ABSTRACT
Schistosomiasis constitutes a major public health problem, with an estimated 200 million people infected worldwide. Many areas of Brazil show low endemicity of schistosomiasis, and the current standard parasitological techniques are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the low-level helminth infections common in areas of low endemicity (ALEs). This study compared the Kato-Katz (KK); Hoffman, Pons, and Janer (HH); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay- (ELISA-) IgG and ELISA-IgM; indirect immunofluorescence technique (IFT-IgM); and qPCR techniques for schistosomiasis detection in serum and fecal samples, using the circumoval precipitin test (COPT) as reference. An epidemiological survey was conducted in a randomized sample of residents from five neighborhoods of Barra Mansa, RJ, with 610 fecal and 612 serum samples. ELISA-IgM (21.4%) showed the highest positivity and HH and KK techniques were the least sensitive (0.8%). All techniques except qPCR-serum showed high accuracy (8295.5%), differed significantly from COPT in positivity , and showed poor agreement with COPT. Medium agreement was seen with ELISA-IgG (Kappa = 0.377) and IFA (Kappa = 0.347). Parasitological techniques showed much lower positivity rates than those by other techniques. We suggest the possibility of using a combination of laboratory tools for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in ALEs.
Subject(s)
Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnosis , Schistosomiasis mansoni/parasitology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/epidemiology , Aged, 80 and over , Brazil/epidemiology , Aged , Humans , Immunoassay/methods , Immunoassay/statistics & numerical data , Precipitin Tests/methods , Child , Child, Preschool , Population Surveillance/methods , Prevalence , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Risk Assessment/methods , Adult , Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Clinical Laboratory Techniques/statistics & numerical data , Endemic Diseases/statistics & numerical data , Young Adult , Infant , Middle AgedABSTRACT
We relate a case of an 18-year-old man, resident of Xapuri (state of Acre, Brazil), with a history of repeated episodes of meningoencephalitis (three in one year), each one was examined by a local doctor. In our service (Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectology) we observed a patient with polyjoint aches, radiological and bronchoscopic pulmonary alterations (without clinical features), meningeal and brain stem manifestations--with normal brain computed tomography and cerebrospinal fluid. Blood eosinophils and serological Toxocara canis test (ELISA) were greatly increased. With the hypothesis of Toxocariasis (visceral larva migrans) we administered thiabendazole that brought complete clinical and laboratory remission. Inspite of a new episode of headache with meningeal manifestation approximately one month later (treated with dexamethasone resulting in a full remission after three days) we have not found other manifestations in approximately three and a half years of ambulatory care.
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Male , Adolescent , Larva Migrans, Visceral/diagnosis , Toxocara canis , Antibodies, Helminth/blood , Antinematodal Agents/administration & dosage , Brazil , Chronic Disease , Dexamethasone/therapeutic use , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Larva Migrans, Visceral/complications , Larva Migrans, Visceral/drug therapy , Recurrence , Thiabendazole/administration & dosage , Toxocara canis/immunologyABSTRACT
Os autores apresentam quatro casos de pneumonia por Pneumocystis carinii associados com desnutricao. Relatam o resumo clinico e os principais achados anatomo-patologicos dos casos. A autopsia mostrou acentuada atrofia do timo e de mais areas perifericas timo-dependentes e a presenca de numerosos parasitas nos alveolos pulmonares
Subject(s)
Infant , Humans , Male , Female , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis , Protein-Energy MalnutritionABSTRACT
Com a finalidade de estudar a ocorrencia e a dinamica de surgimento de anticorpos anti-Biomphalaria no soro de seres humanos e camundongos infectados por Schistosoma mansoni, analisaram-se atraves de reacao de hemaglutinacao passiva 52 soros de pacientes comprovadamente parasitados pelo trematodeo e 40 soros de camundongos experimentalmente infectados. Como grupos controle utilizaram-se, no primeiro caso, 42 soros de individuos nao esquistossomoticos e, no segundo, 15 soros de camundongos nao infectados pelo helminto. Os resultados revelaram que nos pacientes esquistossomoticos e especialmente nos camundongos experimentalmente infectados os titulos do anticorpos anti-Biomphalaria sao mais elevados do que nos grupos controles. O exame de camundongos infectados, em diversas ocasioes, revelou a presenca de anticorpos anti-Biomphalaria, em niveis pouco variaveis, a partir do 15o dia apos a infeccao e, pelo menos, ate o 95o dia, ocasiao em que se encerrou o experimento
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Animals , Mice , Antibody Formation , Biomphalaria , Schistosomiasis , Schistosoma mansoniABSTRACT
Durante o periodo compreendido entre maio de 1977 e agosto de 1979, necropsiaram-se 205 murideos (191 Rattus norvegicus e 14 R.rattus), capturados vivos no municipio de Sao Paulo, encontrando-se 120 (59%) parasitados por Capillaria hepatica. Nao se verificou influencia do sexo do hospedeiro na prevalencia do parasita; todavia, quando se considerou o peso (idade) dos animais capturados, notou-se que a frequencia de infeccao aumenta significativamente com o peso do hospedeiro. A quantidade de ovos retidos no parenquima hepatico do hospedeiro tambem aumenta com o peso (idade), porem nao obedece a mesma proporcionalidade. Entre os animais parasitados, 32 (26%) apresentaram eliminacao fecal de ovos do parasita, que se tornou mais frequente no grupo de maior peso. Sugere-se que a eliminacao de ovos pelo tubo digestivo do hospedeiro possa apresentar alguma importancia na dinamica de transmissao do parasita
Subject(s)
Capillaria , Nematode Infections , BrazilABSTRACT
Relata-se o caso de uma paciente branca de 25 anos com tumoracoes no pescoco, uma das quais fistulizada. Havia eliminacao de pequenos vermes pela fistula e pela cavidade bucal. O estudo parasitologico permitiu classificar esses vermes como helmintos da especie Lagochilascaris minor. O presente caso e o 15o.da literatura mundial e o 4o. observado no Brasil. A paciente foi tratada com levamisol, 150 mg por dia, durante tres dias consecutivos. Obteve-se cura rapida e completa da doenca