Mass treatment as a strategy to control intestinal parasites does not reduce the prevalency of infections in Guarani indigenous schoolchildren in Brazil / TRATAMENTO EM MASSA COMO ESTRATÉGIA DE CONTROLE DE PARASITAS INTESTINAIS NÃO REDUZ A PREVALÊNCIA DE INFECÇÕES EM ESCOLARES INDÍGENAS GUARANIS NO BRASIL

The high frequency of intestinal parasites is favored by environmental and socio-cultural conditions of indigenous populations, and is still a neglected public health problem. Mass administration of broad-spectrum drugs aims to reduce the prevalence and intensity of the infections. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in school-children in an indigenous Guarani village was evaluated before and after the mass treatment of the population with albendazole. In the first phase of collection of stool samples, 81.4% of them were positive for enteroparasites and in the second phase, after two doses of antiparasitic medication, 87.5% were positive. Although the prevalence of infections by some helminths has reduced after treatment, many parasites remained frequent in the studied population, showing a change in the epidemiological profile in the distribution of these diseases in the population. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in indigenous schoolchildren proved to be high even after mass treatment with albendazole.

A alta frequência de parasitoses intestinais é favorecida por condições ambientais e socioculturais das populações indígenas, sendo ainda um problema de saúde pública negligenciado. A administração em massa de medicamentos de amplo espectro busca reduzir o número e a intensidade das infecções. Avaliou-se a prevalência de parasitoses intestinais em escolares de uma aldeia indígena Guarani, antes e após o tratamento em massa da população com o albendazol. Na primeira fase de coleta das amostras de fezes, 81,4% delas apresentaram-se positivas para enteroparasitos e na segunda fase, após duas doses de antiparasitário, 87,5% apresentaram-se positivas. Embora a prevalência de infecções por alguns helmintos tenha reduzido após o tratamento, muitos parasitos continuaram frequentes na população estudada, mostrando uma mudança no perfil epidemiológico na distribuição dessas doenças na população. A prevalência de enteroparasitoses nos escolares indígenas mostrou-se elevada mesmo após o tratamento em massa com albendazol.

Spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections in a Kaingáng indigenous village from Southern Brazil.

The spatial distribution of enteroparasitosis in an indigenous village from Paraná was evaluated to identify areas of risk for these infections. A cross-sectional study (from November 2010 to June 2011) was performed using Three Faecal Test(®) and Kato & Katz method and a questionnaire on housing and hygiene conditions was administered. Local geostatistical analyses were performed to determine the spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalence of enteroparasites was 67.2 % (457/680), and the most prevalent taxa were Ascaris lumbricoides (48.8 %) and Trichuris trichiura (44.7 %). The prevalence of heavy infection by soil-transmitted helminths was 3.6 % and the families lived in houses with an average of 5.1 residents and < 2 bedrooms per household. The average number of species per individual present spatial heterogeneity with the highest values (≥0.8) in areas with high clustering of residences. The visualization of the spatial distribution of intestinal parasites in this indigenous village is an important contribution to determining health risk areas and planning decisions and services.

Canova medication modifies parasitological parameters in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.

The goals of this study were to evaluate the effect of the Canova medication, a homeopathic immune-system modulator, on the evolution of infection induced by the Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain in mice. The animals were divided into five groups: (i) untreated infected controls (I), (ii) infected animals treated with benznidazole (Bz), (iii) infected animals treated with the Canova medication (CM), (iv) infected animals treated with benznidazole and the Canova medication (Bz+CM), and (v) uninfected controls that received only the vehicle (grain alcohol) (C). The parameters evaluated were: parasitemia, mortality, control of cure, and tissue parasitism analysis. Our results showed that the evolution of the experimental infection was modified by treatment with CM, and that daily and consecutive doses were harmful to the animals, causing death in 100% of the infected animals in a brief period. The analysis of parasitism performed on the organs on the 12th day postinfection showed that in infected animals treated with CM, the number of amastigote/nests in the spleen was significantly reduced, while in cardiac tissue, intestine, and liver the number was significantly increased compared with infected control animals. These results indicate that CM has a negative influence on the host-parasite relationship, modifying the tropism of the parasite for tissues, and increasing the parasitemia peak in this experimental model.

Aspectos epidemiológicos da leishmaniose tegumentar em área endêmica do estado do Paraná, Brasil / Epidemiologic aspects of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an endemic area of the state of Paraná, Brazil

Realizou-se em 1992 e 1993 um inquérito epidemiológico para leishmaniose tegumentar (LT) envolvendo 684 indivíduos de uma populaçäo de aproximadamente 1400 pessoas de seis localidades agrícolas (Fazenda Palmital, Cerâmica Andirá, Fazenda Jussara, Fazenda Lagoa, Destilaria Melhoramentos e Fazenda Mururê) de uma área endêmica nos Municípios de Jussara e Terra Boa, no norte do estado do Paraná, Brasil. Do total de 684 indivíduos estudados, 19,9 por cento tinham história de LT. Ressalta-se que na Fazenda Jussara ocorreu o maior percentual de pessoas com história de LT (51/126 ou 40,5 por cento). Das 684 reaçöes de imunofluorescência indireta realizadas, 58 (8,5 por cento) tiveram títulos significativos, e destas, 17 (29,3 por cento) eram de pessoas sem história de LT. A intredermorreaçäo de Montenegro foi realizada em 97 indivíduos com história de LT, sendo positiva em 80 (82,5 por cento) deles. No momento do inquérito, sete indivíduos apresentavam lesäo característica de LT, e em quatro deles a pesquisa de Leishmania sp. foi positiva. A cepa de Leishmania isolada de um destes indívíduos foi identificada como Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.