Prevalence of dog intestinal parasites and risk perception of zoonotic infection by dog owners in São Paulo State, Brazil

Coprological examination was used to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in stray and domiciled dogs from Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. Risk factors for dog infection were assessed in relation to demographic, husbandry and management data. The dog owners completed a questionnaire survey on some aspects of dog parasitism such as parasite species, mechanisms of infection, awareness of zoonotic diseases and history of anthelmintic usage. Parasites were found in the faeces of 138 dogs, with an overall prevalence of 54.3%. Dogs harbouring one parasite were more common (31.4%) than those harbouring two (18.5%), three (3.2%) or four (1.2%). The following parasites and their respective frequencies were detected: Ancylostoma (37.8%), Giardia (16.9%), Toxocara canis (8.7%), Trichuris vulpis (7.1%), Dipylidium caninum (2.4%), Isospora (3.5%), Cryptosporidium (3.1%) and Sarcocystis (2.7%). Stray dogs were found more likely to be poliparasitized (P < 0.01) and presented higher prevalence of Ancylostoma, T. canis and Giardia (P < 0.01) than domiciled ones. Toxocara canis was detected more frequently in dogs with < 6 months of age (P < 0.05) and no effect of sex or breed could be observed (P > 0.05). Except for Ancylostoma, that showed a significantly higher prevalence in dogs living in a multi-dog household (P < 0.01), parasite prevalences were similar in single- and multi-dog household. The answers of dog owners to the questionnaire showed that the majority does not know the species of dog intestinal parasites, the mechanisms of transmission, the risk factors for zoonotic infections, and specific prophylactic measures. The predominance of zoonotic species in dogs in the studied region, associated with the elevated degree of misinformation of the owners, indicates that the risk of zoonotic infection by canine intestinal parasite may be high, even in one of the most developed regions of Brazil.

Levantamento epidemiológico das parasitoses intestinais: viés analítico decorrente do tratamento profilático

As parasitoses intestinais constituem um grave problema de saúde pública, especialmente nos países subdesenvolvidos, sendo esse problema associado e agravado por condições sanitárias precárias e falta de informação. Neste trabalho foram avaliados alguns parâmetros epidemiológicos vinculados às principais enteroparasitoses em diferentes regiões da cidade de Assis, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Os dados foram confrontados com aqueles obtidos em um levantamento anterior referente ao ano de 1991 e apresentam uma redução de três pontos percentuais. Há indícios de que, antiparasitários estariam sendo distribuídos profilaticamente, antes dos resultados do exame parasitológico de fezes. Este fato pode levar a importantes implicações epidemiológicas e distorções analíticas. Esta conduta terapêutica pode estar ocultando condições sanitárias e/ou educacionais desfavoráveis, de forma que haveria uma baixa prevalência de parasitoses em razão de reiterados tratamentos e não pela melhoria das condições de saneamento básico e educação sanitária da população.

A NEW SPECIES of COSMOCERCOIDES (NEMATODA: COSMOCERCIDAE) FROM A GYMNOPHTHALMID LIZARD of WESTERN BRAZIL

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Infecção por strigea falconis em buteo magnirostris no Brasil

Background: Buteo magnirostris, popularly known as roadside hawk belongs to the family Accipitridae, Ciconiiformes. The specimen is common throughout Brazil inhabiting open areas, tolerating disturbed areas very well, but avoiding dense forests. The trematodes are common parasites in the intestines of birds of prey, with scant notice of pathogenic infections. However, severe infections of trematodes Strigeidae family have been previously reported as a cause of anemia, diarrhea, enteritis, weight loss and death. This paper aims to report the occurrence of infection in S. Falconis in B. magnirostris diagnosed by post mortem examination. Case: The specimen of B. magnirostris, male, young was sent for necropsy at the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid (UFERSA), Mossoró-RN, Brazil. With a history of apathy, anorexia, diarrhea and death in one course of 24 h. The free bird life and even puppy had been captured for training and practice of falconry shortly before the clinical manifestation of infection (time of captivity uninformed). On physical examination ruffled feathers, cachexia and pallor of skeletal muscle was observed. At necropsy there was severe enteritis with petechiae and accumulation of liquid contents into the duodenum. Fifty-two trematodes were found set in duodenal mucosa. The other organs and structures showed no changes. Fragments of all organs were harvested, fixed in 10% formalin buffered, routinely processed for histopathology and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE). Parasites were carefully collected, washed in saline, fixed, processed and identified according to the morphology and taxonomy. Histologically, the lesions were restricted to the duodenum and were characterized by melting, severe atrophy and necrosis of the epithelial cells of the intestinal villi; inflammatory infiltrate (consisting of lymphocytes, plasma cells and eosinophils) in the lamina propria, in addition to trematodes infiltrated the mucosa and lamina propria. These were 60-80 mm in diameter, consisted of parenchymal body enclosed by the integument. In some cross sections of the parasite was possible to observe the presence of cecum, testis and uterus, with some variations between sections; there were also yellowish eggs and coated with a delicate membrane. The trematodes contain approximately 1 mm in length and used as morphology and taxonomy has been identified as S. Falconis. Discussion: S. Falconis is a trematode intestinal parasite of birds of prey, with reports of its occurrence in Europe, North America and Central. In neotropical regions is described the occurrence of the subspecies S. Falconis brasiliana. Although the absence of clinical signs is a common pattern, parasitism by trematodes may become evident, common to captivity stress conditions, and thus infections, even for low pathogenic parasites can cause diarrhea, anorexia, weight loss and death, as reported in this paper. A factor that possibly contributed to the scant notice is its small size, which makes the observation of this parasite in analysis of necropsy in non-pathological conditions and also not familiar with the technical laboratories in the morphological shape of the eggs, which creates difficulty in finding the parasite in parasitological analysis in captive animals. Despite being considered poorly pathogenic trematodes, epidemiologically, the presence of the parasite should be considered a health risk to free-living predators, newly captive in parks, zoos, veterinary hospitals, triage center for wildlife and creators, as they may express pathogenicity in immunosuppressed animals. This work contributes to recording the presence S. falconis parasitizing the duodenal mucosa of B. magnirostris in Brazil.

MYZOBDELLA PLATENSIS (HIRUNDINIDA: PISCICOLIDAE) IS TRUE PARASITE of BLUE CRABS (CRUSTACEA: PORTUNIDAE)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Frequency of Blastocystis hominis and other intestinal parasites in stool samples examined at the Parasitology Laboratory of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the São Paulo State University, Araraquara

Blastocystis hominis é um protozoário, causador de infecção intestinal denominada blastocistose humana, cujo diagnóstico é realizado pelo exame coproparasitológico e por meio de técnicas de coloração permanente. Este estudo foi desenvolvido para avaliar a freqüência da infecção por Blastocystis hominis em habitantes da região de Araraquara/SP, bem como comparar diferentes métodos para a pesquisa desse protozoário em amostras de fezes. Foram estudadas 503 amostras de fezes submetidas ao exame direto a fresco, às técnicas de Faust e cols, Lutz e de Rugai e cols, além das colorações pela hematoxilina férrica, tricrômio e de Kinyoun modificada. Entre as 503 amostras examinadas, 174 (34,6%) apresentaram-se positivas para a presença de parasitas intestinais. O protozoário e o helminto mais freqüentes foram Entamoeba coli (14,6%) e Strongyloides stercoralis (6,7%), respectivamente. Blastocystis hominis foi observado em 23 (4,6%) amostras fecais com consistência predominantemente pastosa, não caracterizando quadro diarréico. Apesar da baixa freqüência de Blastocystis hominis encontrada na região de Araraquara, comparativamente a outras regiões brasileiras, é importante a realização do diagnóstico laboratorial desse protozoário. O encontro de Blastocystis hominis em material fecal é indicativo de contaminação de alimentos e água de consumo, desde que se admita a rota de transmissão oral-fecal desse parasita, o que implica na orientação da população sobre as medidas de saneamento básico e higiene como meio para se controlar problemas de saúde ocasionados pelos enteroparasitas.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs from São Paulo State, Brazil

The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in stray dogs, and dogs with owners was investigated by fecal examinations from 271 dogs employing sedimentation, simple flotation and centrifugation-flotation methods. The centrifugation-flotation method, when compared to simple flotation or sedimentation methods was generally more accurate in the diagnosis of all intestinal parasites, but statistical differences were detected only in relation to Giardia spp. and Cystoisospora spp. (synonym Isospora spp.). The following parasites, with their respective prevalence, were diagnosed in the fecal samples: Ancylostoma spp. (23.6%); Toxocara canis (5.5%); Trichuris vulpis (4.8%); Spirocerca lupi (1.9%); Dipylidium caninum (0.7%); Giardia spp. (12.2%); Hammondia heydorni (2.6%); Cystoisospora spp. (8.5%); and Sarcocystis spp. (2.2%). The prevalence of most parasites was similar for dogs of mixed-breed and for dogs of a defined-breed, except for Cystoisospora spp. and T canis which showed a significantly higher prevalence in mixed-breed dogs. The prevalence of Ancylostoma spp. (17.1%) was significantly lower in stray dogs than in those with an owner (31.9%) and the prevalence of Giardia spp. and Cystoisospora spp. was higher in stray dogs (P < 0.05). No effect of season on the occurrence of the different parasite genera could be observed, except for Ancylostoma spp., for which an increase in the percentage of dogs shedding eggs was observed at the beginning of Summer with a peak occurrence during April and May (Autumn). The prevalence of Ancylostoma spp., T canis, T vulpis, Giardia spp. and Cystoisospora spp. was higher in adult males than in adult females, but significant differences between the two groups occurred only with Giardia spp. Young animals were found to more frequently shed Nematode eggs in feces than adult animals. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationship of intestinal histology with the resistance to Trichostrongylus colubriformis infection in three breeds of sheep

Avaliaram-se a associação entre o número de células inflamatórias no intestino delgado e a resistência à infecção por Trichostrongylus colubriformis em ovinos de três raças (Santa Inês, Suffolk e Ile de France), naturalmente infectados. Mastócitos, eosinófilos e leucócitos globulares foram quantificados na mucosa intestinal. A concentração de histamina foi estimada em amostras teciduais do intestino, bem como foi determinado o comprimento de machos e fêmeas de T. colubriformis. A resposta celular foi similar na mucosa intestinal das três raças ovinas (P>0,05). Houve grande variação entre os ovinos em relação aos resultados parasitológicos e celulares, mesmo nos animais de mesma raça. em geral, os animais que apresentaram número menor de células inflamatórias tiveram cargas parasitárias maiores, contagens de ovos por grama de fezes mais altas e exemplares de T. colubriformis maiores. Os resultados indicaram que mastócitos, eosinófilos e leucócitos globulares prejudicaram o estabelecimento, o desenvolvimento e a sobrevivência dos parasitas.

Evaluation of a novel kit (TF-test) for the diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections

Intestinal parasitic infections are currently a source of concern for Public Health agencies in developing and developed countries. Since three ovum-and-parasite stool examinations have been demonstrated to provide sensitive results, we designed a practical and economical kit (TF-Test) that is now commercially available (Immunoassay Com. Ind. Ltda., S (a) over tildeo Paulo, Brazil). This kit allows the separate collection of three fecal specimens into a preservative solution. The specimens are then pooled, double-filtered, and concentrated by a single rapid centrifugation process. The TF-Test was evaluated in four different laboratories in a study using 1,102 outpatients and individuals living in an endemic area for enteroparasitosis. The overall sensitivity found using the TF-Test (86.2-97.8%) was significantly higher (P<0.01) than the sensitivity of conventional techniques such as the Coprotest (NIL Comercio Exterior Ltda, São Paulo, Brazil) and the combination of Lutz/Hoffman, Faust, and Rugai techniques (De Carli, Diagnostico Laboratorial das Parasitoses Humanas. Metodos e Tecnicas, 1994), which ranged from 48.3% to 75.9%. When the above combined three specimen technique was repeated with three specimens collected on different days, its sensitivity became similar (P > 0.01) to that of the TF-Test. The kappa index values of agreement for the TF-Test were consistent (P < 0.01), being higher and ranking in a better position than conventional techniques. The high sensitivity, cost/benefit ratio, and practical aspects demonstrate that the TF-Test is suitable for individual diagnosis, epidemiological inquiries, or evaluation of chemotherapy in treated communities. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

EFFECTS OF PROTEIN-DEFICIENCY AND NATURAL INTESTINAL INFECTION WITH GIARDIA-LAMBLIA ON JEJUNAL INTRAEPITHELIAL LYMPHOCYTES IN RATS OF DIFFERENT AGES

1. The interaction between experimental protein deprivation and natural intestinal infection by Giardia lamblia was studied in terms of its effects on the intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) population and morphology of the jejunal mucosa of rats of different ages.2. Young, adult and old male Wistar rats received a protein-deficient diet (2% casein) or a control diet (20% casein) for 42 days. Mucosal height and the number of lymphocytes located among 500 consecutive epithelial cells (EC) along the villi or crossing the basement membrane were determined in PAS-stained jejunal fragments.3. The number of IEL increased progressively with animal age, from 14 to 25 per 100 epithelial cells, with significant differences between age ranges. However, the number of IEL did not differ between control and protein-deficient rats in any of the age groups. The proportion of lymphocytes crossing the basement membrane was approximately two-fold greater in young (2.8/100 EC) and adult (5.8/100 EC) protein-deficient animals than in their respective controls (1.6 and 2.8/100 EC). The intensity of parasite colonization was moderate, from 3 to 5/100 EC and did not differ between groups. The pattern of morphologic changes of jejunal mucosa in protozoal infection did not differ between control and protein-deficient animals in any of the three age groups.4. We conclude that intestinal infection with Giardia lamblia probably stimulated the local immune response, masking the reduction of the IEL population induced by protein deficiency. The increase in lymphocyte numbers with age may be related to prolonged antigenic stimulation promoted by infection.

Vaccination of grazing calves with antigens from the intestinal membranes of Haemonchus contortus: effects against natural challenge with Haemonchus placei and Haemonchus similis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Molecular characterization of intestinal protozoa in two poor communities in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Role of phospholipase A(2) and tyrosine kinase in Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced disruption of epithelial integrity, histologic inflammatory damage and intestinal secretion

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Trichodina heterodentata (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae): a new parasite for Piaractus mesopotamicus (Pisces: Characidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Trichodina colisae (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae): new parasite records for two freshwater fish species farmed in Brazil

Tricodinídeos são protozoários ciliados móveis com ampla distribuição mundial; são considerados um dos agentes parasitários que mais acometem peixes cultivados. No Brasil, a maioria dos tricodinídeos que parasitam importantes espécies de peixes cultivados são desconhecidos, o que requer mais estudos taxonômicos com esse grupo de parasitos. Este estudo caracteriza morfologicamente Trichodina colisae Asmat & Sultana, 2005 de pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) e do híbrido patinga (P. mesopotamicus × P. brachypomus) cultivados, respectivamente, no Centro-Oeste e Sudeste do Brasil. Foram feitas montagens a fresco do raspado de muco da pele, nadadeiras e brânquias, fixados com metanol e, posteriormente, impregnados com nitrato de prata e coradas com Giemsa para avaliação em microscopia óptica. O presente estudo relata não só a segunda ocorrência de T. colisae no mundo, mas também a primeira ocorrência na América do Sul.