RESUMEN
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease widespread almost all over the world, representing a significant economic and public health problem. Brucella melitensis, B. suis and B. abortus are considered the most pathogenic species for humans. The most virulent species, B. melitensis is endemic in many parts of the world, particularly the biovar 3 in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Some Latin American countries are seriously affected by biovar 1, especially Mexico, Peru and northern Argentina. Furthermore, while Brazil is considered free of this etiologic agent, one recurrent question is whether this infection really does not occur in Brazil or there is a lack of research/data on the subject. To answer this question, this study aims to investigate the occurrence of antibodies against smooth Brucella in goats and sheep in the states of Sergipe, Paraíba, Ceará and Paraíba. All samples were screened by the Rose Bengal test (RBT). The complement fixation (CFT) and the fluorescence polarization (FPT) tests were used as confirmatory tests. There were no positive samples in the confirmatory tests (both CFT and FPT). We, therefore, conclude that this result reinforces the previous knowledge regarding the exotic status of B. melitensis infection in Brazil.
A brucelose é uma das doenças de caráter zoonótico mais difundidas no mundo, representando um grande problema econômico e de saúde pública. A Brucella melitensis, a B. suis e a B. abortus são consideradas as mais patogênicas espécies para humanos. A espécie apontada como a mais virulenta é a B. melitensis, endêmica em várias partes do mundo, particularmente o biovar 3 na região do Mediterrâneo e na Europa Oriental. Alguns países da América Latina são seriamente afetados pelo biovar 1, especialmente México, Peru e norte da Argentina. O Brasil é considerado livre desse agente etiológico, porém sempre há o questionamento se a infecção não ocorre ou se falta pesquisa. Diante dessa questão, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a ocorrência de anticorpos contra amostras lisas de Brucella em caprinos e ovinos dos estados de Sergipe, Bahia, Ceará e Paraíba. Todas as amostras foram submetidas triagem pelo teste do antígeno acidificado tamponado (AAT). Como testes confirmatórios, utilizou-se a reação de fixação de complemento (RFC) e também o teste de polarização fluorescente (TPF). Nenhuma amostra foi positiva nos testes confirmatórios (RFC e TPF). Esse resultado comprova que a infecção por B. melitensis é exótica no Brasil.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Brucelosis/epidemiología , Cabras/microbiología , Ovinos/microbiología , Brucella melitensis/aislamiento & purificación , Polarización de Fluorescencia/veterinariaRESUMEN
Erythrocyte metallothionein (E-MT) is considered a promising index of zinc status in humans, since it may be more sensitive than other biochemical indices to changes in dietary zinc. However, conditions of high zinc demand with substantial redistribution of tissue zinc and specific changes in hormone profile, such as pregnancy, may have an influence on E-MT levels in addition to dietary zinc. In this study, we compared E-MT concentrations in relation to other biochemical zinc indices in healthy pregnant women at delivery (n = 40) and non-pregnant women (n = 22) with similar habitual dietary zinc intakes (average 13.3 mg/d). Pregnant women had lower serum zinc and albumin-bound serum zinc, but higher levels of alpha 2-macroglobulin-bound serum zinc than the nonpregnant women. Erythrocyte zinc (E-Zn) was similar in both groups, but E-MT (mean +/- SE) was slightly but significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the pregnant women (2.9 +/- 0.09 nmol/g protein) compared to nonpregnant women (2.6 +/- 0.06 nmol/g protein). A significant correlation was observed between E-MT and E-Zn in the nonpregnant women (r = 0.70; p < 0.001), consistent with the role of intracellular zinc in the regulation of metallothionein synthesis. However, such correlation was not observed in the pregnant women, suggesting that E-MT levels in pregnancy may be influenced by factors related to the pregnant state.