Infecçäo por Dirofilaria immitis em cäes de Maceió / Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs from Maceió, Alagoas, Northeast region of Brazil

De 2.007 amostras de sangue examinadas de cäes da cidade de Maceió-AL, foram detectados 62 (3,1 por cento) animais positivos para a presença de microfilária (mf). Em 11 cäes, escolhidos aleatoriamente, foi colhido sangue venoso para a identificaçäo específica de Dirofilaria immitis. Para tal, foram utilizadas a motilidade, o tamanho, a morfologia das mf e a presença de antígenos solúveis do parasito, sendo encontrados cinco animais portadores de D. immitis. Mosquitos da espécies Culex quinquefasciatus foram alimentados com sangue de um cäo portador de D. immitis. O desenvolvimento de formas larvárias foi obsevado nos títulos de Malpighi, confirmando a ocorrência da dirofilariose canina por D. immitis na cidade de Maceió-AL

The immunodominant surface antigen of Plasmodium gallinaceum is present in both the salivary gland and oocyst sporozoites

1. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against surface antigens of Plasmodium gallinaceum sporozoites, an avian malaria parasite, were produced using spleen cells from mice immunized with sporozoites from mosquito salivary glands (SGS) or from midadgusts containing oocysts (OoS). 2. All of the 15 MAbs teted (11 anti-SGS and 4 anti-OoS) reacted with SGS and OoS by indirect immunofluorescence and circumsporozoiter precipitation reactions. Fourteen of these MAbs (11 anti-SGS and 3 anti-OoS) produced a Western blot (WB) patten identical to that produced with serum from mice lyperimmunized with viable intacts sporozoites. 3. All MAbs and the immune sera recognized only two polypeptide bands of approximate molecutlar weight 78 and 64KDa. 4. No difference in the WB pattern was observed when-or 12-day SGS or OoS extracts were used as antigens in WB. This antigenic similary was confirmed when the total protein extracts were visualized on silver-stained SDS-PAGE gel

In vitro activity of natural and synthetic naphathoquinones against erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

In an attempt to identify new antimalarial compounds we studied the blood schizonticide effect of chemically defined natural products which were isolated from plants (Bignoniaceae) or synthesized. Different concentrations of there drugs (up to 20 micronM) were incubated in vitro with blood forms of Plasmodium falciparum for 72 h. A total of 12 drugs of the naphtoquinones group were tested. Eight of them were isolated from plants (NP) and 4 synthesized (S). Three of the drugs (2 NP and one S) were very active and completely inhibited parasite growth at the higher concentrations used (20 micronM); 5 drugs were partially active (3S and 2NP) and 3 (NP) were totally inactive. Lapachol was among the drugs tested. Although it has been considered a potential antimalarial agent, it exhibited very low activity (20% inhibition of schizogony). The antimalarial activity of our naphthoquinones against drug-resistant strains was superior to that of chloroquine and quinine which were as controls. Two of the P. falciparum strains used for the tests were strongly chloroquine resistant. If these naphthoquinones prove to be active in vivo and are of low toxicity, they will be promising candidates for treatment of human malaria particularly since they are easily synthesized