Uso de un método simple de sedimentación-centrifugación para detectar estadios evolutivos de enteroparásitos humanos en cursos de aguas de Chile / Detection of human enteroparasites transmissible stages in water streams by using a simple method of sedimentation-centrifugation in Chile

Mediante el uso de un método simple de sedimentación-centrifugación se detectaron estadios evolutivos de enteroparásitos de probable origen humano en 37 muestras de cursos de aguas de diversas localidades de Chile, entre los años 1994 y 1997. En 34 de las 37 muestras estudiadas (91,7 porciento) se observaron elementos parasitarios. La especie parasitaria mas frecuentemente hallada fue Giardia sp (97,0 porciento). Otros protozoos detectados fueron: Entamoeba coli(79,0 porciento), Endolimax nana(73,5 porciento) y Entamoeba histolytica(30,4 porciento). Con relación a los helmintos, se detectaron huevos de Hymenolepis nana en una muestra (3,0 porciento) y larvas de nematodes en el 79,4 porciento. El método de sedimentación-centrifugación descrito permitió pesquisar diversos estadios evolutivos de enteroparasitos de probable origen humano demostrándose contaminación de los cursos de aguas estudiados

Situación epidemiológica actual de la triquinosis en Chile 1991-2000 / Epidemiology of trichinosis in Chile from 1991 to 2000

Background: Human and animal trichinosis has been recorded in Chile since the late XIX century and is irregularly distributed along the country. From high rates of infection in the early 1900, the frequency of this parasitosis in man has progressively decreased. Aim: To describe and discuss the epidemiological situation of trichinosis in Chile during the decade 1991 - 2000. Material and methods: Human infection was assessed using annual incidence and lethality reports provided by the Ministry of Health, periodic photostrichinoscopies in corpses of non selected individuals autopsied at the Medico Legal Service and periodic national serologic surveys. The advise of one of the authors in an epidemic that occurred in 1999 in the VIII Region was also used. Animal infection was assessed using the annual prevalence of infection in pigs slaughtered in abattoirs, furnished by the Ministry of Health. Results: A total of 631 clinical cases with 4 deaths (0.6 percent) was recorded. A decline in the incidence, from 0.7 x 100,000 in 1991 to 0.2 x 100,000 in 2000 was recorded. The higher frequency of the parasitosis was observed in the Metropolitan, VI, VIII and X regions. Although human trichinosis has been observed in all seasons, its frequency increases in close relation with the higher pork consumption in cold seasons (45.8 percent in winter and 37.5 percent in spring). There has been a decrease of infection rates in pigs from 0.17 percento in 1991 to 0.04 percento in 1998 - 2000. Conclusions: The incidence and prevalence of trichinosis shows a constant decline in Chile. Considering the geographical characteristics of Chile, it is possible that an undetermined number of pigs are home reared and butchered without veterinary control, constituting an important source of human trichinosis

Infecciones por strongyloides stercoralis en Chile / Strongyloides stercoralis infections in Chile

A limited epidemiological information on Strongyloides stercoralis infection excists in Chile. In 1983 a mentally retarded 53-year-old man died by disseminated strongyloidiosis associated with malabsortion syndrome, this case constitutes the first histopathological confirmation of the parasitose in Chile. Later on cases have been described in hospitalized patients in mental institutions from the central part of the country, where the frequency of infection registered in studies carried out in the Psyquiatric Hospital of putaendo in 1985 and 1987-1989 were 11.6 percent and 7.0 percent. In 1992 an outbreak of strongyloidiasis that affected 13 out of 55 children in a nutritional recuperation center in the north extreme of Chile was reported. In 2000 four cases were detected in a group of 20 hospitalized mental affected patients with elevated eosinophilia. Sensitive menthods for detecting larvae in stool samples and seroepidemiological surveys would permit determine the importance of this human heminthic infection in Chile

Fragmentos de entomología y parasitología en la literatura de occidente: desde Cervantes a Samarago / Fragments of entomology and parasitology in the western literature: from Cervantes to Samarago

In an attempt to amplify the perspective of allusions made to entomological and parasitological situations in the 20th century Latin American narrative, a total of 25 books written by Jorge Amado (1912-2001), Miguel Angel Asturias (1989-1974), Albert Camus (1913-1960), Camilo José Cela (1916), Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), Julio Cortazar (1914-1984), Fedor Dostoievski (1821-1881), Jorge Edwards (1931), William Faulkner (1897-1962), Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), Gabriel García Marquez (1928), Herman Hesse (1877-1962), Victor Hugo (1802-1885), Franz Kafka (1883-1924), Patricio Manns (1937), Benito Perez Galdos (1843-1920), Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936), Marcel Proust (1871-1922), Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645), Ernesto Sabato (1911), Jose Samarago (1922), Alexander Soljenitsin (1918) and Leon Tolstoy (1828-1910) has been reviewed. We have selectively extracted paragraphs and fragments from them, in which in a direct or metaphoric form varied entomological or parasitological situations are quoted, by thematic affinity, in an ordered presentation

Contaminación ambiental por huevos de toxocara sp. en algunas plazas y parques públicos de Santiago de Chile, 1999 / Environmental contamination by toxocara sp. eggs in public squares and parks from Santiago, Chile, 1999

Most of cases of visceral larva migrans syndrome are caused by Toxocara canis larvae. Man acquires the infection by accidental ingestion of ripe eggs of the helminth. In order to find out the frequency of the presence of Toxocara sp. eggs in dog fecal specimens from public places of Santiago city in 1999 july-september a study was carried out in 84 squares and 12 parks from 32 couties. Three fecal samples were collected in each of these places, making a total of 288. Each sample was processed according to a modified Telemann method and three smears of each were microcopically examined. Toxocara sp. eggs were found in 39 (13.5 percent) fecal specimens. In 28/84 (33.3 percent) squares and in 8/12 (66.7 percent) parks these eggs were detected. These results make necessary the control of dogs and cats populations with the aim of reduce the presence of animals without responsible owners. It schould be advisable to prevent dogs and cats defecation in public areas grounds, trying to exclude these animals from recreation areas

Variación estacional de las infecciones por protozoos intestinales en pacientes ambulatorios del sector norte de Santiago, Chile: 1995-1996 / Seasonal variation of intestinal protozoa infections in outpatients of the north section of Santiago, Chile: 1995-1996

Formalin preserved fecal samples from 6,058 and 5,863 outpatients were examined for intestinal parasites during 1995 and 1996 respectively. Prevalence rates of infections by intestinal protozoa in both years were similar. By age group (0-9, 10-19 and >20 years old). Blastocystis hominis was observed in 18.6-19.3, 37.0-31.1 and 25.3-25.4 percent in 1995-1996 respectively. Prevalence of giardia intestinalis infections decreased from 16.6-17.4 per cent in the 0-9 year-old children group to 4.1-4.5 percent in patients over 20 years. Overall percentages of infection by entamoeba histolytica varied between 4.2 and 10.9.Rates of infections by G. intestinalis, E. histolytica, and entamoeba coli observed during rainy-cold months (april-september) of the year versus dry-warmy period (october-march) were the same. On the contrary, more cases of B. hominis infection 25.8 percent versus 18.2 percent (this difference being statistically significant, p >0.001) were observed during rainy-cold months of the year

Análisis preliminar de la respuesta IgM específica en la fascioliasis hepática humana mediante inmunoelectrotransferencia / Preliminary report of the specific IgM response in human hepatic fascioliasis by means of immunoelectrotransfer blot

Enzyme immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) has received increasing attention as a confirmative technique for the serodiagnosis of different infectous diseases. Also, EITB has bee used for identifying immunodominant polipeptides as potential antigenic components of parasite's extracts. In this study we used EITB to detect IgM specific antibodies in sera of patients with parasitological confirmed fascioliasis. Our prelininary results show that IgM reactivity was observed in 9 of the 17 sera of infected patients. The sensitivity of EITB was 52.9 percent, with at least 10 IgM immunoreactive bands. Futher studies are needed to define the specificity of the bands observed and to detect IgM immunoreactive polipeptides of Fasciola hepatica in patients with pre-patent fascioliasis. In the parasitological confirmed human infections by F. hepatica the sensitivity of IgM EITB was low and similar to those observed by using IgM ELISA

Enteroparasitosis en 40 grupos familiares de la localidad de Chauquear, Isla Puluqui, X Región de Chile, 1997 / Enteroparasitic infections in 40 family groups of Chauquear locality, Puluqui Island, X Región of Chile, 1997

En enero de 1997, se realizó una encuesta coproparasitológica a 40 familias (171 habitantes) de la localidad rural de Chauquear, Isla Puluqui, X Región de Chile. Las frecuencias de infección por protozoos y helmintos intestinales fueron para: blastocystis hominis 38,6 po ciento; giardia intestinalis, 12,3 por ciento; entamoeba histolytica, 9,9 por ciento; entamoeba coli, 19,9 por ciento; endolimax nana, 18,1 por ciento; ascaris lumbricoides, 15,8 por ciento y trichuris trichura, 9,4 por ciento. Treinta y cinco de las 40 familias presentaron infecciones por B. hominis y en nueve de estas, tres o más integrantes del grupo familiar estaban parasitados por este organismo unicelular. Las malas condiciones de saneamiento básico ambiental así como las características geoclimáticas de esta región de Chile contribuyen a mantener una elevada frecuencia de infección por enteroparásitos

Frecuencia anual de las infecciones por cryptosporidium parvum en pacientes niños y adultos ambulatorios y adultos infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana / Annual frequency of cryptosporidium parvum infection in children and adult outpatients and adults infected by HIV

We report the analysis of 4892 parasitological stool samples coming from outpatients and patients of a nutritional recuperation center of north Santiago. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in 21 samples (0.4 percent). The protozoan was detected in 6 of 1203 samples from children of less than 2 years old, 3 of 1.727 samples from children between 6 and 15 years, none of 776 samples from healthy adults and 2 of 13 samples from HIV infected patients. Nine of 97 children of less than 2 years old, hospitalized in the nutritional recuperation center, were infected with Cryptosporidium; this frequency was significantly higher than that of outpatients of the same age. Most infections were detected from May to August, a rainy and midly cold period. It is concluded that Cryptosporidium infections are infrequent in healthy outpatients and that its prevalence increased in hospitalized children and HIV infected adults

El examen de strout modificado usado como prueba de detección sistemática de la enfermedad de Chagas transplacentaria: I. Recolección y conservación de la sangre de cordón umbilical del recién nacido / The modified strout test used as systematic detection test of the transplacental Chagas'disease: I. Collection and preservation of the newborn's umbilical cord blood

A modified strout test used as a probe for the transplacental Chagas disease systemic diagnosis. I. Collection and preservation of the newborn`s umbilical cord blood