Nocardia otitidiscaviarum (GAM-5) induces parkinsonian-like alterations in mouse

Parkinson's disease, a major neurodegenerative disorder in humans whose etiology is unknown, may be associated with some environmental factors. Nocardia otitidiscaviarum (GAM-5) isolated from a patient with an actinomycetoma produced signs similar to Parkinson's disease following iv injection into NMRI mice. NMRI mice were infected intravenously with a non-lethal dose of 5 x 10(6) colony forming units of N. otitidiscaviarum (GAM-5). Fourteen days after bacterial infection, most of the 60 mice injected exhibited parkinsonian features characterized by vertical head tremor, akinesia/bradykinesia, flexed posture and postural instability. There was a peak of nocardial growth in the brain during the first 24 h followed by a decrease, so that by 14 days nocardiae could no longer be cultured. At 24 h after infection, Gram staining showed nocardiae in neurons in the substantia nigra and occasionally in the brain parenchyma in the frontal and parietal cortex. At 21 days post-infection, tyrosine hydroxylase immunolabeling showed a 58 percent reduction of tyrosine hydroxylase in the substantia nigra, and a 35 percent reduction of tyrosine hydroxylase in the ventral tegmental region. Dopamine levels were reduced from 110 ± 32.5 to 58 ± 16.5 ng/mg protein (47.2 percent reduction) in brain from infected mice exhibiting impaired movements, whereas serotonin levels were unchanged (191 ± 44 protein in control and 175 ± 39 ng/mg protein in injected mice). At later times, intraneuronal inclusion bodies were observed in the substantia nigra. Our observations emphasize the need for further studies of the potential association between Parkinson's disease or parkinsonism-like disease and exposure to various nocardial species.

Micetomas actinomicoticos en Santiago del Estero / Actinomycotic mycetoma in Province of Santiago del Estero

Presentamos cinco casos de micetomas actinomicóticos, en el Hospital Independencia de Santiago del Estero entre Abril de 1988 y Abril de 1990. Todos los pacientes procedían de áreas rurales de nuestra provincia, cuatro de ellos de sexo femenino y el restante de sexo masculino, las edades oscilaron entre 38 y 47 años, presentaban localización podal y referían antecedentes de traumatismo con espinas vegetales o elementos punzantes. En cuatro de los casos el agente etiológico recuperado fue: actinomadura madurae, el restante fue diagnosticado por el estudio anátomo-patológico del material extraído por resección quirúrgica al observar "granos" típicos de Streptomycosis somaliensis. Los casos producidos por Actinomadura madurae presentaban alteraciones osteolíticas, que fueron aumentando con el tiempo de evolución de las lesiones; el caso debido a Streptomycoces somaliensis no presentó compromiso óseo