The potential for immunoglobulins and host defense peptides (HDPs) to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal production

Abstract Innate defense mechanisms are aimed at quickly containing and removing infectious microorganisms and involve local stromal and immune cell activation, neutrophil recruitment and activation and the induction of host defense peptides (defensins and cathelicidins), acute phase proteins and complement activation. As an alternative to antibiotics, innate immune mechanisms are highly relevant as they offer rapid general ways to, at least partially, protect against infections and enable the build-up of a sufficient adaptive immune response. This review describes two classes of promising alternatives to antibiotics based on components of the innate host defense. First we describe immunoglobulins applied to mimic the way in which they work in the newborn as locally acting broadly active defense molecules enforcing innate immunity barriers. Secondly, the potential of host defense peptides with different modes of action, used directly, induced in situ or used as vaccine adjuvants is described

Tuberculose e leite: elementos para a história de uma polêmica Tuberculosis and milk: elements of a polemic

Pode o ser humano contrair tuberculose pela ingestão do leite de vacas tuberculosas? São efetivos o diagnóstico e o controle da tuberculose bovina para a proteção da população humana? Questões como estas estiveram em pauta no pensamento médico paulistano no início do século XX. O presente estudo procurou reconstituir elementos da polêmica travada em São Paulo, com o intuito de incentivar a divulgação de dados suplementares sobre a matéria. Aqui são apresentadas indicações sintéticas das posições em confronto: de um lado, as preocupações em intensificar as ações de controle do gado tuberculoso; de outro, o cuidado de não prejudicar os criadores nacionais com a demanda de precauções adicionais, as quais se temia serem lesivas à comercialização do produto. O acompanhamento das intervenções sobre o tema na imprensa médica permitiu identificar a preponderância da primeira posição, com conseqüências para o controle sanitário de alimentos.<br>Can human beings get tuberculosis from the milk taken from cows infected with tuberculosis? Are the diagnosis and control of cattle tuberculosis effective for the protection of human populations? Questions such as these were the main concern of doctors from São Paulo at the beginning of the twentieth century. The present study tried to recover elements from the polemic that took place in São Paulo, in order to encourage the coming up of complementary facts about such matter. The article presents some indicators of confronting positions: on one hand, the goal of intensifying the control of tuberculosis among the cattle; on the other hand, the attempt not to bring up any loss to national cattle raisers through the demand of additional precaution measures, which would affect the production and distribution of their products. Medical publications kept records of the interventions, which have allowed the author to identify the first position as the stronger one, which has brought up relevant consequences for the sanitary food control