Identificação molecular de Bartonella henselae em paciente com SIDA soronegativo para doença da arranhadura do gato no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Bartonella henselae is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including cat scratch disease, endocarditis and meningoencephalitis, in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We report the first molecularly confirmed case of B. henselae infection in an AIDS patient in state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although DNA sequence of B. henselae has been detected by polymerase chain reaction in a lymph node biopsy, acute and convalescent sera were nonreactive.Bartonella henselae está associada a um amplo espectro de manifestações clínicas, incluindo a doença da arranhadura de gato, endocardite, e meningoencefalite, em pacientes imunocompetentes e imunocomprometidos. Relatamos o primeiro caso confirmado por método molecular de B. henselae em um paciente com SIDA no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Apesar da sequência de DNA de B. henselae ser detectada pela reação em cadeia da polimerase em uma biópsia do linfonodo, soros das fases aguda e convalescente foram não reativos

Eschar-associated Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, Bahia, Brazil

In Brazil, Brazilian spotted fever was once considered the only tick-borne rickettsial disease. We report eschar-associated rickettsial disease that occurred after a tick bite. The etiologic agent is most related to Rickettsia parkeri, R. africae, and R. sibirica and probably widely distributed from São Paulo to Bahia in the Atlantic Forest

Cross-sectional Survey of Hantavirus Infection, Brazil

A cross-sectional serosurvey was conducted to assess the proportion of persons exposed to hantaviruses in a virus-endemic area of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Findings of this study suggested the presence of >1 hantaviruses circulating in this region causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, mild disease, or asymptomatic infection

Epidemiological aspects of the Brazilian spotted fever: serological survey of dogs and horses in an endemic area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were positive. The highest titers of antibodies by IFA (IgG >; 1:1024) were found only in three dogs and six horses from endemic area. The results suggest that dogs as horses may serve as environmental sentinels for estabilishing the prevalence of foci of spotted fever in Brazil.Com o objetivo de obter informações sobre a febre maculosa brasileira, um estudo em animais domésticos foi conduzido no município de Pedreira, São Paulo, Brasil, onde 17 casos humanos foram notificados. Amostras de soro obtidas de animais foram testadas pelo teste de imunofluorescência indireta para detecção de anticorpos para rickettsia do grupo da febre maculosa. Soro reatividade foi observada em 12 (36,4%) dos 33 cães e sete (77,8%) dos nove eqüinos procedentes da área endêmica. Para comparação, amostras de sangue de cães e de eqüinos procedentes de área não endêmica foram testadas e quatro (12,9%) dos 31 cães e três dos 10 eqüinos foram positivos. Somente três cães e seis eqüinos procedentes da área endêmica tinham títulos de anticorpos imunofluorescentes elevados (>; 1:1024). Os resultados obtidos sugerem que além dos cães, os eqüinos poderiam servir também como animal sentinela na febre maculosa brasileir

First identification of natural infection of Rickettsia rickettsii in the Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick, in the State of Rio de Janeiro

The Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is a zoonotic disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted by ticks of the genus Amblyomma, more frequently, Amblyomma cajennense. The aim of this paper was to report the first molecular detection of R. rickettsii on R. sanguineus naturally infected in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ticks were collected from dogs in a rural region of Resende municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (22º30'9.46"S, 44º42'44.29"WO), where occurred five human cases of BSF in 2006. The ticks were identified under a stereoscopic microscope and separated in pools by stages, species and sex. DNA extraction was carried out using QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN®). The DNA was submitted to PCR amplification using 04 set of primers: Rr190.70p/Rr190.602n (OmpA, 532bp), BG1-21/BG2-20 (OmpB, 650bp), Tz15/Tz16 (17 kDa protein-encoding gene, 246bp) and RpCS.877p/RpCS.1258n (gltA, 381bp). PCR products were separated by electrophoresis on 1% agarose gels and visualized under ultraviolet light with ethidium bromide. PCR products of the expected sizes were purified by QIAquick® and sequenced by ABI PRISM®. The generated nucleotide sequences were edited with using Bioedit® software and compared with the corresponding homologous sequences available through GenBank, using Discontiguous Mega Blast (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). It was confirmed R. rickettsii by sequencing of the material (GenBank FJ356230). The molecular characterization of R. rickettsii in the tick R. sanguineus emphasizes the role of dogs as carriers of ticks from the environment to home. Moreover, this result suggests that there is a considerable chance for active participation of R. sanguineus as one of tick species in the transmission of R. ricketsii to human being in the Brazilian territory

MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF Bartonella henselae IN A SERONEGATIVE CAT SCRATCH DISEASE PATIENT WITH AIDS IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Bartonella henselae is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including cat scratch disease, endocarditis and meningoencephalitis, in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We report the first molecularly confirmed case of B. henselae infection in an AIDS patient in state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although DNA sequence of B. henselae has been detected by polymerase chain reaction in a lymph node biopsy, acute and convalescent sera were nonreactive