Situación de la hidatidosis humana en la provincia de Santiago del Estero, República Argentina

La Hidatidosis Humana es una enfermedad grave, de evolución crónica, causadda por el estadio larval del echinococcus granulosus que en su ciclo biológico convierte al ser humano en un huésped intermediario, causando estragos en la salud de quien la padecen por las secuelas orgánicas y psicológicas ocasionadas por la implantación del tumores originados por dicho parásito, en diversos órganos de la economía.

Human Hydatidosis is a serious disease of chronic evolution caused by the larval stage of the Echinococcosis Granulosis. During its biological cycle it turns the human being into an intermediate host. It still causes havoc to the health of those who suffer from it because of the organic and psychological sequels caused by the implantation of tumors originate by such parasite.

Diagnóstico parasitológico e molecular de enteroparasitos entre crianças residentes e funcionários de uma institução beneficente para menores no município de Niterói-RJ, Brasil / Parasitological and molecular diagnosis of enteroparasites among resident children and employees of a child care institution at Niterói city, RJ, Brazil

Os enteroparasitos são causa importante de agravos à saúde humana e podem interferir de forma significativa no desenvolvimento infantil. Embora as formas de transmissão sejam bemdocumentadas, a desinformação e as precárias condições socioeconômicas de alguns segmentos da população ainda são fatores que contribuem para a manutenção de parasitos no País, viabilizando a transmissão. Este estudo foi realizado entre crianças residentes e funcionários de uma instituiçãofilantrópica religiosa, situada na cidade de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, consistindo em um ciclo de palestras educativas, seguido da coleta de amostras fecais para diagnóstico coproparasitológico.Foram coletadas 68 amostras fecais frescas e encontrados enteroparasitos em 41 delas (60 por cento),sendo o Blastocystis hominis o parasito mais prevalente (44 por cento). Adicionalmente, sete amostrasforam positivas para o complexo Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar, sendo uma confirmada como E. histolytica pelo ELISA para pesquisa de coproantígeno. Em 37 amostras de fezes foi pesquisadaa presença de E. histolytica e E. dispar pela técnica de Nested-PCR. Entre essas, 12 (32 por cento) amplificaram um fragmento de 195 pb quando utilizados primers específicos para E. dispar, não havendo amplificação de qualquer produto com os primers de E. histolytica. Estudo feito no entornoda instituição revelou acúmulo de lixo e a presença de saídas de esgoto no peridomicílio, as quais desembocavam nas proximidades da área de lazer das crianças. É possível que esses pontos sejam responsáveis pela contaminação do solo e mesmo incriminados como uma das possíveis fontes deinfestação para as crianças.

Intestinal parasites are important agents of human diseases, besides being responsible for impairingchildhood development. Although transmission is well known, lack of information and precarioussocial and economic conditions are risk factors that allow maintenance of parasite cycles, favoringtransmission. This study was carried out among resident children and employees of a Catholic Institution, located in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, and consisted of delivering lectures and collectingfresh stool samples, which were processed through the Willis and Hoffman, Pons and Janermethods. Enteroparasites were found in 41 samples (60 percent) and Blastocystis hominis was the mostprevalent (44 percent). Additionally, in seven samples where microscopic examination was positive forthe E. histolytica/E. dispar complex an ELISA was employed to detect E. histolytica and only onereacted positively in the immunoassay. In 37 samples a Nested-PCR was carried out for detectionof E. histolytica and E. dispar and in 12 samples (32 percent) a product with 195 bp was observed usingE. dispar primers, while there was no amplification product with E. histolytica specific primers. As the Institution has a good pattern of hygiene not related with the results, a superficial analysis of its peripheral area was carried out and showed lots of garbage in the neighborhood and sewage outflowinto the play area of the Institution. We concluded that these points may be responsible for the soil contamination and could be incriminated as one of the sources of infection in the children.

Primer reporte de pseudomiasis intestinal humana por Eristalis tenax (Diptera, Syrphidae) en zona semiárida urbana del estado Falcón, Venezuela / First report of human intestinal pseudomiasis by Eristalis tenax (Diptera, Syrphidae) in urban semiarid area from Falcon state, Venezuela

Pseudomiasis es el término empleado cuando se considera que las larvas y/o huevos de moscas se adquieren accidentalmente per os y atraviesan con inmediatez a lo largo del tracto digestivo. Se documenta un caso de una pseudomiasis intestinal por larvas de Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae) en una paciente femenina de 39 años de edad, proveniente de un sector periférico de la ciudad de Coro, estado Falcón, Venezuela. La paciente observó inmediatamente la presencia de la larva viva en sus heces. Aunque refirió sufrir eventualmente de cólicos, al examen físico se presentó normal. La paciente aparentemente no sufre de trastornos mentales, y posee un nivel socioeconómico bajo. El presente trabajo constituye el primer reporte documentado de una pseudomiasis entérica por E. tenax en la zona semiárida del estado Falcón, en la región nor-occidental de Venezuela.

Pseudomyiasis is the term used for the accidental entrapment of swallowed fly maggots and/or eggs immediately passing through the digestive tract. We report a case of intestinal pseudomyasis caused by the larvae of the cosmopolitan drone fly Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a 39 year old woman, resident in a suburban sector from Coro city, Falcon state, Venezuela. The patient immediately noticed a living larva in her stool. Although patient referred eventually became colic, her physical examination was normal, with no mental disturbance. She was in a low socioeconomic level. This is the first report of an enteric pseudomyasis by E. tenax in the semiarid zone of Falcon state, in the northwestern region of Venezuela.

Mental and behavioral effects of parasitic infections: a review.

Whether parasitic diseases-and in particular helminth infections because they are extensive and widespread--have an effect on mental functions and educational attainment is by no mean a new question. Concern about the possibility was evident in the early decades of the century, and the results of investigations designed to discover whether the effects of parasite infections had consequences on school children. Many species of helminth have been reported as causing infections in humans. Of the nematode infections, both soil transmitted helminthiasis and lymphatic filariasis are public health problem in the country. Any of these infections may result in morbidity, malnutrition, and iron-deficiency anaemia. Their possible contribution to impaired cognitive function and educational achievement is by the association between iron deficiency anaemia and malnutrition. Research on the effects of parasitic infection has focused on school-age children. Not only are these children the most vulnerable to parasitic infections--they are also the population group most likely to experience the impact of infection on cognitive function. This review paper discusses the mental and behavioral effects of parasitic infection on child's health. Infected children are less active; their behavior is said to be sluggish and both mental and physical activities and processes appear dulled and slow. A reduction in available energy is likely to cause a cascade of effects running through most aspects of the host's daily mental life and behavior.

Infecções por helmintos do gênero Echinococcus / Helminths infections of Echinococcus

Neste artigo são revisados os aspectos mais importantes das infecções por Echinococcus spp., com ênfase nos aspectos epidemiológicos, etiológicos, imunopatogênicos, clínicos e terapêuticos, como forma de delinear a situação atual.

Parasitismo y estado nutricional en niños preescolares de instituciones de Santafé de Bogotá

Para evaluar la situación de niños preescolares en las instituciones del Distrito de Bogotá, que prestan servicios de este tipo de población; se tomaron 237 niños con edades entre 24 y 76 meses, se estudiaron ellos con respecto a la prevalencia de parasitismo intestinal, la situación nutricional por medio de la evaluación de peso y talla, la circunferencia del brazo, el espesor del pliegue del tríceps y los parámetros angíneos de hemogrobina y hematocrito. Así mismo se tomó información social, ambiental, de conocimiento y hábitos de los familiares de los niños. Ascaris y tricocéfalos se encontraron en una frecuencia del 0.5 por ciento, mientras que la entamoeba histyolitica se encontró en 3.5 por ciento y giardia lamblia en el 14.9 por ciento. Se encontró desnutrición crónica y global del 45.5 por ciento y 38.8 por ciento respectivamente. Los parámetros nutricionales en sangre estuvieron dentro de los límites normales. Las variables sociales y ambientales no presentaron alteraciones de importancia. Mientras los hábitos básicos de higiene resultaron adecuados, el nivel de conocimiento sobre prevención de los parásitos por parte de los padres y familiares fue precario. Se examina la posible significación de estos resultados.

Apoptosis in parasites and parasite-induced apoptosis in the host immune system: a new approach to parasitic diseases

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death (PCD), has been described as essential for normal organogenesis and tissue development, as well as for the proper function of cell-renewal systems in adult organisms. Apoptosis is also pivotal in the pathogenesis of several different diseases. In this paper we discuss, from two different points of view, the role of apoptosis in parasitic diseases. The description of apoptotic death in three different species of heteroxenic trypanosomatids is reviewed, and considerations on the phylogenesis of apoptosis and on the eventual role of PCD on their mechanism of pathogenesis are made. From a different perspective, an increasing body of evidence is making clear that regulation of host cell apoptosis is an important factor on the definition of a host-pathogen interaction. As an example, the molecular mechanisms by which Trypanosoma cruzi is able to induce apoptosis in immunocompetent cells, in a murine model of Chagas' disease, and the consequences of this phenomenon on the outcome of the experimental disease are discussed.

Cyclospora en dos niños mexicanos / Two cases of cyclospora in children

Se informa el hallazgo de dos pacientes -uno sintomático y otro asintomático- infectados por Cyclospora, un enteropatógeno de reciente aparición. La sintomatología involucró: dolor abdominal, hiporexia, vómito, bruxismo y 3 ó 4 evacuaciones diarreicas que se autolimitaron después de 24 a 72 horas. En ambos casos se identificaron ooquistes no esporulados cuyo diámetro fue de 8.44 ñ 0.146 µm; el método coproparasitoscópico de flotación de Faust permitió detectar al parásito; la confirmación diagnóstica se logró con la tinción de Ziehl-Neelsen y por la esporulación (dos esporoblastos por ooquiste). En México Cyclospora probablemente pasa inadvertida en los laboratorios de parasitología o quizás se reporta como ooquiste de Cryptosporidium

Impacto de nuevas metodologías en el estudio de parásitos: III. Variación genética intraespecie de Leishmania mexicana mexicana y su repercusión sobre la fisiopatogenia de la enfermedad / Impact of new methodologies in the study of parasites: III

Las formas más frecuentes de leishmaniosis en México son la leishmaniosis cutánea localizada (LCL), un padecimiento relativamente benigno, y la leishmaniosis cutánea diseminada (LCD), de evolución generalmente mortal. La caracterización fenotípica de parásitos aislados de pacientes con LCL y LCD ha revelado, que el agente casual de ambos cuadros clínicos de Leishmania mexicana mexicana. Sin embargo la resistencia a medicamentos y la virulencia inesperada en algunos pacientes hacen sospechar una posible introducción de nuevas especies en México o bien mutaciones intraespecie. En este trabajo realizamos un análisis genotípico del kADN de leishmanias aisladas de pacientes con LCL y LCD, mediante endonucleasas de restricción (Hae II.I y Hpa II) y RAPD (amplificacion aleatoria de ADN polimórfico con oligonucleótidos no específicos). Encontramos polimorfismo en las digestiones sugestivas de la introducción de nuevas especies en México, lo cual se tendrá que confirmar con PCR especie-especificos. Mediante el RAPD detectamos una ligera diferencia entre un paciente con LCD y otros con LCL. Esta variación intraespecie pudiera ser una de las posibles causas de diseminación del parásito.

Role of parasites and mycobacterial infection in persistent diarrhea in Egyptian rural preschool children

A community study was done searching for the causative agents of persistent diarrhea in a rural village. Zoonosis was claimed to play a role in causing diarrhea in infants and children being always in contact with the animals present in the same house. We were focusing on searching for the parasites and microorganisms in the stools of infants and children as well as in animal excreta and animal drops. A new laboratory technique for the identification of Giardia and Cryptosporidium was implemented for better diagnosis of both parasites. Ninety three infants and children of age ranging between six months and 4 years were included in the study, they were divided into 3 groups: a group of 40 children who were suffereing form chronic diarrhea, a second group of 33 children suffering from acute diarrhea and a third control group of 20 children. They were all subjected to clinical examination and anthropometric measurements. Stool samples were collected from each child as from animal excreta if present. Samples were analyzed for the presence of parasites by both the routine method and by an ELISA Kit and immunofluorescence technique specific for detection of Giardia and cryptosporidium. Culture for detection of different microorganisms was also done. Laboratory investigations for the stools showed that the main parasite causing diarrhea was Giardia, next comes nana, then cryptosporidium. The main infection was in the chronic group. It is worthy to say that by the routine method for diagnosis of parasites, only 4 cases of Giardia out of 13 could be identified and no identification of crytopsporidium was performed. Bacteriological analyses showed no pathogenic organisms causing persistent diarrhea and zoonosis was found to play no role in patient diarrhea in those children

Allopurinol Vs. testigo en la parasitemia de la enfermedad de chagas cronica asintomatica valorada por xenodiagnosticos seriados / Allopurinol and placebo in the evaluation by serial xenodiagnosis of the parasitemia of asimptomatic chronic Chagas disease

Se estudiaron 58 pacientes en total, siendo 26 mujeres y 32 varones. El promedio de edad fue semejante a los tres grupos (29+/-5,13 anos)La parasitemia fue evaluada mediante xenodiagnosticos seriados (Xd). Cada estudio se realizo con 4 cajas de 10 ninfas del 3er estadio del T. Infestans cada una de acuerdo a la tecnica de Cerisola y Col.> El personal que realizo la lectura en todos los casos ignoraba a que grupo pertenecia el paciente estudiado e igualmente si habia recibido tratamiento o no