Pig bite in Brazil: a case series from a teaching hospital

A retrospective survey done from 1987 till 1990 revealed that 23 patients bitten by pigs sought medical help at a teaching hospital in Uberlândia, in southeastern Brazil. Most cases (21) were from Uberlândia. The cases were evenly distributed by month and by year; most of them (14/16; 87.5%) occurred between 7. OOa.m. and 7.00 p. m. The male to female ratio was 6.7:1. Age ranged from 6 to 73 (mean 38.95 ± SD 22.06, median 36). The bites were more common on the upper limbs, particularly on the forearms. In 11(47.8%) cases the injury was described as deep. In most cases where information was available the injury was related to capture, transport or immobilisation ofthe pigfor slaughter. The following medical procedures were performed: local cleansing in 19(82.6%) cases, rabies vaccine (12; 52.2%), antirabies serum (2; 8.7%), suturing (6; 26.1%) and tetanus vaccine (12; 52.2%). There was no case of infection at the bite site, neither of rabies or tetanus. By our data, the annual incidence of pig bite in Uberlândia can be estimated to be about 1.5/100.000.

Viral etiology of acute respiratory infections among children in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

Although acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of child morbidity and mortality in Southern Brazil, little information is available on their seasonality and viral etiology. This study was conducted on children under 5 years of age with ARI to assess viral etiology in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, from 1990 to 1992. A total of 862 nasopharyngeal secretion (NPS) samples were tested using indirect immunofluorescence. The results showed that 316 (36.6%) NPS samples were positive: 26.2% for RSV, 6% for adenovirus, 1.7% for influenzaviruses, 1.5% for parainfluenzaviruses, and 1.2% for mixed infection. The mean viral prevalence rates in out-patient services, emergency wards, and in-patient hospital wards were 26.7%, 53% and 42.3%, respectively. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus accounted for 91.4 % of the viral diagnoses. RSV was more frequent in children under one year of age at the three levels of health care and was prevalent in infants under six months. Adenovirus was the most prevalent pathogen in hospitalized children, in 1992. Influenza A virus showed an increased prevalence with age among out-patient children. This study shows the annual occurence of viral respiratory infections in the coldest months, with a significant annual variation in the frequency of RSV infection.

O trabalho de campo em Medicina Tropical: objetivos, planejamento e aspectos operacionais

O trabalho de campo é de fundamental importância ao conhecimento das chamadas doenças tropicais. Ele permite estabelecer com mais precisão a prevalência das doenças endêmicas e de suas conseqüências sócio-econômicas; propicia o estudo das diversas variantes clínicas das enfermidades, dos fatores epidemiológicos desencadeantes e mantenedores de determinada condição mórbida no ambiente do campo onde ocorrem, proporcionando a investigação do agente etiológico, dos diversos reservatórios e vetores nas condições naturais de transmissão. Este artigo aborda objetivos e questões relevantes de ordem estrutural, logística e operacional no desempenho deste tipo de investigação.

Piomiosite tropical: apresentações atípicas

A piomiosite tropical é uma infecção primária dos músculos, que ocorre principalmente em países tropicais. Inicialmente, suas manifestações são leves e inespecíficas, o que dificulta o diagnóstico. A história natural dessa doença costuma ser benigna, com raras complicações. Essa apresentação descreve quatro casos de piomiosite, com manifestações e complicações peculiares.

An estimation of the frequency of gestational toxoplasmosis in the Brazilian Federal District

Acute infections by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy (gestational toxoplasmosis) are known to cause serious health problems to the fetus (congenital toxoplasmosis). In Brasília, there have been few studies on the incidence of toxoplasmosis. This report summarizes a retrospective study performed on 2,636 selected pregnant women attended by the public health system of Guará, a satellite-city of Brasília. In this survey, 17 cases of gestational toxoplasmosis were detected; 15 of which were primary maternal infection and the remaining 2 were consistent with secondary maternal infection. These results suggest an annual seroconversion rate of 0.64 percent (90 percent confidence interval: 0.38, 0.90).

Caracterização molecular do HTLV-1 em pacientes com paraparesia espástica tropical/mielopatia associada ao HTLV-1 em Belém, Pará

O presente estudo avaliou a ocorrência da infecção pelo HTLV-1 e seus subtipos em amostras de sangue de pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de paraparesia espástica tropical/mielopatia associada ao Htlv-1. A detecção da infecção pelo HTLV realizou-se através de testes sorológico e molecular. Cinco amostras estavam infectadas pelo HTLV-1 do subtipo Cosmopolita, subgrupo Transcontinental. Os resultados obtidos confirmam a ocorrência de infecção pelo HTLV-1 em pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de paraparesia espástica tropical/mielopatia associada ao Htlv-1em Belém, Pará.