Nova abordagem no diagnóstico de infecções invasivas por fungos do género Aspergillus

Nas últimas duas décadas tem-se verificado um aumento da incidência de aspergilose pulmonar invasiva, que se reflecte em taxas de mortalidade e morbilidade extremamente elevadas. Esta realidade resulta da elevada utilização de quimioterapia e de agentes imunossupressores, usados sobretudo em doentes imunocomprometidos, principalmente, em doentes hemato-oncológicos e receptores de transplante de medula óssea. Estas infecções fúngicas são provocadas por algumas espécies do género Aspergillus em que Aspergillus fumigatus é a espécie mais frequentemente isolada a partir de infecções humanas. Contudo, outras espécies como A. flavus, A. niger, A. glaucus, A. nidulans, A. terreus ou A. versicolor também podem ser responsáveis por infecções fúngicas no Homem. Um factor determinante para o aumento da incidência de aspergilose invasiva consiste na incapacidade de se estabelecer um diagnóstico precoce definitivo para que, em tempo útil, possa ser instituída terapêutica antifúngica que vá seguramente melhorar o prognóstico desses doentes. Actualmente, as técnicas convencionais (microbiológicas e histológicas) têm servido como linhas de orientação para o diagnóstico definitivo de micoses. No entanto, como se tratam técnicas morosas, o diagnóstico imunológico e molecular tem todas as potencialidades para oferecer uma abordagem promissora no diagnóstico de infecções fúngicas. Neste trabalho foram estudadas 37 amostras clínicas, das quais 45,9% pertenciam a indivíduos do sexo feminino, 54,1% do sexo masculino, maioritariamente com o diagnóstico clínico de leucemia mielóide aguda (75,7%). O principal objectivo deste trabalho consistiu na comparação dos resultados obtidos por uma técnica imunológica utilizada no diagnóstico de aspergilose pulmonar invasiva (pesquisa do antigénio GM) com uma nova técnica molecular de diagnóstico (nested-PCR), com o intuito de avaliar a sensibilidade e especificidade dos resultados obtidos. Dos 37 doentes do estudo, 35,1% revelaram presença do antigénio galactomanano e em 32,4% das amostras foi possível detectar DNA fúngico utilizando primers específicos numa reacção de nested-PCR. No final deste trabalho pode-se constatar que, em virtude do método molecular utilizando uma reacção de nested-PCR não se ter revelado mais sensível que a pesquisa do antigénio galactomanano, julgamos ser no entanto muito promissor no diagnóstico da aspergilose pulmonar invasiva, bastando apenas aperfeiçoar a sua optimização.

Rabies diagnosis and serology in bats from the State of São Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Bats are one of the most important reservoirs and vectors of the rabies virus in the world. METHODS: From 1988 to 2003, the Zoonosis Control Center in São Paulo City performed rabies diagnosis on 5,670 bats by direct immunofluorescent test and mouse inoculation test. Blood samples were collected from 1,618 bats and the sera were analyzed using the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test to confirm rabies antibodies. RESULTS: Forty-four (0.8%) bats were positive for rabies. The prevalence of rabies antibodies was 5.9% using 0.5IU/ml as a cutoff. Insectivorous bats (69.8%) and bats of the species Molossus molossus (51.8%) constituted the majority of the sample; however, the highest prevalence of antibodies were observed in Glossophaga soricina (14/133), Histiotus velatus (16/60), Desmodus rotundus (8/66), Artibeus lituratus (5/54), Nyctinomops macrotis (3/23), Tadarida brasiliensis (3/48), Carollia perspicillata (3/9), Eumops auripendulus (2/30), Nyctinomops laticaudatus (2/16), Sturnira lilium (2/17) and Eumops perotis (1/13). The prevalence of rabies antibodies was analyzed by species, food preference and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The expressive levels of antibodies associated with the low virus positivity verified in these bats indicate that rabies virus circulates actively among them.

Bat survey of the lower Juruena River and five new records for the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil

ABSTRACT The northern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso is considered an important biogeographical region, but has many sampling gaps. Apart from the well-documented non volant mammal community in the region, the bat fauna still poorly recorded. The aim of this study was to record the bat species of Juruena National Park, northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Nineteen sites were sampled using mist-nets placed at ground level and near potential bat roosts. We collected 115 individuals belonging to 35 species and five families, which increased the number of species known for Mato Grosso´s Amazon from 86 to 91. The five new records were: Peropteryx kappleri, Peropteryx leucoptera, Lonchorhina inusitata, Tonatia saurophila, and Artibeus concolor. Our results pointed out the necessity of more studies in order to better estimate the bat diversity in northern Mato Grosso.

Streblidae (Diptera, Hippoboscoidea) em morcegos (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) no nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

A survey of the Streblidae batflies on the phyllostomid bats was conducted in the northeastern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, during 1997. Hundred thirty three streblids were collected on 44 parasited hosts. Eleven species of batflies (Trichobius dugesii Townsend, 1891, T. tiptoni Wenzel, 1976, Trichobius sp., Paratrichobius longicrus (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907), Megistopoda aranea (Coquillett, 1899), M. proxima (Séguy, 1926), Exastinion clovisi (Pessoa & Guimarães, 1936), Paraeuctenodes longipes Pessoa & Guimarães, 1936, Anastrebla modestini Wenzel, 1966, A. caudiferae Wenzel, 1976 and Metelasmus pseudopterus Coquillett, 1907) were found on six species of phyllostomid bats (Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), A. fimbriatus Gray, 1838, Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810), Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766), Anoura caudifera (E. Geoffroy, 1818) and A. geoffroyi Gray, 1838). All records are new for the Rio Grande do Sul and Anastrebla caudiferae is firstly recorded in Brazil. Differences in the batflies community composition in Artibeus fimbriatus and A. lituratus are discussed.

Morcegos da região sul do Brasil: análise comparativa da riqueza de espécies, novos registros e atualizações nomenclaturais (Mammalia, Chiroptera)

Uma análise comparativa da riqueza de espécies de morcegos da Região Sul do Brasil é apresentada, assim como análises de similaridades entre estados. O estado do Paraná apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies de morcegos, com 64 espécies, seguido por Santa Catarina com 46 e pelo Rio Grande do Sul com 40. A família Phyllostomidae influencia fortemente este padrão de riqueza. As distribuições geográficas de Trachops cirrhosus (Spix, 1823), Artibeus cinereus (Gervais, 1851) e Thyroptera tricolor Spix, 1823 são ampliadas até o Paraná, estabelecendo um novo limite sul de distribuição dessas espécies e da família Thyropteridae. Além disso, Myotis dinellii Thomas, 1902 foi registrado pela primeira vez no Brasil, em Santa Catarina e no Rio Grande do Sul, estabelecendo um novo limite leste para sua distribuição. Ainda, é ampliada a distribuição de Eptesicus taddeii Miranda, Bernardi & Passos, 2006 a partir de seu primeiro registro no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Uma lista atualizada dos morcegos dos estados sul-brasileiros é apresentada bem como algumas adequações nomenclaturais. É enfatizada a importância do emprego de maiores esforços de campo para levantamentos da quiropterofauna, que assim podem contribuir para medidas de conservação embasadas em inventariamentos e coleções científicas representativas.

Comparação da quiropterofauna em área florestada e área aberta da RPPN Fazenda Bom Retiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

RESUMO Foram realizadas dez coletas em 2013 na RPPN Fazenda Bom Retiro, sendo cinco em uma área florestada, localizada no interior da mata e outras cinco em área aberta, distante cerca de 600 m uma da outra. O mesmo esforço de coleta foi empregado nas duas áreas, e as mesmas foram realizadas sempre no mesmo dia. A área florestada se mostrou mais diversa, sendo capturados 256 morcegos, todos de Phyllostomidae, pertencentes a 14 espécies; Carollia perspicillata (n=112), Sturnira lilium(n=46) e Desmodus rotundus (n=25) foram as mais capturadas. Na área aberta foram capturados 153 espécimes pertencentes a quatro famílias, Phyllostomidae, Noctilidae, Vespertilionidae e Molossidae, sendo registradas 10 espécies; Carollia perspicillata (n=52), Desmodus rotundus (n=39) e Artibeus lituratus (n=24) foram as mais capturadas. Observou-se maior diversidade na área florestada (Hʼ 1,812), onde devem existir mais recursos e abrigos, e, consequentemente mais proteção.

Bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) parasitic on bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) at Parque Estadual da Cantareira, São Paulo, Brazil: parasitism rates and host-parasite associations

A total of 443 bat flies belonging to the families Nycteribiidae and Strelidae, were collected on 22 species of bats (Molossidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae) from Parque Estadual da Cantareira (São Paulo, Brazil), between January, 2000 and January, 2001. Eighteen new occurrences of bat flies were recorded on Anoura geoffroyi (Anastrebla caudiferae), Glossophaga soricina (A. caudiferae), Sturnira lilium (Trichobius phyllostomae, T. furmani, and Paraeuctenodes similis), Artibeus lituratus (A. caudiferae), A. fimbriatus (Megistopoda proxima), A. obscurus (Metelasmus pseudopterus), Myotis nigricans (M. proxima, M. aranea, Paratrichobius longicrus), M. ruber (Anatrichobius passosi, Joblingia sp.), M. levis (A. passosi), M. albescens (A. passosi, Basilia andersoni), and Histiotus velatus (M. aranea). Seven new occurrences were recorded for the state of São Paulo, increasing the range for T. tiptoni, T. furmani, M. proxima, Aspidoptera falcata, A. caudiferae, A. modestini and B. andersoni. The relationships between parasitism and host sex, reproductive stage, age hyperparasitism by fungi are discussed.

Experimental transmission of the parasitic flagellates Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli between triatomine bugs or mice and captive neotropical bats

Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli-like trypanosomes have been found in a variety of neotropical bat species. In this study, bats (Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Desmodus rotundus, Glossophaga soricina, Molossus molossus, Phyllostomus hastatus) were maintained under controlled conditions, and experiments were conducted to determine how they might become infected naturally with trypanosomes. All bats were first screened for existing infections by hemoculture and the examination of blood smears, and only apparently uninfected animals were then used in the experiments. Proof was obtained that the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus would readily feed upon some of the bats, and two species became infected after being bitten by bugs infected with T. rangeli. Some bats also became infected by ingesting R. prolixus carrying T. cruzi, or following subcutaneous or intragastic inoculation with fecal suspensions of R. prolixus containing T. cruzi. P. hastatus became infected after ingesting mice carrying T. cruzi. All of the bats studied inhabit roosts that may be occupied by triatomine bugs and, with the exception of D. rotundus, all also feed to at least some extent upon insects. These findings provide further evidence of how bats may play significant roles in the epidemiology of T. cruzi and T. rangeli in the New World tropics.

Bat flies on phyllostomid hosts in the Cerrado region: component community, prevalence and intensity of parasitism

Streblidae flies are specialised parasites of bat hosts, mainly phyllostomids. There is a high richness of streblids in the savannah-like Cerrado region; however, there is little quantitative data available in parasitological indices. Here, we describe the component community, prevalence and intensity of a streblid infestation on a phyllostomid bat assemblage in Serra da Bodoquena, a Cerrado region in Southwest Brazil. We conducted surveys by capturing and inspecting bat hosts during the seven-month period between October 2004-December 2005. All the ectoparasites found on the bats were collected in the field and then counted and identified in the laboratory. We captured 327 bats belonging to 13 species, of which eight species were parasitized by 17 species of streblids. Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina were infested with seven streblid species, whereas the other bat species were infested with four or fewer streblid species. Megistopoda proxima and Aspidoptera falcata flies were found on Sturnira lilium, and Trichobius joblingi was the most prevalent fly on C. perspicillata. Megistopoda aranea and Aspidoptera phyllostomatis were highly prevalent and had a high intensity of infestation on Artibeus planirostris. Overall comparisons of the available data suggest that the component communities of streblids vary more between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest phytogeographical regions than between localities within the same phytogeographical region.

A morphologically distinct Phlebotomus argentipes population from active cutaneous leishmaniasis foci in central Sri Lanka

Although the reported aetiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sri Lanka is Leishmania donovani, the sandfly vector remains unknown. Ninety-five sandflies, 60 females and 35 males, collected in six localities in the district of Matale, central Sri Lanka, close to current active transmission foci of CL were examined for taxonomically relevant characteristics. Eleven diagnostic morphological characters for female sandflies were compared with measurements described for Indian and Sri Lankan sandflies, including the now recognised Phlebotomus argentipes sensu lato species complex. The mean morphometric measurements of collected female sandflies differed significantly from published values for P. argentipes morphospecies B, now re-identified as Phlebotomus annandalei from Delft Island and northern Sri Lanka, from recently re-identified P. argentipes s.s. sibling species and from Phlebotomus glaucus. Furthermore, analysis of underlying variation in the morphometric data through principal component analysis also illustrated differences between the population described herein and previously recognised members of the P. argentipes species complex. Collectively, these results suggest that a morphologically distinct population, perhaps most closely related to P. glaucus of the P. argentipess. I. species complex, exists in areas of active CL transmission. Thus, research is required to determine the ability of this population of flies to transmit cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Detection of Pneumocystis in lungs of bats from Brazil by PCR amplification

Pneumocystis has been isolated from a wide range of unrelated mammalian hosts, including humans, domestic and wild animals. It has been demonstrated that the genome of Pneumocystis of one host differs markedly from that of other hosts. Also, variation in the chromosome and DNA sequence of Pneumocystis within a single host species has been observed. Since information about the occurrence and nature of infections in wild animals is still limited, the objective of this work was to detect the presence of Pneumocystis sp. in lungs of bats from two states from Brazil by Nested-PCR amplification. The bats, captured in caves and in urban areas, were obtained from the Program of Rabies Control of two States in Brazil, Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul, located in the Mid-Western and Southern regions of the country, respectively. DNAs were extracted from 102 lung tissues and screened for Pneumocystis by nested PCR at the mtLSU rRNA gene and small subunit of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (mtSSU rRNA). Gene amplification was performed using the mtLSU rRNA, the primer set pAZ102H - pAZ102E and pAZ102X - pAZY, and the mtSSU rRNA primer set pAZ102 10FRI - pAZ102 10R-RI and pAZ102 13RI - pAZ102 14RI. The most frequent bats were Tadarida brasiliensis (25), Desmodus rotundus (20), and Nyctinomops laticaudatus (19). Pneumocystis was more prevalent in the species Nyctinomops laticaudatus (26.3% = 5/19), Tadarida brasiliensis (24% = 6/25), and Desmodus rotundus (20% = 4/20). Besides these species, Pneumocystis also was detected in lungs from Molossus molossus (1/11, 9.1%), Artibeus fimbriatus (1/1, 100%), Sturnira lilium (1/3, 33.3%), Myotis levis (2/3, 66.7%)and Diphylla ecaudata (1/2, 50%). PCR products which could indicate the presence of Pneumocystis (21.56%) were identified in DNA samples obtained from 8 out of 16 classified species from both states (5 bats were not identified). This is the first report of detection of Pneumocystis in bats from Brazil.

Trypanosoma rangeli isolates of bats from Central Brazil: Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis enable description of a new lineage using spliced-leader gene sequences

Trypanosoma rangeli infects several mammalian orders but has never confidently been described in Chiroptera, which are commonly parasitized by many trypanosome species. Here, we described trypanosomes from bats captured in Central Brazil identified as T rangeli,.T. dionisii, T cruzimarinkellei and T cruzi. Two isolates, Tra643 from Platyrrhinus lineatus and Tra1719 from Artibeus plamirostris were identified as T rangeli by morphological, biological and molecular methods, and confirmed by phylogenetic analyses. Analysis using SSU rDNA sequences clustered these bat trypanosomes together with T rangeli from other hosts, and separated them from other trypanosomes from bats. Genotyping based on length and sequence polymorphism of PCR-amplified intergenic spliced-leader gene sequences assigned Tra1719 to the lineage A whereas Tra643 was shown to be a new genotype and was assigned to the new lineage E. To our knowledge, these two isolates are the earliest T rangeli from bats and the first isolates from Central Brazil molecularly characterized. Rhodnius stali captured for this study was found infected by T rangeli and T cruzi. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Como o tradicionalismo gaúcho ensina sobre masculinidade

Nesta dissertação, discuto e analiso alguns dos modos pelos quais o Tradicionalismo Gaúcho “ensina” sobre masculinidade. O estudo desenvolvido fundamenta-se nos campos dos Estudos Feministas e dos Estudos Culturais, especificamente naquelas vertentes que têm proposto uma aproximação crítica com a perspectiva pós-estruturalista. Utilizando a abordagem da análise cultural examinei três documentos que têm sido considerados como sendo “textos fundadores” do Movimento Tradicionalista Gaúcho, quais sejam: a tese “O Sentido e o Valor do Tradicionalismo Gaúcho”, de autoria de Luiz Carlos Barbosa Lessa, a “Carta de Princípios do Tradicionalismo Gaúcho” e o “Manual do Tradicionalista”, ambos de autoria de Glaucus Saraiva. As análises desenvolvidas permitem argumentar que este movimento, desde a criação do primeiro Centro de Tradições Gaúchas (CTG), em 1948, em Porto Alegre, investiu na “preservação” de uma tradição gaúcha interiorana e rural e esta preservação deveria se processar dentro ou em torno dos CTG’s; neste processo foram sendo produzidas representações de gaúcho as quais atravessam e instituem o que chamei, aqui, de “pedagogia tradicionalista” com a qual se buscava - e ainda se busca – ensinar, especialmente aos meninos, modos adequados de sentir, comportar-se e viver como um “gaúcho de verdade”.

Movements of bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Brazil

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

Diversidade de morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) em remanescentes florestais do município de Fênix, noroeste do Paraná, Brasil

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