Larval trematodes hosted by Biomphalaria straminea in the Brazilian semiarid region: implications for schistosomiasis control.

The present study aimed to identify larval trematodes shed by snails found in water bodies used by urban communities in a former schistosomiasis endemic area in the state of Piauí, in the Brazilian semiarid region. A malacological survey was performed followed by analysis of the cercariae shed by the snails after light exposure. Biomphalaria straminea specimens (n=1,224) were obtained from all seven collection sites. Cercariae shed by snails were i) single tailed, in which one type of cercariae was identified ( Echinostoma cercariae), and ii) with bifurcated tail (brevifurcate apharyngeate distome, brevifurcate pharyngeate distome, and longifurcate pharyngeate distome [strigeocercaria]). Brevifurcate apharyngeate distome were further examined and the presence of spikes in swimming membranes enabled the identification of Spirorchiidae cercariae in all individuals, demonstrating the absence of cercariae compatible with Schistosoma mansoni . Nevertheless, the accurate diagnosis of S. mansoni circulation in former endemic areas is still necessary.

Larval trematodes hosted by Biomphalaria straminea in the Brazilian semiarid region: implications for schistosomiasis control

@#The present study aimed to identify larval trematodes shed by snails found in water bodies used by urban communities in a former schistosomiasis endemic area in the state of Piauí, in the Brazilian semiarid region. A malacological survey was performed followed by analysis of the cercariae shed by the snails after light exposure. Biomphalaria straminea specimens (n=1,224) were obtained from all seven collection sites. Cercariae shed by snails were i) single tailed, in which one type of cercariae was identified (Echinostoma cercariae), and ii) with bifurcated tail (brevifurcate apharyngeate distome, brevifurcate pharyngeate distome, and longifurcate pharyngeate distome [strigeocercaria]). Brevifurcate apharyngeate distome were further examined and the presence of spikes in swimming membranes enabled the identification of Spirorchiidae cercariae in all individuals, demonstrating the absence of cercariae compatible with Schistosoma mansoni. Nevertheless, the accurate diagnosis of S. mansoni circulation in former endemic areas is still necessary.

Enteropathogenic bacteria in the La Paz River of Bolivia.

Diarrheal diseases often result from ingestion of contaminated water or food. The population of La Paz, Bolivia is directly or indirectly exposed to the sewage-contaminated La Paz River. We conducted a bacteriologic survey of the La Paz River to quantify the level of bacterial contamination, with particular reference to enteropathogens. A total bacterial count exceeding 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU)/ml, including lactose fermenting and nonfermenting, gram-negative bacilli of approximately 10(5) CFU/ml, respectively, were detected in river water samples collected near two densely populated areas. A total bacterial count of 10(5) CFU/ml was also detected at the most downstream area of the river near a sparsely populated area. At four sampling locations, several enteropathogens were detected, including five enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) (serotype O6, O15, and O159), two enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (serotype O44), two enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) (serotype O29), and three Salmonella O4 group isolates. The heat-labile enterotoxin gene and the invasive toxin gene were detected in all ETEC and EIEC isolates by polymerase chain reaction analysis. Nine isolates of E. coli were found by the agar dilution method to be susceptible to ampicillin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, and ampicillin resistance was found in only two isolates of EIEC 7-4 (serotype O29) and EPEC 7-5 (serotype O44). Ampicillin resistance was coded on plasmids and transferred conjugatively to E. coli chi1037 at a frequency of 10(-5) CFU/donor by the broth mating method. Strains of Aeromonas caviae, which can cause diarrheal disease in infants, were detected in vegetables grown in fields irrigated by water from the La Paz River. The survival of nine isolates of E. coli in filtered river water was compared with that of laboratory strains (E. coli chi1037, W3110, and ATCC29577). The survival time of seven isolates, excluding two ampicillin-resistant isolates, was markedly longer than that of the laboratory strains. Our results show a high bacterial contamination of the La Paz river and suggest that such levels may contribute to the high incidence of diarrheal disease in the city of La Paz.

[Population and food scarcity]. / Poblacion y la escasez de alimentos.

PIP: Rapid population growth and increasing industrialization threaten to exhaust the world's natural resources, while the air, water, and soil are contaminated by wastes. Efforts to modify processes endangering man's survival are merely local palliatives. World population increased by 2 billion in the past 10 years. El Salvador's population is growing at 2% annually and now exceeds 5 million. These facts are well known, but the average person does not feel personally affected by them, trusting in scientific and technological progress to solve problems. The reality is that 2/3 of the world's people are vulnerable to hunger. Technological advances in agriculture have been outpaced by rapid population growth. Droughts and other climatic disturbances lead to hunger, and lost harvests constitute calamities. El Salvador's ecological situation is critical, with widespread degradation of agricultural lands. Thousands of hectares are lost each year. The high cost of basic foods is due to the collapse of agricultural production, itself a result of poor planning. El Salvador has become an importer of many essential foodstuffs. Experts have predicted that rapid population growth will soon mean that the country is no longer able to produce all the food it needs. Campaigns for responsible parenthood are needed to slow population growth. Couples should decide how many children to have based on their ability to support and educate them. The government should adopt a realistic position and encourage responsible parenthood, with free medical advice and family planning services for those desiring to avoid pregnancy.^ieng

Major enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from diarrheal patients in Bolivia: A hospital-based study.

A total of 1,234 fecal samples from diarrhea cases were examined for etiological bacterial agents at medical facilities in La Paz and Sucre, Bolivia. Eighty strains of Shigella spp., 39 strains of Salmonella spp., 29 strains of Vibrio cholerae, and 222 strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (139 EPEC, 55 ETEC, 29 EIEC, and 1 EHEC) were isolated. With regard to the serovars of Shigella, S. flexneri 2a, 3a, and 1b were predominant. In the case of Salmonella, S. enteritidis was the most common, followed by S. typhi, S. poona, and S. paratyphi B. Out of 29 cholera strains, 25 belonged to biovar El Tor, serovar Ogawa while the remaining 4 were serovar Inaba. Among 55 strains of ETEC serotypes, 5 showed ST producers but none showed LT producers. Likewise, among 55 strains of enterohemorrhagic serotypes, only one strain (O157:H7) produced verocytotoxin (VT 2). The results of drug sensitivity tests revealed the predominance of Shigella, EPEC, and ETEC strains resistant to aminobenzil-penicillin (ABPC) and trimethoprim. Since diarrheal patients in Bolivia are treated mainly with ABPC or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SXT) and rarely with gentamicin, kanamycin, or other drugs, it is possible that ABPC- and SXT-resistant strains will increase and persist in the near future.

Spontaneous meal patterns of humans: influence of the presence of other people.

Social influences on eating were investigated by paying 63 adult humans to maintain 7-d diaries of everything they ingested, time, subjective hunger, and number of people present. Meals eaten with others contained more carbohydrate, fat, protein, and total calories; had smaller deprivation ratios; and had larger satiety ratios than meals eaten alone. The number of people present was positively correlated with meal size even when meals eaten alone were excluded. Adding the number of people present as a factor in a multiple-regression prediction of meal size more than doubled the variance accounted for, without altering the influence of other predictors, suggesting that social factors are associated independently with an increase in meal size. Meal size was positively correlated with the postmeal interval for meals eaten alone but not for meals eaten with other people. This suggests that social factors increase amounts eaten and disrupt postprandial regulation.

Avaliacao do preenchimento de declaracoes de obitos: Brasilia, DF (Brasil), 1977-1978. / Evaluation of the fulfillment of death certificates: Brasilia, DF (Brazil), 1977-78

O preenchimento dods itens existentes nos atestados de obitos foi avaliado neste trabalho quantificando-se o numero de informacoes em brando ou ignoradas no periodo de 2 anos.Encontrou-se pequina omissao de dados sobre a identificacao do falecido.A omissao e maior com respeito a antecedentes sociais e obstetricos, assistencia medica e na parte do atestado referente a casos de obitos violentos. Uma atuacao junto a medicos e funcionarios de hospitais pode concorrer para melhorar o nivel de preenchimento dos atestados de obitos no Distrito Federal

Protein-deficient diet and DDT toxicity.

The objective of the study reported was to investigate the hypothesis that a diet low in protein would affect ability to detoxify pesticides. If this were so, the results would have application to use of pesticides in areas of the world where the diet is normally low in protein. To test the hypothesis, weanling albino rats were fed for 4 weeks on three types of diet: (1) a standard laboratory chow diet, (2) a synthetic diet containing 8% casein but otherwise adequate in calories, vitamins and minerals, or (3) the same diet as group (2) but containing a normal protein content of 27% casein. DDT was selected as the challenging agent and was given orally at the end of 4 weeks in a range of doses which permitted delineation of the LD(50) and associated clinicopathological signs of toxicity in rats of the 3 dietary groups. The median lethal dose and the syndrome of toxicity were essentially similar in all three groups of rats. Within the parameters of toxicity measured, the results suggest that DDT toxicity is not augmented by a low-protein diet.

Organ weights and water content of rats fed protein-deficient diets.

To provide the basic information needed for studies of drug toxicity in rats suffering from protein deficiency, weanling male albino rats were fed for 28 days on either laboratory chow or a synthetic diet containing 27% or 8% of casein. The low-protein diet produced a kwashiorkoric cachexia characterized by stunting, alopecia, tail dermatitis, apathy, augmented calorie intake per kg body-weight and a 20% death rate. Autopsies at weekly intervals disclosed that the synthetic normal-protein diet produced a slight loss of total body-weight, due to loss of weight in the adrenal glands and gastrointestinal tissues, and a more-or-less generalized dehydration of body organs. The body-weight of the kwashiorkoric rats was half that of the control groups, due especially to loss of weight in caecum, kidneys, liver, muscle, skin, spleen, salivary glands and thymus gland; loss of weight was less marked in other organs, particularly the stomach, heart and testes and, especially, the brain. There was further dehydration of adrenals and brain but the liver and gastrointestinal tissues tended to be hydrated. The kwashiorkoric diet had not entirely suppressed growth-stimulated relative increase in weight of muscle, skin and testes. The histology of organs was essentially normal in the survivors. Absence of oedema in organs distinguished the kwashiorkoric rats from rats with total calorie depletion.