Effects of fumonisin B1 on selected biological responses and performance of broiler chickens

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of three doses of fumonisin B1 (0, 100, and 200mg/kg of feed) on biological variables (relative weight of liver [RWL], total plasma protein [TPP], albumin [Alb], calcium [Ca], phosphorus [P], uric acid [UA], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], gamma glutamyltransferase [GGT], alkaline phosphatase [AP], total cholesterol [Chol], triglycerides [Tri], sphinganine-to-sphingosine ratio [SA:SO], and C-reactive protein [CRP]), morphological evaluation of the small intestine (villus height [VH], crypt depth [CD], and villus-to-crypt ratio [V:C]), histological evaluation, and on performance (body weight [BW], feed intake [FI], and feed conversion rate [FCR]) of broiler chickens. Significant effects of FB were observed on BW and FI (reduced), on RWL, TPP, Ca, ALT, AST, GGT, Chol, and Tri (increased) at both 14 and 28 days evaluations. In addition, significant increase was observed on FCR, Alb, P, SA:SO, and CRP and significant reduction in UA, VH, and V:C only at the 28 days evaluation. Significant histological lesions were observed on liver and kidney of FB inoculated broilers at 14 and 28 days. Those results show that FB has a significant effect on biological and histological variables and on performance of broiler chickens.

Use of nucleotides in weanling rats with diarrhea induced by a lactose overload: effect on the evolution of diarrhea and weight and on the histopathology of intestine, liver and spleen

Until recently, dietary sources of nucleotides were thought not to be essential for good nutrition. Certain states with higher metabolic demands may require larger amounts that cannot be provided by endogenous production. The objective of the present study was to determine the action of nucleotides on the recovery from lactose-induced diarrhea in weaned rats. Thirty-six weanling Fisher rats were divided into two groups. Group 1 received a standard diet and group 2 received a diet containing lactose in place of starch. On the 10th day, six animals per group were sacrificed for histopathological evaluation. The remaining animals were divided into two other subgroups, each with 6 animals, receiving a control diet, a control diet with nucleotides (0.05% adenosine monophosphate, 0.05% guanosine monophosphate, 0.05% cytidine monophosphate, 0.05% uridine monophosphate and 0.05% inosine monophosphate), a diet with lactose, and a diet with lactose and nucleotides. On the 32nd day of the experiment all animals were sacrificed. Animals with diarrhea weighed less than animals without diarrhea. The introduction of nucleotides did not lead to weight gain. Mean diet consumption was lower in the group that continued to ingest lactose, with the group receiving lactose plus nucleotides showing a lower mean consumption. Animals receiving lactose had inflammatory reaction and deposits of periodic acid-Schiff-positive material in intestinal, hepatic and splenic tissues. The introduction of nucleotides led to an improvement of the intestinal inflammatory reaction. In lactose-induced diarrhea, when the stimulus is maintained - lactose overload - the nucleotides have a limited action on the weight gain and on recovery of intestinal morphology, although they have a protective effect on hepatic injury and improve the inflammatory response.

IgA production, coliforms analysis and intestinal mucosa morphology of piglets that received probiotics with viable or inactivated cells

Two types of probiotics were used in piglets. One product is a mixed culture of viable Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium e Bifidobacterium bifidum. The second product is composed of inactivated Lactobacillus acidophilus cells. The piglets received two weekly oral doses for 30 days while a control group did not receive probiotics. All piglets were euthanized at the 30th day of life and the mesenteric lymph nodes, the small intestine, and blood samples were collected. The tissue samples were studied by light microscopy and the blood serum was analyzed by ELISA method. The treatment with the probiotic with viable cells produced higher serum levels of IgA (P<0.05) and more IgA expressing cells were found in the mesenteric lymph nodes than observed in the inactivated cells treatment or control groups (P<0.05). Also, intestinal villi were longer, crypts were deeper (P<0.05) and fecal coliform count was lower than found in the inactivated product (P<0.05). These results suggest that viable probiotics are more efficient than inactivated probiotics to induce immunostimulation and intestinal modifications in piglets, thus improving their health and development.

Intestinal spirochetosis: first cases reported in Brazil and the use of immunohistochemistry as an aid in histopathological diagnosis

Colonization of the colon and rectum by intestinal spirochetes is detected for the first time in Brazil in 4 of 282 (1.41%) patients who had undergone sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy with a histopathological diagnosis of chronic non specific-colitis. This frequency is probably understimated, since surgically obtained specimens were not considered in the present study. Histopathological diagnosis was performed using routine stains like hematoxylin-eosin which showed the typical, of 3-µm thick hematoxyphilic fringe on the brush border of the surface epithelium, and by silver stains like the Warthin-Starry stain. Immunohistochemical procedures using two, polyclonal, primary antibodies, one against Treponema pallidum and the other against Leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae cross-reacted with spirochetal antigen/s producing a marked contrast of the fringe over the colonic epithelium, preserving the spiral-shaped morphology of the parasite. In one case with marked diarrhea, immunohistochemistry detected spirochetal antigen/s within a cell in an intestinal crypt, thus demonstrating that the infection can be more widely disseminated than suspected using routine stains. Immunohistochemical procedures, thus, greatly facilitate the histological diagnosis of intestinal spirochetosis and may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy performed in one case showed that the spirochete closely resembled the species designated as Brachyspira aalborgi.

Acute intestinal anisakiasis in Spain: a fourth-stage Anisakis simplex larva

A case of acute intestinal anisakiasis has been reported; a nematode larva being found in the submucosa of the ileum of a woman in Jaén (Spain). The source of infection was the ingestion of raw Engraulis encrasicholus. On the basis of its morphology, the worm has been identified as a fourth-stage larva of Anisakis simplex. In Spain, this is the ninth report of human anisakiasis and also probably the first case of anisakiasis caused by a fourth-stage larva of A. simplex.

Multidetector-row computed tomography in the preoperative diagnosis of intestinal complications caused by clinically unsuspected ingested dietary foreign bodies: a case series emphasizing the use of volume rendering techniques

Objective The present study was aimed at describing a case series where a preoperative diagnosis of intestinal complications secondary to accidentally ingested dietary foreign bodies was made by multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT), with emphasis on complementary findings yielded by volume rendering techniques (VRT) and curved multiplanar reconstructions (MPR). Materials and Methods The authors retrospectively assessed five patients with surgically confirmed intestinal complications (perforation and /or obstruction) secondary to unsuspected ingested dietary foreign bodies, consecutively assisted in their institution between 2010 and 2012. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data were analyzed. VRT and curved MPR were subsequently performed. Results Preoperative diagnosis of intestinal complications was originally performed in all cases. In one case the presence of a foreign body was not initially identified as the causal factor, and the use of complementary techniques facilitated its retrospective identification. In all cases these tools allowed a better depiction of the entire foreign bodies on a single image section, contributing to the assessment of their morphology. Conclusion Although the use of complementary techniques has not had a direct impact on diagnostic performance in most cases of this series, they may provide a better depiction of foreign bodies' morphology on a single image section.

Imunofluorescência para neuropeptídeos na mucosa nasal humana: avaliação de técnica para peptídeo intestinal vasoativo (VIP)

Os neuropeptídeos são neurotransmissores relevantes na fisiologia nasal e o conhecimento crescente acerca de seu papel na fisiopatologia de doenças nasais abre novas perspectivas. A sua investigação na mucosa nasal humana baseia-se em grande parte em marcação imunológica, método complexo e sujeito a inúmeros fatores de erro. Com o intuito de viabilizar este tipo de pesquisa em nosso meio, um método de imunofluorescência para peptídeo intestinal vasoativo (VIP) na mucosa nasal humana é proposto e avaliado. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Coorte transversal. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Oito pacientes submetidos a cirurgia funcional do nariz têm um fragmento de mucosa coletado da concha inferior. O tecido foi fixado em solução de Zamboni (paraformaldeído 4% tamponado e ácido pícrico 0,4%), congelado em nitrogênio líquido e armazenado. Cortes de 14 µm foram realizados e submetidos à reação de imunofluorescência para VIP (Península Laboratories). As imagens microscópicas foram documentadas em fotografia convencional. A especificidade, sensibilidade e reprodutibilidade de execução foram avaliadas. A reprodutibilidade de interpretação de resultados foi avaliada através da comparação de graus de marcação (0 a 4) atribuídos às fotos por seis observadores. RESULTADOS: Os resultados mostraram ser o método suficientemente específico, sensível, além de reprodutível em sua execução. A interpretação de resultados mostrou depender do perfeito esclarecimento do observador no julgamento das imagens de imunofluorescência, mas mostrou uniformidade. CONCLUSÃO: O método proposto foi considerado útil na pesquisa de neuropeptídeos na mucosa nasal humana.

Morphology and stability of aggregates of an Oxisol according to tillage system and gypsum application

Morphological characterization and aggregate stability is an important factor in evaluating management systems. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the stability and morphology of the aggregates of a dystrophic Oxisol managed with no-tillage and conventional tillage with and without the residual action of gypsum. The experimental design was randomized blocks arranged in split-split plot, where the treatments were two soil management systems (plots) with 0 and 2000 kg ha-1 of gypsum (subplots) and five depths (0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.15, 0.15-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m) as the subsubplots, with four replications. The aggregate morphology was determined through images and later evaluated by the Quantporo software. Stability was determined by the wet method. The results showed that the no-tillage system, with or without gypsum residual effect, provided the aggregates with the largest geometric diameters. The combination of no-tillage system and the gypsum residual effect provided rougher aggregates.

Importância da reabsorção do ferro da hemorragia intestinal provocada pela ação dos vermes na progressão da anemia

Foram estudados 10 doentes, portadores de anemia ancilostomótica e de grande parasitose. Foram determinados alguns parâmetros hematológicos como dosagem de hemoglobina, contagem de hemácias, hematócrito, volume corpuscular médio, hemoglobina corpuscular média, ferro sérico e siderofilina. Foram estudados o volume da perda de sangue intestinal, o ferro perdido nesta hemorragia e eliminado nas fezes, e o ferro reaborvido da hemorragia intestinal. Conclui-se que a reabsorção do ferro da hemoglobina por dia no tubo digestivo é de suma importância no retardamento da instalação da anemia ferropriva, causada pela parasitose ancilostomótica.

The impact of improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities on diarrhea and intestinal parasites: a Brazilian experience with children in two low-income urban communities

During the second half of 1986 the impact of the improvement of water supply and excreta disposal facilities on diarrheal diseases and intestinal parasitosis was studied in 254 children up to six years of age from two favelas (shanty towns) of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The estimated incidence of diarrhea was 6.2 episodes/child year and the estimated period prevalence reached 31.0 episode days/ child/ year. The point prevalence of parasitosis was 70.7% (Ascaris lumbricoides: 55.4%, Trichuris trichiura: 19.6%, Giardia lamblia: 17.9%). The estimated prevalence of diarrhea decreased with improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities to 45% and 44% respectively, but no statistically significant impact was observed in the case of parasitosis. School education and weaning practice were found to be other important determinants of diarrhea.

Campylobacter intestinal carriage among stray and pet dogs

The natural distribution of thermotolerant Campylobacter sp. in dogs (150 stray animals and 64 pets) was studied. Campylobacters were more frequently isolated (p<0.01) from stray dogs (51.3%) rather than from pet dogs (21.9%). All the biotypes described by Lior for C. jejuni and C. coli were found among stray animals, whereas only C. jejuni biotypes I and II and C. coli biotype II were found among pet dogs. The need for more studies related to the role of environmental sanitary conditions in the spreading of Campylobacter species is noted.

Tuberculose e parasitismo intestinal em população indígena na Amazônia brasileira

O objetivo do estudo foi estimar as freqüências de tuberculose e parasitoses intestinais na em comunidades indígenas da localidade de Iauareté (AM), em 2001. Estudo transversal (n=333) visando à obtenção de dados demográficos e amostras biológicas para exames de escarro e fezes. Dentre os 43 sintomáticos respiratórios, seis foram positivos na pesquisa de bacilos álcool-ácido resistentes no escarro. As parasitoses intestinais apresentaram freqüência significativamente maior entre a população Hüpda do que entre os índios que habitam os demais bairros (37,5% vs. 19,3% para Ascaris lumbricoides, 32,4% vs. 16,3% para Trichuris trichiura, 75% vs. 19,3% para ancilostomídeos, 75% vs. 35,4% para Entamoeba histolyticaD dispar e 33,3% vs. 10,7% para Giardia lamblia). Conclui-se que a tuberculose e o parasitismo intestinal são freqüentes nessas comunidades, exigindo medidas de controle e melhorias na assistência à saúde.

Atividade dissacaridásica intestinal da esquistossomose mansônica: estudo evolutivo em camundongos com diferentes cargas de infestação

A esquistossomose mansônica compromete vários órgãos, sendo o intestino e o fígado os mais agredidos. Com a intenção de verificar o comprometimento do intestino delgado, dependente da intensidade e do tempo de infecção pelo Schistosoma mansoni, analisou-se a atividade das dissacaridases — lactase, sacarase e maltase — em 112 camundongos, distribuídos em 3 grupos: grupo I — controle, grupo II — infestado com 30 cercárias, grupo III — infestado com 60 cercárias. Observamos uma diminuição da atividade lactásica, sacarásica e maltásica do intestino delgado, decorrente da infestação esquistossomdtica, do tempo de infestação e da alteração entre ambos. O íleo é o segmento que demonstrou maior sensibilidade a esquistossomose, tendo uma diminuição das suas dissacaridases a partir da fase inicial de infestação. Opostamente, o jejuno só mais tardiamente mostra essas alterações, exceto em relação a lactase. Detectou-se um aumento da atividade dissacaridásica, inclusive para a lactase, em todos os grupos, com a evolução etária dos animais, quantitativamente menor nos infestados. Cargas de 30 e 60 cercárias devem ser consideradas de mesmo porte, pois produziram ledução semelhante na atividade dissacaridásica.

Intestinal cryptosporidiosis. association with Pneumocystis carinii, cytomegalovirus and Candida sp. Infections

This is a case report of intestinal cryptosporidiosis diagnosed in histological specimen collected from autopsy. The patient was a child of 5 months admitted to the hospital with severe acute diarrhea associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cytomegalic sialadenitis, oral and dermal candidiasis. The presence of multiple opportunistic infections in this case indicated immunodeficiency state. Cryptosporidium sp is a possible etiology of acute diarrhea in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients and has to be searched for at autopsy when diagnosis was not possible "in vivo".

Parasitological and serological studies on Amoebiasis and other intestinal parasitic infections in Recife and its suburban area, northeast Brazil

Parasitological examinations were carried out during April to August, 1987, with 187 out-patients of the IMIP hospital, located in the center of Recife City, and 464 inhabitants of several villages around Cabo City, 50 Km southeast of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Approximately 71% of the IMIP patients and 92% of the Cabo inhabitants were infected with at least one species of intestinal parasite. There was minimum difference in the prevalence rate of Trichuris trichiura between two areas, whereas the prevalence rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, Strongyloides stercoralis, Schistosoma mansoni and Entamoeba histolytica were higher in the inhabitants of the Cabo City area. Only Giardia lamblia was more prevalent in the out-patients of IMIP hospital. Test tube cultivation revealed that the prevalence rate of Necator americanus in both areas was much higher than that of Ancylostoma duodenale , and also that the prevalence rate of S. stercoralis of the IMIP patients and Cabo inhabitants were 4.5% and 9.6%, respectively. Six hundred and fifteen sera were serologically examined for amoebiasis by the gel diffusion precipitation test (GDP) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the antigen prepared from axenically cultured trophozoite of E. histolytica (strain HM-ITMSS). No positive reaction was observed in all of the sera as examined by GDP, while 32 out of 615 sera were positive on ELISA.