Estudo da frequência e perfil epidêmico-sorológico da toxoplasmose ocular em pacientes atendidos no ambulatório de oftalmologia do hospital universitário onofre lopes no município de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

Toxoplasmosis, provoked by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most prevalent parasitoses in the world. In humans, transmission occurs by three evolutionary forms of the parasite: oocysts, tissue cysts and tachyzoites. Wild and domestic felines are definitive hosts. The ocular form of toxoplasmosis can be of congenital origin with early or late clinical manifestations, or acquired after birth. T. gondii is considered the main culprit for most cases of infectious uveitis. This study aimed at assessing ocular toxoplasmosis, relating it to factors associated to the patient s lifestyle and describing the epidemic-serological and clinical profile of affected individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a population of 159 patients. Univariate analysis (odds ratio) was used to evaluate the data, with a confidence interval of 95% and p-value < 0.05. A prevalence of 4% of ocular toxoplasmosis was observed in the population of patients treated at an ophthalmological clinic. Of patients directly examined by immunoenzymatic assay (MEIA-AxSYM®- Microparticle Enzyme Immune Assay), considering only uveitis, a frequency of anti-T. gondii of 73%, most of whom exhibited titulation between 40-99 UI IgG/mL. With respect to location of ocular lesions, bilaterality was observed in 57% of patients assessed by the ophthalmoscopy technique. When compared with the results of an active search of medical records, a similarity in ocular toxoplasmosis (74%) and bilateral lesion location (55%) was observed. Type I lesion was the most frequent type observed, with intraocular disposition in the macula. An epidemiological survey revealed that direct contact with cats; consuming raw or poorly cooked meat and direct contact with the soil were significantly associated with greater likelihood of acquiring ocular toxoplasmosis. Sample characterization in relation to age range was significant for patients between 31 and 40 years [χ², chi-square test (p = 0.04)], but population traits such as schooling, sanitary district, and monthly income were not significant. Results confirm that ocular toxoplasmosis is widely distributed in the metropolitan area of Natal, Brazil, with significant prevalence of ocular lesions provoked by T.gondii. It is suggested that sanitary authorities exert greater control in order to minimize the risk of toxoplasmic infection, mainly in pregnant women.

Aspectos sanitários do cultivo da alface americana, irrigada com águas recptoras de efluentes urbanos

Avaliou-se a influência da disposição de mangueiras gotejadoras nos canteiros e a injeção ou não de cloro na água de irrigação, nas condições sanitárias do solo e da alface americana irrigada (Lactuca sativa L.) com águas receptoras de efluentes urbanos. Foram realizadas análises microbiológicas de amostras de água do solo e da alface, no decorrer de todo o ciclo de cultivo. Objetivou-se determinar a possível existência de Salmonella spp. e de formas evolutivas de parasitos humanos e a quantidade de coliformes fecais, em pontos e épocas diferentes do experimento, impedindo assim o consumo da alface. Os resultados não indicaram a presença dos dois primeiros em nenhuma das amostras, mas sim de parasitos não humanos (nematóides) de vida livre no solo. em relação à quantidade de coliformes fecais (NMP ml-1), o valor encontrado na cultura atende às exigências da Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária do Ministério da Saúde brasileiro, porém a presença dos nematóides em quantidades superiores ao permitido pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) inviabiliza o seu consumo.

Avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias da produção de refeições à base de carne da alimentação escolar no município de Natal-RN

The National School Nutrition Program is the oldest program in the country directed at food and nutrition safety. Its aims are to offer nutritional food as a supplement to students of public and philanthropic schools. Studying school nutrition transcends the investigation as a purely social program, given that it reaches the fields of public health, nutrition and food, using a wide variety of approaches. Thus, it is characterized by a multidisciplinary study, where the disciplines work side by side in distinct aspects of a single problem. Aim: This study aims to assess hygiene practices during the preparation of meat-based meals in public schools in the city of Natal, Brazil. Methods: A list was applied at 27 schools to identify the procedures of good food preparation practices. In addition, cooking and meal distribution temperature were measured and a microbiological analysis of the final preparation and of the water used in preparing it was performed. For microbiological analyses of the food, we analyzed coliforms at 45°C, coliforms at 35°C and Enterococcus, and for the water, we analyzed thermotolerant coliforms and total coliforms, using the methods recommended by APHA, 1995. Results: Most of the schools did not meet the required standards in all the variables related to good food preparation practices, except for the time spent preparing the meat, in which 89% were within the norm. Cooking temperature of the meals was within the standard; however, the temperature at distribution and the time spent dispensing the meals were inadequate. Of the 27 schools, 22 (81.5%) showed the presence of coliforms at 35° C in at least one meal sample and 18 (66.7%) had values above the recommended limit for coliforms at 45°C. The presence of E. coli was identified in 6.1% of the samples analyzed. The presence of Enterococcus was not found at any of the schools. With respect to the water, the North district of the city was the only one that did not meet the standards for the two indicators evaluated. The contamination found was not associated with the hygiene or food storage problems observed. Conclusions: The results show that the hygiene-sanitary conditions of meat-based public school meals were unsatisfactory, demonstrating the need for improvements in the production process to preserve the health of the student population. Multidisciplinarity: Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics took part in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing the research as multidisciplinary

Avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias de manipuladores de alimentos e utensílios de mesa de escolas públicas municipais de Natal, RN

In Brazil school food is constitutionally guaranteed to public school students at the preschool and elementary level. This food must be nutritious, hygienic and sanitary. The aim of the present study was to assess the hygienic/sanitary conditions of food and table utensil handlers in municipal public schools in Natal, Brazil. In total, 27 public schools were assessed, using a checklist and microbiological analysis of the hands and table utensils. For the microbiological analyses of the hands, coliforms were analyzed at 45ºC and for the utensils aerobic mesophilic bacteria, using methods recognized by AOAC, 2002 and APHA, 1992, respectively. Most of the schools studied did not exhibit good food and utensil handling practice procedures in any of the variables analyzed. It was shown that 74.1% of the handlers received no periodic training, 51.9% did not undergo annual health examinations and 100% did not practice proper hand hygiene, which reflected significantly (p < 0.05) in hand contamination, where fecal coliforms were detected on 55.6% of the hands analyzed. With respect to the utensils, it was found that 100% of the schools studied did not follow correct hygiene practices and most were classified as very bad ; that is, aerobic mesophilic bacteria values above the limits established by PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), with schools in the north and south districts recording the highest percentages. The results show that the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the food and utensil handlers in the schools studied were inadequate, demonstrating the need for implanting good handling practices aimed at protecting the health of children that take part in the program and offering safer foods. Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics participated in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing it as multidisciplinary

Ovine leptospirosis in Brazil

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

Desempenho de sementes de algodão tratadas quimicamente e armazenadas

Considerando que o armazenamento desempenha papel decisivo na manutenção da qualidade da semente, desenvolveu-se este trabalho com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade fisiológica e fitossanitária de sementes de algodão, tratadas quimicamente e armazenadas por doze meses. Foram utilizados dois lotes de sementes de algodão cv. DeltaPine-AC90, deslintados quimicamente, que foram submetidos aos tratamentos fungicidas e inseticidas: testemunha; Disulfoton + Carboxin + Thiram; Carbofuran + Carboxin + Thiram; Imidacloprid + Tolylfluanid + Pencycuron. As sementes foram armazenadas em armazém sem controle de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar. Foram retiradas amostras de sementes no início do armazenamento e a cada dois meses e avaliadas quanto ao teor de água, à porcentagem de germinação, ao vigor (testes de envelhecimento acelerado e de germinação à baixa temperatura), à sanidade e à emergência das plântulas. O delineamento utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial, com quatro repetições. Verificou-se redução da germinação e do vigor de sementes em função do armazenamento. A redução da qualidade fisiológica associou-se com o aumento na ocorrência de Aspergillus sp. e Penicillium sp. nas sementes. A manutenção da qualidade de sementes de algodão foi obtida até o oitavo mês de armazenagem, podendo-se concluir que: a eficiência do tratamento químico de sementes de algodão depende da combinação de produtos utilizados; não se deve tratar com fungicida sementes de algodão com baixo nível de vigor; a ocorrência dos fungos Aspergillus sp. e Penicillium sp. aumentou com o período de armazenamento nas sementes sem tratamento e que a manutenção da qualidade de sementes de algodão para comercialização depende da sua qualidade inicial e do período de armazenamento.

"Reforma urbana já"; "arroz, feijão, saúde e habitação" :A luta por moradia na grande João Pessoa

Our object of study in this work concerns to the movement of fight for the housing in the Great João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, and looks for to investigate the conditions and context of the occupations of building, public or private, for devoid populations that do not have where to live. Front to the absence of politics effective directed to the habitation or the cities, in a picture of unemployment and impoverishment of the population, the result of the habitation point of view, is the absolute lack of popular housings, the degradation of the cities and the growth of the number of homeless and also of its occupations. The urban occupations today represent a reply of these devoid populations that from an involvement with parties or Not Governmental Organizations, and social movements leave for the class action known by the occupation of abandoning public or private buildings. These occupations, even so initially if assume as pressure instrument or of visibility for attainment of housings, for the delay in obtaining the attention of the public agencies and a solution for the problem, becomes definitive or is drawn out per many years. E this if gives although the deficiencies, of the accumulation or families neither in an adequate, always precarious space nor in sanitary installations, that the necessary privacy does not allow. The study it consisted of an empirical research, through the participant comment and open and half-open interviews, and counted on the audiovisual register of two occupations, one in the downtown of João Pessoa City (old building of the INSS, in the Ponto dos Cem Réis) and other (Community of the Cajueiro), next to the Beach "Praia do Jacaré", in the city of Cabedelo.The choice of the Visual Anthropology as research instrument is on to a concern in better translating other ways of life, therefore the accomplishment of the video in allows them to know with more precision the reality where the citizens of the research live. We also use as methodological resource in the research the deepened interview, in intention to better understand the description of the way of life of the studied families and the movements of fight for the housing, particularly the MDM - Movement of Right for the Housing, and the MNLM- Nacional Movement of Fight for the Housing

Transformações técnico-podutivas e comerciais na pecuária de corte brasileira a partir da década de 90

Analisou-se o perfil da pecuária de corte brasileira diante das mudanças ocorridas no sistema de produção/comercialização, observando-se especificamente os índices zootécnicos e produtivos e os volumes de carne produzidos, consumidos e exportados a partir de 1990. Foram analisados dados de trabalhos científicos e de artigos técnicos publicados em jornais e revistas, além de informações veiculadas pela internet. Considerando os resultados obtidos, pode-se inferir que o país apresenta significativo potencial de expansão das exportações de carne bovina, o que exige ajustes internos, que envolvem aspectos sanitários, políticas setoriais e visão mais sistêmica de cadeia produtiva. Destaca-se que esses aspectos ganharam maior importância após a consolidação do Mercado Comum do Sul (Mercosul), quando as relações comerciais se intensificaram e as reações da produção nacional impediram inflexões na estrutura comercial de carne bovina nos mercados interno e externo.

Potential microbiological contamination of effluents in poultry and swine abattoirs

Health risks in the effluents of seven swine abattoirs and of seven poultry abattoirs were evaluated with regard to environment degradation and to dissemination of pathogenic microorganisms during the rainy and dry seasons. Supply-water samples from affluents and effluents of the treatment systems at different sites within the abattoir processing system were analysed. Similarly, water samples from the three recipient sites (emission point, 100 m upstream, 100 m downstream) were also analysed. Temperature, free residual chlorine (FRC), total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, enterococci, identification and serotyping of salmonellae were assessed. Scalding is the most significant stage in the slaughtering chain (P<0.05) when temperature is taken into account. Temperatures Lit effluents and at the sampled sites in the water bodies accorded to state and federal legislation standards. Supply waters did not meet the standards for FRC and microbial count standards according to the Ministry of Health and within limits imposed by the Industrial and Sanitary Inspection Regulations for Animal Products. Feather plucking and evisceration in Poultry slaughter and the cleansing of carcasses and facilities in Poultry and swine slaughtering had the highest contamination impact. The three loci at the water bodies were above the microbiological standards for classes II and III sites, in conformity with Law 8468 of the state of São Paulo, Brazil and Conama. Salmonella was found at several sites during slaughter, at both types of abattoirs, including in the effluent treatment system. This showed that these sites were the dissemination sources of the microorganism.

Protagonismo silencioso: a presença da OPAS na formação de recursos humanos em saúde no Brasil

The aim of this study is to assess the contribution of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to the field of human resources for health in Brazil. The assumption is that this organization not only influenced the development of this field, but but that it was also influenced by Brazilian institutions and by national political movements, through the interaction of its consultants with these movements. Four projects were selected, through which the contribution of PAHO was evaluated: the Program for the Strategic Preparation of Health Personnel (PPREPS), the Project for the Large Scale Formation of Middle and Low Level Personnel (Large Scale Project), the Project for Qualification in the Development of Human Resources in Health (CADRHU) and the Project for the Managerial Development of Basic Units of the National Health System (GERUS). To operacionalize the study, we used three basic complementary procedures: a bibliographic research, documental research and an interview. The time frame considered was from 1975, the year an agreement was signed between PAHO, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Culture, establishing PPREPS. It was through this program that the first PAHO team of national human resource consultants was contracted. The period between 1975 and 1999 was marked by political and social movements that changed the course of health in the country; among these was the Movement of Sanitary Reform in Brazil, which culminated in the implementation of the National Health System (SUS). This paper shows the connections of the PAHO consultants with this movement and the implications that this had for the Program of Cooperation in the Development of Human Resources of PAHO/Brazil. It also demonstrates that as the program became contaminated by national movements of health system reorganization and of democratization of Brazilian society, it proposed, in cooperation with national institutions, an organization of determinate areas of operation of these same institutions. The manuscript further reveals that, with the Large Scale Project, the human resources program determined the pedagogical and methodological option that would be the model for various other educational projects undertaken by a number of Brazilian institutions with the technical cooperation of PAHO. And finally, the repercussions and contributions of these projects, which strengthened the the field of human resources in the public health services of the country, are identified. Data analysis was based mainly on the theories of Bourdieu, Gramsci and Freire

Declínio dos citros: algo a ver com o sistema de produção de mudas cítricas?

Na atualidade, a citricultura paulista enfrenta sérios problemas com o surgimento de novas enfermidades limitantes ao processo produtivo. Uma das alternativas para prevenir essas enfermidades é, seguramente, a produção de mudas certificadas, com borbulhas e sementes de assegurada qualidade genética e sanitária, produzidas em containers ou sacos plásticos, sob fiscalização dos órgãos competentes, garantindo-se, assim, a sanidade das mesmas. No entanto, tem-se verificado que grande parte do processo operacional de produção de mudas cítricas foi parcialmente adaptado da produção de essências florestais (eucalipto), onde se insere, principalmente, o emprego de tubetes com comprimento de 12 cm. Tal prática desencadeia uma grave deformidade morfológica no sistema radical das mudas cítricas, reduzindo o seu potencial de crescimento, quando são plantadas a campo, em local definitivo. Como a principal causa desencadeadora do declínio dos citros parece ser o estresse hídrico, plantas oriundas desse sistema de produção de mudas, mostram-se muito mais vulneráveis ao estresse e, conseqüentemente, a esta anomalia. Como atualmente todas as mudas produzidas no Estado de São Paulo provêm desse sistema de produção, seguramente o declínio dos citros tenderá a ser, futuramente, muito mais freqüente e severo nos casos de combinações vulneráveis à sua ocorrência.

Caracterização da transmissão do vírus do mosaico-das-nervuras do algodoeiro pelo pulgão Aphis gossyphii com relação à persistência e ao tempo necessário para inoculação

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Efeito de Colletotrichum dematium var. truncata e Phomopsis sojae na qualidade sanitária e fisiológica de sementes de soja

Tem sido atribuído a vários patógenos reduções na qualidade de sementes de soja. Com o objetivo de avaliar o transporte dos fungos pelas sementes provenientes de plantas de soja, artificialmente inoculadas em condições de campo com dois isolados de Colletotrichum dematium var. truncata e um isolado de Phomopsis sojae, e seu efeito sobre a qualidade sanitária e fisiológica das mesmas, quatro variedades de soja (BRS 133, MSoy 6101, Conquista e Liderança) foram manualmente semeadas no campo, e as plantas obtidas foram inoculadas com C. dematium var. truncata isolado 1 e isolado 2, e P. sojae. A testemunha permaneceu sem inoculação. As sementes foram colhidas manualmente e submetidas a testes para avaliação da sanidade, teor de água, peso de 100 sementes, germinação em papel e emergência em areia. A desinfestação das sementes com hipoclorito de sódio a 1% por 3 minutos diminuiu a incidência dos patógenos nas mesmas. As sementes apresentaram uma alta infecção por Fusarium spp.. Phomopsis sojae foi encontrada em todos os tratamentos, e sua incidência nas sementes esteve relacionada com a incidência de Fusarium sp.. Há diferença na patogenicidade entre isolados de C. dematium var. truncata, sendo o isolado 1 o mais patogênico, com destaque para a variedade Liderança (25% de infecção por C. dematium var. truncata). Fusarium sp. influenciou negativamente a germinação de sementes da variedade MSoy 6101, independente do tratamento, e C. dematium var. truncata afetou negativamente a germinação das sementes das variedades Conquista e Liderança. Os valores de emergência em areia apresentaram-se significativamente superiores à germinação em papel, para as variedades MSoy 6101, Conquista e Liderança.

Identification of Salmonella spp. isolates from chicken abattoirs by multiplex-PCR

The present study was carried out to report the occurrence Salmonella spp., Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Typhimurium in chicken abattoirs. Samples of feces; feathers; scald, evisceration, and chiller water; and rinse water of non-eviscerated, eviscerated, and chilled carcass were collected from six chicken abattoirs. Salmonella isolates were identified by a multiplex-PCR using three sets of primers targeting the inuA, pefA, and sefA gene sequences from Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, respectively. Salmonella spp. was detected in 10% (29/288) of the samples, whereas serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium were identified in 62% (7/288), respectively. The results indicate the need to improve hygiene and sanitary standards in poultry slaughter lines, besides the education of food handlers and information to consumers. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Água de consumo humano como fator de risco à saúde em propriedades rurais

OBJETIVO: Verificar a qualidade higiênico-sanitária da água de consumo humano em propriedades rurais por meio da contagem de indicadores microbiológicos de potabilidade. MÉTODOS: Foram colhidas 180 amostras de água utilizada para consumo humano das fontes, reservatórios e ponto de consumo em 30 propriedades rurais, situadas na região Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo. Determinou-se o número mais provável de coliformes totais, Escherichia coli e o número de microrganismos mesófilos. Foi verificada a presença de medidas de proteção das fontes de abastecimento. RESULTADOS: Os resultados evidenciaram que 90% das amostras de água das fontes, 90% dos reservatórios e 96,7% de água de consumo humano, colhidas no período de chuvas, e 83,3%, 96,7% e 90%, daquelas colhidas respectivamente nos mesmos locais, durante a estiagem, estavam fora dos padrões microbiológicos de potabilidade para água de consumo humano. CONCLUSÕES: A água utilizada nas propriedades rurais foi considerada um importante fator de risco à saúde dos seres humanos que a utilizam. A adoção de medidas preventivas, visando à preservação das fontes de água, e o tratamento das águas já comprometidas são as ferramentas necessárias para diminuir consideravelmente o risco de ocorrência de enfermidades de veiculação hídrica.