Análise de polimorfismos dos genes da rota quinureniana em pacientes com meningite bacteriana.

Bacterial meningitis (BM) is still an important infectious disease causing death and disability. Invasive bacterial infections of the central nervous systems (CNS) generate some of the most powerful inflammatory responses known, which contributes to neuronal damage. The DNA microarray technology showed alterations in the kynurenine (KYN) pathway that is induced in BM and other diseases associated with inflammation, leading to brain injury. Our main aim was to search SNPs previously described in the KYN path enzymes to investigate a putative association of this SNPs with imbalanced in this pathway in patients with BM. The patients included in this study were 33 males and 24 females, with ages varying from 02 months to 68 years. SNPs were located inside of the domain conserved in KYNU, IDO, KATI and KATII. Primers were designed for analysis of SNPs already described by PIRA-PCR followed by RFLP. The analysis of KYNU+715G/A SNP found a heterozygous frequency of 0.033. We did not found the variant allele of SNP KYNU+693G/A, KATI+164T/C, KATII+650C/T and IDO+434T/G. Despite of previews studies showing the importance of KYN pathway we did not found one association of these SNPs analyzed with susceptibility or severity of MB in study population.

Injuries and envenoming by aquatic animals in fishermen of Coxim and Corumbá municipalities, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: identification of the causative agents, clinical aspects and first aid measures

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Serum Iron Parameters and Acute Experimental EHV-1 Infection in Horses

Background Research in humans has demonstrated that high serum iron (sFe) concentration can predispose to infection, and many infections subsequently result in alterations of host sFe. A decrease in sFe concentration is an early and sensitive indicator of systemic inflammation caused by tissue necrosis, bacterial infections, or endotoxemia in horses. Serum iron parameters in acute equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection have not been evaluated previously. Objectives To document the sFe response to EHV-1 infection and to determine whether or not significant differences in sFe concentration exist between EHV-1 infected horses that develop neurologic disease and those that do not. Animals A total of 14 horses experimentally infected with EHV-1. Methods Data were collected as an ancillary data set during a blinded experimental EHV-1 infection. Horses were infected with the rAb4 strain of EHV-1. Temperature, neurologic score, packed cell volume (PCV), and sFe parameters (sFe concentration, % saturation, and total iron-binding capacity) were recorded daily for 2weeks. Data were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests with Bonferroni corrections. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Serum iron concentration decreases significantly in a biphasic pattern after EHV-1 infection. There was no significant difference in sFe concentration in horses that developed neurologic disease and those that did not in these experimentally infected animals. Serum iron parameters may be useful in monitoring the clinical course of viral infections such as EHV-1.

Avaliação da colonização nasal por Staphylococcus spp. resistenteà oxacilina em alunos de enfermagem

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

Infecções cutâneas e acidentes por animais traumatizantes e venenosos ocorridos em aquários comerciais e domésticos no Brasil: descrição de 18 casos e revisão do tema

FUNDAMENTOS: O aquarismo a cada dia ganha novos adeptos no Brasil. Impulsionado por belos peixes e objetos de decoração, o hábito pode trazer problemas como infecções e envenenamentos por diversos animais. OBJETIVOS: Demonstração dos animais causadores e dos quadros clínicos envolvidos com estes acidentes, das infecções cutâneas encontradas após traumas e das medidas terapêuticas e preventivas para controle do problema, pouco conhecido pela população em geral. MÉTODOS: Utilizou-se um estudo prospectivo para a detecção de acidentes por animais e infecções ocorridas após traumas em aquários. Estes dados serviram de base para um estudo epidemiológico, clínico e terapêutico sobre o problema. RESULTADOS: em cerca de 300 acidentes por animais aquáticos, 12 ou 4% do total foram causados por animais venenosos em aquários. Cinco infecções bacterianas e uma fúngica foram identificadas após traumas em aquários. CONCLUSÕES: Os acidentes em aquários domésticos e comerciais são relativamente comuns e podem acarretar infecções cutâneas e ferimentos por animais venenosos ou traumatizantes. Os proprietários de aquários na maioria das vezes não têm informações sobre estes acidentes. Os autores fornecem as espécies de microorganismos e animais mais freqüentemente envolvidas com ferimentos e as medidas terapêuticas e preventivas adequadas ao manejo do problema.

Compósitos de Al2O3/ZrO2 recobertos com hidroxiapatita dopada com íons Ag

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

Reação metabólica à infecção no hospedeiro.

At the site of local reaction to infection the interleukin-1 (1L-1) is released signaling to distant tissues the presence of infection and attempting to strengthen the host's defenses and inhibit the bacterial growth. This phenomenon is accompanied by anorexia and fever. The muscle-protein breakdown is sustained and the released amino acids are taken up by the liver and other RE structures where they are used as substrates for energy and for synthesis of defense-related proteins. The metabolic adaptations to sepsis include hyperthermia, increased synthesis of hepatic globulins, development of granulopoiesis and neutrophilia and redistribution of serum iron and trace minerals.

Radiographic and microbiologic evaluation of posttreatment apical and periapical repair of root canals of dogs' teeth with experimentally induced chronic lesion

The objective of the present study was to evaluate radiographically and bacteriologically apical and periapical repair in dogs' teeth with induced chronic periapical lesions with the use of two different operative techniques (techniques 1 and 2). The study was conducted on 40 root canals of upper and lower premolars from two dogs aged approximately 12 months. Periapical lesions were induced by leaving the root canals exposed to the oral environment for 5 days and then sealing them with zinc oxide-eugenol for 45 days. After this period, radiographic examination revealed the occurrence of a radiolucent lesion and endodontic treatment was started. The two techniques did not differ in terms of chemomechanical preparation, final filling, or type of cement, but differed in terms of irrigating solution and the presence of an antibacterial dressing. Thus 4% to 6% hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide (10 volumes) were used in technique 1 during chemomechanical preparation and an antibacterial dressing based on calcium hydroxide was applied between sessions, whereas Dakin's fluid (0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution) and a final filling with no antibacterial dressing were used in technique 2. After chemomechanical preparation, the root canals were filled with gutta-percha cones and Sealapex (Sealapex-Sybron, Kerr, Sao Paulo, Brazil), and the animals were killed 270 days after the final filling. Blocks were cut into 6-μm sections and stained by the Brown and Brenn method. Radiographic, histomicrobiologic and statistical analysis permitted us to conclude the following: radiographically there was a marked reduction or even the disappearance of the radiolucent area present before treatment with greater success in the group treated with technique 1 (group I) than in the group treated with technique 2 (group II); the extent of bacterial invasion of dentinal tubules was greater and more intense in group II than in group I; and the amount of microorganisms detected in the ramifications of the apical delta and in the lumen of the root canal was intense in group II and mild or absent in group I. © 1994.

The diagnostic value of Gram stain for initial identification of the etiologic agent of peritonitis in CAPD patients

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Gram stain in the initial diagnosis of the etiologic agent of peritonitis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Design: Retrospective study analyzing the sensitivity (S), specificity (SS), positive predictive value (+PV), and negative predictive value (-PV) of the Gram stain relating to the results of cultures in 149 episodes of peritonitis in CAPD. The data were analyzed in two studies. In the first, only the cases with detection of a single agent by Gram stain were taken (Study 1). In the second, only the cases with two agents in Gram stain were evaluated (Study 2). Setting: Dialysis Unit and Laboratory of Microbiology of a tertiary medical center. Patients: Sixty-three patients on regular CAPD who presented one or more episodes of peritonitis from May 1992 to May 1995. Results: The positivity of Gram stain was 93.2% and the sensitivity was 95.7%. The values of S, SS, +PV, and -PV were respectively: 94.9%, 53.5%, 68.3%, and 90.9% for gram-positive cocci and 83.3%, 98.8%, 95.2%, and 95.6% for gram-negative bacilli. The association of gram-positive cocci plus gram-negative bacilli were predictive of growth of both in 6.8%, growth of gram-positive cocci in 13.7%, and growth of gram-negative bacilli in 72.5%. Conclusions: The Gram stain is a method of great value in the initial diagnosis of the etiologic agent of peritonitis in CAPD, especially for gram-negative bacilli.

Niche-specific association of Aeromonas ribotypes from human and environmental origin

A total of 88 Aeromonas isolates from distinct locations and sources (39 from extraintestinal infections, 31 from diarrhoeic, ten from non-diarrhoeic faeces, all human, and eight from fresh water) were subjected to phenospecies identification, serotyping, ribotyping and detection of some virulence markers. The strains belonged to four different phenospecies marked by 19 O serogroups and 38 ribotypes. No strong correlation between these parameters was found, and no group, as defined by the typing methods, could be characterized with a particular set of virulence markers. There was a clear association of ribotypes with the source of the strains. Cluster analysis allowed the identification of a complex of ribotypes belonging to distinct but related sources, including clinical and environmental isolates. These results suggest that ribotyping may be an epidemiological tool suitable for the study of Aeromonas infections.

Diversidade de microrganismos indicadores utilizados na avaliação da contaminação fecal de areias de praias recreacionais marinhas: Estado atual do conhecimento e perspectivas

Although the quality of sea recreational waters is already monitored by programs implanted in some Brazilian states, including the State São Paulo, little attention has been given to beach sands, which have been disregarded from the point of view of public health. However, this panorama is changing in recent years due to an increasing number of cases of mycoses and bacterial infections affecting people who frequent beaches and use sands as recreation places. This has caused greater concerns with the contamination of this environment, also measurable by the increase of the number of scientific works on sediments and recreational beach sands microbiota. Currently one knows that in general these sediments contain more microorganisms than the water and are therefore potential sources of contamination of human beings by pathogenic microorganisms. The results of works carried through in some countries are worrying, and have demonstrated the necessity of establishing standards and limits so that monitoring programs of the microbiological quality of beach sands are implanted. Such concern is especially high in Brazil, a country of a tropical climate where thousands of beaches, used for recreation, extend for almost eight thousand kilometers of the coast. In the context of Baixada Santista, studies carried through have shown that in certain situations beach sands can contain more microorganisms than waters and may be a risk to the health of users.

Presence and distribution of the endosymbiont Wolbachia among Solenopsis spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Brazil and its evolutionary history

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect arthropods. Its prevalence among ants of the genus Solenopsis is high. In the present study, the presence and distribution of these endosymbionts was examined among populations of Solenopsis spp. from Brazil. A phylogenetic analysis based on the wsp gene was conducted to infer the evolutionary history of Wolbachia infections within the populations surveyed. A high frequency of Wolbachia bacteria was observed among the genus Solenopsis, 51% of the colonies examined were infected. Incidence was higher in populations from southern Brazil. However, little genetic variability was found among different Wolbachia strains within supergroups A and B. Our findings also suggest that horizontal transmission events can occur through the social parasite S. daguerrei. © 2012 Elsevier Inc..

Influence of TNF-α blockers on the oral prevalence of opportunistic microorganisms in ankylosing spondylitis patients

Objectives: To compare the oral prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Candida spp., staphylococci, enterobacteriaceae, and pseudomonas spp.from ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients receiving conventional and anti-TNF-α therapy. Methods: The study included 70 AS patients, diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria (1984). The volunteers were divided into 2 groups: a biological group (AS BioG) (n=35) (on anti-TNF-α therapy) and a conventional group (AS ConvG) (n=35). The control group (ContG) (n=70) was made up of healthy individuals matched for age, gender, and oral conditions. After clinical examination, oral rinse samples were collected and plated in specific culture media. The number of colony-forming units per milliliter (cfu/ml) was obtained, and isolates were identified using the API system. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed according to the NCCLS guidelines. Prevalence and counts of microorganisms were statistically compared between the 3 groups, using the Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: In both the AS BioG and the AS ConvG, staphylococci counts were higher than that in the ContG (p<0.0001). Candida albicans and staphylococcus epidermidis were the most commonly found species in all the groups. Serratia marcescens and klebsiella oxytoca were more prevalent in the AS BioG and the AS ConvG, respectively. Two Candida isolates (2.8%) from the AS BioG and 5 (10.8%) from the AS ConvG were resistant to amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine. A low percentage of staphylococci isolates was resistant to amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline. Conclusion: Higher counts of staphylococci were observed in both AS groups, regardless of the current therapy, age, sex, and oral conditions. Anti-TNF-α therapy could not be correlated with increased counts of microorganisms. © Copyright CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY 2012.

High concentrations of glucose reduce the oxidative metabolism of dog neutrophils in vitro

Background: Dogs are commonly affected by hyperglycemic conditions. Hyperglycemia compromises the immune response and favors bacterial infections; however, reports on the effects of glucose on neutrophil oxidative metabolism and apoptosis are conflicting in humans and rare in dogs. Considering the many complex factors that affect neutrophil oxidative metabolism in vivo, we investigated in vitro the specific effect of high concentrations of glucose on superoxide production and apoptosis rate in neutrophils from healthy dogs.Results: The capacity of the neutrophils to reduce tetrazolium nitroblue decreased significantly in the higher concentration of glucose (15.13 ± 9.73% (8 mmol/L) versus 8.93 ± 5.71% (16 mmol/L)). However, there were no changes in tetrazolium nitroblue reduction at different glucose concentrations when the neutrophils were first activated with phorbol myristate acetate. High concentrations of glucose did not affect the viability and apoptosis rate of canine neutrophils either with or without prior camptothecin stimulation. This study provides the first evidence that high concentrations of glucose inhibit the oxidative metabolism of canine neutrophils in vitro in a manner similar to that which occurs in humans, and that the decrease in superoxide production did not increase the apoptosis rate.Conclusions: A high concentration of glucose reduces the oxidative metabolism of canine neutrophils in vitro. It is likely that glucose at high concentrations rapidly affects membrane receptors responsible for the activation of NADPH oxidase in neutrophils; therefore, the nonspecific immune response can be compromised in dogs with acute and chronic hyperglycemic conditions. © 2013 Bosco et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Photodynamic and Antibiotic Therapy Impair the Pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecium in a Whole Animal Insect Model

Enterococcus faecium has emerged as one of the most important pathogens in healthcare-associated infections worldwide due to its intrinsic and acquired resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an alternative therapeutic platform that is currently under investigation for the control and treatment of infections. PDT is based on the use of photoactive dye molecules, widely known as photosensitizer (PS). PS, upon irradiation with visible light, produces reactive oxygen species that can destroy lipids and proteins causing cell death. We employed Galleria mellonella (the greater wax moth) caterpillar fatally infected with E. faecium to develop an invertebrate host model system that can be used to study the antimicrobial PDT (alone or combined with antibiotics). In the establishment of infection by E. faecium in G. mellonella, we found that the G. mellonella death rate was dependent on the number of bacterial cells injected into the insect hemocoel and all E. faecium strains tested were capable of infecting and killing G. mellonella. Antibiotic treatment with ampicillin, gentamicin or the combination of ampicillin and gentamicin prolonged caterpillar survival infected by E. faecium (P = 0.0003, P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0001, respectively). In the study of antimicrobial PDT, we verified that methylene blue (MB) injected into the insect followed by whole body illumination prolonged the caterpillar survival (P = 0.0192). Interestingly, combination therapy of larvae infected with vancomycin-resistant E. faecium, with antimicrobial PDT followed by vancomycin, significantly prolonged the survival of the caterpillars when compared to either antimicrobial PDT (P = 0.0095) or vancomycin treatment alone (P = 0.0025), suggesting that the aPDT made the vancomycin resistant E. faecium strain more susceptible to vancomycin action. In summary, G. mellonella provides an invertebrate model host to study the antimicrobial PDT and to explore combinatorial aPDT-based treatments.