Recent occurence of human infection by Rocio arbovirus in Ribeira Valley, Brazil

The presence of IgM antibodies to Rocio in sera of two children from rural area of Ribeira Valley, Brazil, was detected by MAC-ELISA. This new arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family was responsible for an extensive encephalitis epidemic that occurred in the region in 1975-1977. Since 1980 no human disease caused by this virus has been diagnosed. An improvement on surveillance of Rocio infections and on the researches for virus identification in suspected vectors and reservoirs is necessary.

Occurence of Giardia lamblia in children of municipal day-care centers from Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil

Considering that the number of day-care centers for pre-school-age children has expanded rapidly in developing countries, and that these institutions presenting conditions that facilitate the transmission of many enteric agents, a parasitological survey was carried out in three municipal day-cares from Botucatu: two in the urban area (one in downtown area and the other one in the city periphery area) and the third in the rural area. Three separate stool specimens were collected from 147 children ranging from 0 to 72 months old and 20 staff members. Each stool specimen was processed by Lutz and zinc sulfate flotation methods. The frequency of giardiasis observed among children of downtown, periphery and rural day-cares was 69.6%, 52.7% and 69.6%, respectively. Only one employee was positive for G. lamblia. The examination of three stool specimens increased the positivity for G. lamblia: from the ninety three final positive examinations, 24 (25.5%) and 8 (8.5%) were positives only after examination of the second and third samples, respectively. Others intestinal organisms like Ascaris lumbricoides (20.4%), Trichuris trichiura (19.0%). Hymenolepis nana (8.8%), Entamoeba coli (22.4%) and Blastocystis hominis (32.0%) were frequently found in the children. There was no significant association among localization of the day-cares, sex of the children and the levels of G. lamblia infection. According to the age, G. lamblia was found mainly in children between 12 to 47 months old.

Effects of forest structure components on the occurence, group size and density of groups of bare-face tamarin (Saguinus bicolor - primates: Callitrichinae) in Central Amazonia

This study analyzed the influence of forest structural components on the occurence, size and density of groups of Bare-face Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) - the most threatened species in the Amazon - and produced the first map of distribution of groups in large-scale spatial within the area of continuous forest. Population censuses were conducted between November 2002 and July 2003, covering 6400 hectares in the Ducke Reserve, Manaus-AM, Brazil. Groups of S. bicolor were recorded 41 times accordingly distributed in the environments: plateau (20); slopes (12); and lowlands (09). The mean group size was 4.8 indiv./group, and ranged from 2 to 11 individuals. In the sites where the groups were recorded, and in an equivalent number of sites where no tamarins were found located at least 500 m from those where they had been recorded, we placed 50 m x 50 m plots to record the following forest structural components: abundance of trees; abundance of lianas; abundance of fruiting trees and lianas; abundance of snags; abundance of logs; percentage of canopy opening; leaf litter depth; and altitude. Bare-face Tamarin more often uses areas with lower abundance of forest logs, smaller canopy opening and with higher abundance of snags, areas in the forest with smaller canopy opening present higher density of S. bicolor groups. Apparently this species does not use the forest in a random way, and may select areas for its daily activities depending on the micro-environmental heterogeneity produced by the forest structural components.

Schizotrypanids: the occurence of dermatitis in immunodeficiency animals infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Congenitally athymic nude Balb/c (nu/nu) and their phenothypically normal adult and neonate littermates (nu/+), the C3H/HeN as well, were intraperitoneally infected with two strains (Y or CL) of Trypanossoma cruzi. The nude mice and the neonates developed a severe parasitaemia, the susceptible C3H/HeN also presented high level and adult Balb/c mice presented parasitaemia similar to that observed in outbred mice. Erythematous skin lesions were observed initially in infected athymic nude and neonates, being charactherized by nests of amastigotes in the dermis; in C3H/HeN infected mice no nest of parasite was observed but a low-grade inflammatory reaction was seen. In adult Balb/c or OF1 outbred mice nest was found but discreet inflammatory reaction was observed in severe infections.

Occurence of larval Culicidae (Diptera) in water retained in Aquascypha hydrophora (Fungus: Stereaceae) in Central Amazônia, Brazil

The community structure of insects, especially mosquito larvae, in water held in the fungus Aquascypha hydrophora (Berk.) Reid (Stereaceae) is reported. The study was done in the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, 26 km east of Manaus, AM, Brazil, from September 1998 through November 1999. The most abundant entomofauna were immature Culicidae (n = 121) 91.7%, followed by adult Dytiscidae (n = 3) 2.3%, immature Chironomidae (n = 5) 3.8% and immature Tipulidae (n = 3) 2.3%. Culicidae associated with A. hydrophora comprised species of the subfamilies Anophelinae and Culicinae.

Using STD occurence to monitor AIDS prevention : final report of the Working Group on STD Surveillance.

The overall aim of the project has been to assess the extent to which data on the frequency of occurence of STDs [Sexually transmitted diseases] might be useful in the monitoring and evaluation of AIDS prevention programmes. The objectives have been to answer the following questions: (a) Can measures of STD occurence be used as an outcome measure of AIDS/HIV preventive efforts ? In particular: -> which diseases might be useful ? -> in what ways could they be used ? (b) If measures of STD occurence can be used in this way, is existing surveillance data in Western Europe adequate for the purpose ? If not why not ? (c) What do data from existing STD surveillance systems tell us about the success or failure of AIDS prevention to date ? (d) What needs to be done in order taht STD surveillance data in the countries of Western Europe could be used for this purpose ? [Authors, p. 4]

Occurence of thrips on Niagara table grape and its control with the insecticides thiacloprid and methiocarb associated with Metarhizium anisopliae

Thrips are reported as important pests on table grapes in United States and several countries of Europe. Damage caused by thrips, particulary Frankliniella occidentalis, was observed on niagara table grape crop in Limeira-SP, Brazil. During the blooming period, high thrips densities were observed feeding on pollen and small berries. The symptoms left were more visible after the development of the berries and were characterized by dark scars and suberized surface on berries, sometimes causing the berry to crack, and the seed to prolapse. The effect of insecticides thiacloprid or methiocarb, associated or not with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae were evaluated during the blooming period. For evaluation of thrips damage on fruits, the treatments were applied three additional times, 7, 14 and 21 days after the first application. The treatments were: a) M. anisopliae (strain 1037) 1x10(7) conidia/mL; b) thiacloprid 20mL/100L; c-d) methiocarb 100 and 150mL/100L; e) methiocarb 100mL/100L + M. anisopliae 1x10(7) conidia/mL. Only methiocarb, associated or not with the fungus, was effective in reducing thrips infestation, and no phytotoxic damage was observed. The efficiency of methiocarb 150mL/100L and the insecticide associated with the fungus for the control of the thrips population was 84.2 and 95.5%, respectively. In both cases, there was a reduction of approximately 70% in the number of berries with scars symptoms. For control of thrips on table grapes, chemical insecticides associated or not with M. anisopliae should be applied during the blooming period of the crop.

Characterization and occurence of eairly softening disorder in 'golden' papaya fruits

The occurrence of green skin and soft pulp in 'Golden' papaya fruit during certain seasons has been reported by farmers in the northern of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The objective of this study was to characterize and determine the occurrence of this disorder, which was referred as "early softening disorder". Fruits were harvested weekly for 11 months (from September to July). The fruits were stored at 10°C, and then fruit flesh firmness and skin color were analyzed. The results of the firmness test were submitted to regression analysis assuming a linear trendline. The slope of the curve was called the 'softening index' (SI). Fruits with early softening are characterized by a loss of firmness in less than 10 days, even when stored under refrigeration. Although softened, the skin of the fruit remains partially green. Fruits with the disorder occurred more frequently from mid-summer to mid-autumn (February to May). It is not possible to distinguish early softening disorder fruits from those without the disorder by skin color and flesh firmness analysis at the time of the harvest.

Brain injury: Assessment of hemineglect occurence and of attentional deficit through cancellation tasks

Hemineglect (HN) is a widely studied syndrome after unilateral lesions due to stroke. However, although there are some studies with HN rehabilitation of posttraumatic brain injury (TBI), there seems to be no published data about the prevalence of HN in TBI through cancellation tasks. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the occurrence of this syndrome and of attentional deficits in patients with TBI by means of the Bells Test and of a line cancellation task. The sample was comprised of 21 patients with TBI and 21 healthy controls matched by education, age and frequency of written language habits. There was a poorer performance of patients with TBI with a greater number of omissions on the left side and lower speed processing. In addition, suggestive signs of HN were found in 38 % of the sample of TBI patients. More research is needed to characterize clinical syndromes regarding the occurrence of HN after a TBI through the traditionally known cancellation paradigm.

Occurence of autism spectrum disorder in the hearing-impaired population: how to achieve earlier diagnosis

This paper discusses the incidence of hearing impaired children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and methods of diagnosis.

Occurence of karyotypical mosaicism in Trichomycterus paolence (Teleostei, Trichomycteridae)

A chromosomal mosaic has at least two cell lineages with different karyotypes derived from a single zygote and the karyotype alteration can be numeric or structural as well. In the present paper were detected a numeric chromosomal alterations in a single specimen of Thichomycterus paolence from the Quinta stream (Itatinga, state of São Paulo, Brazil). In a total of 61 analysed metaphases, besides the normal chromosome number of this species (2n=54), other four chromosomal sets characterized by 2n=55 (54 plus a microchromosome), 2n=55 (54 plus a small subtelocentric chromosome), 2n=56 (54 plus a subtelocentric and a microchromosome) and 2n=57 (54 plus a subtelocentric pair and a microchromosome) have been detected. The mechanisms that have originated those abnormal karyotypical constitutions is discussed.