Individual serological follow-up of patients with suspected or confirmed abdominal angiostrongyliasis

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis (AA) is a zoonotic nematode infection caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis, with widespread occurrence in the Americas. Although the human infection may be highly prevalent, morbidity is low in Southern Brazil. Confirmed diagnosis is based on finding parasitic structures in pathological examination of biopsies or surgical resections. Serology stands as an important diagnostic tool in the less severe courses of the infection. Our objective is to describe the follow up of humoral reactivity every 2-4 weeks up to one year, in six individuals with confirmed (C) and ten suspected (S) AA. Antibody (IgG) detection was performed by ELISA and resulted in gradually declining curves of reactivity in nine subjects (56 percent) (4C + 5S), that were consistently negative in only three of them (2C + 1S) after 221, 121 and 298 days. Three individuals (2C + 1S) presented with low persistent reacitivity, other two (1C + 1S) were serologically negative from the beginning, but also presenting a declining tendency. The study shows indications that abdominal angiostrongyliasis is usually not a persistent infection: although serological negativation may take many months, IgG reactivity is usually declining along time and serum samples pairing may add valuable information to the diagnostic workout.

Dogs may be a reservoir host for Angiostrongylus costaricensis

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a parasitic nematode of wild rodents. Several other vertebrate species including man may become infected by ingestion of the third stage larvae produced by the intermediate hosts, usually slugs from the family Veronicellidae. There is a report of the diagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in Canis familiaris with lesions resembling those found in human disease. As a preliminar evaluation of the adequacy of a canine model for pathogenetic studies, a dog was inoculated with 75 L3 of A. costaricensis. Infection was established and fist stage larvae were found in feces up to 88 days post infection, sometimes in very large numbers (9.5 x 10(4) L1/g). No clinical manifestations or significant lesions were detected. These are indications that dog may play a role as a reservoir host for A. costaricensis

Abdominal agiostrongylosis in southern Brazil - prevalence and parasitic burden in mollusc intermediate hosts from eighteen endemic foci

Angistrongylus costaricencis is a parasitic nematode of rodents and molluscs are the intermediate hosts. Nocturnal collection of molluscs and search for infective third stage larvae of A.costaricensis was carried out in 18 endemic foci identified by the notification of a confirmed diagnosis in human biopsies or surgical specimens. Molluscs were digested in acidic solution and isolation of larvae eventually present was done in a Baermann funnel. Larvae identified by the presence of a delicate groove in the tail were counted to asses the individual parasitic burden. Four species were found infected, with ranges of prevalence in parenthesis: Phyllocaulis variegatus (7 per cent to 33.3 per cent); Brasybaena similaris (11.7 per cent to 24.1 per cent); Belocaulus angustipes (8.3 per cent) and Phyllocaulis soleiformis (3.3 per cent to 14.2 per cent). Parasitic burden varied from 1 to 75 with P.variegatus, 1 to 98 with B. similaris, 1 to 13 with B.angustipes and 1 larvae in each of two specimens of P.soleiformis. P.variegatus was present in all sites and was found infected with the highest prevalence figures and the highest individual parasitic burdens. These data strss the importance of veronicellid slugs as intermediate hosts for A.costaricensis in the endemic areas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

On the diversity of mollusc intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus costaricensis Morera & Cespedes, 1971 in southern Brazil

Veronicellid slugs are considered the most important intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus costaricensis, an intra-arterial nematode of rodents. Studies undertaken in three localities in southern Brazil led to identification of molluscs other than veronicellid slugs as hosts of A. costaricensis: Limax maximus, Limax flavus and Bradybaena similaris. These data indicate a low host specificity of larval stages of A. costaricensis, as it has been reported to other congeneric species

Cystosarcoma phyllodes com retraçäo mamilar / Cystosarcoma phyllodes with nipple retraction

Um caso de "Cystosarcoma Phyllodes" é apresentado pelos autores. Os procedimentos para estabelecer o diagnóstico e tratamento säo discutidos. O aspecto mais importante enfatizado foi a retraçäo do mamilo