Hemocultures from chronic chagasic patients using EDTA or heparin as anticoagulants

Hemoculture tests, a method for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi, wre used to investigate the effects of the anticoagulants heparin or EDTA on the parasite growth in culture medium (liver infusion tryptose, LIT). Hemocultures from 13 patients with positive serology for chronic Chagas' disease performed in parallel with both anticoagulants resulted in a total of seven (54%) positive hemocultures, three positive with blood samples collected with EDTA (23%), two with heparin (15%) and two with both anticoagulants (15%). There was no significant difference between the number of positive tubes in blood samples collected with either heparin (11%) or with EDTA (13%), an indication that heparin does not block the growth of T. cruzi. However, the simultaneous use of both anticoagulants may improve the positivity index of the hemocultures

Estudo comparativo entre o exame a fresco e a cultura no diagnostico da tricomonose vaginal. / Comparative study between fresh smears and culture in the diagnosis of vaginal trichomoniasis

Foi feita a comparacao de dois metodos de diagnostico usados para a identificacao do Trichomonas vaginalis. A comparacao estatistica das duas tecnicas que o metodo de cultura e superior ao exame a fresco