Mayaro virus: imported cases of human infection in São Paulo State, Brazil.

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arbovirus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) enzootic in tropical South America and maintained in a sylvan cycle involving wild vertebrates and Haemagogus mosquitoes. MAYV cases occur sporadically in persons with a history of recent activities inside or around forests. This paper reports three cases of MAYV fever detected in men infected in Camapuã, MS, Brazil. Serum samples collected at four days and two months after the onset of the symptoms and examined by hemagglutination inhibition test, revealed monotypic seroconversion to MAYV. Isolation of the virus was obtained from one of the samples by inoculation of the first blood samples into newborn mice. A suspension of the infected mouse brain was inoculated into C6/36 cells culture and the virus was identified by indirect immunofluorescent assay with alphavirus polyclonal antibodies. RT-PCR, performed with RNA extracted from the supernatant of C6/36 infected cells in the presence of alphavirus generic primers as well as specific MAYV primers, confirmed these results. The reported cases illustrate the importance of laboratory confirmation in establishing a correct diagnosis. Clinical symptoms are not always indicative of a disease caused by an arbovirus. Also MAYV causes febrile illness, which may be mistaken for dengue.

Mayaro virus: imported cases of human infection in São Paulo State, Brazil

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arbovirus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) enzootic in tropical South America and maintained in a sylvan cycle involving wild vertebrates and Haemagogus mosquitoes. MAYV cases occur sporadically in persons with a history of recent activities inside or around forests. This paper reports three cases of MAYV fever detected in men infected in Camapuã, MS, Brazil. Serum samples collected at four days and two months after the onset of the symptoms and examined by hemagglutination inhibition test, revealed monotypic seroconversion to MAYV. Isolation of the virus was obtained from one of the samples by inoculation of the first blood samples into newborn mice. A suspension of the infected mouse brain was inoculated into C6/36 cells culture and the virus was identified by indirect immunofluorescent assay with alphavirus polyclonal antibodies. RT-PCR, performed with RNA extracted from the supernatant of C6/36 infected cells in the presence of alphavirus generic primers as well as specific MAYV primers, confirmed these results. The reported cases illustrate the importance of laboratory confirmation in establishing a correct diagnosis. Clinical symptoms are not always indicative of a disease caused by an arbovirus. Also MAYV causes febrile illness, which may be mistaken for dengue.

O vírus Mayaro (MAYV) é um arbovírus do gênero Alphavirus, família Togaviridae, enzoótico na América do Sul, sendo mantido em ciclo silvestre envolvendo vertebrados e mosquitos Haemagogus. Casos de MAYV são esporádicos e ocorrem em pessoas com história de recentes atividades dentro ou próximo a florestas. Este artigo relata infecção por MAYV detectada em três pacientes, infectados em Camapuã, MS, Brasil. Amostras de sangue, coletadas no 4° dia e no 2° mês após o início dos sintomas, foram usadas para teste de inibição da hemaglutinação, que revelou soroconversão monotípica para MAYV. O isolamento do vírus foi obtido somente de uma das amostras, por inoculação em camundongos lactentes. Suspensão de cérebro de camundongo infectado foi inoculada em cultura de células C6/36 e o vírus foi identificado por imunofluorescência indireta com anticorpos policlonais para alphavirus. RT-PCR realizado com RNA extraído do sobrenadante de células C6/36 infectadas, na presença de "primers" genéricos para alphavirus assim como "primers" para MAYV, confirmou os resultados. Os casos relatados ilustram a importância da confirmação laboratorial em estabelecer um diagnóstico correto. Os sintomas clínicos não são sempre indicativos de uma doença causada por arbovírus. MAYV causa doença febril, que pode ser confundida com dengue.

Presumptive rapid diagnosis of parvovirus infection in patients with Erythema infectiosum-like illness

In September 1987 an outbreak of exanthematous illness ressembling erythma infectiosum occurres at an elementary school of Säo Paulo city. Attempts to isolate virus from the nasofaryngeal secretion and urine and serum samples collected from the ill children in acute phase of illness resulted negative. Nevertheless, parvovirus-like particles of about 24 nm in diameter were observed by negative staining electron microscopy in concentraded urine of seven out of eight ill patients and in nasopharyngeal secretion of one out of four patients. No similar viral particle was observed in concentred urine samples collected on the same occasion from their classmates without evident signs of illness. This is a proposal of an alternative test for a rapid and sensitive presumptive diagnosis of human parvovirus infection

Hemoparasitas de quirópteros e marsupiais capturados no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil / Hemoparasites in Chiroptera and marsupialia trapped in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Estudaram-se os hemoparasitas de 399 quirópteros e 73 marsupiais capturados em áreas florestais do Es ta do de São Paulo, localizadas nos municípios de Itapetininga, Salesópolis, Iguape, Itanhaém, Santos e São Paulo. De cada animal retirou-se amostra de sangue, procedendo-se à preparação de esfregaços corados pela técnica de Giemsa. Foi revelada a presença de hemoparasitas em 73 (18,3%) quirópteros e 10 marsupiais (14,3%). Entre os quirópteros encontraram-se os seguintes hemoparasitas, com a respectiva freqüência: Litornosoides sp. (13,5%), Hepatozoon sp. (1,8%), Graharnella sp. (1,5%) e Trypanosorna sp. (1,5%). No caso dos marsupiais, encontraram-se apenas duas espécies de hemoparasitas: Hepatozoon sp. (9,6%) e Graharnella sp. (4,1%). Os tripanosomídeos presentes nos quirópteros examinados puderam ser classificados no subgênero Schizotrypanurn, em três ocasiões, e no subgênero Megatrypanurn, em outras três (AU).