Utilização do teste de aglutinação directa (DAT) para estudo sero-epidemiológico da Leishmaniose canina na Região da Beira Baixa

Poster apresentado no Congresso Internacional de Análises Clínicas e Saúde Pública,promovido pela Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco e que obteve o prémio de melhor poster.A leishmaniose causada por Leishmania infantum é uma zoonose de ampla distribuição mundial. Os cães são considerados o principal reservatório para a infecção humana. Um aumento apreciável do número de casos de infecção e doença caninas tem sido registado na maioria dos países do sul da Europa. O diagnóstico da infecção por L. infantum em cães é um pré-requisito para o maneio clínico de animais infectados e doentes e, em simultâneo, uma potencial medida de vigilância e controlo da leishmaniose visceral humana. A pesquisa de anticorpos séricos anti-Leishmania é o método mais utilizado para determinar a prevalência de infecção em populações caninas. O presente trabalho teve por objectivo a avaliação da seroprevalência em cães da região da Beira Baixa (Portugal), através do teste de aglutinação directa (DAT). Foram obtidas amostras de soro de 1245 cães durante as consultas, campanhas de vacinação anti-rábica e canis das Câmaras Municipais. A análise estatística foi realizada com o teste Qui-quadrado e com recurso a regressão logística (cálculo de “odds ratios” – OR), considerando-se significativo um valor de p < 0,05. Dos 1245 canídeos analisados, 188 eram seropositivos (DAT ≥ 400), o que se traduziu numa seroprevalência geral de 15,1%. Não se registaram diferenças significativas (p > 0,05) entre as seroprevalências nos machos e fêmeas, por tipo de pelagem (curta, média ou longa). Os factores de risco para a infecção canina por Leishmania spp. foram a raça Epagneul Breton (OR = 5,303), a existência de sintomatologia (OR = 23,97) e animais com idade superior a 5 anos (OR=3,489). Este estudo revela um nível de seroprevalência (15,1%) compatível com o carácter endémico da LCan na região da Beira Baixa. Informação adicional poderá ser obtida através da investigação de flebotomíneos vectores, da caracterização das estirpes de Leishmania envolvidas na infecção e da identificação de casos em humanos, que de acordo como os dados da Direcção Geral de Saúde, nesta mesma região, entre o ano de 2000 a 2008, só foram notificados 4 casos de leishmaniose visceral

Laboratório de Parasitologia.

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The use of Escherichia coli total antigens as a complementary approach to address seropositivity to Leishmania antigens in canine leishmaniosis

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a major veterinary concern and a public health issue. Serological data are essential for disease management. Several antigens used in serological assays have specificity related problems preventing relevant seropositivity values establishment. Herein we report significant seropositivity level disparity in a study cohort with 384 dogs from eight countries, for antigens traditionally used in CanL - soluble promastigote Leishmania antigens (SPLA) and K39 recombinant protein (rK39): 43·8 and 2·9% for SPLA and rK39, respectively. To better understand the reasons for this disparity, CanL-associated serological response was characterized using, for complement serological evaluation, a ubiquitous antigen - soluble Escherichia coli antigens (SECAs). Using cohorts of CanL dogs and dogs without clinical evidences of CanL from non-endemic regions of Portugal, the serological response of CanL animals followed specific trend of seropositivity rK39 > SPLA > SECA absent in non-diseased animals. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, these characteristic trends were converted in ratios, SPLA/SECA, rK39/SECA and rK39/SPLA, that presented high predictive for discriminating the CanL cohort that was potentiated when applied in a scoring system involving positivity to four out of five predictors (rK39, SPLA, SPLA/SECA, rK39/SECA and rK39/SPLA). In fact, this approach discriminated CanL with similar sensitivity/specificity as reference antigens, diminishing seropositivity in European cohort to 1·8%. Ultimately, non-related antigens like SECA and seropositivity ratios between antigens enable different perspectives into serological data focusing on the search of characteristic serological signatures and not simple absolute serology values contributing to comprehensive serological status characterization.This work was financed by FEDER–Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020–Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project‘Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences’(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274) and from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 603181 [Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis (MuLeVaClin)]. ‘This article is a result of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)’. C.L. and N.S. were supported by BD SFRH/BD/89183/2012 and European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 602773 (Project KINDRED), respectively

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Estudo sero-epidemiológico da Leishmaniose canina na Região da Cova da Beira

Poster apresentado no IX Congresso Ibérico de Parasitologia que decorreu em Coimbra, na Universidade, de 25 a 28 de Outubro de 2005.A leishmaniose canina é uma zoonose parasitária transmitida quase exclusivamente através da picada de minúsculos insectos parasitados, do género Phlebotomus. Actualmente assume-se como um importante problema não só do ponto de vista veterinário como também de saúde pública (Martínez-Moreno, et al., 1999; Cardoso et al., 2004). Dado o facto dos canídeos serem um dos elos da cadeia epidemiológica da leishmaniose no nosso país, o objectivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a prevalência da leishmaniose canina na região da Cova da Beira, e determinar se efectivamente é uma região endémica

Sero-epidemiological study of canine leishmaniosis in the Cova da Beira Region

Sero-epidemiological study of canine leishmaniosis in the Cova da Beira Region

Estudo sero-epidemiológico da leishmaniose canina na região da Cova da Beira : resultados preliminares

Só se encontra disponível o resumo.Estudo sero-epidemiológico da leishmaniose canina na região da Cova da Beira : resultados preliminares

Estudo sero-epidemiológico da leishmaniose canina no concelho de Mação : resultados preliminares

Poster apresentado no VI Congresso da Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários que decorreu em Lisboa, de 3 a 5 de Outubro de 2009.A leishmaniose causada por Leishmania infantum é uma zoonose de ampla distribuição mundial. Os cães são considerados o principal reservatório para a infecção humana. Um aumento apreciável do número de casos de infecção e doença caninas tem sido registado na maioria dos países do sul da Europa. O diagnóstico da infecção por L. infantum em cães é um pré-requisito para o maneio clínico de animais infectados e doentes e, em simultâneo, uma potencial medida de vigilância e controlo da leishmaniose visceral humana (Martinez-Moreno et al.,1999)

Mechanical osteoarthritis of the hip in a one medicine concept: a narrative review

Abstract Human and veterinary medicine have historically presented many medical areas of potential synergy and convergence. Mechanical osteoarthritis (MOA) is characterized by a gradual complex imbalance between cartilage production, loss, and derangement. Any joint instability that results in an abnormal overload of the joint surface can trigger MOA. As MOA has a prevailing mechanical aetiology, treatment effectiveness can only be accomplished if altered joint mechanics and mechanosensitive pathways are normalized and restored. Otherwise, the inflammatory cascade of osteoarthritis will be initiated, and the changes may become irreversible. The management of the disease using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, physical therapy, diet changes, or nutraceuticals is conservative and less effective. MOA is a determinant factor for the development of hip dysplasia in both humans and dogs. Hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease with a high incidence and, therefore, of great clinical importance due to the associated discomfort and significant functional limitations. Furthermore, on account of analogous human and canine hip dysplasia disease and under the One Medicine concept, unifying veterinary and human research could improve the well-being and health of both species, increasing the acknowledgement of shared diseases. Great success has been accomplished in humans regarding preventive conservative management of hip dysplasia and following One Medicine concept, similar measures would benefit dogs. Moreover, animal models have long been used to better understand the different diseases’ mechanisms. Current research in animal models was addressed and the role of rabbit models in pathophysiologic studies and of the dog as a spontaneous animal model were highlighted, denoting the inexistence of rabbit functional models to investigate therapeutic approaches in hip MOA