Evaluation of a new brand of immunochromatographic test for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil made available from 2018

Immunochromatographic tests based on the recombinant antigen K39 represent a major advance in diagnosing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in recent years. Some performance variations are expected and have occurred in the use of several commercial rapid tests, especially in different geographical settings. This is the first evaluation in the Americas of the test recently provided by the public health system in Brazil for the diagnostic of VL, the OnSite™ Leishmania IgG/IgM Combo. In this first clinical test evaluation, 113 VL-positive patient samples and 73 negative controls were tested and a sensitivity of 91.2% and specificity of 94.5% were observed. These results indicate the need for further analysis and comparisons with the performance of other available commercial tests in order to define the impact of this new test on the quality of VL diagnosis in Brazil

Notas sobre la fauna de flebótomos (Diptera: Psychodidae) en una región de Brasil

The family Psychodidae has a cosmopolitan distribution with members that occur in many habitats, mainly in humid environments, and is most diverse in the tropics. Subfamilies Sycoracinae and Phlebotominae have females with hematophagous habits and the latter studied more due to medical and veterinary interest, since it includes species that can transmit diseases to animals and humans. The knowledge about the sand fly fauna in a region is extremely important for adequate monitoring and control measures for leishmaniasis. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize Psychodidae fauna in relation to richness, abundance and molecular identification of Leishmania spp. in sand flies in southern Santa Catarina, Brazil. The ollections were carried out between 2015 and 2016 in three cities in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Samples were taken near feeding places for domestic animals, urban forest and peridomicile areas. The insects were identified and female sand flies were submitted to molecular analysis to detect the presence of Leishmania spp.. A total of 4,200 insects were collected, 4,193 from the Sycoracinae subfamily and 7 Phlebotominae from the Nyssomyia neivai and Pintomyia fisheri species. Of the studied municipalities, sandflies were registered in Tubarão and Imaruí and the most frequent habitat was the peridomicile areas. No samples were positive for Leishmania spp. In conclusion, the work highlights the presence of two species of sandflies, which were recorded for the first time in southern Santa Catarina.A família Psychodidae possui distribuição cosmopolita com membros que ocorrem em diversos habitats, principalmente em ambientes úmidos, sendo mais diversa nos trópicos. As subfamílias Sycoracinae e Phlebotominae apresentam fêmeas com hábitos hematófagos, sendo esta última estudada mais por interesse médico e veterinário, pois inclui espécies que podem transmitir doenças para animais e humanos. O conhecimento da fauna de flebotomíneos em uma região é de extrema importância para o adequado monitoramento e controle da leishmaniose. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar a fauna de Psychodidae em relação à riqueza, abundância e identificação molecular de Leishmania spp. em flebotomíneos no sul de Santa Catarina, Brasil. As coletas foram feitas entre 2015 a 2016 em três cidades catarinenses. As amostras foram coletadas próximo a locais de alimentação de animais domésticos, floresta urbana e áreas de peridomicílio. Os insetos foram identificados e flebotomíneos fêmeas foram submetidos a análises moleculares para detecção de Leishmania spp. Foram coletados 4.200 insetos, sendo 4.193 espécimes da subfamília Sycoracinae e 7 Phlebotominae das espécies Nyssomyia neivai e Pintomyia fisheri. Dos municípios estudados, os flebotomíneos foram registrados em Tubarão e Imaruí e o habitat mais frequente foram as áreas de peridomicílio. Nenhuma amostra foi positiva para Leishmania spp. Em conclusão, o trabalho destaca a presença de duas espécies de flebotomíneos, que foram registradas pela primeira vez no sul de Santa Catarina.La familia Psychodidae tiene una distribución cosmopolita con miembros que se encuentran en diferentes hábitats, principalmente en ambientes húmedos, siendo más diversos en los trópicos. Las subfamilias Sycoracinae y Phlebotominae tienen hembras con hábitos hematófagos, siendo esta última más estudiada por interés médico y veterinario, ya que incluye especies que pueden transmitir enfermedades a animales y humanos. El conocimiento de la fauna de flebótomos en una región es extremadamente importante para el seguimiento y control adecuados de la leishmaniasis. Así, el objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar la fauna de Psychodidae en relación a la riqueza, abundancia e identificación molecular de Leishmania spp. en flebótomos en el sur de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Las recolecciones se realizaron entre 2015 y 2016 en tres ciudades de Santa Catarina. Las muestras se recolectaron cerca de sitios de alimentación de animales domésticos, bosques urbanos y áreas de peridomicilo. Se identificaron insectos y se sometieron a análisis moleculares hembras de flebótomos para detectar Leishmania spp. Se recolectaron un total de 4.200 insectos, 4.193 de la subfamilia Sycoracinae y 7 Phlebotominae de las especies Nyssomyia neivai y Pintomyia fisheri. De los municipios estudiados, se registraron flebótomos en Tubarão e Imaruí y el hábitat más frecuente fue el peridomicilio. Ninguna muestra fue positiva para Leishmania spp. En conclusión, el trabajo destaca la presencia de dos especies de flebótomos, que se registraron por primera vez en el sur de Santa Catarina

Aves de paisagem rural na região Centro-oeste do estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

In the Cerrado biome the areas are predominantly private. Most legally protected environments are in rural landscapes, thus implying changes in the use of these environments and conservation of biological groups, such as avifauna. In this paper we investigate bird assemblages from a rural landscape, based on samplings in private properties located in the Cerrado, Midwest region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We report a total of 143 bird species, about 65% of them being classified as less frequent or infrequent. The most representative trophic guilds were Insectivorous and Omnivorous. One species (Aratinga auricapillus) is classified in the category near threatened. Three species are endemic to the Cerrado, such as Antilophia galeata, which is restricted to Riparian Forests. Two species, namely Baryphthengus ruficapillus and Hemithraupis ruficapilla, are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. We observed that the most sensitive species recorded during the study use the environments present in the protection area. Private areas legally protected in altered environments become unique refuges for species dependent on natural areas. However, these environments suffer strong anthropogenic pressure. Our results underscore the importance of legally protected areas in private properties for the maintenance of several bird species.Keywords: private protected areas, permanent preservation area, legal reserve, community structure, ornithological inventory, hotspot.No bioma Cerrado, as áreas são predominantemente privadas. Grande parte dos ambientes legalmente protegidos está em paisagens rurais, fato que implica em mudanças do uso desses ambientes e na conservação de grupos biológicos, como a avifauna. Neste artigo, avaliamos a assembleia de aves de uma paisagem rural com base em amostragens realizadas em propriedades privadas situadas no Cerrado, Centro-oeste de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Um total de 143 espécies de aves foram registradas, sendo cerca de 65% dessas classificadas como pouco frequente ou infrequente. Uma espécie (Aratinga auricapillus) encontra-se classificada na categoria de quase ameaçada. Três espécies são endêmicas do Cerrado, entre as quais destaca-se Antilophia galeata, ave restrita a matas ciliares. Duas espécies, Baryphthengus ruficapillus e Hemithraupis ruficapilla, são endêmicas da Mata Atlântica. Observamos que as espécies mais sensíveis registradas durante o estudo utilizam fragmentos presentes nas áreas protegidas. Áreas privadas legalmente protegidas em ambientes alterados tornam-se refúgios únicos para espécies dependentes de áreas naturais. No entanto, esses ambientes sofrem forte pressão antrópica. Os resultados aqui apresentados destacam a importância das áreas legalmente protegidas em propriedades privadas para a manutenção de várias espécies de aves.Palavras-chave: áreas privadas protegidas, área de preservação permanente, reserva legal, estrutura da comunidade, levantamento ornitológico, hotspot

Transtorno de ansiedade generalizada: revisão de literatura

Transtornos de ansiedade são os transtornos psiquiátricos mais comuns na sociedade e apresentam grandes demandas no serviço público e privado no mundo. De acordo com a OMS, o Brasil possui a população com maior taxa de transtornos de ansiedade no mundo, totalizando aproximadamente 9,3% da população com o quadro, seguido do Paraguai (7,6%) e Noruega (7,4%). Para a elaboração do trabalho foi utilizado a metodologia revisão bibliográfica integrativa. A ansiedade é considerada uma emoção humana natural, mas que de maneira excessiva torna-se patológica e gera diversos prejuízos ao indivíduo e à sociedade. A revisão apresenta como objetivo analisar epidemiologia e fatores de risco, etiologia, diagnóstico, tratamento e prognóstico. Conclui-se através desse estudo que o diagnóstico realizado de maneira eficaz com base nos critérios recomendados pelo Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) é fundamental para uma boa condução do tratamento psicoterápico e farmacológico do quadro. Para realizar o diagnóstico e o tratamento, o médico deve levar os critérios técnicos comprovados na literatura médica e o desejo do paciente

Evaluation of three recombinant proteins for the development of ELISA and immunochromatographic tests for visceral leishmaniasis serodiagnosis.

BACKGROUND Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease that is a significant cause of death among infants aged under 1 year and the elderly in Brazil. Serodiagnosis is a mainstay of VL elimination programs; however, it has significant limitations due to low accuracy. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate three recombinant Leishmania infantum proteins (rFc, rC9, and rA2) selected from previous proteomics and genomics analyses to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunochromatographic tests (ICT) for the serodiagnosis of human VL (HVL) and canine VL (CVL). METHODS A total of 186 human (70 L. infantum-infected symptomatic, 20 other disease-infected, and 96 healthy) and 185 canine (82 L. infantum-infected symptomatic, 27 L. infantum-infected asymptomatic, and 76 healthy) sera samples were used for antibody detection. FINDINGS Of the three proteins, rA2 (91.5% sensitivity and 87% specificity) and rC9 (95.7% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity) displayed the best performance in ELISA-HVL and ELISA-CVL, respectively. ICT-rA2 also displayed the best performance for HVL diagnosis (92.3% sensitivity and 88.0% specificity) and had high concordance with immunofluorescence antibody tests (IFAT), ELISA-rK39, IT-LEISH?, and ELISAEXT. ICT-rFc, ICT-rC9, and ICT-rA2 had sensitivities of 88.6%, 86.5%, and 87.0%, respectively, with specificity values of 84.0%, 92.0%, and 100%, respectively for CVL diagnosis. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The three antigens selected by us are promising candidates for VL diagnosis regardless of the test format, although the antigen combinations and test parameters may warrant further optimisation

Endossimbiontes de Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) de cães vadios de Belo Horizonte, MG - Brasil

Exportado OPUSMade available in DSpace on 2019-08-09T23:53:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertac_daniel.pdf: 1793100 bytes, checksum: 77790cf3329d19458fd61f6909dbcd68 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2Com a finalidade de se estudar as interações entre C. felis felis e seus endossimbiontes (protozoários e helmintos), 1500 pulgas (1052 fêmeas e 448 machos), provenientes de 150 cães capturados pelo Centro de Controle de Zoonoses de Belo Horizonte MG foram dissecadas entre dezembro de 2004 e novembro de 2005. Três espécies de protozoários, pertencentes à diferentes famílias, Nolleria pulicis (Chitridiopsidae), gregarinas (Actinocephalidae) e Leptomonas sp. (Trypanosomatidae) e uma de cestódeo, Dipylidium caninum (Dilepididae) foram encontradas como endossimbiontes destas pulgas. Cerca de 18% das pulgas apresentaram, pelo menos, uma espécie de simbionte, com as gregarinas evidenciando-se como as mais prevalentes. Foram verificadas infecções simples, duplas e triplas. Os tripanosomatídeos isolados de C. felis felis são polimórficos no meio de cultivo e com relação ao padrão de seu desenvolvimento apresentaram dois picos e ausência de fase estacionária. Entre os endossimbiontes, em relação ao sexo, as infecções por gregarinas ocorreram preferencialmente em pulgas fêmeas. Foi verificada uma tendência sazonal de infecção para N. pulicis e Leptomonas sp., sendo que as infecções por estes endossimbiontes ocorreram preferencialmente durante a estação chuvosa-quente. A abundância e a intensidade média de infecção por gregarinas são, pela primeira vez, noticiadas para pulgas. Os achados de N. pulicis, gregarinas actinocefalídeas e Leptomonas sp. em C. felis felis, bem como as suas respectivas prevalências e distribuição por sexo das pulgas e sazonalidade são, pela primeira vez, noticiadas para o Brasil, a América do Sul, a região Neotropical

Development and Clinical Evaluation of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay for the Diagnosis of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in Brazil

Submitted by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2020-02-07T17:09:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Development_and_Clinical_Evaluation_of_Loop-Mediat.pdf: 2250805 bytes, checksum: ce0d44382fff6ea78478cd40f2f41843 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2020-02-07T17:11:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Development_and_Clinical_Evaluation_of_Loop-Mediat.pdf: 2250805 bytes, checksum: ce0d44382fff6ea78478cd40f2f41843 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2020-02-07T17:11:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Development_and_Clinical_Evaluation_of_Loop-Mediat.pdf: 2250805 bytes, checksum: ce0d44382fff6ea78478cd40f2f41843 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is considered a major public health concern in Brazil and several regions of the world. A recent advance in the diagnosis of infectious diseases was the development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a new LAMP assay for detection of K26 antigen-coding gene of L. donovani complex. A total of 219 blood samples of immunocompetent patients, including 114 VL cases and 105 non-VL cases, were analyzed for the diagnosis of VL in the present study. Diagnostic accuracy was calculated against a combination of parasitological and/or serological tests as a reference standard. The results were compared to those of kDNA Leishmania-PCR. The detection limit for the K26-Lamp assay was 1fg L. infantum purified DNA and 100 parasites/mL within 60 min of amplification time with visual detection for turbidity. The assay was specific for L. donovani complex. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 98.2%, 98.1%, and 98.2%, respectively, for K26-LAMP and 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, for kDNA Leishmania-PCR. Excellent agreement was observed between K26-LAMP and kDNA Leishmania-PCR assays (K = 0.96). A highly sensitive and specific LAMP assay targeting K26 antigen-coding gene of L. donovani complex was developed for diagnosis in peripheral blood samples of VL patients

Notes on the genus Tunga (Siphonaptera: Tungidae) II – neosomes, morphology, classification, and other taxonomic notes

This review focuses on the neosomes, morphology, and taxonomy of adult species of the genus Tunga, complementing the previously published data on the phylogeny, ecology, and pathogenic role. Neosomes are structures formed after penetration of adult females into the skin of hosts resulting in significant enlargement, being the most characteristic and most frequently observed form in hosts. Neosomes can be differentiated by shape, measurements, and sites of attachment to principal hosts. The taxonomic value and morphometric data of the most widely used characteristics to separate species – such as frontal curvature, head chaetotaxy, preoral internal sclerotization, ventral and dorsal genal lobes, eyes, maxillary palps, fusion of pronotum and mesonotum, metacoxae, metatarsi chaetotaxy, spermatheca (females), manubrium, basimere, telomere, and phallosome (males) – are comparatively analyzed. The sexes, individual variations, undescribed species, higher taxa, as well as a proposal for division of the genus into two subgenera (Tunga and Brevidigita) are presented (as previously given by Wang). A key for females, males, and gravid females (neosomes) also is included for identifying the 13 known species. Data on host specificity and geographical distribution may also support the identification of Tunga species because some sand fleas and their hosts may have co-evolved

Notes on the genus

This review focuses on the neosomes, morphology, and taxonomy of adult species of the genus Tunga, complementing the previously published data on the phylogeny, ecology, and pathogenic role. Neosomes are structures formed after penetration of adult females into the skin of hosts resulting in significant enlargement, being the most characteristic and most frequently observed form in hosts. Neosomes can be differentiated by shape, measurements, and sites of attachment to principal hosts. The taxonomic value and morphometric data of the most widely used characteristics to separate species – such as frontal curvature, head chaetotaxy, preoral internal sclerotization, ventral and dorsal genal lobes, eyes, maxillary palps, fusion of pronotum and mesonotum, metacoxae, metatarsi chaetotaxy, spermatheca (females), manubrium, basimere, telomere, and phallosome (males) – are comparatively analyzed. The sexes, individual variations, undescribed species, higher taxa, as well as a proposal for division of the genus into two subgenera (Tunga and Brevidigita) are presented (as previously given by Wang). A key for females, males, and gravid females (neosomes) also is included for identifying the 13 known species. Data on host specificity and geographical distribution may also support the identification of Tunga species because some sand fleas and their hosts may have co-evolved