Type C botulism in domestic chickens, dogs and black-pencilled marmoset (Callithrix penicillata) in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Botulism is a well-known intoxication that affects humans and animals. The disease is endemic in cattle in Brazil and recently emerged as an important disease in commercial laying hens and broiler chickens in Europe. Dogs and other animal species can also be affected. Although antitoxins are commonly administered to humans diagnosed with botulism, in animals this is rarely the case and the treatment of botulism is still based only on support therapy. In the present work, we report an outbreak of type C botulism in Brazil that simultaneously affected domestic chickens, dogs and a black-pencilled marmoset (Callithrix penicillata). The successful use of Clostridium botulinum types C and D antitoxin for the treatment of an affected dog is also described.

Antitoxin therapy of natural avian botulism outbreaks occurred in Brazil.

Botulism commonly affects water birds and it has recently been observed to be emerging in poultry production. In the present work, outbreaks of botulism in wild native species, such as the black-fronted Piping-guan (Aburria jacutinga), wild duck (Cairina moschata) and its crosses with mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), and domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) are described. Following treatments with a commercial botulism antitoxin CD, 28 (96.5%) out of 29 animals fully recovered after 24-72 h. The antitoxin therapy was shown to be a useful option for the treatment of affected birds, including those that were severely affected.

Development of camelid single chain antibodies against Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2) with therapeutic potential against Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are implicated in the development of the life-threatening Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Despite the magnitude of the social and economic problems caused by STEC infections, no licensed vaccine or effective therapy is presently available for human use. Single chain antibodies (VHH) produced by camelids exhibit several advantages in comparison with conventional antibodies, making them promising tools for diagnosis and therapy. In the present work, the properties of a recently developed immunogen, which induces high affinity and protective antibodies against Stx type 2 (Stx2), were exploited to develop VHHs with therapeutic potential against HUS. We identified a family of VHHs against the B subunit of Stx2 (Stx2B) that neutralize Stx2 in vitro at subnanomolar concentrations. One VHH was selected and was engineered into a trivalent molecule (two copies of anti-Stx2B VHH and one anti-seroalbumin VHH). The resulting molecule presented extended in vivo half-life and high therapeutic activity, as demonstrated in three different mouse models of Stx2-toxicity: a single i.v. lethal dose of Stx2, several i.v. incremental doses of Stx2 and intragastrical STEC infection. This simple antitoxin agent should offer new therapeutic options for treating STEC infections to prevent or ameliorate HUS outcome.

[Familiar outbreak of botulism at Ceará state, Brazil: case report]. / Surto familiar de botulismo no estado do Ceará: relato de caso.

Report of a family outbreak of botulism food poisoning involving a death, where gaps in the completion of medical records were identified. The study aimed to describe the pathology and emphasize to health professionals the need to provide adequate information relevant to epidemiological investigation of compulsory notification diseases.

Surto familiar de botulismo no estado do Ceará: relato de caso / Familiar outbreak of botulism at Ceará state, Brazil: case report

Relato de surto familiar de botulismo por intoxicação alimentar, envolvendo um óbito, onde foram encontradas lacunas no preenchimento do prontuário. O objetivo foi descrever a patologia chamando a atenção dos profissionais de saúde para o fornecimento adequado de informações relevantes para a investigação epidemiológica de doenças de notificação compulsória.

Report of a family outbreak of botulism food poisoning involving a death, where gaps in the completion of medical records were identified. The study aimed to describe the pathology and emphasize to health professionals the need to provide adequate information relevant to epidemiological investigation of compulsory notification diseases.

In vivo protection against Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom by antibodies raised against a discontinuous synthetic epitope.

Scorpion stings cause human fatalities in numerous countries. Serotherapy is the only specific means to try to circumvent the noxious effects of venom toxins. TsNTxP is a natural anatoxin from the venom of the scorpion Tityus serrulatus that may be useful to raise therapeutic anti-venom sera. Linear epitopes recognized by anti-TsNTxP antibodies have previously been mapped. Here, we attempted to identify discontinuous epitopes in TsNTxP since neutralizing epitopes are often associated with such complex entities. One hundred and fifty-three octadecapeptides with the general formula (P1)-(Gly-Gly)-(P2) were synthesized by the Spot method on cellulose membranes. P1 and P2 were octapeptides from the TsNTxP N-terminal and C-terminal sections, respectively. Each sequence of eight amino acids was frameshifted in turn by three residues, in order to cover TsNTxP entire sequence. Binding of neutralizing anti-TsNTxP rabbit antibodies to spotted peptides revealed GREGYPADGGGLPDSVKI as the more reactive peptide sequence. This epitope was made from the first eight residues of the protein (GREGYPAD) and from residues 47 to 54 (GLPDSVKI) of the C-terminal part of TsNTxP. BALB/c mice were immunized with synthetic GREGYPADGGGLPDSVKI peptide conjugated to ovalbumin. One week after the last immunization, in vivo protection assays showed that immunized mice could resist a challenge by an amount of T.serrulatus whole venom equivalent to 1.75 LD(100), a dose that killed all control non-immune mice. Based on molecular models of TsNTxP and related Tityus toxins, we found that the above peptide matches with a discontinuous epitope, well exposed at the toxin molecular surface which contains residues known to be important for the bioactivity of toxins.

Avaliaçäo da resposta de antitoxinas beta e épsilon de Clostridium perfringes induzidas em bovinos e coelhos por seis vacinas comerciais no Brasil / Cattle and rabbits immune response against beta and epsilon Clostridium perfringens toxins induced by six commercial vaccines in Brazil

Avaliou-se a resposta de antitoxinas beta e épsilon de Clostridium perfringens em bovinos vacinados contra clostridioses com seis vacinas disponíveis no mercado. Quarenta e oito bezerros de seis a sete meses de idade foram divididos em oito grupos (T1 a T8) de seis animais cada. Os grupos de número 2 a 7 receberam as vacinas T2 a T7 nos dias 0 e 42 com a dose e via recomendadas pelos fabricantes. Soluçäo salina e toxóide padräo foram usados nos mesmos dias nos grupos 1 e 8 (T1 e T8), respectivamente, como controles negativo e positivo. Amostras de sangue foram coletadas nos dias 0, 42 e 56 pós-vacinaçäo (PV), para titulaçäo de anticorpos no soro. As vacinas e os controles foram também testados em oito coelhos cada, inoculados nos dias 0 e 21 com metade da dose indicada para bovinos. Os coelhos foram sangrados no dia 35 e os soros foram misturados em partes iguais para cada vacina para a tilulaçäo de anticorpos. Os soros dos bovinos foram titulados individualmente contra as toxinas beta e épsilon de C. perfringens pelo método de soroneutralizaçäo em camundongos. A vacina T2 apresentou títulos de anticorpos de 22,6 e 5,6 UI/ml e a vacina T4 11,2 e 7,0 UI/ml, respectivamente, contra toxinas beta e épsilon em coelhos. Os títulos do toxóide padräo (T8) foram 45,2 UI/ml contra ambas as toxinas. Em bovinos, as médias dos títulos de anticorpos contra a toxina beta nos dias 42 e 56 PV com a vacina T2 (1,15 UI/ml e 8,0 UI/ml) foram similares ao toxóide padräo (2,02 e 10,03 UI/ml). A vacina T4 (0,73 e 4,54 UI/ml) teve títulos menores (P<0,05) que o toxóide padräo e similares a T2. Contra a toxina épsilon, o toxóide padräo teve média de título (0,97 UI/ml) no dia 42 que foi significativamente maior (P<0,05) do que T4 (0,15 UI/ml) e similar a T2 (0,42 UI/ml). No dia 56, T2 (4,27 UI/ml) teve títulos significativamente maiores (P<0,05) do que T4 (0,68 UI/ml) e similares ao toxóide padräo (4,98 UI/ml). Em cada tratamento, a resposta aos 56 dias foi superior (P<0,05) em relaçäo aos 42 dias após a primeira vacinaçäo. As outras vacinas e a soluçäo salina näo induziram respostas de antitoxinas beta e épsilon de C. perfringens detectáveis nos soros dos coelhos e dos bovinos. A vacina T2 induziu altos títulos de anticorpos, maiores que aqueles induzidos por T4 e similares ao T8