ABSTRACT
Erythromycin, a reversal agent in multidrug-resistant cancer, was assayed in chloroquine resistance modulation. The in vitro microtechnique for drug susceptibility was employed using two freshly isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from North of Brazil. The antimalarial effect of the drug was confirmed, with an IC50 estimates near the usual antimicrobial therapy concentration, and a significant statistical modulating action was observed for one isolate.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/pharmacology , Chloroquine/pharmacology , Drug Resistance, Multiple , Erythromycin/pharmacology , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Animals , Brazil , Erythromycin/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy , Male , Plasmodium falciparum/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
A clinical trial pilot study, double-blinded, randomized, and controlled with a placebo to assess the effectiveness of oral doxycycline (200 mg, single dose) in preventing leptospirosis after high exposure to potentially contaminated water was performed in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Confirmed cases were defined as those with leptospira IgM antibody and symptoms; asymptomatic cases were those presenting with IgM antibodies but no symptoms; and suspected cases were individuals with symptoms but no IgM antibody. Forty subjects were given doxycycline and 42 were given placebo. In the drug-treated group there were 2 confirmed cases, 11 asymptomatic cases, and 6 suspected cases. In the placebo group there were 5 confirmed, 6 symptomatic, and 5 suspected cases. Even though we found a protective association of doxycycline for confirmed leptospirosis cases (RR = 2.3) and seroconversion only (RR = 2.0), the association was not statistically significant because of the small number of individuals enrolled in this pilot study. We observed that the 22% of the volunteers already had IgM antibodies to leptospirosis at the first sampling. Finally, the attack rate to confirmed, asymptomatic, and suspected cases of Leptospirosis was 8.5%, 22%, and 13%, respectively, in this population.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Doxycycline/therapeutic use , Leptospirosis/prevention & control , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Brazil , Confidence Intervals , Double-Blind Method , Environmental Exposure , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Leptospira/immunology , Leptospirosis/diagnosis , Leptospirosis/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Based on previous studies in vitro of the modulating effect of desipramine on chloroquine-resistance of Plasmodium falciparum, the effect of desipramine and imipramine on freshly isolated resistant Brazilian strains of the parasite was investigated. Both drugs in therapeutic doses showed an unexpected antimalarial effect in vitro in duplicate tests (IC50 = 44.26 and 46.53 micrograms/L for desipramine, and 83.93 and 41.26 micrograms/L for imipramine), but no reversal of resistance when added to cultures together with chloroquine.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/pharmacology , Desipramine/pharmacology , Imipramine/pharmacology , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Animals , Chloroquine/pharmacology , Logistic Models , Plasmodium falciparum/growth & developmentABSTRACT
A doença de Lyme é uma moléstia infecto-contagiosa transmitida por carrapatos contaminados pela Borrelia burgodorferi. Caracteriza-se por acometer a pele, coraçäo, articulaçöes e sistema nervos central e periférico. No Brasil ainda näo se descreveu um caso com devida confirmaçäo laboratorial. Os autores apresentam um caso com diagnóstico clínico e sorológico em que o principal acometimento foi o cutâneo. Com este achado, discutem as formas de acometimento cutâneo da doença, bem como o tratamento das formas iniciais
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adult , Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Lyme Disease/drug therapy , Erythema Chronicum Migrans/diagnosis , Erythema Chronicum Migrans/drug therapyABSTRACT
Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The clinical spectrum includes manifestations in the skin, heart, joints and nervous system. In Brazil no case has been reported with laboratorial confirmation. We report a suspect case with clinical and laboratorial findings in a young woman who developed cutaneous manifestations. She recovered after tetracycline treatment. The usual manifestations and the treatment of early stage of the illness are discussed.
Subject(s)
Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Adult , Erythema Chronicum Migrans/diagnosis , Erythema Chronicum Migrans/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Lyme Disease/drug therapy , Tetracycline/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodid tick bite. The geographic distribution of the disease is universal, but the disease has not been identified definitely in South America yet. We report a probable case of Lyme disease in a woman, living in Jaguaré slum (São Paulo), who showed characteristics skin lesions of erythema chronicum migrans, with fever, weakness, headache, muscular pain, cough, arthralgia and sensitive radicular neuropathy in the left arm. The sequential serology made by ELISA method, using Borrelia burgdorferi whole sonicated antigen from Dr. Allen C. Steere laboratory, showed high titers of IgM antibody (1:1600). Because of the persistence of high IgM response for two months, we decided to treat the patient with tetracycline 2g/day during 10 days and the sorology became negative two months. The western blotting confirmed ELISA results showing presence of five bands (IgM). This report fulfills CDC criteria for Lyme disease diagnosis.
