Infectious disease among enslaved African Americans at Eaton's Estate, Warren County, North Carolina, ca. 1830-1850

The skeletal remains of 17 people buried in the Eaton Ferry Cemetery in northern North Carolina provide a means of examining health and infectious disease experience in the XIX century South. The cemetery appears to contain the remains of African Americans enslaved on the Eaton family estate from approximately 1830-1850, and thus offers a window into the biological impacts of North American slavery in the years preceding the Civil War. The sample includes the remains of six infants, one child, and one young and nine mature adults (five men, four women, and one unknown). Skeletal indices used to characterize health and disease in the Eaton Ferry sample include dental caries, antemortem tooth loss, enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal lesions, lytic lesions, and stature. These indicators reveal a cumulative picture of compromised health, including high rates of dental disease, childhood growth disruption, and infectious disease. Specific diseases identified in the sample include tuberculosis and congenital syphilis. Findings support previous research on the health impacts of slavery, which has shown that infants and children were the most negatively impacted segment of the enslaved African American population.

Diversidade de Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) coletados com armadilha de interceptação de vôo no Refúgio Ecológico Charles Darwin, Igarassu-PE, Brasil

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar riqueza, abundância, diversidade e equitabilidade das espécies de Scarabaeinae em dois ambientes no Refúgio Ecológico Charles Darwin (RECD), Pernambuco. As coletas foram realizadas com armadilha de interceptação de vôo entre os meses de Abril e Junho de 2007, totalizando seis coletas. Foram capturados 4576 escarabeíneos, pertencentes a 35 espécies, 15 gêneros e seis tribos. Sete novos registros de espécies foram feitos para Pernambuco, passando de 26 para 33 espécies. As tribos registradas foram Canthonini, Ateuchini, Coprini, Phanaeini, Eurystenini e Onthophagini. Os gêneros melhor representados foram: Dichotomius com 84,6% dos besouros coletados, seguido por Canthidium com 7,62% e Canthon com 2,48%. A espécie Dichotomius aff.sericeus foi a mais abundante com 3889 indivíduos. Em todo o estudo foram verificadas 17 espécies para a área aberta, sendo 11 restritas a esse ambiente, enquanto para mata foram registradas 24, sendo 18 espécies restritas. Grande parte dos indivíduos capturados na mata foi da espécie D. aff.sericeus, enquanto no ambiente aberto nenhum indivíduo desta espécie foi coletado. Os estimadores indicaram uma estimativa máxima de riqueza de 21 espécies para o ambiente aberto e 32 espécies para o ambiente de mata. A curva de acumulação de espécies baseada em valores de riqueza observada média para os dois ambientes do RECD, não apresentou tendência a assíntota.

The diagnostic importance of species specific and cross-reactive components of Taenia solium, Echinococcus granulosus, and Hymenolepis nana

Sera from patients infected with Taenia solium, Hymenolepis nana and Echinococcus granulosus were tested against homologous and heterologous parasite antigens using an ELISA assay, and a high degree of cross-reactivity was verified. To identify polypeptides responsible for this cross reactivity, the Enzyme Linked Immunoelectro Transfer Blot (EITB) was used. Sera from infected patients with T.solium, H.nana, and E.granulosus were assessed against crude, ammonium sulphate precipitated (TSASP), and lentil-lectin purified antigens of T.solium and crude antigens of.H.nana and E.granulosus. Several bands, recognized by sera from patients with T.solium, H.nana, and E.granulosus infections, were common to either two or all three cestodes. Unique reactive bands in H.nana were noted at 49 and 66 K-Da and in E.granulosus at 17-21 K-Da and at 27-32 K-Da. In the crude cysticercosis extract, a specific non glycoprotein band was present at 61-67 K-Da in addiction to specific glycoprotein bands of 50, 42, 24, 21, 18, 14, and 13 K-Da. None of the sera from patients with H.nana or E.granulosus infection cross reacted with these seven glycoprotein bands considered specific for T.solium infection.

Monoclonal antibody to serotype 17 of Neisseria meningitidis and their prevalence in Brazilian States

Neisseria meningitidis are gram-negative diplococci responsible for cases of meningococcal disease all over the world. The epidemic potential of N. meningitidis serogroup B and C is clearly a function of their serotype antigens more than of their capsular polysaccharides. Until recently, hiperimmune sera were used to detect typing antigens on the bacteria. The advent of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) offered the opportunity to eliminate many of the cross-reactions and have improved the accuracy and reproducibility of meningococcal serotyping. We have produced a MAb to the outer membrane protein of the already existent serotype 17 that have been detected by the use of hiperimmune rabbit sera. The prevalence of this serotype epitope is low in the Brazilian strains. By using the MAb 17 we could not decrease the percentage of nontypeable serogroup C strains. However, there were a decreasing in nontypeable strains to 13% into serogroup B strains and to 25% into the other serogroups.

Aseptic meningitis in a large MMR vaccine campaign (590,609 people) in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 1998

The aseptic meningitis after Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine (MMR) is a well recognized complication, and different incidences have been observed in several studies. We retrospectively analyzed forty cases of aseptic meningitis, during a large public immunization campaign (1998) in Curitiba, Southern Brazil (590,609 people), admitted in our Service. The vaccine utilized was Leningrad-3-Zagreb mumps strain, Edmonston-Zagreb measles strain, and RA 27#3 rubella strain. In all county, a total number of 87 cases were reported, resulting in a incidence of 1.7 cases per 10,000 given doses . The mean age was 23.7 ± 12.8 years. The female:male ratio was 1.35:1. Severe headache with meningismus (92.5%), fever (87.5%), nausea/vomiting (82.5%) were the most common clinical findings. Three cases (7.5%) developed mild mumps. All patients underwent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tap with the following findings: mononuclear pleocytosis from 100 to 500 cells/mm³ in 17 cases (42.5%; 257.5 ± 260.6 cells/mm³); increased protein 28 cases (67.5%; 92.1 ± 76.9 mg/dL); glucose was normal in all cases (56.8 ± 11.2 mg/dL) except in 4 (10%) cases, which presented less than 44 mg/dL. All serological tests (latex to bacterial meningitis, Cryptococcus, cysticercosis, VDRL) and bacteriological cultures were negative. Virus identification were also negative in 8 samples. None of the patients had neurological deficits or related symptoms after one year of onset. We believe the benefit of vaccination clearly outweights the incidence of benign vaccine-associated meningitis.

Infecção experimental de Calomys callosus (Rengger, 1830), (Cricetidae - Rodentia) a quatro espécies de parasitos

Neste trabalho foram estudados exemplares do roedor, Calomys callosus, nascidos em laboratório, a infecções experimentais com quatro parasitos: Plasmodium berghei, Leishmania mexicana amazonensis, Schistosoma mansoni e Hymenolepsis nana. A positividade das infecções foi de 80% para os três primeiros parasitos e 0 para H. nana. C. callosus é um roedor de excelente adaptação em laboratório e de fácil manuseio. Acredita-se que, de acordo com os resultados obtidos neste trabalho, este animal poderia ser um bom modelo experimental de laboratório para certos agentes patogênicos.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis: presentation and problems of patient management

We report our experience with the diagnosis and treatment of 60 patients with American cutaneous leishmaniasis. They were infected in Panama (55), Brazil (4) or Colombia (I). Among 35 patients with a 3 week exposure in Panama, the mean maximum incubation period was 33 days (range 4-81 days). Diagnosis was delayed an average of 93 days after onset of skin lesions, due to the patient's delay in seeking medical attention (31 days), medical personnel's delay in considering the diagnosis (45 days), and the laboratory's delay in confirming the diagnosis (17 days). Forty-four patients (73%) developed ulcers typical of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Sixteen additional patients (27%) had atypical macular, papular, squamous, verrucous or acneiform skin lesions that were diagnosed only because leishmanial cultures were obtained. Of the 59 patients treated with pentavalent antimonial drugs, only 34 (58%) were cured after the first course of treatment. Lesions which were at least 2 cm in diameter, ulcerated, or caused by Leishmania braziliensis were less likely to be cured after a single course of treatment than were lesions smaller than 2 cm, nonulcerated or caused by Leishmania mexicana or Leishmania donovani.

Estudo evolutivo da leishmaniose mucosa (7 a 17 anos de seguimento) causada por Leishmania (Viannia ) braziliensis em Três Braços, Bahia

No período de agosto a dezembro de 1993 realizou-se um levantamento de 77 pacientes da casuística de leishmaniose mucosa do programa de Três Braços, registrada no período de 1976 a 1986. Encontrou-se 65 pacientes vivos e 12 falecidos. Os primeiros foram submetidos a exame clínico geral e otorrinolaringológico e à pesquisa de anticorpos por imunofluorescência indireta. Os pacientes com lesões ativas foram submetidos à biópsia da mucosa nasal para isolar o parasita em meio de cultura NNN a partir da inoculação direta do material ou das lesões desenvolvidas no hamster e para estudo histopatológico. Todos os isolados foram caracterizados como Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis utilizando anticoipos monoclonais. Cinqüenta e seis (86%) pacientes estavam curados e nove (13%) encontravam-se com lesões ativas. Entre os pacientes falecidos, cinco (41%) estavam curados no momento do óbito. O programa teve 79% de pacientes curados ao longo de 17 anos. O tempo médio de seguimento clínico foi de 10 anos (7-17 anos). A doença como causa-mortis foi sugerida em 3 casos.

Caracterização biológica, histopatológica e análise de ácido nucléico de uma cepa Trypanosoma cruzi da região de Marília, SP

Estudou-se o comportamento biológico e histopatológico de uma cepa genuínamente mariliense de Trypanosoma cruzi, isolada em 1997 através de xenodiagnóstico artificial. Vinte e cinco camundongos swiss foram infectados intraperitonealmente, sendo 11 utilizados para a realização da curva parasitêmica e observação da morfologia dos tripomastigotas e 14 foram sacrificados após o 17, 23, 30, 60 e 180 dias pós-infecção e coletados coração, esôfago, fígado, cólon, e músculo esquelético (fragmento da coxa direita) para análise histopatológica. Cultura em meio LIT foi realizada para análise de DNA. Os resultados mostraram predomínio de formas largas, baixa parasitemia com picos médios de 860 tripomastigotas/5mil de sangue ao redor do 20º dia de infecção. Nenhum camundongo morreu na fase aguda da infecção. Exame histopatológico mostrou poucos ninhos de amastigotas em coração, raros em músculo esquelético e cólon com discreto processo inflamatório. Comparada com a cepa Y, que foi isolada de uma paciente da mesma região, notamos diferentes características biológicas e comportamentais, porém a análise de DNA as coloca no mesmo grupo, demonstrando a proximidade dessas cepas.