Padronização da técnica de plasmaférese automatizada em equinos / Standardization of automated plasmapheresis in horses

O presente artigo objetivou estudar a viabilidade da técnica de plasmaférese automatizada e padronizá-la em cinco equinos hígidos, bem como apresentar as complicações durante o procedimento, as adequações em relação aos procedimentos em humanos e avaliar a recuperação de volume globular e proteínas plasmáticas totais nos doadores. Os procedimentos foram realizados com o equipamento Fresenius AS104, com duração média de 1h46min, processamento de 5758mL de sangue total e colheita média de 3133mL de plasma. Não foram observadas alterações significativas do volume globular após a plasmaférese automatizada. A recuperação dos níveis plasmáticos de proteínas foi de 91,4% em 96 horas após o procedimento. A plasmaférese automatizada apresentou-se viável para a espécie equina, diminuindo o tempo de recuperação hematimétrica nos doadores.

This paper aimed to study feasibility and standardize the automated plasmapheresis in five healthy horses, showing the complications during the procedure, adjustments in relation to the procedures in humans and assessing the recovery of globular volume and plasma total proteins in donors. The procedures were performed with the Fresenius AS104 equipment, with an average duration of one hour and forty six minutes, processing 5758mL of whole blood and harvest average of 3133mL of plasma. There were no significant variations in globular volume after the automated plasmapheresis. The recovery of plasma total proteins was 91.4% at 96 hours after the procedure. The automated plasmapheresis appeared viable for the equine species, decreasing the time of hematimetric level recovery in donors.

Hepatite granulomatosa em bovino causada por Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Granulomatous hepatitis in cattle caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Samples from intestines, liver, and lymph nodes were collected from a dairy steer with clinical suspicion of paratuberculosis. The samples were processed for histologic examination with hematoxylin-eosin and Zihel-Neelsen (ZN) staining for the detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), and submitted to immunohistochemistry (IHC). Macroscopic changes were observed in the small intestines, with thickening and corrugation of the mucosa. The main microscopic changes were found in small intestines, lymph vessels in the mesentery, and mesenteric lymph nodes characterized by enteritis, lymphangiectasia, and lymphadenitis. Liver presented with granulomatous hepatitis, an uncommon histopathological feature for paratuberculosis. The clinical features associated with positive culture of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and detection of AFB by ZN and IHC in the cytoplasm of macrophages (epithelioid) in the intestinal mucosa and submucosa, lymph nodes, and liver were important to confirm the diagnosis of paratuberculosis.

Drug Resistance Patterns among Hospitalized Tuberculous Patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1993-1994

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and risk factors for drug resistance among hospitalized patients in two tertiary care centers, an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reference center and a sanatorium, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From 1993-1994, 389 patients were diagnosed as having tuberculosis (TB). Isolates from 265 patients were tested for in vitro susceptibility to rifampin and isoniazid. Resistance to one or more drugs was detected in 44 patients (16.6 percent) and was significantly more common among recurrent cases in both hospitals (p=0.03 in the AIDS center and p=0.001 in the sanatorium). Twenty seven patients (10.2 percent) had isolates resistant to both isoniazid and rifampin. Multi-drug resistance was associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among patients who had never been treated for TB. In conclusion, drug-resistant TB is high in hospitalized patients in Rio de Janeiro, especially among HIV infected patients. Therefore, measures to control TB and prevent nosocomial transmission need urgently to be set up in the Brazilian hospitals

Relationship mbetween immune response and clinical manifestations in patients with tuberculosis

Cutaneous reactivityy to purified protein derivative (PPD) and antibody levels were investigated in 122 adults and 28 children with tuberculosis. IgG anti-PPD levelks (measured by ELISA and reported as absorbance at 405 nm) were higher in adult patients with the disease for more than one year (0.533 ñ 0.391, N=38 vs 0.224 ñ 0.256, n+50 in patients with the disease for less than one year) as well as inn children with disseminated tuberculosis (0.138 ñ 0.137, N=11, vs 0.072 ñ 0.55, N=15 in children with localized disease). The cut-off values (mean + 2SD) for healthy children and adults were 0.09 and 0.22 absorbance at 405 nm. In both adult and pediatric patients, cutaneous reactivity to PPD was inversely correlated with antibody levels. The present data provide additional evidence for the existence of an unstable spectrum of immune response in tuberculosis patients in whom changes in clinical situation are dynamic

The dot-ELISA test for the detection of anti-PGL-1 IgM in leprosy patients and their contacts

Since dot-ELISA has recently been reported to be a sensitive, simple and method, we have compared it with the conventional microplate ELISA method. Sera of 124 leprosy patients, 136 household and professional contacts, and 92 controls were tested for a antibodies against a Mycobacterium leprae antigen using dot-ELISA on nitrocellulose membrane filters and microplate ELISA. The sensitive of the techniques was similar for multibacillary patients, but dot-ELISA was less sensitive for paucibacillary patients although it was more specific (100%) than ELISA (93,4%). Of 21 household contacts that gave a response by ELISA, 3 were also positive by dot-ELISA; one of these 3 developed indeterminate leprosy 12 months later and the other was diagnosed as borderline lepromatous after 28 months. These data indicate that dot-ELISA has a high spedificity and can be a useful tool in field evaluation

Use of the anti-PGL-I antibody ELISA and the Mitsuda reaction in early diagnosis of leprosy

Cutaneous reaction to the Mitsuda antigen and anti-PGL-I IgM antibodies (ELISA) were determined in 134 leprosy patients, 290 household contacts, 52 healthy controls and 43 tuberculous individuals. The multibacillary patients did nort developed cell-mediated immunity (CMI), although they presented high levels of IgM (absorbance at 492 m > 0.5). The paucibacillatry patients presented CMI, although in varying degrees, and IgM levels did not exceed 0.5 absorbance units. Most of the contacts (107) showed a Mitsuda-postive test, and 25 of then were anti-PGL-I IgM seropositive (absorbance < 0.5 but > 0.22), although none became ill during the twoyear follow-up. Of the 17 Mitsuda-negative contacts, two wxhibited an immunological status of lepromatous leprosy (negative Mitsuda test and positive serology; absorvance > 0.05) and became ill (one borderline lepromatous and one indeterminate leprosy). These results show that the immunological status of lepromatous leprosy can appear prior to clinical symptoms, and thus serology for anti-PGL-I IgM together with the Mitsuda test can be useful in an activbe search for new preclinical cases among high risk populations

IgM immunoglobulins reacting with the phenolic glycolipid-1 antigen from Mycobacterium leprae in sera of leprosy patients and their contacts

For the first time in Brazil it was investigated the occurrence of IgM anti-PGL-1 in the sera of household contacts of leprozy patients using the ELISA methodology. The sera of the multipatients. It was observed a high subclinical infection incidence among household contacts (19.4%). The percentage of leprosy development was 5% (1/21) among the seropositive contact group. This finding suggests that serology could be useful as prognostic test, but for better definition is necessary to tet a population from endemic area for long period time

Comparacao entre a reducao do trifeniltetrazolio (TTC) e o numero de viaveis em amostras de BCG. / Comparison between the triphenyltetrazolium (TTC) reduction and number of viables in BCG samples

Os autores sugerem o emprego da tecnica de reducao do TTC para avaliar a concentracao de suspensao do BCG devido a sua correlacao com a contagem de viaveis