Comparison of the Antibodies in Lymphocyte Supernatant and Antibody-Secreting Cell Assays for Measuring Intestinal Mucosal Immune Response to a Novel Oral Typhoid Vaccine (M01ZH09)

Antibody-secreting cell (ASC) and antibodies in lymphocyte supernatant (ALS) assays are used to assess intestinal mucosal responses to enteric infections and vaccines. The ALS assay, performed on cell supernatants, may represent a convenient alternative to the more established ASC assay. The two methods, measuring immunoglobulin A to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi lipopolysaccharide, were compared in volunteers vaccinated with a live-attenuated typhoid vaccine M01ZH09. The specificity of the ALS assay compared to the ASC assay was excellent (100%), as was sensitivity (82%). The ALS assay was less sensitive than the ASC assay at ≤42 spots/10(6) peripheral blood lymphocytes

Assessment of an optimized dog-culling program in the dynamics of canine Leishmania transmission.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2011-10-26T20:50:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira ED Jr Assessment of an optimized....pdf: 67414 bytes, checksum: c7ddfccb579637915478d942ed439784 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2011-10-26T20:50:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira ED Jr Assessment of an optimized....pdf: 67414 bytes, checksum: c7ddfccb579637915478d942ed439784 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2002Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversity of California at Berkeley. School of Public Health. Berkeley, USASecretaria da Saúde do Estado da Bahia. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilIn Brazil, zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) control programs based on the mass elimination of seropositive dogs have failed to reduce the number of leishmaniasis cases. However, these programs have been done under sub-optimal conditions. We studied a cohort of dogs in an urban area in Brazil to determine, whether a dog-culling program optimized with: (i) replacement of a relatively low-sensitivity indirect immune-fluorescent test on blood eluate by a more sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on serum blood samples; (ii) shortening of the time interval from serodiagnosis to removal of dogs; (iii) screening a high proportion of the dog population could reduce the incidence of canine Leishmania infection (CLI). The study ran from December 1997 to July 2000, with four follow-up assessments performed at approximately 8-month intervals. All dogs seropositive for anti-Leishmania antibodies were promptly eliminated. A large number of new dogs immigrated to the study area throughout the study period. They comprised 43.8–49.8% of the cohort at each follow-up assessment, and upto 15% of them already had Leishmania infection. Overall, 42 news cases of CLI were identified, for a crude incidence rate of 11.8 cases per 100 dog-years (95% CI 8.6–15.6). In the first, second, third and fourth follow-up assessments the incidence rates were 8.2 (95% CI 3.0–17.9), 12.2 (95% CI 6.3–21.2), 16.4 (95% CI 8.5–28.6) and 13.

Peridomestic risk factors for canine leishmaniasis in urban dwellings: new findings from a prospective study in Brazil.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2012-03-15T19:51:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira ED Jr Peridomestic risk factors....pdf: 66311 bytes, checksum: 2bff252ed3cfdf92073cf4af3bb3bb44 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2012-03-15T19:51:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira ED Jr Peridomestic risk factors....pdf: 66311 bytes, checksum: 2bff252ed3cfdf92073cf4af3bb3bb44 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil.Associação Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce. Salvador, BA, Brasil.University of California. Epidemiology and Public Health Biology. Berkeley. California, USA.Hospital São Rafael. Salvador, BA, Brasil.University of California. Epidemiology and Public Health Biology. Berkeley. California, USA.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil.Despite the wealth of information on the prevalence and correlates of canine Leishmania infection (CLI), data on its incidence are still sparse, and little is known regarding risk factors for CLI. We studied a cohort of dogs in an urban area in Brazil to determine whether incidence varied with age, breed, and environmental characteristics. The mean follow-up was 1.5 years, and the crude incidence rate was 11.8 cases/100 dog-years (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.6-15.6). In the multivariate analysis, short fur was the strongest predictor of CLI (relative risk [RR] = 9.4). In addition, our data indicate that raising pigs (RR = 4.1), chickens (RR = 3.3), or other livestock (RR = 2.6) significantly increased the risk of CLI. Thus, suggesting control measures directed towards modifying the environmental factors favoring contact between vectors, reservoirs, and susceptible humans, such as proximity to pigpens or hen houses. Furthermore, conventional control programs of insecticidal spraying of human dwellings should also apply insecticide in and around animal sheds