Blatocystis hominis e outros parasitas intestinais em comunidade da cidade de Pitanga, Paraná, Brasil

O presente trabalho foi realizado no período de agosto a outubro de 2004 com o objetivo de se estimar a prevalência de Blastocystis hominis, avaliar a eficácia de diferentes técnicas para o seu diagnóstico assim como estimar a prevalência de outros parasitas intestinais na comunidade de Campo Verde, município de Pitanga. Amostras de fezes de crianças e adultos foram coletadas e submetidas às técnicas de exame direto, de flutuação em solução de sulfato de zinco, de sedimentação em tubo, de sedimentação em formol-éter e de coloração pelos métodos de Kinyoun e de hematoxilina férrica. Protozoários e/ou helmintos intestinais foram detectados em 128 (70,7%) das 181 amostras de fezes analisadas. As espécies mais prevalentes foram Endolimax nana (33,7%); B. hominis (26,5%); Giardia lamblia (18,2%); Entamoeba coli (17,1%); Ascaris lumbricoides (16,6%); Iodamoeba bütschlii (9,4%) e ancilostomídeos (7,7%). B. hominis foi identificado apenas pelas técnicas de exame direto, de sedimentação em formol-éter e de coloração pela hematoxilina férrica, sendo que esta última se mostrou menos sensível que às demais. A alta freqüência de B. hominis evidenciada por este estudo indica a necessidade de se incluir na rotina do laboratório técnicas que permitam a identificação deste parasita.The objective was to estimate the prevalence of Blastocystis hominis, to evaluate the effectiveness of different techniques for its diagnosis as well as to estimate the prevalence of other intestinal parasites in the community of Campo Verde, a district of Pitanga. The work was carried out from August to October 2004. Samples of feces from children and adults were collected and submitted to the techniques of direct wet mount, flotation in zinc sulphate solution, tube sedimentation, sedimentation in formalin-ether and staining by Kinyoun and iron hematoxylin methods. From 181 studied individuals, 128 (70.7%) showed protozoa and/or helminths in stool samples. The most prevalent species were Endolimax nana (33.7%); B. hominis (26.5%); Giardia lamblia (18.2%); Entamoeba coli (17.1%); Ascaris lumbricoides (16.6%); Iodamoeba bütschlii (9.4%); and ancylostomatidae (7.7%). B. hominis was only identified by the techniques of direct wet mount, sedimentation in formalin-ether and staining by iron hematoxylin, though the latter was less sensitive than the other methods. The high frequency of B. hominis demonstrated by this study indicates the need to include laboratory techniques that enable identification of the parasite on a routine basis

Operation of a slow rate anaerobic digester treating municipal secondary sludge

This study was designed to evaluate the performance of a slow rate anaerobic digester in treating secondary sewage sludge received from one local municipal wastewater treatment plant. The digester was fed by secondary sewage sludge without any previous thickening. A series of three independent batch experiments was investigated at an operation time of 60 days. The total solids (TS) in the influent sludge contained a percentage of organic matter of 59, 63 and 54%, a concentration of volatile suspended solids (VSS) of 23.7, 29.2 and 27.8 g L-1 and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 51.8, 32.9 and 65.7 g L-1 for the three experiments, respectively. The operation of anaerobic digestion was stable, with no noticeable scum or foaming problems. The COD reduction in each experiment reached 29, 21 and 45% in the sludge and 95, 85 and 82% in the supernatant. The microbial indicators were surveyed by sampling the sludge throughout the digester operation and counting the number of bacteria in the sampled sludge. Counted bacteria included the total culturable, the total and fecal coliform groups, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fecal streptococci. The percentage removal of the indicator bacteria was higher for fecal streptococci (99.9%) than for coliform bacteria (96.3%), which in turn was higher than for P. aeruginosa (95.6%). Parasitological analysis was also performed on multiple sludge samples by determination of protozoa and helminth eggs. Protozoa ( Eimeria and Entamoeba ), helminth eggs ( Ascaris , Trichuris , Toxocara , Hymenolepis ) and mites were detected in the influent sludge, and particularly among the helminth eggs, only Trichuris was detected in the effluent sludge

Prevalência de neurocisticercose em pacientes atendidos no setor de neurologia do Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, Estado do Paraná, Brasil = Neurocysticercosis prevalence in patients assisted at the neurology sector of the Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil

Com o objetivo de estimar a prevalência de neurocisticercose, livros de registro de pacientes internados e ambulatoriais atendidos no setor de neurologia do Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, Estado do Paraná, no período de janeiro de 2000 a junho de 2003, foram analisados. Dos 1.713 atendimentos realizados, observaram-se 13(0,8%) pacientes com diagnóstico de neurocisticercose. Em quatro pacientes o diagnóstico foi estabelecido no período de estudo; nos demais, entre os anos de 1993 e 1999. Com relação ao sexo, a prevalência de neurocisticercose foi de 0,8% no sexo masculino e 0,7% no sexo feminino. Quanto à idade, a prevalência foi maior na faixa etária de 11 a 30 anos (1,3%) e acima dos 50 anos (1,2%). Dos municípios que tiveram casos de neurocisticercose, os de Ângulo, Marialva, Floresta e Mandaguaçu apresentaram as maiores prevalências.Manifestações epilépticas e cefaléia foram as principais queixas dos pacientes diagnosticados. A observação de um caso com a forma ativa e um com a forma transicional, entre os quatro diagnosticados no período analisado, indica que a infecção continua ativa em nosso meio,merecendo das autoridades sanitárias constante vigilância.<br><br>Register books of ambulatory patients and of the ones in hospital, assisted at the neurology sector of the Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, State of Paraná, from January, 2000 to June, 2003, were evaluated with the purpose of estimating the neurocysticercosis prevalence. Out of the 1,713 individuals attended, 13 (0.8%) patients were given the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. In four patients, such a diagnosis was established during the study period, and the others were evaluated from 1993 to 1999. Concerning sex, the prevalence of neurocysticercosis was of 0.8% in males and 0.7% in females. As for age, the prevalence was greater in 11-30-year-old patients (1.3%) and in individuals who were above 50 years old (1.2%). With respect to the municipal districts that presented cases of neurocysticercosis, Ângulo, Marialva, Floresta and Mandaguaçu showed the greatest prevalence. Epileptic crises and headaches were the main complaint of the diagnosed patients. The observation of one active case and of a transitional one, among the four cases diagnosed in the study period, indicates that the infection is still active in our environment and that it deserves a constant vigilance from the sanitary authorities

<b>Prevalência de neurocisticercose em pacientes atendidos no setor de neurologia do Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, Estado do Paraná, Brasil</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v29i1.111 <b>Neurocysticercosis prevalence in patients assisted at the neurology sector of the Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil</b>- DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v29i1.111

Com o objetivo de estimar a prevalência de neurocisticercose, livros de registro de pacientes internados e ambulatoriais atendidos no setor de neurologia do Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, Estado do Paraná, no período de janeiro de 2000 a junho de 2003, foram analisados. Dos 1.713 atendimentos realizados, observaram-se 13 (0,8%) pacientes com diagnóstico de neurocisticercose. Em quatro pacientes o diagnóstico foi estabelecido no período de estudo; nos demais, entre os anos de 1993 e 1999. Com relação ao sexo, a prevalência de neurocisticercose foi de 0,8% no sexo masculino e 0,7% no sexo feminino. Quanto à idade, a prevalência foi maior na faixa etária de 11 a 30 anos (1,3%) e acima dos 50 anos (1,2%). Dos municípios que tiveram casos de neurocisticercose, os de Ângulo, Marialva, Floresta e Mandaguaçu apresentaram as maiores prevalências. Manifestações epilépticas e cefaléia foram as principais queixas dos pacientes diagnosticados. A observação de um caso com a forma ativa e um com a forma transicional, entre os quatro diagnosticados no período analisado, indica que a infecção continua ativa em nosso meio, merecendo das autoridades sanitárias constante vigilância.<br>Register books of ambulatory patients and of the ones in hospital, assisted at the neurology sector of the Hospital Universitário Regional de Maringá, State of Paraná, from January, 2000 to June, 2003, were evaluated with the purpose of estimating the neurocysticercosis prevalence. Out of the 1,713 individuals attended, 13 (0.8%) patients were given the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. In four patients, such a diagnosis was established during the study period, and the others were evaluated from 1993 to 1999. Concerning sex, the prevalence of neurocysticercosis was of 0.8% in males and 0.7% in females. As for age, the prevalence was greater in 11-30-year-old patients (1.3%) and in individuals who were above 50 years old (1.2%). With respect to the municipal districts that presented cases of neurocysticercosis, Ângulo, Marialva, Floresta and Mandaguaçu showed the greatest prevalence. Epileptic crises and headaches were the main complaint of the diagnosed patients. The observation of one active case and of a transitional one, among the four cases diagnosed in the study period, indicates that the infection is still active in our environment and that it deserves a constant vigilance from the sanitary authorities

Sedimentation in parasitological coproscopy

A sedimentation technique is described, in which a fecal suspension is placed on top of an aqueous sucrose solution of specific gravity 1.015 g/cm³. Using 100 by 15 mm test tubes, duplicate gravity sedimentation experiments were made using homogenized fecal suspensions (single-columns) and fecal suspensions placed on top of clear columns (double-columns). Egg- and cyst-counts, and turbidity determinations were made in the sediments obtained after definite time intervals. Most Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Ancylostomidae eggs sedimented within 20 minutes in single - and between 30 and 60 minutes in double-columns. Giardia duodenalis cysts required longer periods to sediment in double - than in single-columns; after 180 minutes (the maximum period of observation), double-column sediments produced 60.0% of the counts of single-columns. Double-column sediments were consistently less turbid than single-column onesDescreve-se uma técnica de sedimentação, na qual a suspensão fecal é colocada no topo de uma solução de sacarose de massa específica igual a 1,015 g/cm³. Em tubos de ensaio de 100 x 15 mm, experimentos em duplicata de sedimentação por gravidade foram realizados usando-se suspensões fecais homogeneizadas (colunas simples) e suspensões fecais sobrepostas às soluções de sacarose (colunas duplas). Contagens de cistos e de ovos e determinações turbidimétricas foram feitas nos sedimentos obtidos após definidos intervalos de tempo. A maioria dos ovos de Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura e Ancylostomidae sedimentaram dentro de 20 minutos em coluna simples e entre 30 e 60 minutos em coluna dupla. Cistos de Giardia duodenalis demandaram períodos muito mais longos para sedimentar em coluna dupla do que em coluna simples; após 180 minutos (período máximo de observação), sedimentos de coluna dupla produziram 60,0% da contagem da coluna simples. Sedimentos de coluna dupla mostraram constantemente menor grau de turbidez do que os da coluna simple