ABSTRACT
A study was carried out using macrophages cultured from the peritoneal exudate of dogs infected in vitro with three species of Leishmania: L. (L.) chagasi, L. (Viannia) braziliensis and L. (L.) amazonensis with the aim of investigating the growth kinetics and infectivity of these species in the host cell. Results were expressed as the percentage of macrophages infected measured at 24 hr intervals over six days in RPMI - 1640 culture medium at a temperature of 34-35oC. The findings open the possibility of using canine peritoneal cells as a model for the screenning of leishmanicide drugs and to study the pathogenesis of these species.
Subject(s)
Animals , Dogs , Male , Female , In Vitro Techniques , Leishmania/pathogenicity , Macrophages, Peritoneal/parasitology , Leishmania braziliensis/pathogenicity , Leishmania infantum/pathogenicity , Leishmania mexicana/pathogenicity , Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous , Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous , Leishmaniasis, VisceralABSTRACT
Cutaneous disseminated lesions caused by Leishmania sp. were found in a pregnant mare (Equus cabalus) from a rural city in the State of rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before delivering, treatment was undertaken by immunotherapy followed by chemotherapy. Histopatology and serology were performed during treatment, as well as the biochemical characterization of the parasite (L. braziliensis) that was isolated from one of the lesions
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/veterinary , Horse Diseases/parasitology , Leishmania braziliensis , Leishmaniasis, Diffuse Cutaneous/veterinary , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/therapy , Horse Diseases/therapy , Horses , Immunotherapy , Leishmaniasis, Diffuse Cutaneous/therapyABSTRACT
In order to characterize the epidemiology of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) in a periurban area of the municipality of Sabará in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH), an area until then considered free of the disease, a cross sectional survey was undertaken in 1990. The survey of the population consisted of 1119 interviews and 881 clinical examinations using Montenegro's skin test (MST). A low prevalence (3.7%) of positive MST was encountered. The disease had been occuring in the area for about 20 years in the form of sporadic cases. The predominant species of sandfly both in domestic areas and nearby areas of secondary vegetation was Lutzomyia whitmani. A canine survey of delayed hypersensitivity to the antigen P10,000 identified only one dog with a positive reaction out of 113 examined. The transmission of ACL in MRBH was confirmed. The occurrence of the disease in women, children and individuals with no contact with forest areas as well as the presence of potential vector species in the domiciliar environment, suggests the transmission of the disease in this environmewnt
Subject(s)
Humans , Leishmaniasis/epidemiology , Brazil/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with acrylamide copolymerized with gelatin (substrate-SDS-PAGE) was used to compare promastigote proteinases from two Leishmania species (L. braziliensis and L. major-like). Substrate-SDS-PAGE resolved at least 6 distinct proteinase activities with relative molecular masses between 20 and 65 kDa. The profile of proteinase activity was the same for both species, although qualitative differences were observed. L. major-like expressed a low molecular weight (20 kDa) proteinase with maximum activity at pH 7.0, which was demonstrable from pH 5.0 to pH 8.0. The 20-kDa protease was recovered in the detergent phase of TX-114 and was inhibited by the sulfhydryl group-blocking reagent E-64 (2.5 mM) and the non-specific inhibitor iodoacetic acid (1 mM). Pepstatin (1 microM) and PMSF (2.5 mM) did not inhibit the 20-kDa enzyme. The present study suggests that both Leishmania species studied express hydrophobic cysteine proteases of different molecular weights, since about 2 x 10(7) parasites were analyzed in each lane and the proteolytic activity developed at 37 degrees C for 16 h
Subject(s)
Animals , Cysteine Proteases/isolation & purification , Leishmania braziliensis/enzymology , Leishmania tropica/enzymology , Cysteine Proteases/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Molecular WeightABSTRACT
Foi feito estudo visando a determinacao das taxas de medida da doenca meningococica em japoneses e seus descendentes, do municipio de Londrina, Parana, Brasil. A morbidade por doenca meningococica (DM)foi cerca de 7 meses mais baixa que no restante da populacao, tendo sido nula entre os mesmos a ocorrencia de obitos, tanto em fase endemica, como epidemica. A revisao dos prontuarios medicos hospitalares correspondentes aos casos notificados exclui o diagnostico de DM em 75% dos pacientes de origem japonesa e em 20% da amostra de pacientes nao japoneses. E discutida a eventual relacao de fatores socio-economicos e cultural (alimentar) as observacoes
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Humans , Male , Female , Meningitis, Meningococcal , Disease Outbreaks , BrazilSubject(s)
Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Humans , Male , Female , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous , MeglumineABSTRACT
A epidemiologia da Doenca Meningococica (D.M.) no Municipio de Londrina, foi abordada abrangendo o periodo de 1965 a 1975, a partir de notificacoes sanitarias, determinando-se a morbidade geral e especifica relacionada as zonas urbana e rural do municipio. No periodo, foi diagnosticada uma epidemia da doenca correspondente aos anos de 1973 a 1975, passando do indice endemico medio de 10,3 casos por 100.000 habitantes a 84,8 casos por 100.000 habitantes e atingindo, em 1974, a 132,94 casos por 100.000 habitantes, indices esses nao ultrapassados em nenhuma localidade brasileira. Salientou-se a predominante morbidade entre lactentes, nas fases epidemica e nao-epidemica, que atingiu a taxa exorbitante de 625,50 casos por 100.000 habitantes em 1974. Verificou-se moderado predominio da morbidade no sexo masculino. Foi realizado estudo amostral dos casos notificados para verificacao da confiabilidade das notificacoes durante o periodo epidemico. Os dados obtidos foram comparados com dados semelhantes referentes ao Brasil e ao exterior
Subject(s)
Infant , Humans , Male , Meningococcal InfectionsABSTRACT
Como parte de uma investigacao epidemiologica realizada no periodo de janeiro de 1965 a dezembro de 1975, e tendo como base o levantamento dos atestados de obito nos cartorios da cidade de Londrina, Parana, determinou-se a mortalidade e letalidade geral e especifica por Doenca Meningococica (D.M.) nas zonas urbanas e rurais do municipio. Atraves da obtencao do nivel endemico, com base nos coeficientes anuais de mortalidade, efetuou-se o diagnostico de uma fase epidemica da D.M. a partir de 1973. Observou-se que o indice endemico medio de 4,4 obitos por 100.000 habitantes passou a 14,0 obitos por 100.000 habitantes em 1974. A letalidade media no periodo epidemico foi de 16,5%. Tanto na fase endemica como na epidemica, chamou a atencao a altissima mortalidade entre lactentes, que chegou a 252,9 obitos por 100.000 habitantes em 1974, a elevada letalidade, principalmente nos grupos etarios extremos, e o predominio dessas taxas no sexo masculino. Compararam-se os dados de letalidade obtidos a partir do obtuario e das notificacoes sanitarias. Os resultados obtidos foram avaliados atraves da comparacao com dados semelhantes nacionais e estrangeiros
Subject(s)
Infant , Humans , Male , Meningococcal Infections , MortalityABSTRACT
Os autores apresentam os resutados de capturas de flebotomos realizadas no interior e exterior de habitacoes humanas e em abrigos de animais localizados no bairro de Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brasil).Foram identificadas cinco especies: L.intermedia, L.migonei, L.longipalpis, L.fischeri e L.whitmani, com predominancia da primeira, que parece permanecer no domicilio durante o dia, apos o repasto sanguineo. Na area estudada, ja foram constatados varios casos, humanos e canino, de leishmaniose tegumentar, e, nas proximidades, tambem varios casos de calazar