Diarrhoea in mice infected with a human rotavirus.

Oral inoculation of newborn mice with the MET strain of human rotavirus produced transient diarrhoeal disease. Light and scanning electron microscopy showed typical rotavirus-induced morphological lesions in the villous epithelium of the small intestine consisting of extensive cytoplasmic vacuolation, villous necrosis and atrophy. Virus recovered from intestinal suspensions of infected mice showed the typical electrophoretic profile of the genome of the inoculated strain. Rotavirus antibody appeared in infected mice 10 to 20 days after inoculation but not in controls or nursing dams. The availability of a small animal model for experimental infection with human rotaviruses should prove useful for virulence and protection studies.

Trypanosoma cruzi: histopathology and time course infection in indomethacin-treated mice / Trypanosoma cruzi: histopathology and time course infection in indomethacin-treated mice

A indometacina administra por via oral ou intraperitoneal, na dose de 5mg/kg diariamente, durante infeccao experimental em camundongos por Trypanosoma cruzi, provocou o aparecimento de reacao adversas similares aquelas observadas atraves do empregos de outros antiinflamatorios, tais como os corticosteroides. A parasitemia observada nos camundongos pertencentes ao grupo dos tratados pela indometacina foi significativamente mais elevada que nos grupos-controle. A taxa de mortalidade correlacionou-se aos niveis de parasitemia. Foram observados em quase todos os tecidos dos camundongos pertencentes ao grupo dos tratados com indometacina e infectados pelo T. cruzi cepa Y, do que nos grupos-controle normais. Nao foi observada infiltracao celular em camundongos tratados pela indometacina (tecidos infectados) enquanto um inflitrado duro de celulas mononucleares foi observado nos grupos-controle. As implicacoes clinicas em pacientes chagasicos sao discutidas.

Trypanosoma cruzi invasion of structures related to development and central nervous system / Trypanosoma cruzi invasion of structures related to development and central nervous system

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the importance of host immune response in the development of T. cruzi infection and the associated tissue lesions, using newborn mice as immunodeficient model. In adult mice, foci of inflammatory infiltrate were found in almost all tissues except in central nervous system, 2 weeks or more after infection. In infected newborn mice a heavy invasion of tissues by T. cruzi were observed, but inflammatory lesions were not found. Colonization of central nervous system was discret since only 3 per cent of newborn mice were positive. Parasitemia start early and reached higher levels in newborn mice than in adults and mortality began early, on the 9th day. Cartilage and bone marrow as well the glandular system, incluing the thymus, were heavier infected in newborn mice, than in adult mice. These results show that a hard tissue invasion of T. cruzi although without inflammatory lesions leads the experimental infected animals to death. These results are similar to our previous reports using athymic nude mice as a model of immunodeficiency. In the present experiment cartilage and brain were negative in adult mice.

[Progressive extrinsic ophthalmoplegia. Report of 3 cases]. / Oftalmoplegia extrínseca progressiva. Registro de tres casos.

Three women with extrinsic oculo-muscular distrophy were studied. In two patients the symptoms were began at 25 and another one at 56 year-old. Non myogenic features were observed: in case one there was familial otosclerosis. This patient had impossibility to beget children. Her first menstruation was observed at 19 and the last at 40 year-old, like to case 2, which was the only to have electrocardiographic alterations. Romberg's signal and profound hyporeflexia was obtained in case 3, whose family had a lot of member with cataract. Biopsy of the non ocular muscles was made too, in spite of patient's symptoms had been concerning to ocular muscles only. All of non ocular muscles had myogenic features. In electromyogram examination of non ocular muscles the myogenic features were observed too. Therefore, we believe in diffuse myogenic process in spite of ocular manifestation had been the only patient's complaints.

[Metachromatic leukodystrophy. Report of a case]. / Leucodistrofia metacromática. Registro de um caso.

A case of metachromatic leucodystrophy in a three years old female patient is reported. Histopathological examination revealed metachromatic inclusions within the cytoplasms of the neurons, which led the authors to comment on the physiopathogenesis of this disease, grouping it in category of the lipidoses.