Avaliação das técnicas de imunodifusão em gel de ágar, ensaio imunoenzimático indireto e reação em cadeia da polimerase no diagnóstico da brucelose ovina / Evaluation of technical, immunodiffusion agar gel, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of ovine brucellosis

A brucelose na espécie ovina tem recebido destaque, uma vez que se trata de uma enfermidade que acomete o sistema reprodutivo dos animais, provocando sério comprometimento no setor produtivo. Dessa forma, objetivou-se a avaliação de três métodos para o diagnóstico da brucelose ovina: o ensaio imunoenzimático indireto (ELISAi), a técnica imunodifusão em gel de ágar (IDGA) e a reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR). Para tanto, utilizaram-se 211 amostras de sangue de ovinos oriundos de propriedades de nove municípios da microrregião homogênea de Teresina, Piauí. As 211 amostras de sangue foram submetidas aos testes sorológicos e à PCR, visando detectar anticorpos anti-B. ovis e DNA de Brucella ovis, respectivamente. Foram obtidos resultados positivos nos testes sorológicos, sendo 36 (17,06%) positivos no teste IDGA e sete (3,31%) positivos no teste ELISAi, contudo não houve resultados positivos na técnica de PCR. Dos métodos de diagnóstico utilizados neste estudo, o teste IDGA foi o que apresentou melhor desempenho na detecção de animais reagentes, quando comparado ao teste ELISAi e à PCR em amostras de sangue, e o percentual de animais soropositivos sugere uma ampla distribuição de ovinos infectados por Brucella ovis na região em estudo, o que pode causar prejuízos aos produtores.(AU)

Brucellosis in sheep has received a major focus, since it is a disease that affects the reproductive system of animals, causing serious impairment in the productive sector. Thus, three methods for the diagnosis of ovine brucellosis were evaluated as goal, the indirect Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISAi) test, the Immunodiffusion Agar Gel (AGID) technique and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Therefore, we used 211 sheep blood samples from properties of nine municipalities of the homogeneous micro-region of Teresina, Piaui. The 211 blood samples were subjected to serologic testing and PCR to detect anti-B. ovis antibodies, and Brucella ovis DNA, respectively. Positive results in serological tests were obtained, 36 (17%) positive in the AGID test and seven (3.3%) positive to the ELISAi test, however, there were no positive results in the PCR technique. Of the diagnostic methods used in this study, the AGID test was the one that presented the best performance in the detection of reactive animals, when compared to ELISAi and PCR in blood samples and, the percentage of seropositive animals suggests a wide distribution of Brucella ovis infected sheep in the study region and could cause loss to producers.(AU)

Usefulness of 99Tcm-tetrofosmin scintimammography in palpable breast tumours.

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the potential of discriminating malignant from non-malignant lesions using 99Tcm-tetrofosmin scintimammography in the detection of palpable breast tumours. Nine patients with palpable masses were studied; seven had malignant lesions and two had non-malignant lesions. All diagnoses were established by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy cytology. Each patient received 925 MBq (25 mCi) 99Tcm-tetrosfosmin intravenously. Planar prone views were acquired in the right lateral, left lateral and anterior positions, and the axillary regions were included in the field of view. Scintimammography showed focally increased tracer uptake in seven patients with a positive FNA result. The two patients with a negative FNA result showed no increased uptake. We suggest that 99Tcm-tetrosfosmin shows promise as a radiopharmaceutical in the detection and discrimination of the nature of palpable breast tumours. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings.

Partial splenectomy in children with sickle cell disease and repeated episodes of splenic sequestration.

Twenty-five children with sickle cell disease and repeated episodes of splenic sequestration crises underwent partial splenectomy. They have been followed for 12 to 75 months (median 48 months) after surgery. During this period we have not observed any episode of splenic sequestration and the need for hospitalization and transfusions has been greatly reduced. We believe this is a useful and safe procedure for treating patients with this condition.