ABSTRACT
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii that can infect a large variety of animals, including humans. The present study aimed to evaluate the frequency of anti-T.gondii antibodies in dogs from a peripheral district of Botucatu and to establish the association among some epidemiological variables in order to evaluate risk factors for toxoplasmosis infection. Serum samples from dogs were screened using an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Anti-T.gondii antibody prevalence was 56 percent. The highest titer was 1024 (1.79 percent) and the most frequent titers were 16 (57.14 percent) and 64 (33.93 percent). The chi-square (X²) test revealed significant association among variables such as dog access to street, ingestion of raw meat and presence of synantropic animals in the domestic environment. These results demonstrate that toxoplasmosis is present in dogs from Jardim Santa Elisa district.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Female , Dogs , Dog Diseases , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect/methods , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect/veterinary , Toxoplasmosis, Animal/diagnosis , Toxoplasmosis, Animal/epidemiology , DogsABSTRACT
Twenty three infants with acute or protracted diarrhea were investigated for carbohydrate (CHO) malabsorption during their normal feeding schedules. All infants were fed a chicken-meat formula which contained rice flour and maltodextrin. End-tidal respiratory H2 concentrations were sequentially evaluated in different clinical settings and compared to fecal pH and reducing substances. Fecal pH below 6.0 and/or breath H2 greater than 25 ppm were considered evidence of CHO malabsorption, as these values disappeared while infants were submitted to a trial of CHO withdrawal per os, reappearing after CHO reintroduction. Values of fecal pH greater than 6.0 most often (84,2%) occurred along with H2 less than 25 ppm, thus frequently reflecting a good CHO absorption. pH values below 6.0, however, although reflecting CHO malabsorption, did not predict the presence of significant H2 concentrations in expired air. In 44.4% of the well-nourished or only mildly malnourished infants some evidence of CHO malabsorption was present, whereas this occurred in all severely malnourished infants. This last group of infants had a longer history of diarrhea prior to admission and needed a longer hospitalization. The frequency of H2 values greater than 25 ppm decreased progressively during the clinical evolution, along with an increase in CHO ingestion, findings possibly related to nutritional improvement. The hydrogen breath test and fecal pH allowed the diagnosis of CHO fermentation when applied as in this study, without a conventional CHO overload and without previous fasting. It did, however, not predict clinical intolerance, as signs of CHO malabsorption still occurred in infants whose diarrhea had already subsided.
