Abdominal Angiostrongylosis in Southern Brazil - Prevalence and Parasitic Burden in Mollusc Intermediate Hosts from Eighteen Endemic Foci

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a parasitic nematode of rodents and molluscs are the intermediate hosts. Nocturnal collection of molluscs and search for infective third stage larvae of A. costaricensis was carried out in 18 endemic foci identified by the notification of a confirmed diagnosis in human biopsies or surgical specimens. Molluscs were digested in acidic solution and isolation of larvae eventually present was done in a Baermann funnel. Larvae identified by the presence of a delicate groove in the tail were counted to assess the individual parasitic burden. Four species were found infected, with ranges of prevalence in parenthesis: Phyllocaulis variegatus (7% to 33.3%); Bradybaena similaris (11.7% to 24.1%); Belocaulus angustipes (8.3% ) and Phyllocaulis soleiformis (3.3% to 14.2%). Parasitic burden varied from 1 to 75 with P. variegatus, 1 to 98 with B. similaris, 1 to 13 with B. angustipes and 1 larvae in each of two specimens of P. soleiformis. P. variegatus was present in all sites and was found infected with the highest prevalence figures and the highest individual parasitic burdens. These data stress the importance of veronicellid slugs as intermediate hosts for A. costaricensis in the endemic areas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Detection of the acute phase of abdominal angiostrongyliasis with a parasite-specific IgG enzyme linked immunosorbent assay

Angiostrongylus costaricensis may cause intestinal lesions of varied severity when it accidentally infects man in Central and South America. First-stage larvae have never been detected in stools. Therefore, a parasite-specific IgG ELISA was evaluated for the determination of the acute phase of infection. The specificity and the sensitivity of the immunoassay was shown to be 76.2% and 91.1%, respectively. Eight serum samples taken from patients with histopathological diagnosis, at different time points (3 to 15 months) after surgical treatment, showed a sharp and early decline in antibody reactivity. The titration of anti-A. costaricensis antibodies has proved to be a useful method for the diagnosis of acute abdominal angiostrongyliasis.

Schistosomiasis mansoni in low transmission areas: abdominal ultrasound

In endemic areas with low prevalence and low intensity of infection, the diagnosis of hepatic pathology due to the Schistosoma mansoni infection is very difficult. In order to establish the hepatic morbidity, a double-blind study was achieved in Venezuelan endemic areas, with one group of patients with schistosomiasis and the other one of non-infected people, that were evaluated clinically and by abdominal ultrasound using the Cairo classification. Schistosomiasis diagnosis was established based on parasitologic and serological tests. The increase of the hepatic size at midclavicular and midsternal lines (in hepatometry) and the hard liver consistency were the clinical parameters able to differentiate infected persons from non infected ones, as well as the presence of left lobe hepatomegaly detected by abdominal ultrasound. The periportal thickening, especially the mild form, was frequent in all age groups in both infected and uninfected patients. There was not correlation between the intensity of infection and ultrasound under the current circumstances. Our data suggest that in Venezuela, a low endemic area of transmission of schistosomiasis, the hepatic morbidity is mild and uncommon. The Cairo classification seems to overestimate the prevalence of periportal pathology. The specificity of the method must be improved, especially for the recognition of precocious pathology. Other causes of hepatopathies must be investigated.

Effect of blood components, abdominal distension, and ecdysone therapy on the ultrastructural organization of posterior midgut epithelial cells and perimicrovillar membranes in Rhodnius prolixus

The effects of blood components, nerve-cord severance, and ecdysone therapy on the posterior midgut epithelial cells of 5th-instar Rhodnius prolixus nymphs 10 days after feeding were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Cutting the nerve-cord of the blood-fed insects partially reduced the development of microvilli and perimicrovillar membranes (PMM), and produced large vacuoles and small electrondense granules; insects fed on Ringer's saline diet exhibited well developed microvilli and low PMM production; swolled rough endoplasmatic reticulum and electrondense granules; Ringer's saline meal with ecdysone led to PMM development, glycogen particles, and several mitochondria in the cytoplasm; epithelial cells of the insects fed on Ringer's saline meal whose nerve-cord was severed showed heterogeneously distributed microvilli with reduced PMM production and a great quantity of mitochondria and glycogen in the cytoplasm; well developed microvilli and PMM were observed in nerve-cord severed insects fed on Ringer's saline meal with ecdysone; Ringer's saline diet containing hemoglobin recovered the release of PMM; and insects fed on human plasma showed slightly reduced PMM production, although the addition of ecdysone in the plasma led to a normal midgut ultrastructural organization. We suggest that the full development of microvilli and PMM in the epithelial cells depends on the abdominal distension in addition to ingestion of hemoglobin, and the release of ecdysone.

Individual serological follow-up of patients with suspected or confirmed abdominal angiostrongyliasis

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis (AA) is a zoonotic nematode infection caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis, with widespread occurrence in the Americas. Although the human infection may be highly prevalent, morbidity is low in Southern Brazil. Confirmed diagnosis is based on finding parasitic structures in pathological examination of biopsies or surgical resections. Serology stands as an important diagnostic tool in the less severe courses of the infection. Our objective is to describe the follow up of humoral reactivity every 2-4 weeks up to one year, in six individuals with confirmed (C) and ten suspected (S) AA. Antibody (IgG) detection was performed by ELISA and resulted in gradually declining curves of reactivity in nine subjects (56%) (4C + 5S), that were consistently negative in only three of them (2C + 1S) after 221, 121 and 298 days. Three individuals (2C + 1S) presented with low persistent reacitivity, other two (1C + 1S) were serologically negative from the beginning, but also presenting a declining tendency. The study shows indications that abdominal angiostrongyliasis is usually not a persistent infection: although serological negativation may take many months, IgG reactivity is usually declining along time and serum samples pairing may add valuable information to the diagnostic workout.

Use of heterologous antigens for the immunodiagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Angiostrongylus costaricensis has a broad geographic distribution spanning from North to South America and the infections of vertebrates with this nematode can result in abdominal complications. Human infections are diagnosed by histological or serological methods because the isolation of larvae from feces is not feasible, as most parasites become trapped in intestinal tissues due to intense eosinophilic inflammation. Because A. costaricensis is difficult to maintain in the laboratory, an immunodiagnostic IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using antigens from the congeneric Angiostrongylus cantonensis species was evaluated against a panel of serum samples from patients who were histologically diagnosed with A. costaricensis infections. Sera from uninfected individuals and individuals infected with other parasites were used as controls. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were estimated at 88.4% and 78.7%, respectively. Because the use of purified or cloned antigens has not been established as a reliable diagnostic tool, the use of heterologous antigens may provide a viable alternative for the development of an ELISA-based immunodetection system for the diagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis.

An indirect immunofluorescence antibody test employing whole eggs as the antigen for the diagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease with a broad geographical distribution throughout Central and South America. This study assessed the performance of Angiostrongylus costaricensis eggs as the antigen in an indirect immunofluorescence assay for the determination of parasite-specific IgG and IgG1 antibodies. For prevalence studies, an IgG antibody titre > 16 was identified as the diagnostic threshold with the best performance, providing 93.7% sensitivity and 84.6% specificity. Cross reactivity was evaluated with 65 additional samples from patients with other known parasitic infections. Cross reactivity was observed only in samples from individuals infected with Strongyloides stercoralis. For clinical diagnosis, we recommend the determination of IgG only as a screening test. IgG1 determination may be used to increase the specificity of the results for patients with a positive screening test.

Excesso de peso e obesidade abdominal em mulheres atendidas em Unidade da Estratégia Saúde da Família

Investigou-se a prevalência de excesso de peso e obesidade abdominal e variáveis associadas em mulheres. Estudo transversal com 298 mulheres (20-59 anos), usuárias de uma unidade da Estratégia Saúde da Família, em São Paulo-SP. Considerou-se o excesso de peso: índice de massa corporal>25kg/m²; a obesidade abdominal: circunferência da cintura 0,80m ou razão cintura-quadril>0,85. Realizou-se análise de regressão logística. O excesso de peso afetou 56% das mulheres, sendo 37% sobrepeso e 19% obesidade, e associou-se com a idade, renda familiar, tabagismo e hipertensão. 59% tinham obesidade abdominal associada à idade e hipertensão. Observou-sea elevada prevalência de excesso de peso e obesidade abdominal em mulheres, reforçando a importância da avaliação de circunferência da cintura e/ou razão cintura-quadril no exame físico, além do índice de massa corporal, auxiliadores da predição de risco. Evidencia-se a necessidade de intervenções, junto à comunidade, que promovam a diminuição do excesso de peso e da obesidade abdominal.

Índice de desagregação do solo baseado em energia ultra-sônica

A estabilidade de agregados tem sido determinada por meio de peneiramento úmido, impacto de gotas e, mais recentemente, sonificação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi propor um índice baseado em níveis de energia ultra-sônica para expressar a estabilidade de agregados, utilizando material de horizontes A e B de Latossolo Roxo e Terra Roxa Estruturada. Agregados de 4,76 a 7,93 mm foram submetidos a níveis crescentes de energia ultra-sônica. O índice de dispersão (massa de agregados secos e, ou, partículas < 0,053 mm/massa inicial de agregados) foi plotado em função da energia correspondente para dispersão de cada amostra. As curvas de dispersão foram linearizadas, dividindo-se a energia pelo índice de dispersão, obtendo-se uma equação do tipo EA/ID = a + bEA. O índice de desagregação foi obtido, dividindo-se os termos b/a da equação, tendo como unidade mL J-1. Quanto menor o índice de desagregação, maior a estabilidade de agregados, principalmente para amostras dos horizontes A de ambos os solos. A vantagem desse índice sobre um único nível de energia ou mesmo o diâmetro médio geométrico se deve ao fato de ele considerar toda a faixa de energia empregada na curva de dispersão.

Nível de energia ultra-sônica para estudo da estabilidade de agregados de um Latossolo sob diferentes usos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar o nível de energia ultra-sônica mais adequado para se detectar diferenças na estabilidade de agregados influenciada pelo uso do solo. Coletaram-se três repetições de amostras de agregados <2 mm de um Latossolo Vermelho acriférrico, típico (Latossolo Roxo), do Município de Lavras, MG, sob diferentes usos: cafezal (dois e 13 anos), culturas anuais (30 anos), pastagem (26 anos), Pinus sp. e Eucaliptus sp. (ambos com 27 anos) e mata nativa. Foram aplicados 0,0, 3,0, 9,1, 18,1, 36,3, 72,5, 108,8, 145,1 e 181,4 J mL-1 de energia ultra-sônica. Maior sensibilidade combinada a menores coeficientes de variação foram observados na faixa de 30 a 90 J mL-1, destacando-se o nível de energia de 36,3 J mL-1. Com este nível a estabilidade de agregados decresce na ordem: mata, Eucaliptus sp. e Pinus sp., pastagem e cafezal com 13 anos, culturas anuais, cafezal com dois anos. Índices de dispersão aumentam com a diminuição do carbono orgânico (r entre -0,60** e -0,83**), confirmando a importância do tipo de uso do solo na estabilidade de agregados.

Estimativa da erodibilidade pela desagregação por ultra-som e atributos de solos com horizonte B textural

A erodibilidade de solos é um fator importante na estimativa das perdas por erosão. Este fator é uma expressão da combinação de atributos do solo, os quais possibilitam sua estimativa por meio de equações. O objetivo deste trabalho foi medir atributos químicos e mineralógicos que, combinados com índices de estabilidade de agregados determinados por ultra-som, pudessem ser utilizados como variáveis em modelos na estimativa da erodibilidade de solos com horizonte B textural do Brasil. Estes atributos foram determinados em 22 solos de erodibilidade conhecida, medida diretamente em parcelas no campo. Atributos de 21 dos solos foram utilizados no ajuste dos modelos. Um dos solos (Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo) foi escolhido ao acaso para teste. De 96 variáveis, 15 foram incluídas nos modelos de estimativa da erodibilidade. A maioria delas é representada por índices de desagregação por sonificação de amostras do horizonte A. Foram obtidos quatro modelos para estimar a erodibilidade, com R² variando entre 0,83** e 0,91**. A erodibilidade pode ser estimada com base na estabilidade de agregados por ultra-som.

Casein fractions of ultra high temperature milk with different somatic cell counts

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of somatic cell counts (SCC) in casein fractions of ultra high temperature (UHT) milk. Raw milks were categorized in SCC groups of low (200,000-320,000 cells mL-1), intermediate (380,000-560,000 cells mL-1) and high cells (600,000-800,000 cells mL-1). Five replicates of UHT milks within each SCC category were analyzed for casein fractions after 8, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of storage through high performance liquid chromatography. SCC showed effect only on beta-casein reduction. SCC in raw milk increases the proteolysis of UHT milk, as a consequence of beta-casein degradation.