Malária na região de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil, 1980 a 1994

São apresentados dados epidemiológicos no período de 1980 a 1994 de 2.781 casos de malária assim distribuídos: DIR XII - Campinas (49,3%), DIR XV - Piracicaba (41,3%) e DIR XX - São João da Boa Vista (9,4%). O Plasmodium vivax foi encontrado em 70,6% dos pacientes; Plasmodium falciparum em 25,4% e 4% de infecção mista. Segundo a classificação epidemiológica 95% dos casos são procedentes dos Estados de Rondônia, Mato Grosso e Pará. O sexo masculino, na faixa etária de 20 a 39 anos, foi responsável por 84,3% dos casos confirmados. No período estudado foram registrados 9 casos de malária induzida: 5 por transfusões sangüíneas, 3 pelo uso de seringas e agulhas contaminadas entre os usuários de drogas e 1 caso de malária congênita. Foram registrados 5 óbitos em doentes primo-infectados por P. falciparum com diagnóstico tardio. O conjunto das variáveis estudadas permite conhecer a epidemiologia da doença na região, subsidiar e nortear o processo de descentralização do atendimento, diagnóstico e tratamento a paciente de malária, assim como o controle e a vigilância epidemiológica da endemia na região de Campinas e no Estado de São Paulo.

Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) of an urban park in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

Some bat species are able to adapt to urban areas, where they find food and roosts. Despite the high number of parks in Brazilian cities, they did not yet raise the interest of most zoologists, except for some surveys of birds and butterflies. The objectives of the present study were: (i) to inventory the bat species of Quinta da Boa Vista (QBV), a large (25 ha) urban park centrally located in densely populated Rio de Janeiro, which is Brazil's second largest metropolis; (ii) to compare the species richness observed in roosts with the richness recorded through mist netting in flight routes and near fruiting fig trees; and (iii) to analyze recaptures of bats marked in this park and recaptured in other sites and vice-versa. Sampling totaled 104 sampling nights resulting in 3,256 captures (including 133 recaptures) between April 1989 and December 2004. We also sampled roosts and received some specimens from park visitors and city workers. We documented 21 bat species, predominantly large frugivores. The number of expected species for this park was 24.0 ± 4.6, and the total sampled represented 87.5% of the expected. The recapture of bats marked in surrounding forest fragments and in QBV shows the importance of urban parks for the maintenance of bat diversity. Inspection of roosts produced two species that had not been captured with other methods. Sampling near fruiting fig trees did not differ in terms of richness from sampling carried out far from these trees or during their non-fruiting periods.

A doença de Chagas no Paraná

In recent speech in Curitiba (May 22nd, 1954), Dr. Mario Pinotti, Director, Serviço Nacional da Malaria, informed that his personnel started on February, 1953, a survey upon chagas Disease in 23 counties of the State of Paraná, South Brazil. out of 895 places surveyed, 678, or 75.7%, were infected by Triatoma infestans klug 1834 and in 234 out of those 678, or 34.5%, this vector was infected by Trypanosoma cruzi. The general natural infection of the insects examined reached 18.86%. The serological survey (Machado-Guerreiro test) was positive in 10.7% of the persons examined in jacarezinho and in 28.3% of those living in Bôa Vista. These data suggested the author to actualise the subject. During his control of severe outbreack of malaria in the North part of Paraná, from march to June 1917 he worked in 8 counties. March 1917 he photographed in Boa Vista four girls, severe cases of chronic malaria, two of which showed bi-palpebral oedema, later on considered by Dr. Pinho Simões (1943) as Romanã syndrome (created in 1935) and Prof. Salvador Mazza (1946) classified as typical cases of Chagas' Disease. now, being elapsed 36 years, the National Service of Malaria confirmed the discovery. The region surveyed was populated, in the beginning of this century, by immigrants from the State of Minas Gerais, from where the author believes that were imported the disease and its vectors. In April 1917 the A. discovered that the old town Jatahy was a big focus of Triatoma megista (now Panstrongylus megistus0. All its 43 houses were strongly infested by such hematophagus and amongst the 200 inhabitants seen many were suspicious cases of chronic cases of Chagas's Disease. In the Indians town (three tribes) of S. Pedro D' Alcantara, situated in front of Jatahy, in the left side of the river Tibagy, there were no Triatomas nor suspicious cases of trypanosomiasis. In 1919 the author started the control of the endemics by destroying the foci of Triatomas and reforming the housing. In 1946 he returned to jatahy and found the sanitary conditions of the town and its inhabitants much better. Climate of the region is favorable to spreading of all tropical diseases, being very suitable one for an extensive sanitary survey. In 1943 Dr. Pinho Simões examined 85 triatomas ( T. infestans) from six counties of the North region and found 40, or 46% infected by Trypanosoma cruzi. The highest incidences were; Joaquim Tavora 74.2% and Carlópolis 26.9%. These counties seem to be infested by Itaporanga county of São Paulo State. in 1953 Serviço nacional da Malária proved that 19 out of 23 counties surveyed were infested by Triatoma infestans. They examined 7,701 of this insect and found 1,453 positive for Trypanosoma cruzi, or 18.9%. in two counties, Jacarezinho and Sengés, were examined 2,588 human bloods, not selected, and 323, or 12.6% of such samples were positive for Chagas' Disease. This year the Malaria Service is doing insects survey in 25 other counties and DDTising infested domiciles of another eight. Such activity is very promising and should be extended to other places.

Systematics and Population Level Analysis of Anopheles darlingi

A new phylogenetic analysis of the Nyssorhynchus subgenus (Danoff-Burg and Conn, unpub. data) using six data sets {morphological (all life stages); scanning electron micrographs of eggs; nuclear ITS2 sequences; mitochondrial COII, ND2 and ND6 sequences} revealed different topologies when each data set was analyzed separately but no heterogeneity between the data sets using the arn test. Consequently, the most accurate estimate of the phylogeny was obtained when all the data were combined. This new phylogeny supports a monophyletic Nyssorhynchus subgenus but both previously recognized sections in the subgenus (Albimanus and Argyritarsis) were demonstrated to be paraphyletic relative to each other and four of the seven clades included species previously placed in both sections. One of these clades includes both Anopheles darlingi and An. albimanus, suggesting that the ability to vector malaria effectively may have originated once in this subgenus. Both a conserved (315 bp) and a variable (425 bp) region of the mitochondrial COI gene from 15 populations of An. darlingi from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Peru and Venezuela were used to examine the evolutionary history of this species and to test several analytical assumptions. Results demonstrated (1) parsimony analysis is equally informative compared to distance analysis using NJ; (2) clades or clusters are more strongly supported when these two regions are combined compared to either region separately; (3) evidence (in the form of remnants of older haplotype lineages) for two colonization events; and (4) significant genetic divergence within the population from Peixoto de Azevedo (State of Mato Grosso, Brazil). The oldest lineage includes populations from Peixoto, Boa Vista (State of Roraima) and Dourado (State of São Paulo).

Seasonal dynamics of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in the northernmost state of Brazil: a likely port-of-entry for dengue virus 4

Roraima is the northernmost state of Brazil, bordering both Venezuela and Guyana. Appropriate climate and vector conditions for dengue transmission together with its proximity to countries where all four dengue serotypes circulate make this state, particularly the capital Boa Vista, strategically important for dengue surveillance in Brazil. Nonetheless, few studies have addressed the population dynamics of Aedes aegypti in Boa Vista. In this study, we report temporal and spatial variations in Ae. aegypti population density using ovitraps in two highly populated neighbourhoods; Centro and Tancredo Neves. In three out of six surveys, Ae. aegypti was present in more than 80% of the sites visited. High presence levels of this mosquito suggest ubiquitous human exposure to the vector, at least during part of the year. The highest infestation rates occurred during the peak of the rainy seasons, but a large presence was also observed during the early dry season (although with more variation among years). Spatial distribution of positive houses changed from a sparse and local pattern to a very dense pattern during the dry-wet season transition. These results suggest that the risk of dengue transmission and the potential for the new serotype invasions are high for most of the year.

Impact of the disease: acceptability, ceiling and floor effects and reliability of an instrument on heart failure

This study evaluated the acceptability, ceiling/floor effects, and the reliability of the instrument for measuring the Impact of the Disease on the Daily Life of Patients with Valvular Disease (IDCV) when applied to 135 patients with heart failure (HF). Acceptability was evaluated by the percentage of unanswered items and by the proportion of patients who responded to all items; the ceiling/floor effects by the percentage of patients who scored in the top of 10% best and worst results of the scale, respectively. Reliability was estimated by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and stability of the measure (intraclass correlation coefficient - ICC). All patients responded to all items. Ceiling/floor effects evidenced were of moderate magnitude. The Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory for the majority of the domains and ICC> 0.90 in all the domains. The IDCV proved to be an easy to understand questionnaire, with evidence of reliability in patients with HF.

Abundância e sazonalidade de histerídeos (Coleoptera) associados ao esterco de granja aviária da Região Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Programas que visam o controle biológico precisam ser embasados principalmente em liberações de predadores e parasitóides para tentar minimizar efeitos adversos para o ambiente. Os coleópteros da família Histeridae como predam larvas de dípteros sinantrópicos podem auxiliar no controle das moscas que se desenvolvem em fezes acumuladas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar um levantamento das espécies de histerídeos em granja avícola no município de São João da Boa Vista, estado de São Paulo, verificar seu padrão sazonal de ocorrência e investigar possíveis associações entre as mesmas. As coletas foram realizadas de janeiro de 2001 a dezembro de 2002, utilizando-se dois métodos de coleta (armadilhas de solo e o funil de Berlese - Tullgren). As espécies de histerídeos encontradas foram: Euspilostus modestus, Euspilostus (Hesperosaprinus) spp., Carcinops troglodytes e Hololepta quadridentata. O número de cada espécie diferiu entre os métodos utilizados. Na armadilha de solo, E. modestus correspondeu a 87,01% do número total de indivíduos capturados, enquanto que no funil, C. troglodytes obteve maior destaque (84,38%). E. modestus e H. quadridentata apresentaram padrões de variação mensal positivamente correlacionada com a precipitação pluviométrica (P<0,05 e P<0,01, respectivamente).

A new species of Homalocerus Schoenherr from the Atlantic coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil (Coleoptera, Belidae, Belinae), with notes on color pattern and on the sclerites of the internal sac

A new species of Homalocerus Schoenherr from the Atlantic coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil (Coleoptera, Belidae, Belinae), with notes on color pattern and on the sclerites of the internal sac. Homalocerus bimaculatus sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, São Paulo) is described and illustrated, and comments on the sclerites of the internal sac of aedeagus and on color pattern are provided. The new species is compared to other similar species of the genus, being distinguished by having three clusters of carmine pubescence on pronotum and two lateral whitish oval spots located slightly before the middle of each elytron. Six species of Homalocerus, including the new one, are known from the State of São Paulo. The previously published identification key for species of Homalocerus is updated to include H. bimaculatus.

The importance of Leptospira interrogans serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola in coastal zone and in southern fields of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

This study aimed to describe the occurrence of Leptospira interrogans serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola, in coastal zone and in southern grasslands of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In each one of the four analyzed farms blood samples were collected from free-living wild animals, domestic animals and humans to perform serological testing for leptospirosis. The presence of antibodies was verified by microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The criterion adopted to consider a serum as agglutination reactant was at least 50% of leptospira for a microscopic field of 100x. From 17 blood samples collected at Chuí, five (29.41%) were positive, three (60.00%) for serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and two (40.00%) for Canicola. From 21 samples collected in the County of Santana da Boa Vista, six (28.57%) were positive, four (66.67%) for serovar Canicola and two (33.33%) for serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. From 32 samples collected at Alegrete, 10 (31.25%) were positive, seven (70.00%) for serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and three (30.00%) foro serovar Canicola. From 17 blood samples collected in Cruz Alta, three (17.64%) were positive, two (66.67%) for serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and one (33.33%) for Canicola. It is necessary to improve sanitary practices on farms in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in order to achieve success in leptospirosis control programs.

Low level resistance of goosegrass (Eleusine indica) to glyphosate in Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil

In the last growing seasons, goosegrass (Eleusine spp.) control failures have been observed following application of glyphosate on Roundup Ready® soybean in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) - Brazil, suggesting this species' resistance to the herbicide. Thus, the objectives of this study were to identify the occurrence of goosegrass resistance to the herbicide glyphosate in RS; and to determine the predominant species of the genus Eleusine, as well as the LD50 and GR50 of the suspected resistant biotypes. Two experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions: one to identify the biotypes resistant to glyphosate, and the other, a dose-response curve experiment, as well as a study of the botanical characteristics of the species. In the first experiment, 39 biotypes were tested, mainly Eleusine indica, collected with suspected resistance to glyphosate. The glyphosate dose was 2,160 g e.a. ha-1, and the control was evaluated at 28 days after treatment. All biotypes were effectively controlled,with the biotypes from the municipality of Boa Vista do Incra showing greater tolerance. Two biotypes suspected of resistance (12.1 and 12.3) and a susceptible biotype in a dose-response experiment were tested at the following doses: 0, 135, 270, 540, 1,080, 1,620, and 2,160 g e.a. ha-1. The results of this experiment showed that biotype 12.1 does not present resistance to glyphosate and biotype 12.3 has a low level resistance since it is effectively controlled by the herbicide at the maximum dose.

Vírus dengue em larvas de Aedes aegypti e sua dinâmica de infestação, Roraima, Brasil

OBJETIVO: Identificar a presença do vírus dengue em formas larvais de Aedes aegypti e relacionar a presença do vetor com índice pluviométrico e número de casos de dengue. MÉTODOS: Dezoito domicílios foram selecionados aleatoriamente para coleta de ovos em um bairro da cidade de Boa Vista (RR). Foram instaladas duas ovitrampas por domicílio e removidas após uma semana, mensalmente, de novembro de 2006 a maio de 2007. Foram calculados o índice de positividade de ovitrampa e o índice de densidade dos ovos. Após eclosão de 1.422 ovos coletados, foram formados 44 pools de no máximo 30 larvas para teste de presença do vírus dengue por meio de RT-PCR e hemi-nested PCR. O índice de incidência de dengue no período foi correlacionado com a precipitação pluvial. A associação entre essas variáveis e número de ovos coletados foi analisada pelo coeficiente de Pearson. RESULTADOS: Nenhum dos pools apresentou positividade para o vírus dengue, apesar do bairro ter apresentado elevados índices de incidência de dengue no período estudado. A densidade da população de Ae. aegypti aumentou conforme a pluviosidade, mas não apresentou correlação com índices de incidência de casos de dengue. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados sugerem que a transmissão transovariana do vírus em mosquitos ocorre a uma freqüência muito baixa e por isso sua persistência em meio urbano pode não depender desse fenômeno. A população do mosquito aumentou no período de chuvas devido à formação de criadouros; a não-correlação com o índice de incidência de dengue deve-se à possibilidade desse dado ser subestimado em períodos de epidemia.

Factors conditioning the habitat and the density of Biomphalaria tenagophila (Orbigny, 1835) in an isolated schistosomiasis focus in Rio de Janeiro city

The present work was carried out in a watercress garden in Alto da Boa Vista, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The investigation was carried out in two phases. The first one (1985-86) involved the sampling of Biomphalaria tenegophila in two areas to determine its relative populational densities. The results showed that the populations presented similar densities and dynamics. The second phase (1988-89) involved the study of the influence of some environmental factors on the establishment of B. tenagophila in watercress garden. Two factors were identified as responsible for the establishment of B. tenagophila in the garden: (1) the quality of the water entering the irrigation system, to which domestic sewage is added, and (2) alterations in the nature of the substrate, due to inadequate fertilization techniques, which employ organic matter from adjacent pigsties. Aquatic plants and hydrological parameters of the irrigation system were subsidiary factors to the establishment of B. tenagophila in the garden.

Fitness evaluation of two Brazilian Aedes aegypti field populations with distinct levels of resistance to the organophosphate temephos

In Brazil, decades of dengue vector control using organophosphates and pyrethroids have led to dissemination of resistance. Although these insecticides have been employed for decades against Aedes aegypti in the country, knowledge of the impact of temephos resistance on vector viability is limited. We evaluated several fitness parameters in two Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, both classified as deltamethrin resistant but with distinct resistant ratios (RR) for temephos. The insecticide-susceptible Rockefeller strain was used as an experimental control. The population presenting the higher temephos resistance level, Aparecida de Goiânia, state of Goiás (RR95 of 19.2), exhibited deficiency in the following four parameters: blood meal acceptance, amount of ingested blood, number of eggs and frequency of inseminated females. Mosquitoes from Boa Vista, state of Roraima, the population with lower temephos resistance level (RR95 of 7.4), presented impairment in only two parameters, blood meal acceptance and frequency of inseminated females. These results indicate that the overall fitness handicap was proportional to temephos resistance levels. However, it is unlikely that these disabilities can be attributed solely to temephos resistance, since both populations are also resistant to deltamethrin and harbour the kdr allele, which indicates resistance to pyrethroids. The effects of reduced fitness in resistant populations are discussed.

Anopheles goeldii Rozeboom & Gabaldón (Diptera, Culicidae): a species of the Nuneztovari Complex of Anopheles Meigen

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) goeldiiRozeboom & Gabaldón, 1941, a species of the Nuneztovari Complex, was described based on morphological characteristics of the male, female, larva, pupa, and eggs. The type locality is Boa Vista (= Fordlândia), a district in the vicinity of Rio Tapajós, in the municipality of Aveiro, in the state of Pará, Brazil. Anopheles goeldii is redescribed based on morphological traits of the fourth instar larva, pupa, egg, and male and female. DNA sequences from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI barcode region) of the mitochondrial genome were utilized for species characterization. Specimens of An. goeldii from the Pará, Amapá, and Amazonas states were employed to redescribe the species and to compare with morphologically similar taxa.

Deficiências e desequilíbrios de microelementos em bovinos e ovinos em algumas regiões do Brasil

O presente trabalho constitui uma continuação da publicação dos resultados dos estudos sobre deficiências minerais em bovinos e ovinos obtidos nos últimos 25 anos e que vem sendo realizados pelos autores desde a década de 50. Esses estudos consistiram na obtenção de históricos de doenças possivelmente causadas por deficiências minerais, observações de campo e exames clínicos de bovinos e ovinos afetados por essas doenças, realização de necropsias com coleta de material para exames histopatológicos e dosagens químicas de cobre, cobalto, zinco, manganês, selênio e ferro em amostras de fígado. Para alcançar também as deficiências minerais mais leves, que não provocam quadros clínico-patológicos característicos, foram coletadas amostras de fígado para análises de microelementos também no decurso do estudo de doenças de outra natureza, sobretudo das causadas por plantas tóxicas. Na interpretação, os dados analíticos foram avaliados sempre em contexto com o histórico e o quadro clínico-patológico dos animais. Deficiência de cobre foi revelada nos municípios de Barra do Bugres (Mato Grosso), Parintins (Amazonas) e Carolina (Maranhão), no nordeste de Minas Gerais, na parte sul do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, e nos municípios de Itaquí e Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul). Valores baixos de cobre foram encontrados também em bovinos afetados pela doença conhecida por "ronca", de etiologia ainda não esclarecida, no município de Aquidauana (Mato Grosso do Sul). Deficiência de cobalto foi diagnosticada nos municípios de Barra dos Bugres e Diamantina (Mato Grosso), Boa Vista (Roraima), Manaus e Itacoatiara (Amazonas), no nordeste de Minas Gerais e nos municípios de Luiz Antonio (São Paulo) e Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro). Valores baixos de cobalto também foram encontrados em bovinos afetados pela "doença do peito inchado", de etiologia ainda não esclarecida, que ocorre no leste de Santa Catarina. Valores de zinco indicando deficiência foram verificados no município de Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro). Valores baixos de manganês foram encontrados no nordeste de Minas Gerais e em bovinos afetados pela "doença do peito inchado". Valores altos de manganês foram obtidos nos municípios de Cacequí, Itaquí e Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul). Valores baixos de selênio foram verificados em amostras coletadas em Mato Grosso do Sul nos municípios de Corumbá e Aquidauana. Valores elevados de selênio foram obtidos no município de Boa Vista (Roraima). Os valores de ferro obtidos em grande parte das amostras de todos os Estados são elevados, sobretudo naquelas com baixos valores de cobre; nos animais afetados pelo "ronca" e pela "doença do peito inchado", os valores de ferro são particularmente altos. Valores baixos de ferro foram constatados em bovinos afetados pela hematúria enzoótica.