O osteocrânio de Proceratophrys boiei (Wied-Neuwied), P. appendiculata (Günther), P. melanopogon (Miranda-Ribeiro) e P. laticeps Izecksohn & Peixoto (Anura, Leptodactylidae) The osteocranium of Proceratophrys boiei (Wied-Neuwied), P. appendiculata (Günther), P. melanopogon (Miranda-Ribeiro), and P. laticeps Izecksohn & Peixoto, (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Foram comparados alguns ossos do crânio de quatro espécies de Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 que compartilham longos apêndices palpebrais, como sejam: P. boiei (Wied-Neuwied, 1825), P. appendiculata (Günther, 1873), P. melanopogon (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926) e P. laticeps Izecksohn & Peixoto, 1981. Com base na forma dos frontoparietais, (com cristas laterais elevadas), na posição dos cantos dos quadratojugais em relação ao plano vertical dos côndilos occipitais, na ornamentação das superfícies cranianas (com tubérculos e grânulos), e na presença de fossetas maxilares posteriores ventrais, P. boiei, P. appendiculata e P. melanopogon foram consideradas em um mesmo grupo. P. laticeps, entretanto, por apresentar arcadas temporais completas (semelhante a Ceratophrys Wied-Neuwied, 1824), cantos dos quadratojugais posteriores ao plano vertical dos côndilos occipitais, superfícies cranianas rugosas e ausência de fossetas maxilares posteriores ventrais, é considerada pertencente a um grupo separado.<br>Skull bones of four Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 species sharing long dermal appendages on eyelids - P. boiei (Wied-Neuwied, 1825), P. appendiculata (Günther, 1873), P. melanopogon (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926), and P. laticeps Izecksohn & Peixoto, 1981 - are herein studied. Proceratophrys boiei, P. appendiculata and P. melanopogon share higher lateral crests on the frontoparietals, quadratojugal corners similarly positioned in relation to the vertical level of the occipital condiles, cranial bones with granules and tubercles, and maxillaries with ventro-posterior pits, hence being considered members of a single group; P. laticeps, given the presence of temporal arcades (similar to Ceratophrys Wied-Neuwied, 1824), quadratojugal corners posterior to the vertical level of occipital condiles, wrinkled skull bones, and maxilaries without ventro-posterior pits, is nonetheless considered as a member of a distinct group

Evaluation of Methodology for Serotyping Invasive and Nasopharyngeal Isolates of Haemophilus influenzae in the Ongoing Surveillance in Brazil

To assess the magnitude of discrepant results obtained by routine Haemophilus influenzae serotyping, 258 isolates, collected by the epidemiological surveillance system in Brazil from individuals with invasive diseases or carriage, were evaluated by two slide agglutination (SlAg) methods: SlAg method 1, by which strains were initially screened with a serotype b-specific antiserum, and SlAg method 2, by which strains were tested against all serotype-specific antisera in parallel. Investigators comparing results of the two SlAg methods with those obtained by capsule type-specific PCR were blinded to the method used. The serotype prevalence rates found by the three methods were significantly different, involving discrepancies mainly between serotype b and noncapsulated (NC) isolates. For invasive isolates (n = 131), the overall agreement rate between SlAg method 1 or 2 and PCR was 68.0 or 88.3%, respectively, whereas for colonizing isolates (n = 127) the corresponding rate was 46.5 or 94.2%, respectively. SlAg method 2 improved the ascertainment of serotypes over that obtained with SlAg method 1, demonstrating good correlation with PCR. Use of the polyvalent antiserum as a screening reagent for SlAg for invasive and colonizing isolates showed poor discriminatory power, with a sensitivity of 65.8% and a specificity of 91.7%. We stress the importance of using a well-standardized SlAg methodology and suggest that reference laboratories should utilize PCR routinely to confirm SlAg results and to check all nonspecific SlAg reactions and apparent NC isolates by SlAg in order to provide reliable data on the prevalence of H. influenzae serotypes in the H. influenzae type b vaccine era

Catalase-negative, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a cause of septicemia

A catalase-negative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from blood, venous catheter spike and bone marrow collected from an HIV-positive man with lobar pneumonia and sepsis after ten days of hospitalization. The isolate was resistant to oxacillin (positive for penicillin-binding protein 2'), ceftriaxone, clindamycin and clarithromycin, and susceptible to vancomycin. This is the first case of septicemia due to a catalase-negative S. aureus reported in Brazil, and, to our knowledge, it is the first case of catalase-negative MRSA reported in the literature. We believe that the patient acquired the S. aureus infection within the hospital environment since it was isolated ten days after hospitalization, it was isolated in a venous catheter spike, and the antibiotic resistance profile is similar to other S. aureus isolates recovered from infections in our hospital.<br>Em um paciente HIV-positivo, com pneumonia lobar e septicemia, foi isolada, após dez dias de internação, uma cepa de Staphylococcus aureus catalase-negativa, resistente a meticilina/oxacilina (MRSA), de culturas de sangue, cateter venoso central e medula óssea. A cepa era resistente a oxacilina (PBP 2' positivo), ceftriaxona, clindamicina e claritromicina, e sensível a vancomicina. Este é o primeiro caso, reportado no Brasil, de uma septicemia por S. aureus catalase-negativo e, em nosso conhecimento, o primeiro caso de um S. aureus catalase-negativo resistente a meticilina. Nós acreditamos que o paciente tenha adquirido a infecção no ambiente hospitalar, uma vez que esta cepa foi isolada aos dez dias de internação, foi isolada em cateter venoso central e o perfil de sensibilidade aos antimicrobianos é semelhante ao dos S. aureus de infecções nosocomiais que ocorrem em nosso hospital

Descrição da larva de Scinax similis (Cochran) com notas comparativas sobre o grupo "ruber" no sudeste do Brasil (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae) Description of the larva of Scinax similis (Cochran) with comparative notes on the Scinax ruber group in Southeastern Brazil (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

<abstract language="eng">The larva of Scinax similis (Cochran, 1952) is described from Ilha do Fundão (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil). Comparisons with other species of the group that occur in Southeastern Brazil are added. The larva of S. similis can be distinguished by the following diagnostic features: (1) eyes large in relation to body length (17,3%), body height (26,8%), and body width (29,7%), interocular distance three times larger than eye diameter; (2) lower beak with two transverse stripes, proximal half white and distal half black