Bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis follow-up on cattle relocated in an endemic area for hemoparasitic diseases.

A multiplex PCR/DNA probe assay was used to monitor Babesia bovis, B. bigemina and Anaplasma marginale infection in cattle introduced to a Boophilus microplus-infested area in Veracruz, Mexico. Eight intact, 18-month-old, cross-bred beef cattle (four naive, Group A; four Babesia species--premunized, Group B) were immediately exposed to ticks after arrival and were clinically monitored from day 6 to day 98 post-exposure (PE) to ticks. Blood sample analysis for DNA detection by the MPCR/DNA probe assay showed that Group A animals were infected with B. bovis from day 11 up to day 22 PE, requiring treatment on days 17-20. Group B animals were detected positive to B. bovis on days 17-20, did not require treatment and remained persistently infected from days 70 to 84 PE. Treatment of Group A animals delayed the infection with B. bigemina. These animals became positive to the parasite on days 63-77 PE. In contrast, Group B animals (untreated) showed B. bigemina infection on days 21-26 and 63-84 PE. One animal was positive for A. marginale infection on days 63-66 PE, the rest of the animals became so on days 80-98 PE. All infected animals required treatment with oxytetracycline. Monitoring the triple hemoparasite infection with the MPCR/DNA probe assay provided important epidemiological information. Thus, precautionary measures can be established when cattle are moved to a babesiosis/anaplasmosis risk area.

Use of a duplex PCR/DNA probe assay to monitor Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in cattle during a vaccination trial.

A Duplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (DPCR)/DNA probe assay was used to detect Babesia bovis and B. bigemina DNA in cattle undergoing immunization trials. Blood samples were collected from 15 non-splenectomized, 1-2 years old bulls, inoculated with 1 x 10(7) each of culture-derived B. bovis- and B. bigemina-infected erythrocytes. 15 bulls inoculated with normal erythrocytes served as a control group. All cattle were field exposed to tick-transmitted Babesia 21 days (20 animals, Group I) and 60 days (10 animals, Group II) post-inoculation (PI). After immunization, the DPCR/DNA probe assay detected B. bigemina and B. bovis parasite DNA in all inoculated animals from days 4 to 14 PI. At challenge, B. bovis DNA was detected in all control animals as early as day 8 (Group I), or day 11 (Group II) post-introduction to a tick-infested area. The immunized bulls showed B. bovis positive PCR/DNA probe signals from day 0 (Group II) and day 8 (group I), up to day 32 post-exposure to ticks. Positive B. bigemina signals were detected from day 0 (Group I) and day 8 (Group II), up to day 36 post-exposure to ticks. During challenge, it was not possible to clearly define whether the PCR/DNA probe signals detected in the blood from immunized cattle were a result of amplified DNA from the culture-derived parasites, from the tick-transmitted parasites, or both.

Lesiones pulmonares en necropsias de consumidores de cocaina / Pulmonary injuries in necropsy of cocaine consumers

Esta investigación se propuso como objetivo general, establecer las lesiones pulmonares más comunes que se encuentran en las necropsias de occisos con antecedentes de adicción a la cocaina y bazuco. Fueron materiales básicos para la investigación los protocolos de las necropsias realizadas desde el primero de junio a 31 de diciembre de 1995 y las muestras patológicas de pulmón para establecer el tipo de lesión. Metodológicamente, se procedió de la siguiente forma: se seleccionaron 30 casos de 300 necropsias que cumplieran ciertas características tales como no poseer documento de identificación y quemadura de los pulpejos entre otras, donde se obtuvieron datos demográficos, manera de muerte y resultados de laboratorio previa su elaboración de instrumento. Los estudios de histopatología fueron realizados por patólogos del INME con tinciones de hematoxilina-eosina. Entre los resultados más sobresalientes podemos señalar que las lesiones más frecuentes encontradas fueron la ruptura alveolar con un 91.7 y la neumonitis intersticial un 90.2, así como hiperplasia alveolar, necrosis bronquial, metaplasma escamosa y trombosis arterial, los cuales se presentaron con menor frecuencia y no son descritos en la literatura internacional. Finalmente destacamos como conclusión que en nuestro medio los consumidores de bazuco presentan lesiones histopatológicas similares a las descritas en los consumidores de crack