Nodular typhlitis associated with the nematodes Heterakis gallinarum and Heterakis isolonche in pheasants: frequency and pathology with evidence of neoplasia

An investigation related to the frequency and pathology of Heterakis gallinarum and pathology of Heterakis isolonche in pheasants from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was conducted by means of clinical examinations, necropsies, and histopathological analysis in 50 ring-necked pheasants from backyard flocks of 11 localities; also, histological sections of caeca of golden pheasants deposited in the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CHIOC) have been considered in the present study. During necropsies, only specimens of H. gallinarum were recovered with a prevalence of 90%, mean intensity of 81.9 and range of infection of 1-413. Gross lesions were characterized by congestion, thickening, petechial haemorrhages of the mucosa, intussusception, and nodules in the cecal wall. Under microscopy, chronic difuse typhlitis, haemosiderosis, granulomas with necrotic center in the submucosa and leiomyomas in the submucosa, muscular and serosa associated with immature H. gallinarum worms were observed. The examination of histological sections previously deposited in the CHIOC, revealed more severe alterations associated with concomitant infections with H. gallinarum and H. isolonche in golden pheasants, and were characterized by several necrotic areas with cholesterol clefts in the submucosa, giant cell granulomas in the submucosa, and serosa centralized by necrosis and worm sections and neoplastic nodules in the muscular and submucosa.

Tiflite

Tiflite, síndrome fleo-cecal e enterocolite neutropénica serão denominações diversas do que parece ser uma infecção localizada à mucosa cecal, provocada por Clostridia. Habitualmente descrita em doentes neutropénicos, com leucémias ou após terapêutica anti-neoplásica, também tem sido descrita em doentes infectados por vírus da imunodeficiência humana, como no caso que apresentamos. O seu diagnóstico nem sempre é claro, tornando-se ainda mais problemático em doentes imunodeprimidos, nos quais múltiplas situações e podem apresentar com sintomas semelhantes. Todavia a um diagnóstico precoce deve seguir-se uma terapêutica médica agressiva, e se nalguns casos uma intervenção cirúrgica se sorna imperiosa, noutros poderá ser desnecessária. O seu controle a médio e a longo prazo poderá ser particularmente difícil.

Trichurid nematodes in ring-necked pheasants from backyard flocks of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: frequency and pathology

The present investigation is related to the frequency of infection and to the gross and microscopic lesions associated to the presence of trichurid worms in 50 ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) from backyard flocks in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the investigated birds, the overall infection rate was of 74%, with the presence of Eucoleus perforans with 72% of prevalence and 21.2 of mean intensity, in the esophageal and crop mucosa and rarely in the junction of the proventriculus and esophagus, E. annulatus with 2% and 3 in the crop mucosa, Capillaria phasianina, with 12% and 4.3 in the cecum and small intestine and Baruscapillaria obsignata, for the first time referred in this host, with 2% and 1 in the small intestine. Clinical signs were absent. The gross lesions observed in the crop and esophagus of 14 (38.9%) pheasants parasitized with E. perforans were thickening, small nodules, congestion, and petechial haemorrhages in the mucosa. These birds presented a mean infection of 37.5 and a range of infection of 10-82. The microscopic lesions revealed chronic esophagitis with diffuse inflammatory process in the lamina propria characterized mostly by a mononuclear cell infiltrate and also with the presence of granulocytes. In the case of the parasitism of pheasants with C. phasianina, the gross lesions were absent; microscopic lesions were characterized by chronic typhlitis with mononuclear infiltrate. Gross and microscopic lesions were absent in the pheasants parasitized with E. annulatus and B. obsignata.

Eficacia del factor estimulante de colonias de granulocitos en el manejo de la enterocolitis neutropénica en pediatría

Antecedentes: La enterocolitis neutropénica es una complicación que se presenta en niños tratados con quimioterapia. Se ha propuesto dentro del manejo el uso del factor estimulante de colonias de granulocitos. Sin embargo, no se ha realizado una revisión sistemática para evaluar su eficacia. Objetivo: Determinar la eficacia del uso del factor estimulante de colonias de granulocitos en el manejo de la enterocolitis neutropénica. Metodología: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura con búsqueda de ensayos clínicos a través de las bases de datos Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase, Ovid y Bireme. Como límites se tuvieron los idiomas ingles y español y la publicación entre los años 1996 y 2012. Se planteó la realización del análisis de calidad empleando la valoración del riesgo de sesgo propuesta por la Colaboración Cochrane. Se planteó la realización de un meta- análisis de la literatura. Resultados: No se encontraron estudios que exploraran el uso del factor estimulante de colonias en niños y adolescentes con enterocolitis neutropénica. Conclusión: No es posible emitir un juicio de valor positivo o negativo sobre la eficacia del factor en el manejo de la enterocolitis neutropénica en niños o adolescentes. No existe evidencia que evalúe el uso del factor estimulante de colonias en el paciente pediátrico con enterocolitis neutropénica.

An attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain lacking the ZnuABC transporter induces protection in a mouse intestinal model of Salmonella infection

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has long been recognised as a zoonotic pathogen of economic significance in animals and humans. Attempts to protect humans and livestock may be based on immunization with vaccines aimed to induce a protective response. We recently demonstrated that the oral administration of a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain unable to synthesize the zinc transporter ZnuABC is able to protect mice against systemic salmonellosis induced by a virulent homologous challenge. This finding suggested that this mutant strain could represent an interesting candidate vaccine for mucosal delivery. In this study, the protective effect of this Salmonella strain was tested in a streptomycin-pretreated mouse model of salmonellosis that is distinguished by the capability of evoking typhlitis and colitis. The here reported results demonstrate that mice immunized with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) SA186 survive to the intestinal challenge and, compared to control mice, show a reduced number of virulent bacteria in the gut, with milder signs of inflammation. This study demonstrates that the oral administration a of S. Typhimurium strain lacking ZnuABC is able to elicit an effective immune response which protects mice against intestinal S. Typhimurium infection. These results, collectively, suggest that the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model of S. typhimurium infection can represent a valuable tool to screen S. typhimurium attenuated mutant strains and potentially help to assess their protective efficacy as potential live vaccines.