Recently, a novel Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) strategy has emerged, known as "plasmonic ELISA" (pELISA), which enables the detection of disease biomarkers at low concentrations with the naked eye. For the first time, this research has developed a signal-generation mechanism for the detection of anti-Leishmania sp. IgG antibodies with the naked eye using pELISA. The immunoassay incorporates an indirect ELISA with successive growth of gold nanoparticles to obtain blue or red-colored solutions in the presence or absence of anti-Leishmania sp. IgG antibodies in canine serum, respectively. The technique we developed was successfully tested in canine serum positive and negative for canine leishmaniasis (CanL), and was shown to be an effective method that could be used as an additional tool for CanL diagnosis. It will be particularly useful in resource-constrained countries, because it does not require sophisticated instruments to read the results, increasing the practicality of CanL detection in these areas.
Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Leishmania donovani/immunology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Animals , Biomarkers/blood , Dog Diseases/blood , Dog Diseases/immunology , Dogs , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/blood , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/diagnosis , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/immunology , Predictive Value of Tests , Reproducibility of Results
Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is a public health problem and its occurrence depends primarily on the presence of the vector and susceptible hosts; in the urban environment, the dog is the main reservoir. This study aimed to analyze the distribution of canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL) and factors associated with it in an urban area endemic for VL. Analysis of the variables was based on 2755 epidemiological records of dogs positive and negative for CVL over a three-year period (2009, 2010 and 2011). A dog was considered positive when it presented amastigotes in the cytological examination of lymph node biopsy and/or was seropositive by immunoenzymatic and indirect immunofluorescence assays. CVL positive dogs were observed throughout the town, but significant differences were observed between the sectors analyzed (P<0.0001), with two sectors showing higher positivity. CVL prevalence was 35.9% and was significantly associated with age and breed (P<0.0001). Concerning symptoms, 44.3% of symptomatic dogs were positive for LV (P<0.0001) in an urban area endemic for this zoonosis.
Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/diagnosis , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , Disease Reservoirs/parasitology , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Dog Diseases/parasitology , Dogs , Endemic Diseases/statistics & numerical data , Female , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/epidemiology , Male , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Zoonoses/epidemiology , Zoonoses/parasitology
A potabilidade da água de consumo em escolas públicas de Ensino Infantil do município de Araçatuba/SP foi avaliada procedendo-se à pesquisa de coliformes totais, de Escherichia coli eao teor de nitrato em amostras coletadas, nos seguintes pontos: cavalete de distribuição da rede pública ou de poço; torneira da cozinha e bebedouro. Das 25 escolas analisadas, 12%não atenderam aos padrões de potabilidade da água perante parâmetro microbiológico;entretanto, quanto ao nível de nitrato, todas as amostras apresentaram resultados dentro do Valor Máximo Permitido pela legislação vigente. Os dados obtidos sugerem correlação positiva entre a concentração de nitrato e o NMP de coliformes totais. A presença de coliformes totais e de E. coli, especialmente em escolas da zona rural, cuja a água é proveniente de poço, aponta a necessidade da implantação de medidas de saneamento da água em escolas públicas de Educação Infantil do município de Araçatuba, SP.
The potability of water for consumption in public childhood education schools of the cityof Araçatuba/SP was evaluated by carrying out a survey of total coliforms, Escherichia coli andnitrate content, in collected samples at the following points: cross connection control manualof public main or wells; kitchen faucet and watercooler. Of the 25 schools analyzed, 12% did notmeet the standards of water potability to the microbiological parameter; but referring to nitratecontent, all remained within the maximum value allowed by vigent legislation. Obtained dataguggest a positive correlation between the nitrate concentration and the NMP of total coliforms.The presence of total coliforms and E. coli, especially in rural schools, whose water comes fromwell, points out the need to implement water sanitation measures in public schools of EarlyChildhood Education in the city of Araçatuba, SP.
Water Supply , Water Quality , Microbiological Techniques , Schools , Water Quality
A potabilidade da água de consumo em escolas públicas de Ensino Infantil do município de Araçatuba/SP foi avaliada procedendo-se à pesquisa de coliformes totais, de Escherichia coli e ao teor de nitrato em amostras coletadas, nos seguintes pontos: cavalete de distribuição da rede pública ou de poço; torneira da cozinha e bebedouro. Das 25 escolas analisadas, 12% não atenderam aos padrões de potabilidade da água perante parâmetro microbiológico; entretanto, quanto ao nível de nitrato, todas as amostras apresentaram resultados dentro do Valor Máximo Permitido pela legislação vigente. Os dados obtidos sugerem correlação positiva entre a concentração de nitrato e o NMP de coliformes totais. A presença de coliformes totais e de E. coli, especialmente em escolas da zona rural, cuja a água é proveniente de poço, aponta a necessidade da implantação de medidas de saneamento da água em escolas públicas de Educação Infantil do município de Araçatuba, SP.
The potability of water for consumption in public childhood education schools of the city of Araçatuba/SP was evaluated by carrying out a survey of total coliforms, Escherichia coli and nitrate content, in collected samples at the following points: cross connection control manual of public main or wells; kitchen faucet and watercooler. Of the 25 schools analyzed, 12% did not meet the standards of water potability to the microbiological parameter; but referring to nitrate content, all remained within the maximum value allowed by vigent legislation. Obtained data guggest a positive correlation between the nitrate concentration and the NMP of total coliforms. The presence of total coliforms and E. coli, especially in rural schools, whose water comes from well, points out the need to implement water sanitation measures in public schools of Early Childhood Education in the city of Araçatuba, SP.
Child Day Care Centers , Nitrates/analysis , Water Quality , Microbiological Techniques , Water Supply
