RESUMO
An outbreak of psittacosis related to a bird park occurred in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, during winter 2001. Seventeen cases of psittacosis (12 visitors, three staff, and two student interns) were confirmed. A cohort study was conducted among the park staff and students to determine the risk factors for the development of acute serologically confirmed psittacosis (SCP) infection. Being 'bird staff' had an increased risk of SCP infection (RR 3.96, 95% CI 1.48-10.58). Entering the staff building, where ill birds were maintained without proper isolation, was also associated with an increased risk of SCP infection (RR 3.61, 95% CI 1.03-12.6). Isolation of ill birds and quarantine measures were found to be insufficient. Dehumidifiers and a high-pressure water spray under a closed ventilation environment may have raised the concentration of Chlamydophila psittaci in the hothouses. Bird park staff and visitors should be educated about psittacosis.
Assuntos
Surtos de Doenças , Psitacose/epidemiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Animais , Doenças das Aves/microbiologia , Doenças das Aves/transmissão , Aves , Chlamydophila psittaci/isolamento & purificação , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Japão/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Psitacose/etiologia , Psitacose/prevenção & controle , Fatores de Risco , Estações do Ano , ZoonosesRESUMO
Black lipid membranes were generated in isotonic buffer (pH 4-5 and pH 6-5) from egg phosphatidylcholine and intestinal lipid, and the permeability to salicylamide, salicylic acid, p-aminobenzoic acid and tryptophan of these membranes was studied. Electrical resistance of intestinal lipid membranes was higher than that of phosphatidylcholine membranes. The presence of cholesterol produced an increase in the electrical resistance of black lipid membranes and a small decrease in the permeability of membranes to drugs. The permeability coefficient of salicylamide, an uncharged drug, was much larger than the coefficients of the charged drugs examined. The values for salicylic acid and p-aminobenzoic acid were much larger than comparable values predicted from their partition coefficients. Intestinal lipid membranes were more permeable to acidic drugs than phosphatidylcholine membranes. It is suggested that phospholipids and other lipid components of the small intestine may play an important role in the membrane permeability to acidic drugs. This method may be of interest in studying the complex processes of drug absorption from intestine.
