An attemp at reversibility and increase of the virulence of axenic strains of Entamoeba histolytica

In this study we have tried to verify whether the interaction "in vitro" with bacteria or small pieces of normal hamster liver would modify the pathogenic behavior of axenic strains of E. histolytica: avirulent ones (ICB-32 and ICB-RPS), of attenuated virulence (ICB-CSP and HM1) and of mean virulence (ICB-462). Every attempt to render virulent, recover or increase the virulence of axenic strains of E. histolytica has failed

SUBCUTANEOUS PHEOHYPHOMYCOSIS CAUSED BY Phoma cava: REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report a case of subcutaneous pheohyphomycosis observed in a male patient presenting pulmonary sarcoidosis and submitted to corticosteroid treatment. He presented nodular erythematous-violaceous skin lesions in the dorsum of the right hand. Histopathological examination of the biopsied lesion revealed dematiaceous hyphae and yeast-like cells, with a granulomatous tissual reaction. The isolated fungus was identified as Phoma cava. A review of the literature on fungal infection caused by different Phoma species, is presented. The patient healed after therapy with amphotericin B, followed by itraconazole

Subcutaneous scedosporiosis: Report of two cases and review of the literature

Two cases of subcutaneous scedosporiosis, caused by Scedosporium apiospermum, are reported. Both patients had lesions localized in the forearm: a solitary ulceration in one and a sporotrichoid-like lesion in the other. The literature is reviewed

Liver abscess due to Salmonella enteritidis in a returned traveler with HIV infection: case report and review of the literature

Bacteremia due to non-typhi Salmonella is more frequent in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, focal complications have been rarely described. We report a case of liver abscess due to Salmonella enteritidis in an HIV-infected patient who recently returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from a trip in the Caribbean. A good clinical and radiological response was seen with both percutaneous catheter drainage and antibiotic treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first culture proven case of non-typhi Salmonellaliver abscess in an HIV-infected patient in Brazil.

Oligodendroglioma in a patient with AIDS: case report and review of the literature

In the last years, new techniques of neuroimages and histopathological methods have been added to the management of cerebral mass lesions in patients with AIDS. Stereotactic biopsy is necessary when after 14 days of empirical treatment for Toxoplasma gondii encephalitis there is no clinical or neuroradiologic improvement. We report a woman with AIDS who developed a single focal brain lesion on the right frontal lobe. She presented a long history of headache and seizures. After two weeks of empirical treatment for toxoplasma encephalitis without response, a magnetic resonance image with spectroscopy was performed and showed a tumoral pattern with a choline peak, diminished of N-acetyl-aspartate and presence of lactate. A stereotactic biopsy was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was a diffuse oligodendroglioma type A. A microsurgical resection of the tumor was carried out and antiretroviral treatment was started. To date she is in good clinical condition, with undetectable plasma viral load and CD4 T cell count > 200 cell/uL.

Oral cysticercosis: case report and review of the literature

Cysticercosis is a condition that occurs when man is infested by the larvae of Taenia solium, acting as an intermediate host instead of definitive. Oral cysticercosis is a rare event, and it represents a difficulty in clinical diagnosis. A case of oral cysticercosis in a 23-year-old white female who presented a painless swelling in the dorsal portion of the tongue is reported. An excisional biopsy was performed and histopathological examination revealed a cystic cavity containing the tapeworm.

Serotyping and evaluation of the virulence in mice of Streptococcus suis strains isolated from diseased pigs

A total of 110 strains of Streptococcus suis, isolated from diseased pigs in Brazil were serotyped and analyzed for virulence. Serotyping of the strains resulted in the following classification: 42 strains of serotype 2 (38.2%), 10 strains of serotype 14 (9.1%), seven strains of serotype 9 (6.4%), three strains each of serotype 7 and 11 (2.7%), two strains each of serotype 1 and 8 (1.8%) and one strain each of serotypes ½, 3, 5, 6 and 10 (0.9%). Cross reactions among serotypes 1, 14 and 7 were observed in 21 strains (19.1%). Only 41.9% of the strains were lethal for mice using the pathogenicity test.

Neurologic cytomegalovirus complications in patients with AIDS: retrospective review of 13 cases and review of the literature

Neurological disorders caused by Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are rarely reported in the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) period. The objective of this study was to describe the main clinical and laboratory features of patients with CMV-related neurological complications in HIV-infected patients admitted to a referral center in São Paulo, Brazil. CMV disease requires the identification of the virus in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Thirteen cases were identified between January, 2004 and December, 2008. The median age of patients was 38 years and nine (69%) were men. At admission all patients were aware of their HIV status and only four (31%) patients were on HAART. Patients who were not on antiretroviral therapy before admission received HAART while inpatients. CMV disease was the first AIDS-defining illness in eight (62%) patients. The neurologic syndromes identified were diffuse encephalitis (n = 7; 62%), polyradiculopathy (n = 7; 54%), focal encephalitis (rhombencephalitis) (n = 1; 8%), and ventriculo-encephalitis (n = 1; 8%). Seven (54%) patients presented extra-neural CMV disease and four (31%) had retinitis. The median of CD4+ T-cell count was 13 cells/µL (range: 1-124 cells/µL). Overall in-hospital mortality was 38%. Eight patients used ganciclovir or foscarnet (in-hospital mortality: 50%) and five patients used ganciclovir and foscarnet (in-hospital mortality: 20%). None of the patients fulfilled the diagnosis criteria of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. Four patients were lost to follow-up, and three patients presented immune recovery and discontinued secondary prophylaxis. Although infrequent, distinct neurological syndromes caused by CMV continue to cause high mortality among AIDS patients. Survival depends upon the use of effective antiviral therapy against CMV and the early introduction of HAART.

Scedosporium apiospermum EUMYCETOMA SUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH ORAL VORICONAZOLE: REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE BRAZILIAN REPORTS ON SCEDOSPORIOSIS

We describe a case of white-grain eumycetoma caused by Scedosporium apiospermum in an immunocompetent host that was successfully treated with oral voriconazole, and we review the Brazilian reports on scedosporiosis.

EFFECTS OF SINGLE, BINARY AND TERTIARY COMBINATIONS WITH Jatropha gossypifolia AND OTHER PLANT-DERIVED MOLLUSCICIDES ON REPRODUCTION AND SURVIVAL OF THE SNAIL Lymnaea acuminata

The effect of sub-lethal doses (40% and 80% of LC50/24h) of plant derived molluscicides of singly, binary (1:1) and tertiary (1:1:1) combinations of the Rutin, Ellagic acid, Betulin and taraxerol with J. gossypifolia latex, leaf and stem bark powder extracts and their active component on the reproduction of freshwater snail Lymnaea acuminata have been studied. It was observed that the J. gossypifolia latex, stem bark, individual leaf and their combinations with other plant derived active molluscicidal components caused a significant reduction in fecundity, hatchability and survival of young snails. It is believed that sub-lethal exposure of these molluscicides on snail reproduction is a complex process involving more than one factor in reducing the reproductive capacity.

MENINGOENCEPHALITIS DUE TO VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS IN AIDS PATIENTS. REPORT OF ELEVEN CASES AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Neurological complications of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) are infrequent and include various clinical pictures. The reactivation of VZV in patients with AIDS is generally associated with an acute and severe meningoencephalitis. We report the epidemiological, clinical and virological data from 11 consecutive patients with diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and central nervous system (CNS) involvement due to VZV. All patients were male and seropositive for HIV. The primary risk factor for HIV infection was unprotected sexual contact. The median of CD4 T cell count was 142 cells/µL. All of them presented signs and symptoms of meningoencephalitis. Six patients (54.5%) presented pleocytosis; they all showed high CSF protein concentrations with a median of 2.1 g/dL. Polymerase chain reaction of cerebrospinal fluid specimen was positive for VZV in all of them and they were treated with intravenous acyclovir at doses of 30/mg/kg/day for 21 days. Overall survival was 63% (7 of 11 patients). The four dead patients had low cellular counts in CSF, below the median of this parameter. VZV should be included among the opportunistic pathogens that can involve CNS with a diffuse and severe meningoencephalitis in patients with advanced HIV/AIDS disease.

Association of chagasic megacolon and cancer of the colon: case report and review of the literature

There are few descriptions of association between chagasic megacolon and colon cancer. We report a case of obstructive abdomen caused by adenocarcinoma of the left colon in chagasic megacolon. A review of the literature revealed 8 cases of this association and, analyzing together the series of findings of cancer in chagasic organomegalies, we found a frequency of 4.8% in megaesophagus and 0.1% in megacolon.

Serological and parasitological study and report of the first case of human babesiosis in Colombia

A study on the presence of Babesia in humans was performed in Puerto Berrío (Latitude 6.50deg. Longitude: -74.38deg. River: Magdalena. Area: 74.410km², Colombia-South America). Indirect immunofluorescence, thin and thick blood smears were used to study 194 individuals. Patients were grouped according to their risk-factors for Babesia infection: (group 1) individuals with fever, chills, sweating and other malaria-type symptoms; (group 2) symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals from local cattle ranches, which were enrolled in an active form, and (group 3) workers from the local slaughterhouse. Seven individuals were serologically positive for Babesia: Three individuals presented IgM antibodies against B. bovis, while one had IgG against this species; one individual had IgM against B. bigemina, another had IgG and a third both IgM and IgG against this species. Only one individual was parasitologically positive for Babesiaand serologically positive for Babesia bovis (IgM 1:64)

Antimicrobial resistance and investigation of the molecular epidemiology of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy products

INTRODUCTION: Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous microorganism in nature and is responsible for listeriosis, an infectious disease caused by consumption of contaminated food. METHODS: Molecular characterization was performed on 19 strains of Listeria monocytogenes (serovars 1/2a, 1/2b, 4b and 4c), isolated from dairy products in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The molecular techniques applied were random amplification of polymorphic DNA and restriction enzyme analysis. In addition to the molecular analysis, the antimicrobial resistance profile was determined. RESULTS: The strains studied showed a low degree of diversity. In relation to the antimicrobial resistance profile of those microorganisms from the samples analyzed, all of them were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular techniques that were used presented good discriminatory power for the strains studied. Furthermore, all of the samples that were analyzed were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested.