-oviposition period from 6 to 12 days, and the oviposition period from 9 to 38 days. The total duration of the life cycle ranged from 116 to 168 days.

Animals↗

Gregarine Cephaloidophora communis mawrodiadi, 1908 in the barnacle Euraphia rhyzophorae, Oliveira, 1940 from Brazil.

The gregarine Cephaloidophora communis was observed for the first time in Brazil in the barnacles Euraphia rhyzophorae collected in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 1990 and 1996. Histological studies showed growth phases of the parasite in specific parts of the digestive system. The intracellular forms occurred in the vacuoles of the intestinal cells. Syzygy was frequent, and the most common form following syzygy was cylindrical, with a single membrane. The cytoplasm of the gregarines was always irregular, dense, and occasionally presenting a dark stoch area.

Animals↗

First report on the presence of Biomphalaria straminea in the municipality of Jaboticatubas, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This is the first report on occurrence of Biomphalaria straminea in the district of São José de Almeida (municipality of Jaboticatubas) State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The presence of B. glabrata and B. tenagophila had already been reported in this area. Such municipality is part of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte and comprises 60% of the Tourist Complex of Serra do Cipó. Since the 1950s throughout the 1990s, a schistosomiasis prevalence ranging from 15 to 40% has been observed. Although no B. straminea specimen has been found naturally infected in the region, descendants of these snails collected in the area, showed to be experimentally susceptible to Schistosoma mansoni infection reaching rates from 14.6 to 28.6%. Even not being found naturally infected, in the State of Minas Gerais, the possibility that the species B. straminea may keep endemicity foci of schistosomiasis should be regarded, as in the Northeastern region of Brazil where the high density of this planorbid and the social-economic and sanitary conditions enable to the transmission.

Animals↗

Coexistence of antibodies to tick-borne agents of babesiosis and Lyme borreliosis in patients from Cotia county, State of São Paulo, Brazil.

This paper reports a case of coinfection caused by pathogens of Lyme disease and babesiosis in brothers. This was the first case of borreliosis in Brazil, acquired in Cotia County, State of S o Paulo, Brazil. Both children had tick bite history, presented erythema migrans, fever, arthralgia, mialgia, and developed positive serology (ELISA and Western-blotting) directed to Borrelia burgdorferi G 39/40 and Babesia bovis antigens, mainly of IgM class antibodies, suggestive of acute disease. Also, high frequencies of antibodies to B. bovis was observed in a group of 59 Brazilian patients with Lyme borreliosis (25.4%), when compared with that obtained in a normal control group (10.2%) (chi-square = 5.6; p < 0.05). Interestingly, both children presented the highest titers for IgM antibodies directed to both infective diseases, among all patients with Lyme borreliosis.

Animals↗

Taxonomic studies on Culex (Melanoconion) coppenamensis Bonne-Wepster & Bonne (Diptera: Culicidae), and description of two new species from Brazil.

Two new species,Culex (Melanoconion) alinkios and Culex (Melanoconion) symbletos are described and defined based on morphological features of the male genitalia. The former is from Vale do Ribeira, Atlantic Forest, southeastern of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and belongs to the Bastagarius subgroup. The latter is from the Parque Nacional do Jaú, state of Amazonas, Brazil, and belongs to the Inhibitator subgroup and is similar to Cx. mesodenticulatus Galindo and Mendez. Diagnostic characters for the identification of the adult males of the species are provided. Two morphological forms (Form 1 and 2), which are similar to Cx. coppenamensis, were also found in the Parque Nacional do Jaú. Form 1 is described and compared with the new species from Vale do Ribeira and Form 2.

Animals↗

IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Campinas, Brazil: evidence of intercontinental distribution of strains.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major concern in developing countries. In Brazil, few genotyping studies have been conducted to verify the number of IS6110 copies present in local prevalent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the distribution and clustering of strains. IS6110 DNA fingerprinting was performed on a sample of M. tuberculosis isolates from patients with AFB smear-positive pulmonary TB, at a hospital in Brazil. The IS6110 profiles were analyzed and compared to a M. tuberculosis database of the Houston Tuberculosis Initiative, Houston, US. Seventy-six fingerprints were obtained from 98 patients. All M. tuberculosis strains had an IS6110 copy number between 5-21 allowing for differentiation of the isolates. Human immunodeficiency virus infection was confirmed in nearly half the patients of whom data was available. Fifty-eight strains had unique patterns, while 17 strains were grouped in 7 clusters (2 to 6 strains). When compared to the HTI database, 6 strains matched isolates from El Paso, Ciudad de Juarez, Houston, and New York. Recently acquired infections were documented in 19% of cases. The community transmission of infection is intense, since some clustered strains were recovered during the four-year study period. The intercontinental dissemination of M. tuberculosis strains is suspected by demonstration of identical fingerprints in a distant country.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection in dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients in Central Brazil.

In order to investigate the prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients in Central Brazil and also to analyze the virus genotypes distribution, a total of 123 patients including 98 on hemodialysis, 13 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis treatment, and 12 who received kidney transplantation were interviewed in one unit of dialysis treatment in Goiania city. Blood samples were collected and serum samples tested for GBV-C/HGV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Genotypes were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Eighteen samples were GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive, resulting in an overall prevalence of 14.6% (95% CI: 9.2-21.7). A high positivity for GBV-C/HGV RNA was observed in patients who had received kidney transplant (16.7%), followed by those on hemodialysis (15.3%), and peritoneal dialysis (7.7%). RFLP analysis revealed the presence of genotypes 1, 2, and 3 of GBV-C/HGV; more precisely, 9 (50%) samples were found belonging to the 2b subtype, 4 (22%) to the 2a subtype, 3 (17%) to genotype 1, and 2 (11%) to genotype 3. The present data indicate an intermediate prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection among dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients in Central Brazil. Genotype 2 (subtype 2b) seems to be the most prevalent GBV-C/HGV genotype in our region.

Adolescent↗

Moonlight and blood-feeding behaviour of Lutzomyia intermedia and Lutzomyia whitmani (Diptera:Psychodidae:Phlebotominae), vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil.

Lutzomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) and L. whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), two important vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil, occur in sympatry in the locality of Posse county, Petropolis municipality, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We investigated the influence of the lunar cycle on the frequency of specimens of the two species caught while attempting to bite the collectors and in CDC light traps. Analysis of the numbers of sand flies captured in different lunar phases for two consecutive years in the peridomestic site and forest shows that there is a significant positive correlation between moonlight intensity and the numbers of L. intermedia and L. whitmani females collected while blood-feeding, whereas the opposite was observed for the CDC traps.

Animals↗

Molecular characterization of human T-cell lymphotropic virus coinfecting human immunodeficiency virus 1 infected patients in the Amazon region of Brazil.

The present work evaluated the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus 1/human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HIV-1/HTLV) coinfection in patients living in Belém (state of Pará) and Macapá (state of Amapá), two cities located in the Amazon region of Brazil. A total of 169 blood samples were collected. The sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the presence of antibodies anti-HTLV-1/2. Confirmation of infection and discrimination of HTLV types and subtypes was performed using a nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the pX and 5' LTR regions, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing analysis. The presence of anti-HTLV1/2 was detected in six patients from Belém. The amplification of the pX region followed by RFLP analysis, demonstrated the presence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections among two and four patients, respectively. Sequencing HTLV-1 5' LTR indicated that the virus is a member of the Cosmopolitan Group, Transcontinental subgroup. HTLV-2 strains isolated revealed a molecular profile of subtype HTLV-2c. These results are a reflex of the epidemiological features of HIV-1/HTLV-1/2 coinfection in the North region of Brazil, which is distinct from other Brazilian regions, as reported by previous studies.

Brazil↗

Lutzomyia longipalpis and the eco-epidemiology of American visceral leishmaniasis, with particular reference to Brazil: a review.

An historical review is given of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL), with particular reference to the eco-epidemiology of the disease in Brazil. Following the first records of AVL in this country, in 1934, the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva, 1912) was incriminated as the principal vector. It is now generally accepted, however, that there exist a number of cryptic species under the name of Lu. longipalpis s.l. and that variations in the quantity of the vasodilatory peptide maxadilan in the saliva of flies from different populations of Lu. longipalpis s.l., may account for the variable clinical manifestations of AVL seen in different geographic regions. Distribution of AVL has been shown to extend throughout most of South and Central America, with the domestic dog serving as the principal reservoir of infection for man. However, while one hypothesis suggests that the causative parasite is Leishmania infantum, imported from Europe with the Portuguese and Spanish colonists, the demonstration of a high rate of benign, inapparent infection in foxes in Amazonian Brazil raised an opposing suggestion that the parasite is indigenous to the Americas. Recent reports of similar infections in native marsupials, and possibly rodents, tend to support this view, particularly as Lu. longipalpis is primordially a silvatic sandfly. Although effective control measures in foci of the disease will diminish the number of canine and human infections, the presence of such an enzootic in a variety of native animals will render the total eradication of AVL unlikely.

Animals↗

Clinical and pathological importance of vacA allele heterogeneity and cagA status in peptic ulcer disease in patients from North Brazil.

We have examined the prevalence of gene cagA and vacA alleles in 129 patients, 69 with gastritis and 60 with peptic ulcer diseases from North Brazil and their relation with histopathological data. vacA and cagA genotype were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for histological diagnosis. 96.6% of the patients were colonized by Helicobacter pylori strains harboring single vacA genotype (nont-mixed infection). Among them, 11.8% had subtype s1a, 67.8% had subtype s1b, and 17% subtype s2. In regard to the middle region analysis, m1 alleles were found in 75.4% and m2 in 21.2% of patients. The cagA gene was detected in 78% patients infected with H. pylori and was associated with the s1-m1 vacA genotype. The H. pylori strains, vacA s1b m1/cagA-positive, were associated with increased risk of peptic ulcer disease and higher amounts of lymphocytic and neutrophilic infiltrates and the presence of intestinal metaplasia. These findings show that cagA and vacA genotyping may have clinical relevance in Brazil.

Adolescent↗

Genetic characterization of St. Louis encephalitis virus isolated from human in São Paulo, Brazil.

The molecular characterization of SPH253157, a new strain of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), isolated in 2004 from the first case of human infection recognized in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The patient, presenting a febrile illness without neurological involvement, was hospitalized as a probable case of dengue fever. Genomic RNA was isolated from the supernatant of C6/36 cells infected with acute phase-serum specimen of the patient and the envelope gene was amplified by reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The complete nucleotide sequence of the envelope gene of this isolate was directly sequenced from the amplified products and compared with other Brazilian and American SLEV strains. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out under maximum likelihood criterion with outgroups both included and excluded. Outgroups comprised four flavivirus of the Japanese encephalitis group. Phylogeny also included Bayesian analysis. The results indicated that the new SLEV isolate belongs to lineage III, being closely related to an Argentinean strain recovered from Culex sp. in 1979. It is concluded that there are at least 3 lineages of SLEV in Brazil.

Brazil↗

Phenotypic characterization of three clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Ceará, Brazil.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis was found in a small cluster of cases in Tejuçuoca, Ceará, Brazil. Tests were carried out to determine its phenotypic characteristics: colony morphology on Ashdown agar and MacConkey agar, biochemical profile in conventional biochemical tests and API 20NE, arabinose assimilation and susceptibility testing by disk diffusion, comparing with data in the literature. This study confirms the presence of B. pseudomallei in Brazil and describes its characteristics.

Adolescent↗

Epidemiological pattern and mortality rates for hepatitis A in Brazil, 1980-2002--a review.

The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is high in developing countries, in which low standards of sanitation promote the transmission of the virus. In Latin America, which is considered an area of high HAV endemicity, most HAV-positive individuals are infected in early childhood However recent studies have shown that prevalence rates are decreasing. Herein, we review the data on HAV prevalence and outbreaks available in scientific databases. We also use official government data in order to evaluate mortality rates in Brazil over the last two decades. Studies conducted in the northernmost regions of Brazil have indicated that, although improved hygiene has led to a reduction in childhood exposure to HAV, the greatest exposure still occurs early in life. In the Southeastern region, the persistence of circulating HAV has generated outbreaks among individuals of low socioeconomic status, despite adequate sanitation. Nationwide, hepatitis A mortality rates declined progressively from 1980 to 2002. During that period, mortality rates in the Northern region consistently exceeded the mean national rate and those for other regions. Excluding the North, the rates in all regions were comparable. Nevertheless, the trend toward decline observed in the South was paralleled by a similar trend in the North.

Adolescent↗

The importance of Anopheles albitarsis E and An. darlingi in human malaria transmission in Boa Vista, state of Roraima, Brazil.

In several districts of Boa Vista, state of Roraima, Brazil we found Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albitarsis E to be the primary vector of human malaria parasites, and during 2001-2002 it was significantly more abundant than An. darlingi (p < 0.001). Other species sampled were An. (Nys.) braziliensis, An. (Ano.) peryassui, An. (Nys.) nuneztovari, An. (Nys.) oswaldoi s.l., and An. (Nys.) triannulatus. As determined by the ELISA technique An. darlingi had a higher overall infection rate (2.1%) compared with An. albitarsis E (1.2%). However a marginally higher proportion of An. albitarsis E was infected with Plasmodium vivax compared with An. darlingi, and the An. albitarsis E biting index was also much higher These results suggest the importance of An. albitarsis E in malaria transmission in a savannah ecoregion of northern Amazonian Brazil, and reconfirm the importance of An. darlingi even if at lower abundance.

Animals↗

Frequency of serovars and antimicrobial resistance in Shigella spp. from Brazil.

A total of 296 Shigella spp. were received from State Public Health Laboratories, during the period from 1999 to 2004, by National Reference Laboratory for Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NRLCED)--IOC/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The frequency of Shigella spp. was: S. flexneri (52.7%), S. sonnei (44.2%), S. boydii (2.3%), and S. dysenteriae (0.6%). The most frequent S. flexneri serovars were 2a and 1b. The highest incidence rates of Shigella isolation were observed in the Southeast (39%) and Northeast (34%) regions and the lowest rate in the South (3%) of Brazil. Strains were further analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility by disk diffusion method as part of a surveillance program on antimicrobial resistance. The highest rates of antimicrobial resistance were to trimethoprim-sulfamethozaxole (90%), tetracycline (88%), ampicillin (56%), and chloramphenicol (35%). The patterns of antimicrobial resistance among Shigella isolates pose a major difficulty in the determination of an appropriate drug for shigellosis treatment. Continuous monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibilities of Shigella spp. through a surveillance system is thus essential for effective therapy and control measures against shigellosis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗