Persistence of Rabies Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies after Vaccination of Rural Population following Vampire Bat Rabies Outbreak in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Animal control measures in Latin America have decreased the incidence of urban human rabies transmitted by dogs and cats; currently most cases of human rabies are transmitted by bats. In 2004-2005, rabies outbreaks in populations living in rural Brazil prompted widespread vaccination of exposed and at-risk populations. More than 3,500 inhabitants of Augusto Correa (Pará State) received either post-exposure (PEP) or pre-exposure (PrEP) prophylaxis. This study evaluated the persistence of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) annually for 4 years post-vaccination. The aim was to evaluate the impact of rabies PrEP and PEP in a population at risk living in a rural setting to help improve management of vampire bat exposure and provide additional data on the need for booster vaccination against rabies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This prospective study was conducted in 2007 through 2009 in a population previously vaccinated in 2005; study participants were followed-up annually. An RVNA titer >0.5 International Units (IU)/mL was chosen as the threshold of seroconversion. Participants with titers ≤0.5 IU/mL or Equivalent Units (EU)/mL at enrollment or at subsequent annual visits received booster doses of purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV). Adherence of the participants from this Amazonian community to the study protocol was excellent, with 428 of the 509 (84%) who attended the first interview in 2007 returning for the final visit in 2009. The long-term RVNA persistence was good, with 85-88.0% of the non-boosted participants evaluated at each yearly follow-up visit remaining seroconverted. Similar RVNA persistence profiles were observed in participants originally given PEP or PrEP in 2005, and the GMT of the study population remained >1 IU/mL 4 years after vaccination. At the end of the study, 51 subjects (11.9% of the interviewed population) had received at least one dose of booster since their vaccination in 2005. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study and the events preceding it underscore the need for the health authorities in rabies enzootic countries to decide on the best strategies and timing for the introduction of routine rabies PrEP vaccination in affected areas.

Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases.

Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible.

Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases / Envenenamento por coral do gênero Micrurus na Amazônia brasileira: relato de dois casos

Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible.

Dois acidentes por coral verdadeira são descritos em Belém, Pará. O primeiro caso foi decorrente de envenenamento por Micrurus surinamensis, no qual a vítima necessitou ventilação mecânica por insuficiência respiratória. O segundo, causado por Micrurus filiformis, apresentou apenas manifestações leves. Ambos os pacientes receberam soro antielapídico específico e evoluíram sem complicações. Acidentes por coral verdadeira na região Amazônica são raramente descritos e podem cursar com um largo espectro de alterações, que variam desde quadros de envenenamento muito leves até manifestações com risco de óbito.

Acidente por surucucu (Lachesis muta muta) em Belém-Pará: relato de caso / Snakebite by the bushmaster (Lachesis muta muta) in Belém-Pará: a case report

Objetivo: relatar um caso de envenenamento por Lachesis, atendido no Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto de Belém-Pará, ano de 2006. Relato do caso: paciente masculino, 19 anos, picado no antebraço direito, quando alimentava o animal; admitido e internado no Hospital apresentando edema discreto no antebraço direito, dor intensa no local, náuseas e vômitos, que coincidiam com cólicas abdominais paroxísticas, além de sudorese, visão turva, discreta epistaxe e diarréia; a freqüência cardíaca, ao início, com 108 batimentos por minuto, chegando a 62 após a soroterapia e pressão arterial em 130/80 mmHg; tempo de sangria em 4 min 15 seg, tempo de coagulação acima de 15 min, tempo de protrombina acima de 1 minuto. Como tratamento, foi realizado pré-medicação e soroterapia com 10 ampolas de soro antibotrópico-laquético. Após o anti-veneno o paciente evoluiu com melhora clínica; continuou assintomático até receber alta, curado. Considerações Finais: o envenenamento laquético é episódio raro, principalmente, entre profissionais que manipulam o animal. A descrição do caso é alertar os que manipulam serpentes peçonhentas, para redobrarem os cuidados e a atenção em seu ambiente de trabalho.

Objetive: report a case of snake envenomation by Lachesis, admitted at João de Barros Barreto University Hospital, in Belém, state of Pará, in 2006. Case Report: man, 19 years old, was bitten in the right foreann while was ft!eding the animal; he was hospitalized presenting mild edema in the right forearm, severe and localized ache, nauseas and vomiting, concomitant paroxistics abdominal colics, moreover blurred vision, mild epistaxis and diarrhea; At the first physical exam the heart beat was 108 bpm, and afier serotherapy got 62 bpm, the blood pressure was 130/80 mmHg, Bleeding time was 4 min 15 seg, Coagulation time was over than 15 min, Prothrombin time was aver than 1 minute. The treatment consisted of pre-medicationand serotherapy using 10 ampoules of bothropiclaquetic antivenom. Afier the serotherapy, the patient improved clinically and remained asymptomatic until he was sent home, cured. Final considerations: the snake envenomation by Lachesis is arare fact, mainly within professionals whose handle with those animals. This report intent to alert those whom handle poisoning snake and improve the attention at workplace.