Chloroquine and mefloquine resistance profiles are not related to the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) VK210 subtypes in field isolates of Plasmodium vivax from Manaus, Brazilian Amazon

BACKGROUND The central repetitive region (CRR) of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite surface protein (CSP) is composed of a repetitive sequence that is characterised by three variants: VK210, VK247 and P. vivax-like. The most important challenge in the treatment of P. vivax infection is the possibility of differential response based on the parasite genotype. OBJECTIVES To characterise the CSP variants in P. vivax isolates from individuals residing in a malaria-endemic region in Brazil and to profile these variants based on sensitivity to chloroquine and mefloquine. METHODS The CSP variants were determined by sequencing and the sensitivity of the P. vivax isolates to chloroquine and mefloquine was determined by Deli-test. FINDINGS Although five different allele sizes were amplified, the sequencing results showed that all of the isolates belonged to the VK210 variant. However, we observed substantial genetic diversity in the CRR, resulting in the identification of 10 different VK210 subtypes. The frequency of isolates that were resistant to chloroquine and mefloquine was 11.8 and 23.8%, respectively. However, we did not observe any difference in the frequency of the resistant isolates belonging to the VK210 subtypes. MAIN CONCLUSION The VK210 variant is the most frequently observed in the studied region and there is significant genetic variability in the CRR of the P. vivax CSP. Moreover, the antimalarial drug sensitivity profiles of the isolates does not seem to be related to the VK210 subtypes.

Aislamientos de Stenotrophomonas maltophilia en el Hospital Clinicoquirúrgico Hermanos Ameijeiras: año 2006 / Isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical and Surgical Hospital: in 2006

Se estudiaron las cepas de Stenotrophomonas maltophilia aisladas en el Laboratorio de Microbiología del Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras, con la finalidad de conocer el lugar que ocupa por su frecuencia de aislamiento, sus patrones de resistencia, y se comparó con otros bacilos no fermentadores. Se realizó la identificación hasta especie y se determinó la sensibilidad por el sistema diagnóstico API ID 32. Se halló que Stenotrophomonas maltophilia se ubicó en el lugar número 12 de los microorganismos más frecuentemente aislados, durante el año 2006. Se aislaron 28 cepas en su mayoría de hemocultivos. Se reportó resistencia muy alta para meropenem y ceftriaxone, mayor inclusive que la de otros bacilos no fermentadores como Acinetobacter sp. y Pseudomonas sp., pero con mayor sensibilidad al cotrimoxazol y la ticarcilina + ácido clavulßnico, que constituyen las principales alternativas terapéuticas.

The strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolated in our laboratory were studied aimed at knowing the place it ocuppies according to its isolation frequency, its resistance patterns and the comparison with other non-fermentating bacilli. The identification up to species was carried out and the sensitivity was determined by the API ID 32 diagnostic system. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia occupied the 12th place among the most frequently isolated microorganisms in "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Hospital during 2006. 28 strains were isolated mostly from hemocultures. A very high resistance to meropenem and ceftriaxone was reported, even higher than in other non-fermentating bacilli as Acinetobacter sp and Pseudomonas, but with greater sensitivity to cotrimoxazole and ticarciline + clavulanic acid that are the main therapeutic alternatives.

Leprosy situation in Brazil

We present the situation of leprosy in Brazil, reporting about epidemiology, clinical criteria for classification, multidrugtherapy and special situations, as co-infection. This material was presented in the 79th Annual Meeting of Japanese Hansens Disease Association in May 2006, during about the Japanese Guidelines for leprosy treatment

A atividade acadêmica em hospital e a colonização de estudantes com staphylococcus sp: coagulase-negativa multirresistente / Academic activity in hospital and the students' colonization with staphylococcus sp: coagulase negative multiresistence

Uma característica associada ao gênero Staphylococcus é a capacidade de desenvolver resistência a agentes antimicrobianos, constituindo-se em problemas terapêuticos difíceis. No ambiente hospitalar a pressão exercida pelo uso de drogas antimicrobianas rapidamente seleciona linhagens resistentes. Genes plasmidiais que codificam enzimas que inativam drogas antimicrobianas são encontrados nos estafilococos hospitalares, sendo preocupante a sua disseminação atual entre a comunidade extra-hospitalar. A síntese de betalactamase com atividade sobre a penicilina e, mesmo, betalactamase de espectro estendido, com atividade sobre diversas drogas do grupo betalactâmico, constitui duas expressões fenotípicas de genes plasmidiais e cromossômicos que servem de marcadores epidemiológicos das linhagens hospitalares

Sensitivity of vincristine-sensitive K562 and vincristine-resistant K562-Lucena 1 cells to anthracyclines and reversal of multidrug resistance

The phenomenon of multidrug resistance (MDR), that involves the efflux pump P-glycoprotein, can be reversed by a number of substances known as MDR modulators or reversing agents. In the present study we investigated the action of three anthracyclines, mitoxantrone and vincristine on short-term (72 h) cultures using 2 methods ([3H] incorporation and MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiasol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)), on 2 cell lines: K562, a human erythroleukemia, and a vincristine-resistant subline K562-Lucena 1. Using the same culture methods plus flow cytometry analysis, the reversing potentials of cyclospotin A and verapamil were studied in both cell lines. There were differences in the sensitivity and resistance profiles of the two lines to the various drugs but daunorubicin (5 mug/ml) and idarubicin (0.035 mug/ml) were the most effective when each was used in high concentration. Cyclosporine at 200 mug/ml and verapamil at 5 mug/ml reversed MDR in the resistant line, and had a synergistic action with chemotherapeutic agents on the sensitive line. Again differences were demonstrable between combinations of the various drugs and reversal was only clearly shown with the method measuring cell proliferation ([3H] incorporation) but not by the method measuring metabolic activity (MIT). The efflux of rhodamine-123 mimics the functional activity of the pump and cyclosporine was a better reversing agent by this criteria. These data show that the results obtained in in vitro studies attempting to identify treatments for different types of leukemias depend to a large extent on the methods used to measure cell response.