Occurrence of potentially highly pathogenic free-living amoebae in ready made salads from restaurants in Jatai, Goias, Brazil

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are part of a group of protozoa found worldwide and in the most diverse environments. They resist various temperatures and disinfection methods, and are a risk to human health. Pathogenic strains grow at high temperatures and under hyperosmolarity conditions. Some FLA genera are mainly related to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), skin ulcerations, corneal lesions, kidney and lung infections and keratitis. Therefore, studies that assess the pathogenic potential of FLA are public health issues of great concern. We aimed to evaluate the pathogenic potential of FLA isolated in salads from restaurants in vitro, using osmotolerance and thermotolerance tests. Forty-five isolates were used from ready-made salads purchased in restaurants in Jatai, Goias. Twelve isolates subjected to the osmotolerance test (26.6%) showed growth in 0.5 M mannitol, 18 (40.0%) in 1.0 M mannitol and 16 (35.5%) in 1.5 M mannitol, 13 (28.8%) isolates did not show growth. Four isolates that underwent the thermotolerance test (8.9%) showed growth at 25°C, 8 (17.8%) showed growth at 30°C, 3 (6.7%) showed growth at 37°C and 30 (66.7%) did not show growth. With the indices obtained in the present study, we concluded that 15.6% of the isolates were osmotolerant and thermotolerant. Our findings highlight a public health problem once these FLA are associated with harboring or being harbored by microorganisms responsible for diseases such as diarrhea and meningitis. Measures are required to improve food hygiene and so avoid FLA-related health problems.

Occurrence of parasites in salads in restaurants in Aparecida de Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil

Parasitoses are the most widespread diseases in the world. They are transmited via contaminated water or food. Considering that the daily consumption of vegetables is estimated at 142g per person, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of parasites in salads available for consumption in restaurants in Aparecida de Goiânia, Goiás State. Salad samples were collected from the restaurants and parasitological analysis was performed using the Willis, Hoffman, Faust and Ziehl Neelsen techniques as well as cultures for the isolation of free-living amoebae. 51 samples were analyzed, 16 (31.4%) were positive. The parasites detected were: Acanthamoeba spp. in 12 (23.5%); free-living larvae, Schistosoma mansoni and Entamoeba coli in 1 (2.0%); Endolimax nana in 2 (3.9%). The PCR technique determined that 17.6% of the samples presented Toxoplasma gondii DNA. These techniques evidenced that the salad samples presented parasite contamination not only in the restaurants with the lowest price per Kg, but also in the most expensive ones. Therefore, in addition to effective sanitary surveillance, prophylactic measures are necessary regarding suppliers, handlers and restaurant owners to prevent the spread of these and other parasites.

The first Acanthamoeba keratitis case in the Midwest region of Brazil: diagnosis, genotyping of the parasite and disease outcome

Abstract We report an Acanthamoeba keratitis case associated with the use of contact lens in a 28-year-old female from Brasília, Brazil. Samples from corneal scraping and contact lens case were used for culture establishment, PCR amplification, and partial sequencing (fragments of ~400kb) of small subunit rDNA; both culture and PCR were positive. The sequence analyses of the cornea and of isolates from the contact lens case showed similarity with the T4 genotype. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T4 Acanthamoeba keratitis case from the Midwest region of Brazil.