Detecção de formas amastigotas em exame parasitológico de esfregaço obtido a partir de suabe conjuntival de cães com leishmaniose visceral / Detection of amastigote forms in a parasitological exam of smears made from conjuntival swab in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis

Leishmaniose é uma enfermidade multissistêmica cujas manifestações clínicas são extremamente variáveis. Em cães sinais clínicos oftálmicos são relativamente frequentes, ainda que outros sinais sistêmicos não sejam identificados. Atualmente, o diagnóstico da doença baseia-se em métodos parasitológicos, sorológicos e moleculares, mas, até o momento, a identificação de formas amastigotas desse parasito em esfregaços feitos a partir de suabes conjuntivais não é empregada rotineiramente. Valendo-se de cães sorologicamente positivos para leishmaniose, portadores (G1) ou não (G2) de alterações oftálmicas, este estudo avaliou a viabilidade do esfregaço a partir de suabe conjuntival como método de diagnóstico para a enfermidade. O exame suprarreferido foi positivo em 60% dos animais do G1 e 38,1% do G2, no entanto não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa em relação à positividade nos dois grupos (P=0,2167). Os dados apontam para uma tendência de os cães com leishmaniose e com sinais oftálmicos serem positivos ao exame parasitológico de esfregaço a partir de suabe conjuntival, podendo esse método ser útil no diagnóstico parasitológico da leishmaniose canina.

Leishmaniasisis is a multisystemic disease with varying clinical presentations. In dogs, alterations in the eyes are commonly observed even in animals with no systemic signs. The diagnosis of leishmaniasis is currently based on parasitological, serological and molecular methods, although the identification of amastigote forms of this parasite in conjunctival swabs is not a routine technique in clinical practice. Serologically positive dogs for leishmaniasis presenting (G1) or not (G2) ocular alterations were enrolled in this study to evaluate the conjunctival swab as a method for the diagnosis of this disease. The parasitological evaluation of the swabs disclosed 60% positivity for dogs in group 1, whereas only 38.1% of dogs in group 2 were positive. However, no significant difference was documented between the two groups (P=0.2167). Our data suggest a tendency for dogs with ocular signs to be tested positive in the conjunctival swab exam, thus, this method is useful in the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis.

Multiple live subconjunctival dipetalonema: Report of a case.

Parasitic infestations of the eye have been reported since centuries, affecting various parts of the eye. Some are subtle, coexisting with vision, while many others damage and destroy, in part or totally, the gift of sight. This report describes a patient with live subconjunctival dipetalonema infestation of the right eye, with 22 parasites removed live in one sitting from one eye.

The use of conjunctival swab samples for PCR screening for visceral leishmaniasis in vaccinated dogs / O uso de amostras de swab conjuntival para triagem por PCR da leishmaniose visceral em cães vacinados

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been shown to provide a rapid and sensitive technique for Leishmania detection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technique of noninvasive conjunctival swabs (CS) as a sampling method for molecular screening for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in a group of 42 police dogs, all of them vaccinated against VL, and to compare the results with those obtained by serological tests. The serological assays were performed independently by three laboratories. Laboratories 1 and 2 were private laboratories and laboratory 3 was the National Reference Laboratory. The first serological screening performed by laboratory 1 showed 15 reactive dogs and 4 indeterminate. Laboratory 2 confirmed only 3 reactive dogs and 2 indeterminate. Laboratory 3 confirmed 7 reactive dogs and 3 indeterminate. The PCR diagnosis using the CS procedure was performed on all 42 animals and was able to detect Leishmania DNA in 17 dogs. The PCR assay confirmed all the cases that were simultaneously reactive in the serological tests by two laboratories. The results showed that the CS technique was a sensitive and practical method for sample collection, thus allowing reliable diagnostic tests through PCR.

A PCR (do inglês Polymerase Chain Reaction) tem demonstrado ser uma técnica rápida e sensível para detecção de Leishmania. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a técnica não invasiva do swab conjuntival na identificação por PCR de animais infectados em um grupo de 42 cães policiais, todos vacinados contra a Leishmaniose Visceral (VL), e comparar os resultados com aqueles obtidos pelos testes sorológicos. Os ensaios sorológicos foram realizados independentemente por três laboratórios. Os laboratórios 1 e 2 eram privados. O laboratório 3 era o Laboratório de Referência Nacional. A primeira triagem sorológica realizada pelo laboratório 1 apresentou 15 cães reativos e 4 indeterminados. O laboratório 2 confirmou apenas 3 cães reativos e 2 animais indeterminados. O laboratório 3 confirmou 7 cães reativos e 3 cães foram classificados como indeterminados. O diagnóstico pela PCR, utilizando o procedimento do swab conjuntival, foi realizado em todos os 42 animais e foi capaz de detectar DNA de Leishmania em 17 cães. A PCR confirmou todos os casos simultaneamente reativos nos testes sorológicos de dois laboratórios. Os resultados demonstraram que o swab conjuntival é um método sensível e prático para coleta de amostra, permitindo um diagnóstico consistente através da PCR.

External Ophthalmomyiasis Caused by Oestrus ovis: A Rare Case Report from India

Myiasis of different organs has been reported off and on from various regions in the world. We report a human case of external ophthalmomyiasis caused by the larvae of a sheep nasal botfly, Oestrus ovis, for the first time from Meerut city in Western Uttar Pradesh, India. A 25-year-old farmer presented with severe symptoms of conjunctivitis. The larvae, 3 in number, were observed in the bulbar conjunctiva, and following removal the symptoms of eye inflammation improved within a few hours.

Ocular thelaziasis in Assam: a report of two cases.

Small, white, thread-like, motile worms were recovered from the conjunctival sac of a 13-year-old girl and a 50-year-old woman from Dibrugarh district, Assam, India. They were identified as thelazia species. These two cases have been reported due to their rarity in India and elsewhere.

Subconjuctival Loa loa with Calabar Swelling

Loa loa is unique among the human filariae in that adult worms are occasionally visible during subconjuntival migration. A 29-yr-old African female student, living in Korea for the past 5 yr without ever visiting her home country, presented with acute eyelid swelling and a sensation of motion on the left eyeball. Her symptoms started one day earlier and became worse over time. Examination revealed a threadlike worm beneath the left upper bulbar conjunctiva with mild eyelid swelling as well as painless swelling of the right forearm. Upon exposure to slit-lamp illumination, a sudden movement of the worm toward the fornix was noted. After surgical extraction, parasitologic analysis confirmed the worm to be a female adult Loa loa with the vulva at the extreme anterior end. On blood smear, the microfilariae had characteristic features of Loa loa, including sheath and body nuclei up to the tip of the tail. The patient also showed eosinophilia (37%) measuring 4,100/microliter. She took ivermectin (200 microgram/kg) as a single dose and suffered from a mild fever and chills for one day. This patient, to the best of our knowledge, is the first case of subconjunctival loiasis with Calabar swelling in Korea.

Oculosporidiosis in a tertiary care hospital of western Orissa, India: a case series.

The authors present a case series of 54 subjects of Rhinosporidium. They were reported in two years at a tertiary care hospital of Western Orissa. The clinically diagnosed cases by ophthalmologists were confirmed by histopathological samples following surgery. In our series, we noted Rhinosporidium seeberi organisms as the main causative agent. Males were affected three times more than females. Children less than 10 years of age comprised more than 50% of our series. In 91% of cases, the conjunctiva was the site of this infection. Total excision of fungal mass was carried out in all cases and two cases had recurrence between 9 and 12 months following intervention. Although this is an endemic area for such infestation, unilateral manifestation observed in all cases is interesting to note. Low recurrence rate in limited follow-up period could be due to early detection and standard management.

Ocular sparganosis.

A 50-year-old male attended outpatients department with complaints of irritation, foreign body sensation and mild redness in his right eye. On examination a conjunctival nodule was found with localised inflammation. All investigations were normal. Surgical excision of the nodule was contemplated. During local dressing a live tapeworm about 20 cm in length and 3 mm in breadth emerged. Pathological examination confirmed it to be a tapeworm spirometra. The case was diagnosed to be ocular sparganosis.

A case of human thelaziasis from Himachal Pradesh.

Small, chalky-white, threadlike, motile worms were isolated from the conjunctival sac of a 32 year-old woman residing in the Himalaya mountains. They were identified as both male and female worms of Thelazia callipaeda. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case report of human thelaziasis from India.

Human dirofilariasis due to dirofilaria repens in Ahvaz-Iran: a report of three cases

Zoonotic filariasis due to Dirofilaria repens is prevalent in several regions of the world and because of recent rise in the number of human infections in countries of Europe, Africa and Asia, it is considered an emerging zoonoses in these continents. In 2002 three cases of dirofilariasis were diagnosed. The first case was a 34 year old man from Ahvaz referred to dermatologist with a nodule on the right cheek. During the excisional biopsy an adult dirofilaria measured 120 mm in length with white color was removed. The second case was a 37 year old man from a village around Ahvaz city who noticed a single moveable nodule with itching, irritation and swelling, 1.5 cm in diameter on his chest. The patient pressed the nodule and a white worm with 130 mm in length was revealed. The third case was a 35 year old man from Ahvaz presented at Imam Khomeini hospital because of eye irritation with symptoms and signs of itching, swelling and redness of the right eye. Examination noticed a living worm with the length of 110 mm which removed from the subconjunctival space. The worms were examined in parasitology department and based on morphological characters and microscopical identified as Dirofilaria repens. This is the second report of subcutaneous and the first report of subconjunctival dirofilariasis from Iran

Subconjunctival adult bancroftian filarial worm.

We report a case of live adult Bancroftian Filarial nematode removed from the sub conjunctival tissue of a 58-year-old woman from the temporal limbus of her left eye.

Conjunctival Ophthalmomyiasis due to the larvae of oestrus ovis

Ophthalmomyiasis is a parasitic disease of the eye caused by the larvae of a number of flies belonging to the order Diptera. We report two cases of conjunctival ophthalmomyiasis caused by the larvae of Oestrus ovis. Both cases were from an urban area and not associated with sheeprearing. The patients complained of sudden onset of a foreign body sensation, redness and tearing that resolved rapidly after mechanical removal of the larvae. Identification of Oestrus ovis larvae was determined by light microscopy. Ophthalmologists should consider ophthalmomyiasis in the differential diagnosis of acute catarrhal conjunctivitis

Conjuntivitis por adenovirus en niños / Conjuntivitis by adenovirus in children

Para establecer frecuencia del adenovirus (ADV) en niños con conjuntivitis, comparar técnicas de diagnóstico y características clínicas, se efectuó un estudio prospectivo desde julio de 1991 a enero de 1993 que incluyó 115 pacientes de 0 a 15 años, 44 hospitalizados y 71 ambulatorios. Se investigó ADV mediante inmunofluorescencia (IFI) y aislamiento viral (AV) en una muestra de epitelio conjuntival. Los resultados indicaron: 1) la prevalencia de ADV en conjuntivitis fue 48,7 por ciento; 2) los casos positivos se concentraron en niños menores de 5 años, hospitalizados y con compromiso respiratorio; 3) la presencia de pseudomembranas y edema palpebral fueron los únicos rasgos clínicos significativos para la presencia de ADV; 4) al comparar la IFI con el AV como técnica de diagnóstico, ésta resultó muy superior a la primera

Experimental attempts to induce ocular infection in cats with subperiodic Brugia malayi.

In an attempt to determine whether the finding of human ocular lesions due to B. malayi was due to the site of entry of the infective larvae, cats were infected via ocular instillation, subconjunctival inoculation, subcutaneous inoculation around and infective mosquito bites over the eyes. Although no conjunctival lesion was seen patent infections were produced via ocular instillation, subconjunctival and subcutaneous inoculation of infective larvae. Adult worms were also recovered from periorbital tissues. Adult worms were localized mainly in the lymphatic system of the head and neck regions of the cat. The results show that the conjunctival lesions seen in humans could be due to the site of bite of the mosquito and thus the entry of the infective larvae.