RESUMEN
Serum samples from 408 sheep from different regions of Chile and 447 alpacas (Llama pacos) from the north of the country were tested for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. The indirect haemagglutination test (IHAT) was used in both species and the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) was also used on the sheep samples in order to compare the performance of the tests in that species. In both tests, titers > or = 1:16 were considered diagnostically significant. Sera from 49 sheep (12%) were positive to T. gondii antibodies by the IHAT. When using the IIFT, 114 sheep sera (28%) were positive. The different results obtained in sheep sera between the tests were significant (p < 0.0001). No differences were observed between geographical locations or sex of the sampled sheep regarding serological detection of T. gondii antibodies in sheep. As expected, adult sheep showed higher T. gondii reactivity than young sheep (p = 0.0008). The corrected prevalence of toxoplasmosis in alpaca was 16.3% (32 positive out of 447). The rather low prevalence in alpacas may be associated with their extensive management as well as the extreme climatic conditions of The Andes which apparently would not be favorable for the transmission of the parasite.
Asunto(s)
Camélidos del Nuevo Mundo , Enfermedades de las Ovejas/epidemiología , Ovinos , Toxoplasma/inmunología , Toxoplasmosis Animal/epidemiología , Animales , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios/análisis , Antígenos de Protozoos/inmunología , Chile/epidemiología , Femenino , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente Indirecta/veterinaria , Pruebas de Hemaglutinación/veterinaria , Masculino , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Enfermedades de las Ovejas/inmunología , Enfermedades de las Ovejas/parasitología , Toxoplasmosis Animal/inmunología , Toxoplasmosis Animal/parasitologíaRESUMEN
A total of 100 free-living urban pigeons (Columba livia) were captured in the city of Santiago, Chile, in order to evaluate, for the first time, their health status. Negligible antibody titres (1 to 3 log2) were detected in 22% of the birds against a strain of the paramyxovirus (PMV) serotype 1. No pigeons had antibodies against PMV serotype 7 and avian influenza. Salmonella sp. belonging to serogroups B and D were isolated from the intestinal tract of three pigeons (3%). The protozoa Haemoproteus columbae, Plasmodium sp., and Leucocytozoon sp. were not detected in any pigeons. Trichomonas gallinae was detected in 11%, without observation of either clinical signs or gross pathological changes at necropsy. Sixty-seven percent of the birds showed the presence of the chewing lice Columbicola columbae and Campanulotes bidentatus compar, and 1% harboured the mite Laminosioptes cysticola. Seven species of nematodes were identified. The frequency at which each species was detected was; Tetrameres sp. (14%), Capillaria annulata (1%), Capillaria columbae (11%), Capillaria obsignata (1%), Ascaridia columbae (5%), Dispharynx spiralis (2%), and Gongylonema ingluvicola (2%). The class Cestoda, found in one pigeon, was represented by the species Aporina delafondi. No trematodes were detected in the sampled birds.
RESUMEN
Crude and partially purified somatic (S) and excretory-secretory (ES) antigens of Fasciola hepatica were subjected to Western blot analysis in order to identify polypeptides that would enable specific and sensitive immunodiagnosis of horse and pig fasciolosis to be undertaken. Sera from 20 horses and 20 pigs with natural infections of F. hepatica and the same number of uninfected hosts of each species were tested, together with sera from 2 pigs with Cysticercus cellulosae infections. Using crude S antigens, sera from infected horses and pigs reacted specifically with a wide range of polypeptides of 14-19, 22-30, 35-37 and 42 kDa. Likewise, specific reactivity between polypeptides of 14-17, 22-30 and 40-42 kDa in crude ES antigens and sera from infected horses and pigs was obtained. Against the criteria of high sensitivity and specificity, the 22-30-kDa polypeptides would appear to be the most suitable candidate antigens for use in the immunodiagnosis of fasciolosis in horses and pigs.
Asunto(s)
Western Blotting/métodos , Fascioliasis/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Caballos/diagnóstico , Enfermedades de los Porcinos/diagnóstico , Animales , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Antígenos Helmínticos/inmunología , Antígenos Helmínticos/aislamiento & purificación , Fascioliasis/diagnóstico , Proteínas del Helminto/inmunología , Proteínas del Helminto/aislamiento & purificación , Caballos , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , PorcinosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Lyme disease in Chile is unknown. AIM: To study the existence and epidemiology of Lyme disease in Chile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred eighteen patients with signs or symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease were studied. Antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi were measured using ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence screening tests. Positive cases were confirmed with ELISA using a purified antigen and Western Blot analysis. Human biological samples and ticks were cultured in BSK-H medium. RESULTS: Five patients, three with dermatological manifestations and two with facial palsy and other neurological symptoms, had antibodies against Borrelia, measured by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence. However the presence of IgM antibodies by ELISA using purified antigen, was confirmed in only one case. All sera and cerebrospinal fluids were negative on Western Blot Analysis. No plasma, skin, CSF or thick culture yielded Borrelia CONCLUSIONS: We could not confirm the existence of Lyme disease in Chile. Positive screening with negative confirmatory test suggests false positive non-specific reactivity or that local Borrelia are antigenically different compared to North American strains.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Lyme/diagnóstico , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Grupo Borrelia Burgdorferi/inmunología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Niño , Preescolar , Chile , Estudios Transversales , Perros , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente Indirecta , Humanos , Enfermedad de Lyme/inmunología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Garrapatas/microbiologíaRESUMEN
This study sought to estimate for the first time the prevalence of fascioliasis among the rural population in the Chilean provinces of Curico, Talca, and Linares, while also determining the disease's prevalence among horses and wild rabbits in Curico and Talca and among pigs in Talca. From January 1986 to December 1990 a randomly selected sample of 5,861 persons in the three provinces was given intradermal, complement-fixation, double-diffusion, and immunoelectrophoresis tests to detect antibody to Fasciola hepatica. In addition, the ELISA test was used in Talca and Linares. Fecal specimens from horses and pigs were inspected for eggs, and the liver and bile ducts of rabbits were examined histopathologically. The overall prevalence of infection among the human subjects was 0.70%, with rates of 0.6% in Curico, 0.75% in Talca, and 0.71% in Linares. The prevalences of infection in horses, rabbits, and pigs were 13.5%, 6.1%, and 20.6%, respectively. It is estimated that some 2,000 people are infected in the study area. It is recommended that rabbits be taken into account in all control programs for this zoonosis.
Asunto(s)
Fascioliasis/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Caballos/epidemiología , Conejos , Enfermedades de los Porcinos/epidemiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Animales , Animales Salvajes , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Niño , Chile/epidemiología , Fasciola hepatica/inmunología , Fascioliasis/inmunología , Fascioliasis/veterinaria , Femenino , Caballos , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia , Población Rural , Muestreo , PorcinosRESUMEN
Parasitologic evaluations of 112 fecal specimens from 292 mammals from the Santiago National Zoo (36 specimens were pooled specimens from greater than or equal to 2 animals) indicated that 51 mammals had protozoa or helminths in their feces. Most of the parasites in the herbivorous species were trichurids and strongylids, whereas most of the parasites in the carnivorous species were ascarids. Coccidia spp and Giardia spp were the most frequently detected protozoans in the mammals evaluated. Of 127 captive mammals serologically evaluated for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii (indirect hemagglutination test), 35 (27.5%) were positive for T gondii: 7 (46.6%) of 15 carnivores, 24 (25.2%) of 95 artyodactyls, and 4 (22.5%) of 17 nonhuman primates. Antibodies against T gondii also were found in 8 of 10 domestic cats captured within the zoo and in 6 of 13 volunteer zookeepers.