American visceral Leishmaniasis: a case report Langoni, H.(São Paulo State University School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health,São Paulo State University School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Zoonosis Searches Nucleus); Lucheis, S. B.(São Paulo State University School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health); Da Silva, R. C.(São Paulo State University School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health) ...
The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases,
09/2005, Letnik:
11, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by parasites of the Leishmania genus. Dog is the major source of infection to man, especially in urban areas. The authors report a case of visceral ...leishmaniasis in a pit bull female dog from Bocaina, São Paulo, Brazil. The animal presented clinical signs compatible with leishmaniasis, including skin lesions in the body and partial damage of the external ears. The indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) demonstrated a titer of 1280, and promastigote forms of Leishmania sp were isolated by the culture of bone marrow puncture. Cytological analysis of the lymph node and smear of the bone marrow puncture revealed macrophages containing amastigote forms of Leishmania sp in their inner region. The test of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) utilized the primers LINR4 and LIN19, which amplify 720 base pairs, specific for Leishmania sp. The authors discuss the importance of techniques for a quick and precise diagnosis to this serious zoonosis with great impact in animal and public health.
Candida dubliniensis
is one of the
Candida
species which was first recognized in 1995. The yeast was misidentified because of its phenotypic similarities with
Candida albicans.
In this study, blood ...samples of patients from various departments at Ankara University Medical Faculty between January 1996 and September 2000 were investigated for distribution of
Candida
spp. and presence of
C. dubliniensis.
Ninety‐eight culture positive fungi were included in the study. Phenotypic tests for identification of
C. dubliniensis
and tests for differentiation of the yeast from
C. albicans
, such as colony morphology on Staib agar, growth at 42 °C and 45 °C, β‐glucosidase activity and carbohydrate assimilation, were carried out. Sixty‐four of the isolates produced germ tubes and chlamydospores, and none of them had the phenotypic characteristics of
C. dubliniensis. Further large‐scale studies of specific patient groups are necessary to reveal the etiologic importance of this yeast.
Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia observed in immunocompromised patients (transplant or positive HIV) occurred more frequently by the artificial xenodiagnosis method (10/38) compared with hemoculture ...(2/38), given the same quantity of blood. Other ways of diagnosis, like mice inoculation (5/38), QBC and buffy coat (2/38), were evaluated also. This result showed the importance of the artificial xenodiagnosis. The other techniques increased only one more patient positive.
In order to study B. henselae transmission among cats, five young cats were kept in confinement for two years, one of them being inoculated by SC route with B. henselae (10(5) UFC). Only occasional ...contact among cats occurred but the presence of fleas was observed in all animals throughout the period. Blood culture for isolation of bacteria, PCR-HSP and FTSZ (gender specific), and BH-PCR (species-specific), as well as indirect immunofluorescence method for anti-B. henselae antibodies were performed to confirm the infection of the inoculated cat as well as the other naive cats. Considering the inoculated animal, B. henselae was first isolated by blood culture two months after inoculation, bacteremia last for four months, the specific antibodies being detected by IFI during the entire period. All contacting animals presented with bacteremia 6 months after experimental inoculation but IFI did not detect seroconversion in these animals. All the isolates from these cats were characterized as Bartonella (HSP and FTSZ-PCR), henselae (BH-PCR). However, DNA of B. henselae could not be amplified directly from peripheral blood by the PCR protocols used. Isolation of bacteria by blood culture was the most efficient method to diagnose infection compared to PCR or IFI. The role of fleas in the epidemiology of B. henselae infection in cats is discussed.
A sensibilidade de hemoculturas, realizadas uma ou três vezes, foi estudada em 52 pacientes na fase crônica da doença de Chagas. Modificações foram introduzidas na técnica tais como, diminuição do ...período de processamento do sangue, homogeneização suave e exame até 120 dias do cultivo. Os resultados mostram alto percentual de positividade, ou seja, 79% e 94% dos pacientes foram positivos, respectivamente, com um ou três testes. A julgar pela número de tubos positivos, em cada paciente, a parasitemia foi baixa em 59% deles, média em 16% e alta em 25%. Não houve diferenças significativas nos resultados positivos em função da idade dos pacientes, que variou de 14 a 82 anos. Nossos resultados demonstram que a hemocultura é uma metodologia sensível para o diagnóstico parasitológico da doença de Chagas e ideal para monitorar cura em pacientes submetidos a tratamento.The sensitivity ofhemocultures, performed once or three times, was investigated in 52 patients in the chronic phase of Chagas disease. Modifications were introduced in the technique such as, processing the blood more rapidly, gently homogenizing the cultures and examining them after 120 days of culture. Our results show a high percent age of positivity i.e. 79% and 94% of patients submitted, respectively, to one or three tests. No significant differences related to the patients age were detected, which varied from 14 to 82 years old. Our results demonstrate that hemoculture is a sensitive method for the parasitological diagnosis of Chagas disease and is ideal for monitoring cure in treated patients.
The infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, the aethiological agent of Chagas'
disease, is a serious public health problem in most of the Latin
American countries. In Brazil, it is estimated that around five ...million
people are infected by T. cruzi and 25 million live in areas of risk.
In the South region of Brazil, the State of Rio Grande do Sul is the
most important endemic area of human Chagas' disease. The infection
rate by T. cruzi in different municipalities in the southern region of
the state varies from 17.6% to 19.6%. Characterization of several T.
cruzi strains isolated from the wild and domestic transmission cycles
in Rio Grande do Sul shows that these parasite populations are highly
polymorphic, as demonstrated by isoenzyme and random amplified
polymorphic DNA analysis.
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