Distribuição da fauna flebotomínica (Díptera: Psychodidae) ao longo de um gradiente rual-urbano em área endêmica para leishmaniose visceral no município de Barcarena-PA, Brasil

Com o objetivo de se avaliar a urbanização de Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis, no município de Barcarena-Pará, Brasil, foram realizadas capturas de flebotomíneos utilizando-se armadilhas luminosas CDC. As capturas ocorreram em área de mata, borda de mata, área intermediária e área urbana. Foram capturados 5.089 espécimes de flebotomíneos, entre os anos de 2007 a 2009, pertencentes a 11 espécies. L. (L.) longipalpis foi a espécie mais abundante (95,15%) seguida de Lutzomyia (Sciopemyia) sordellii (2,06%) e de Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) flaviscutellata (1,76%). Foi observado que 88,25% dos espécimes capturados foram oriundos de área de borda de mata pertencente à invasão antiga. Contudo, o vetor do agente etiológico da Leishmaniose Visceral não foi encontrado na área urbana de Barcarena. Foi verificada a taxa de infecção natural através de análises microscópica e molecular - reação em cadeia da polimerase (polymerase chain reaction, PCR). Os resultados foram negativos para ambas as análises sugerindo baixa taxa de infecção nas áreas pesquisadas. Neste trabalho, também foi realizado um levantamento da distribuição dos casos de leishmaniose visceral no período de 2000 a 2008 no município de Barcarena. A faixa etária mais afetada foi de crianças entre 0 a 12 anos (161). O sexo masculino prevaleceu entre os indivíduos afetados sendo a diferença significativa (p < 0,05) nas faixas etárias de 13 a 58 anos sugerindo que a doença está relacionada à ocupação dos indivíduos.

Estudo da eficácia e tolerância do artesunato oral isolado e em associação com mefloquina, no tratamento da malária falciparum não complicada em área endêmica do Pará, Brasil

Com o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia e tolerância do artesunato no tratamento da malária falciparum não complicada em área endêmica do Estado do Pará, 153 pacientes foram randomizados e estudados em três grupos, distribuídos por esquema terapêutico (I recebeu mefloquina lOOOmg; II utilizou artesunato lOOOmg; III usou a combinação de 600mg de artesunato seguida de 500 de mefloquina). A avaliação constou de exame clínico e parasitológico diariamente nos primeiros 7 dias e semanalmente até o 35o dia do acompanhamento e de análise bioquímica e hematológica realizada antes e no 7o dia, visando o controle de ema e a identificação de possíveis efeitos associados á administração das drogas. Os grupos estudados foram homogêneos quanto ao sexo, parasitemia e presença de febre. O tempo para desaparecimento da parasitemia foi mais curto nos grupos II e III, respectivamente, cujos esquemas terapêuticos empregaram artesunato. O desaparecimento da febre foi mais rápido no grupo tratado com a combinação das drogas. Alterações clínicas e bioquímicas associadas a administração das drogas não mostraram diferenças significativas entre os grupos estudados. O desaparecimento precoce da febre e parasitemia, e a ausência de importantes efeitos indesejáveis, sugerem que artesunato administrado isoladamente ou em combinação com mefloquina constituem medidas terapêuticas capazes de contribuir para o controle da doença na região.

Caracterização genotípica de amostras de Leishmania spp. isoladas de área endêmica para Leishmaniose Visceral Canina no estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em Doenças Tropicais - FMB

Serological and infection statuses of dogs from a visceral leishmaniasis-endemic area

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Infecção de Lutzomyia longipalpis por leishmania spp. em área urbana endêmica para leishmaniose visceral no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Serological and molecular survey of Leptospira spp. among cart horses from an endemic area of human leptospirosis in Curitiba, southern Brazil

Introduction: Cart horses are a re-emerging population employed to carry recyclable material in cities. Methods: Sixty-two horses were sampled in an endemic area of human leptospirosis. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were performed. Results: A seropositivity of 75.8% with serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae in 80.8% of the horses was observed. Blood and urine were qPCR negative. MAT showed positive correlations with rainfall (p = 0.02) and flooding (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Although horses may be constantly exposed to Leptospira spp. in the environment mostly because of rainfall and flooding, no leptospiremia or leptospiruria were observed in this study.

Serological detection of Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania infantum and Neospora caninum in cats from an area endemic for leishmaniasis in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ecological aspects of the sandfly fauna (Diptera, Psychodidae) in an American cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic area under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil. The ecological aspects of the phlebotomine fauna were investigated. METHODS: Sandflies were sampled with automatic light traps from February 2004 to June 2006 at 25 sites in the urban and rural areas of Itambaracá, and in Porto Almeida and São Joaquim do Pontal. RESULTS: A total of 3,187 sandflies of 15 species were captured. Nyssomyia neivai predominated (34.4%), followed by Pintomyia pessoai (32.6%), Migonemyia migonei (11.6%), Nyssomyia whitmani (8.8%), and Pintomyia fischeri (2.7%), all implicated in the transmission of Leishmania. Males predominated for Ny. neivai, and females for the other vector species, with significant statistical differences (p < 0.001). Nyssomyia neivai, Pi. pessoai, Ny. whitmani, Brumptomyia brumpti, Mg. migonei, and Pi. fischeri presented the highest values for the Standardized Species Abundance Index (SSAI). The highest frequencies and diversities were found in the preserved forest in Porto Almeida, followed by forests with degradation in São Joaquim do Pontal and Vila Rural. CONCLUSIONS: Sandflies were captured in all localities, with the five vectors predominating. Ny. neivai had its highest frequencies in nearby peridomestic environments and Pi. pessoai in areas of preserved forests. The highest SSAI values of Ny. neivai and Pi. pessoai reflect their wider dispersion and higher frequencies compared with other species, which seems to indicate that these two species may be transmitting leishmaniasis in the area.

Soroprevalência e variáveis epidemiológicas associadas à leishmaniose visceral canina em área endêmica no Município de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil

Este trabalho teve como objetivos determinar a soroprevalência e as variáveis epidemiológicas associadas com a infecção de Leishmania spp. em cães de cinco localidades no Distrito do Tirirical no município de São Luís, Maranhão. Foram visitadas 72 moradias, perfazendo uma amostra de cem cães domiciliados, e aplicados questionários com o objetivo de determinar os fatores que poderiam estar relacionados com a ocorrência da infecção. Utilizaram-se como variáveis: proximidade da moradia com a mata, existência de criação/abrigo de animais de produção e de animais silvestres, sexo, idade, raça, além de exame clínico do animal, com observação da presença de sinais clínicos compatíveis com a doença. A análise sorológica demonstrou que 67 amostras apresentaram-se positivas para Leishmania spp. Os sinais clínicos observados foram linfadenopatia localizada, alopecia, pelo opaco, emagrecimento, úlceras cutâneas, descamação furfurácea, ceratoconjuntivite, e onicogrifose. Animais das localidades Cruzeiro de Santa Bárbara e Cajupari, ambas localizadas próximas de matas, têm 3,4 e 12,0 vezes mais chances de serem soropositivos para Leishmania spp. do que aqueles das outras localidades estudadas. Não se verificou correlação entre as outras variáveis estudadas e soropositividade para Leishmania spp.

Geochemistry Of Acid Mine Drainage From A Coal Mining Area And Processes Controlling Metal Attenuation In Stream Waters, Southern Brazil.

Acid drainage influence on the water and sediment quality was investigated in a coal mining area (southern Brazil). Mine drainage showed pH between 3.2 and 4.6 and elevated concentrations of sulfate, As and metals, of which, Fe, Mn and Zn exceeded the limits for the emission of effluents stated in the Brazilian legislation. Arsenic also exceeded the limit, but only slightly. Groundwater monitoring wells from active mines and tailings piles showed pH interval and chemical concentrations similar to those of mine drainage. However, the river and ground water samples of municipal public water supplies revealed a pH range from 7.2 to 7.5 and low chemical concentrations, although Cd concentration slightly exceeded the limit adopted by Brazilian legislation for groundwater. In general, surface waters showed large pH range (6 to 10.8), and changes caused by acid drainage in the chemical composition of these waters were not very significant. Locally, acid drainage seemed to have dissolved carbonate rocks present in the local stratigraphic sequence, attenuating the dispersion of metals and As. Stream sediments presented anomalies of these elements, which were strongly dependent on the proximity of tailings piles and abandoned mines. We found that precipitation processes in sediments and the dilution of dissolved phases were responsible for the attenuation of the concentrations of the metals and As in the acid drainage and river water mixing zone. In general, a larger influence of mining activities on the chemical composition of the surface waters and sediments was observed when enrichment factors in relation to regional background levels were used.

Imported Malaria In A Non-endemic Area: The Experience Of The University Of Campinas Hospital In The Brazilian Southeast.

Although malaria in Brazil almost exclusively occurs within the boundaries of the Amazon Region, some concerns are raised regarding imported malaria to non-endemic areas of the country, notably increased incidence of complications due to delayed diagnoses. However, although imported malaria in Brazil represents a major health problem, only a few studies have addressed this subject. A retrospective case series is presented in which 263 medical charts were analysed to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characterization of malaria cases that were diagnosed and treated at Hospital & Clinics, State University of Campinas between 1998 and 2011. Amongst all medical charts analysed, 224 patients had a parasitological confirmed diagnosis of malaria. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum were responsible for 67% and 30% of the infections, respectively. The majority of patients were male (83%) of a productive age (median, 37 years old). Importantly, severe complications did not differ significantly between P. vivax (14 cases, 9%) and P. falciparum (7 cases, 10%) infections. Severe malaria cases were frequent among imported cases in Brazil outside of the Amazon area. The findings reinforce the idea that P. vivax infections in Brazil are not benign, regardless the endemicity of the area studied. Moreover, as the hospital is located in a privileged site, it could be used for future studies of malaria relapses and primaquine resistance mechanisms. Finally, based on the volume of cases treated and the secondary complications, referral malaria services are needed in the non-endemic areas of Brazil for a rapid and efficient and treatment.

[construction Of Measurement Instruments In The Area Of Health].

Measurement instruments are an integral part of clinical practice, health evaluation and research. These instruments are only useful and able to present scientifically robust results when they are developed properly and have appropriate psychometric properties. Despite the significant increase of rating scales, the literature suggests that many of them have not been adequately developed and validated. The scope of this study was to conduct a narrative review on the process of developing new measurement instruments and to present some tools which can be used in some stages of the development process. The steps described were: I-The establishment of a conceptual framework, and the definition of the objectives of the instrument and the population involved; II-Development of the items and of the response scales; III-Selection and organization of the items and structuring of the instrument; IV-Content validity, V-Pre-test. This study also included a brief discussion on the evaluation of the psychometric properties due to their importance for the instruments to be accepted and acknowledged in both scientific and clinical environments.

Ambiência aérea em alojamento de frangos de corte: poeira e gases

Air quality in animal production environment has been refereed as an interesting point for studies in environmental control systems with the focus both to the animal health which live in total confinement, as to the workers. The objective of this research was to determine the variation on the aerial environmental quality in two types of broiler housing: conventional (Gc) and tunnel type (Gt). The total dust values in both houses offered adequate rearing conditions to the birds; however, regarding the inhale dust in the air was above the limits recommended for humans. Carbon monoxide concentration in the heating phase during the evaluated period was above the 10 ppm maximum recommended, and it was higher during the cold season in Gt house (30 ppm) when compared to the Gc house (18 ppm). Ammonia concentration peaks in the air were above the 20 ppm recommended from the 20th day of production in both houses and in daily average, for a period higher in Gt (4h30) when compared to Gt (2h45). Only traces of nitrate oxide and methane were found while carbonic dioxide gas concentration evaluated during daytime met the limits allowed for both birds and labor.

Ambiências térmica, aérea e acústica para reprodutores suínos

The swine breeder rearing environment directly affects the animal's performance. This research had the objective of developing a thermal, aerial and acoustic environmental evaluation pattern for boar housing. The experiment was carried on a commercial swine farm in Salto County -SP, Brazil. Thermal, aerial and acoustic environment data of rearing conditions were registered. Data were statistically analyzed using as threshold the ideal housing environment that leads to animal welfare. Results showed that ambient temperature was around 70% beyond normal range, while air relative humidity, air speed and gases concentration were within threshold values. Noise level data besides being within normal range did not present large variation. In relation to the fuzzy logic analysis it was possible to build up a scenario which indicated that the best welfare indexes to male swine breeders happens when thermal comfort index are close to 80%, and noise level is lower than 40 dB. In the other hand the worst welfare index occur in the sector where the thermal comfort values are below 40% at the same time that the noise level is higher than 80 dB leading to inadequate conditions to the animal, and may directly interfere in the reproduction system performance.

Interesses fisicos no lazer como area de intervenção do profissional da educação fisica

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física