Seroepidemiology of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection in horses from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of the major systemic mycosis in Brazil, called paracoccidioidomycosis. Although the Rio Grande do Sul is considered an endemic area of the disease, there are few studies on the ecology of P. brasiliensis in the state. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the infection of P. brasiliensis in horses from the mesoregion of Southwest Riograndense, using these animals as sentinels. Serological techniques, such as double immunodiffusion in agar gel (AGID) and indirect ELISA, were performed to detect the anti-gp43 P. brasiliensis antibody in horses from five different farms in the region of Bagé, RS, Brazil. Serology was performed in 200 Pure Blood English horses up to two years of age that were born and raised exclusively at the farms. Of these horses, 12% had anti-gp43 antibodies according to the ELISA results, with rates ranging from 0 to 30% according to the farm of origin (p < 0.001). Based on the immunodiffusion results, all equine serum samples were negative. These results indicate the presence of the fungus P. brasiliensis in the middle region of the southwestern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

[Frequency of Human Papillomavirus in the placenta, in the colostrum and in the umbilical cord blood]. / Frequência do Papilomavírus Humano na placenta, no colostro e no sangue do cordão umbilical.

PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the placenta, in the colostrum and in the umbilical cord blood of parturient women and their newborns assisted at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Hospital of Rio Grande (RS), Brazil. METHODS: Biopsies were collected from 150 placentas on the maternal side, 150 on the fetal side, 138 samples of umbilical cord blood and 118 of the colostrum. The placenta biopsies were collected from the central and peripheral portions. DNA was extracted according to the manufacturer's protocol and to a reference found in the literature. HPV was detected by the nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR-Nested) using primers MY09/11 and GP5/GP6. Genotyping was performed by direct sequencing. The participants responded to a self-applied questionnaire with demographic and clinical data, in order to characterize the sample. RESULTS: HPV was detected in 4% (6/150) of cases on the mother's side of the placentas, in 3.3% (5/150) on the fetal side, in 2.2% (3/138) in umbilical cord blood and in 0.84% (1/118) in colostrum samples. The vertical transmission rate was 50%. HPV-6 was the low-risk genotype found (60%) and the high-risk genotypes were HPV-16 and HPV-18 (20% each). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HPV can infect the placenta, the colostrum and the umbilical cord blood.

Seroepidemiology of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection in horses from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of the major systemic mycosis in Brazil, called paracoccidioidomycosis. Although the Rio Grande do Sul is considered an endemic area of the disease, there are few studies on the ecology of P. brasiliensis in the state. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the infection of P. brasiliensis in horses from the mesoregion of Southwest Riograndense, using these animals as sentinels. Serological techniques, such as double immunodiffusion in agar gel (AGID) and indirect ELISA, were performed to detect the anti-gp43 P. brasiliensis antibody in horses from five different farms in the region of Bagé, RS, Brazil. Serology was performed in 200 Pure Blood English horses up to two years of age that were born and raised exclusively at the farms. Of these horses, 12% had anti-gp43 antibodies according to the ELISA results, with rates ranging from 0 to 30% according to the farm of origin (p < 0.001). Based on the immunodiffusion results, all equine serum samples were negative. These results indicate the presence of the fungus P. brasiliensis in the middle region of the southwestern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.