DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients undergoing anti-tuberculosis treatment

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic infectious disease, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Expression of iNOS and consequent production of NO during the inflammatory process is an important defense mechanism against TB bacteria. We have tested whether pulmonary TB patients undergoing anti-tuberculosis treatment present DNA damage, and whether this damage is related to oxidative stress, by evaluating total hydrophilic antioxidant capacity and iNOS expression. DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients and healthy tuberculin test (PPD) positive controls was evaluated by single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay), and iNOS expression was measured by qPCR. We also evaluated total hydrophilic antioxidant capacity in plasma from patients and controls. Compared to controls, pulmonary TB patients under treatment presented increased DNA damage, which diminished during treatment. Also, the antioxidant capacity of these individuals was increased at the start of treatment, and reduced during treatment. TB patients showed lower iNOS expression, but expression tended to increase during treatment. Our results indicate that pulmonary TB patients under anti-TB treatment exhibit elevated DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This damage was not related to nitric oxide but may be due to other free radicals. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teste tuberculínico em indivíduos com infecção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana: relação com número de linfócitos T periféricos e atividade tuberculosa

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os resultados do teste tuberculínico e relacioná-los com a presença ou não de tuberculose em atividade e com a contagem de linfócitos T CD4+/CD8+. MÉTODOS: Foram revisados 802 prontuários de pacientes com síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida atendidos no período de agosto de 1985 a março de 2003. Cento e oitenta e cinco pacientes realizaram o teste tuberculínico (23,1%) e, destes, 107 eram do sexo masculino (57,8%). A média de idade no grupo de reatores ao teste tuberculínico foi de 30,6 anos, com desvio-padrão de 6,62 anos, e entre os não reatores de 34,45 anos com desvio-padrão de 10,32 anos. Foram constituídos dois grupos de estudo: reatores ao teste tuberculínico, com 28 pacientes, e não reatores ao teste tuberculínico, com 157 pacientes. RESULTADOS: Grande parte dos indivíduos foi pouco responsiva ao teste tuberculínico. Constatou-se, no grupo de reatores, maior porcentagem de indivíduos com tuberculose ativa à época da realização do teste, quando se comparou com os não reatores. Dez pacientes entre os reatores e onze entre os não reatores apresentavam alguma forma clínica de tuberculose em atividade à época da realização do teste, sendo que seis do primeiro grupo e oito do segundo tinham contagem de linfócitos T CD4+ menor que 200 células/mm³. CONCLUSÃO: Indurações maiores do que 5 mm não se relacionaram com contagens absolutas mais altas de células T CD4+.

Aspectos epidemiológicos da tuberculose pulmonar nos municípios de Botucatu, Conchas, São Manuel e Avaré, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, de 1963 a 1972

O diagnóstico da situação da tuberculose pulmonar nos Municípios de Botucatu, Conchas, São Manuel e Avaré, SP, Brasil, baseou-se na prevalência e risco de infecção em escolares de lª série, em 1972, e em dados de morbidade e mortalidade específica, de 1963 a 1972. Realizou-se inquérito tuberculínico em 2.913 escolares, com PPD 23 RT-2UT; foram analisados os prontuários de 718 casos inscritos no CSI de Botucatu e os atestados de óbito de residentes, incluindo-se os ocorridos em hospitais especializados. As taxas de prevalência de infecção para os quatro Municípios foram respectivamente 2,4%; 6,8%; 1,9% e 4,5%. Para a idade de 7,5 anos, os riscos de infecção foram: 0,27%; 0,32; 0,20% e 0,34%. O nível de infecção apurado caracterizou o conjunto como área de média prevalência da tuberculose pulmonar. Os índices de prevalência de infecção relacionaram-se diretamente à incidência de casos bacilíferos de cada Município. em 530 casos com baciloscopia, houve 62,0% de positividade. As formas radiológicas moderada e avançada predominaram principalmente em adultos jovens do sexo masculino. Foram registradas alta taxa de abandono (39,5%}, baixo percentual de cura (17,9%) e 3,4% de óbitos; ao redor de 32,0% estava em tratamento. Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas das proporções de abandono, segundo procedência por Município ou formas da doença. Invocaram-se razões técnico-administrativas do sistema vigente para explicar esses achados. A incidência média de casos confirmados, no período, foi de 35,4 em Conchas, 33,1 em Avaré, 23,7 em Botucatu e 18,5 em São Manuel (por 100.000). Com casos confirmados e suspeitos os índices foram: 57,6; 48,8; 43,8 e 35,3. Os índices médio-anuais de mortalidade, foram: 7,6 em Botucatu, 12,14 em Conchas, 5,0 em São Manuel e 18,7 em Avaré (por 100.000). Apenas em Botucatu registrou-se declínio das taxas de mortalidade de 1963 a 1972. A mortalidade específica em adultos jovens ainda era elevada, predominando no sexo masculino, principalmente em Conchas. Sublinhou-se a necessidade de descentralizar as atividades antituberculose para atingir um controle eficiente.

Direct Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Bovine Lymph Nodes by PCR

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Murine alpha-2-macroglobulin increase during inflammatory responses and tumor growth

Objective and Design: To determine the alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha2M) levels in mice during acute and chronic inflammatory responses. Materials and Methods: Inflammation was induced by one of the following stimuli: carrageenin, zymosan, lipopolysacharide, thioglycollate, bacilli Calmette Guerin, PPD (in pre-immunized and non-immunized animals) and tumor cells. The concentration of alpha2M was determined in plasma or peritoneal liquid by electroimmunoassay. Results: In all the treatments employed, the plasma levels of alpha2M were higher than in untreated animals. This increase varied from 9%, 24 h after injection up a maximum of 66% 72 h post-injection. When compared to animals injected only with saline, the increases were significant 48 h after treatment with either zymosan or LPS, and 72 h after treatment with either thioglycollate or carrageenin. Treatment with BCG triggers an increase in alpha2M levels after 24 h (18.60%) and 48 h (27.90%). Immunized mice presented higher levels of this protein than non-immunized animals after challenge with PPD. The growth of Ehrlich tumor cells in the peritoneal cavity was directly correlated with the local levels of alpha2M which increased 3.5 fold, 10 days after injection. Conclusions: These results strongly indicate that in mice, the concentration of alpha2M can increase during acute and chronic inflammatory reactions with kinetics dependent on the particular kind of inflammatory agent.

Prevalência de reagentes ao teste de tuberculinização no rebanho bovino leiteiro da região de São Carlos - SP

Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease readily transmitted between animals and humans, is an great threat to public and animal health a like and has been declared an international emergency. According to the WHO, animal TB is a source of much concern, especially in the poorer countries where there is little awareness of the problem. Thus, improvements in veterinary health are essential, with regard to infection by Mycobacterium bovis, particularly in areas where the public is at risk. The prevalence of infected animals in Brazil is about 1%, whereas, in the dairy cattle region of São Carlos, the average proportion of positive tests was found to be 3. 1% from 1987 to 1996. The current research was carried out to investigate the prevalence, in the region, of dairy cattle reacting positively to the tuberculin test, from 1997 to the first half of 2001. The results were obtained by searching through the data collected by the Federal Inspection Authority, and they indicated an average prevalence of 1.3% over the period, similar to the official national average. It was concluded that bovine TB continues to be present in the region, posing a potential threat of infection to the human population.

Ocorrência de tuberculose em um hospital psiquiátrico do interior de Goiás

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of infection, disease and eventual institutional outbreak of tuberculosis in a psychiatric hospital using the PPD test, as well as testing for mycobacteria in material collected from the respiratory tree and using molecular tracking technique based on insertion sequence 6110 (IS6110). Methods: Between February and August of 2002, PPD tests were given to 74 inpatients and 31 staff members at a psychiatric hospital in the city of Rio Verde, located in the state of Goiás, Brazil. In addition, respiratory tree material collected from the inpatients was submitted to testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results: Among the patients analyzed, mycobacteria were isolated from five (6.8%): four identified as M. tuberculosis and one as M. chelonae. The M. tuberculosis isolates were sensitive to isoniazid and rifampicin, and, when submitted to the restriction fragment length polymorphism/IS6110 technique, presented unique genetic profiles, totally distinct from one another, suggesting that all of the tuberculosis cases were due to endogenous reactivation. It was not possible to characterize this group of cases as an institutional outbreak. Performing the two-step tuberculin test in the patients, the infection rates were 23% and 31%, compared with 42% among staff members, who were submitted to the one-step test. Conclusion: The results indicate a high incidence of tuberculosis infection among inpatients and hospital staff, as well as a high occurrence of the disease among inpatients.

Tendência da tuberculose em pacientes internados no hospital Nestor Goulart Reis de Américo Brasiliense-SP no período de 1994 a 2004 e prevalência da infecção entre os funcionários deste hospital em 2005

Pós-graduação em Biociências e Biotecnologia Aplicadas à Farmácia - FCFAR

Perfil epidemiológico da tuberculose urogenital no Distrito Federal, Brasil, em nove anos (2001 a 2009)

Pós-graduação em Ginecologia, Obstetrícia e Mastologia - FMB

Tuberculosis prevalence and risk factors for water buffalo in Para, Brazil

The prevalence of and possible risk factors for tuberculosis were studied in water buffalo from Para, Brazil. In this study, 3,917 pregnant and nonpregnant female Murrah and Mediterranean buffaloes were studied; 2,089 originated from Marajo Island, and 1,108 were from the mainland. The comparative cervical tuberculin test was used as a diagnostic test for tuberculosis in these animals. The prevalence of positive buffaloes was 3.5 % (100/2,809) on Marajo Island and 7.2% (80/1,108) on the mainland. The municipalities with the highest tuberculosis prevalence rates in animals were Ipixuna do Para (10.1 %), Marapanim (9.8 %), Chaves (9.4 %), Paragominas (8.6 %), and Cachoeira do Arari (6.7 %). The tuberculosis prevalence was not significantly different between the Murrah (4.3 %) and Mediterranean (4.8 %) breeds or between pregnant (5%) and nonpregnant (4.3%) buffaloes. Tuberculosis was detected in water buffaloes from Para, Brazil; the mainland buffalo exhibited the highest tuberculosis prevalence. These results indicate that this disease is dangerous to public health and buffalo farming in Para.