Diphtheria toxin IgG levels in military and civilian blood donors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Serologic data on diseases that are preventable by vaccines are necessary to evaluate the success of immunization programs and to identify susceptible subgroups. In the present study, we determined serum IgG levels against diphtheria toxin of military and civilian blood donors (N = 75; 69.3% males and 30.7% females) aged 18-64 years, from the Brazilian Army Biology Institute, Rio de Janeiro, using a commercial diphtheria kit (Diphtheria IgG ELISA; IBL, Germany). Most (63%) unprotected military donors were from the older age group of 41 to 64 years. In contrast, the majority (71%) of young military donors (18 to 30 years) were fully protected. About half of the military donors aged 31 to 40 years were protected against diphtheria. Among the civilians, about 50% of persons aged 18 to 30 years and 31 to 40 years had protective antibody levels against diphtheria as also did 64% of individuals aged 41 to 64 years. All civilians had a similar antibody response (geometric mean = 0.55 IU/mL) independent of age group. Military donors aged 18-30 years had higher IgG levels (geometric mean = 0.82 IU/mL) than military donors of 41-64 years (geometric mean = 0.51 IU/mL; P > 0.05). In conclusion, the existence of a considerable proportion of susceptible adults supports the position that reliable data on the immune status of the population should be maintained routinely and emphasizes the importance of adequate immunization during adulthood.

Human papillomavirus infection among sexual partners attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cervical cancer is a major source of illness and death among women worldwide and genital infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) its principal cause. There is evidence of the influence of the male factor in the development of cervical neoplasia. Nevertheless, the pathogenic processes of HPV in men are still poorly understood. It has been observed that different HPV types can be found among couples. The objective of the present study was to investigate HPV infections in female patients (n = 60 females/group) as well as in their sexual partners and to identify the concordance of HPV genotypes among them. By using the polymerase chain reaction, we detected a 95% prevalence of HPV DNA in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) compared to 18.3% in women with normal cervical epithelium, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The HPV DNA prevalence was 50% in male partners of women with CIN and 16.6% in partners of healthy women. In the control group (healthy women), only 9 couples were simultaneously infected with HPV, and only 22.2% of them had the same virus type, showing a weak agreement rate (kappa index = 0.2). Finally, we observed that HPV DNA was present in both partners in 30 couples if the women had CIN, and among them, 53.3% shared the same HPV type, showing moderate agreement, with a kappa index of 0.5. This finding supports the idea of circulation and recirculation of HPV among couples, perpetuating HPV in the sexually active population, rather than true recurrences of latent infections.

N��veis de merc��rio em atum s��lido enlatado comercializado na cidade do Rio de Janeiro

No presente trabalho, estudou-se o n��vel de merc��rio em atum s��lido enlatado, comercializado na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Foram analisadas 39 amostras, pertencente a 5 marcas e lotes distintos, utilizando-se a espectrometria de absor����o at��mica pela t��cnica de vapor-frio. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que 53% das amostras apresentaram um teor acima do m��ximo recomendado, sendo que somente uma entre as cinco marcas estudadas apresentou todas as amostras com n��veis dentro dos limites tolerados. Tais resultados demonstram a necessidade de um maior controle da qualidade destes produtos.

Aeromonas spp. e Plesiomonas shigelloides isoladas a partir de mexilh��es (Perna perna) in natura e pr��-cozidos no Rio de Janeiro, RJ

O ecossistema aqu��tico �� o habitat de mexilh��es (Perna perna), animais filtradores que refletem a qualidade ambiental atrav��s de an��lise microbiol��gica de sua carne. No presente trabalho avaliou-se a presen��a de pat��genos emergentes (Aeromonas hydrophila e Plesiomonas shigelloides), em mexilh��es in natura e pr��-cozidos coletados por pescadores da Esta����o Experimental de Cultivo de Mexilh��es situada em Jurujuba, Niter��i, Rio de Janeiro. Foram analisadas 86 amostras de mexilh��es (43 in natura e 43 pr��-cozidos) as quais foram submetidas a enriquecimento em ��gua Peptonada Alcalina (APA) acrescida de 1 e 3% de Cloreto de S��dio (NaCl) e em solu����o Salina de Butterfield, incubadas a 37��C por 24 horas. Em seguida, foram semeadas em ��gar Seletivo para Pseudomonas-Aeromonas (GSP), ��gar Tiossulfato Citrato Bile Sacarose (TCBS) e ��gar Inositol Bile Verde Brilhante (IBB). A an��lise geral dos resultados permitiu a identifica����o de Areomonas spp e Plesiomonas shigelloides em 86% das amostras de mexilh��es in natura e pr��-cozidas avaliadas. A posterior caracteriza����o bioqu��mica permitiu a identifica����o das esp��cies Aeromonas media (37,10%), A. hydrophila (15,50%), A. caviae (14,80%), A. veronii biogrupo veronii (11,60%), Aeromonas sp. (7,36%), A. sobria (4,20%), A. trota (4,20%), A. schubertii (1,31%), A. jandaei (1,31%), A. veronii biogrupo sobria (0,52%) e Plesiomonas shigelloides (2,10%). A relev��ncia epidemiol��gica desses microrganismos em casos de gastrenterite humana, ap��s consumo de mexilh��es crus ou parcialmente cozidos, revela a import��ncia de alertar as autoridades de Sa��de P��blica no Brasil, sobre a presen��a desses pat��genos na cadeia alimentar e seus riscos para a sa��de humana.

Vibrio spp. isolados a partir de mexilh��es (Perna perna) in natura e pr��-cozidos de Esta����o Experimental de Cultivo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

A an��lise microbiol��gica dos mexilh��es reflete a qualidade do habitat aqu��tico, pois estes animais podem reter em seus organismos diversos pat��genos, dentre os quais aqueles pertencentes �� fam��lia Vibrionaceae. No presente estudo foi avaliada a presen��a de Vibrio spp. em mexilh��es (in natura e pr��-cozidos), comercializados na Esta����o Experimental de Cultivo de Mexilh��es, situada em Jurujuba, Niter��i, Rio de Janeiro. Foram avaliadas 86 amostras, tomando como procedimento, o enriquecimento em ��gua Peptonada Alcalina (APA) adicionada de 1 e 3% de NaCl, isolamento em Agar Tiossulfato Citrato Bile Sacarose (TCBS) e confirma����o das col��nias t��picas por an��lise bioqu��mica. Dentre as 12 esp��cies de Vibrio identificadas destacaram-se como de maior preval��ncia as esp��cies Vibrio alginolyticus, V. cholerae n��o-O1, V. parahaemolyticus, V. carchariae e Vibrio vulnificus. A relev��ncia epidemiol��gica destes pat��genos associada a casos de gastrenterite humana ap��s consumo de mexilh��es crus ou parcialmente cozidos, refor��a a import��ncia de alertar as autoridades de Vigil��ncia Sanit��ria sobre sua presen��a na cadeia alimentar e seus riscos para a Sa��de P��blica.

Detection of enterotoxins produced by B. cereus through PCR analysis of ground and roasted coffee samples in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Coffee is one of the most appreciated drinks in the world. Coffee ground is obtained from the fruit of a small plant that belongs to the genus Coffea. Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora robusta are the two most commercially important species. They are more commonly known as arabica and robusta, respectively. Two-thirds of Coffea arabica plants are grown in South and Central America, and Eastern Africa - the place of origin for this coffee species. Contamination by microorganisms has been a major matter affecting coffee quality in Brazil, mainly due to the harvesting method adopted. Brazilian harvests are based on fruits collected from the ground mixed with those that fall on collection cloths. As the Bacillus cereus bacterium frequently uses the soil as its environmental reservoir, it is easily capable of becoming a contaminant. This study aimed to evaluate the contamination and potential of B. cereus enterotoxin genes encoding the HBL and NHE complexes, which were observed in strains of ground and roasted coffee samples sold in Rio de Janeiro. The PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) results revealed high potential of enterotoxin production in the samples. The method described by Speck (1984) was used for the isolation of contaminants. The investigation of the potential production of enterotoxins through isolates of the microorganism was performed using the B. cereus enterotoxin Reverse Passive Latex Agglutination test-kit (BCET-RPLA, Oxoid), according to the manufacturer's instructions. The potential of enterotoxin production was investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for hblA, hblD and hblC genes (encoding hemolysin HBL) and for nheA, nheB and nheC genes (encoding non-hemolytic enterotoxin - NHE). Of all the 17 strains, 100% were positive for at least 1 enterotoxin gene; 52.9% (9/17) were positive for the 3 genes encoding the HBL complex; 35.3% (6/17) were positive for the three NHE encoding genes; and 29.4% (5/17) were positive for all enterotoxic genes.