RESUMEN
Hepatozoon spp. are Apicomplexan protozoa that parasitize a wide diversity of vertebrate hosts. In Brazil, few studies have reported the occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. in rodent species. Additionally, an evaluation of the population structure and distribution of Hepatozoon species over several Brazilian biomes has not yet been performed. The present work aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Hepatozoon spp. in rodents from 31 genera sampled in five Brazilian biomes. Samples were submitted to PCR assays for Hepatozoon spp. targeting two regions of the 18S rRNA gene. Infection by Hepatozoon spp. was detected in 195 (42.2%) rodents comprising 24 genera. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA sequences grouped all sequences in the clade of Hepatozoon spp. previously detected in rodents and reptiles, apart from those detected in domestic/wild carnivores. These data raise two non-exclusive hypotheses: (i) rodents play an important role as intermediate or paratenic hosts for Hepatozoon infections in reptiles; and (ii) rodents do not seem to participate in the epidemiology of Hepatozoon infections of domestic/wild canids and felids in Brazil. TCS analyses performed with available 18S rRNA Hepatozoon sequences detected in rodents from Brazil showed the occurrence of six haplotypes, which were distributed in two large groups: one from rodents inhabiting the coastal region of Brazil and Mato Grosso state, and another from rodents from the central region of the country. A wide survey of the South American territory will help to elucidate the evolutionary history of Hepatozoon spp. parasitizing Rodentia in the American continent.
Asunto(s)
Apicomplexa/genética , Variación Genética , Roedores/parasitología , Animales , Apicomplexa/patogenicidad , Brasil , Carnívoros/parasitología , Haplotipos , Filogenia , Infecciones Protozoarias en Animales/parasitología , ARN Ribosómico 18SRESUMEN
Knowledge about ticks (Acari) and screening of ticks parasitizing various hosts are necessary to understand the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens. The objective of this study was to investigate tick infestations on snakes (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes) arriving at the serpentarium at the Institute Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Some of the identified ticks were individually tested for the presence of bacteria of the genera Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), Borrelia (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), Coxiella (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae), Bartonella (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae), Ehrlichia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), and Apicomplexa protozoa of the genera Babesia (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae) and Hepatozoon (Eucoccidiorida: Hepatozoidae). A total of 115 hard ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) were collected from 17 host individuals obtained from four Brazilian states. Two species of tick were identified: Amblyomma dissimile Koch 1844 (four larvae, 16 nymphs, 40 adults), and Amblyomma rotundatum Koch 1844 (12 nymphs, 43 adults). Rickettsia bellii was found in A. rotundatum and A. dissimile ticks and Rickettsia sp. strain Colombianensi, Anaplasma-like and Hepatozoon sp. in A. dissimile ticks. Among the tested ticks, no DNA of Borrelia, Bartonella, Coxiella or Babesia was found. The present findings extend the geographic range of Rickettsia sp. strain Colombianensi in Brazil and provide novel tick-host associations.
Asunto(s)
Apicomplexa/aislamiento & purificación , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Interacciones Huésped-Parásitos , Ixodidae/microbiología , Ixodidae/parasitología , Serpientes/parasitología , Animales , Brasil , Ixodidae/fisiología , Infestaciones por Garrapatas/parasitología , Infestaciones por Garrapatas/veterinariaRESUMEN
This paper describes the diversity of rodent fauna in an area endemic for hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in Brazil, the population dynamics and the relationship of rodents with hantavirus in the Cerrado (savanna-like) biome. Additionally, an analysis is made of the partial S segment sequences of the hantaviruses obtained from serologically confirmed human HCPS cases and from rodent specimens. Rodents were collected during four campaigns. Human serum samples were collected from suspected cases of HCPS at hospitals in the state of Minas Gerais. The samples antibody-reactive by ELISA were processed by RT-PCR. The PCR product was amplified and sequenced. Hantavirus was detected only in Necromys lasiurus, the wild rodent species most prevalent in the Cerrado biome (min-max: 50-83·7%). All the six human serum samples were hantavirus seropositive and five showed amplified PCR products. The analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed the circulation of a single genotype, the Araraquara hantavirus. The environmental changes that have occurred in the Cerrado biome in recent decades have favoured N. lasiurus in interspecific competition of habitats, thus increasing the risk of contact between humans and rodent species infected with hantavirus. Our data corroborate the definition of N. lasiurus as the main hantavirus reservoir in the Cerrado biome.
Asunto(s)
Reservorios de Enfermedades/veterinaria , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/veterinaria , Orthohantavirus/fisiología , Enfermedades de los Roedores/epidemiología , Roedores , Adulto , Animales , Brasil/epidemiología , Femenino , Genotipo , Pradera , Orthohantavirus/genética , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/epidemiología , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/virología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , Dinámica Poblacional , Prevalencia , Enfermedades de los Roedores/virología , Roedores/fisiología , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Proteínas Virales/genética , Proteínas Virales/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is the most frequently reported fatal rodent-borne disease in Brazil, with the majority of cases occurring in Santa Catarina. We analysed the clinical, laboratory and epidemiological data of the 251 confirmed cases of HPS in Santa Catarina in 1999-2011. The number of cases ranged from 10 to 47 per year, with the highest incidences in 2004-2006. Gastrointestinal tract manifestations were found in >60% of the cases, potentially confounding diagnosis and leading to inappropriate therapy. Dyspnoea, acute respiratory failure, renal failure, increased serum creatinine and urea levels, increased haematocrits and the presence of pulmonary interstitial infiltrate were significantly more common in HPS patients who died. In addition, we demonstrated that the six cases from the midwest region of the state were associated with Juquitiba virus genotype. The case-fatality rate in this region, 19·2%, was lower than that recorded for other mesoregions. In the multivariate analysis increase of serum creatinine and urea was associated with death by HPS. Our findings help elucidate the epidemiology of HPS in Brazil, where mast seeding of bamboo can trigger rodent population eruptions and subsequent human HPS outbreaks. We also emphasize the need for molecular confirmation of the hantavirus genotype of human cases for a better understanding of the mortality-related factors associated with HPS cases in Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Reservorios de Enfermedades/veterinaria , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/epidemiología , Orthohantavirus/fisiología , Roedores , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Brasil/epidemiología , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Orthohantavirus/genética , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/veterinaria , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/virología , Humanos , Incidencia , Lactante , Recién Nacido , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Estudios Retrospectivos , Enfermedades de los Roedores/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Roedores/virología , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Proteínas Virales/genética , Proteínas Virales/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Rickettsia rickettsii infection is being increasingly recognized as an important cause of fatal acute illness in Brazil, where this tick-borne disease is designated Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). In this study we report five fatal cases of BSF in employees of an animal shelter in an urban area in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil after a natural disaster on 11 January 2011. Four of the cases occurred from 27 January to 11 April 2011, while the fifth fatal case was identified in April 2012. Three cases were confirmed by molecular analysis and two by epidemiological linkage. An investigation of BSF was performed in the animal shelter, and blood samples were collected from 115 employees and 117 randomly selected dogs. The presence of high levels (1024-4096) of antibodies against spotted fever group rickettsiae was found in three (2·6%) employees and 114 (97·5%) dogs. These findings emphasize the need to consider BSF as a possible cause of undifferentiated febrile illness, especially dengue and leptospirosis, in patients occupationally exposed to dogs heavily infested by ticks, mainly working at kennels and animal shelters that have inadequate space for the animals housed and frequently providing an environment conducive to exposure to pathogens such as R. rickettsii.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/inmunología , Enfermedades de los Perros/diagnóstico , Vivienda para Animales , Enfermedades Profesionales/diagnóstico , Rickettsia rickettsii/inmunología , Fiebre Maculosa de las Montañas Rocosas/veterinaria , Garrapatas , Adulto , Animales , Brasil , Dengue/diagnóstico , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Perros , Resultado Fatal , Femenino , Humanos , Leptospirosis/diagnóstico , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Enfermedades Profesionales/inmunología , Fiebre Maculosa de las Montañas Rocosas/diagnóstico , Fiebre Maculosa de las Montañas Rocosas/inmunología , Población UrbanaRESUMEN
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a zoonosis and a public health concern in the Americas due to its high fatality rate. Since the first cases were identified in USA in 1993, HPS has been observed over a wide area of the American continents. Over 1600 HPS cases have been confirmed in Brazil since 1993, and different genotypes of hantavirus have been identified in several biomes in this country of continental dimensions. We performed a retrospective study of data from 2001 to 2011 that encompassed all notified cases of HPS in the National Disease Notification System (SINAN) of Brazil to determine the regional differences and temporal trends of the disease. During the study period, 1486 cases were reported, and analyses of the temporal trends of the disease revealed that the number of cases in Brazil increased over this period (P < 0·01). The frequency distributions of the cases stratified by region revealed different patterns of seasonality; however, these patterns were not statistically significant with the exception of the South region (P < 0·05). We found regional differences in the occurrence of the disease throughout the year and a trend towards an increasing number of cases. These findings reinforce the necessity of adjusting surveillance tools and control policies to respond effectively to this public health problem.
Asunto(s)
Geografía , Síndrome Pulmonar por Hantavirus/epidemiología , Estaciones del Año , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Brasil/epidemiología , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Incidencia , Lactante , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Hantaviruses, family Bunyaviridae, are rodent-borne RNA viruses that have caused cases of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in various regions of the Americas. There are five hantaviral lineages associated with HCPS in Brazil: Juquitiba virus (JUQV), Araraquara virus (ARAV), Laguna Negra-like virus (LNV), Castelo dos Sonhos virus (CASV), and Anajatuba virus (ANAJV). Three additional hantaviruses have been described in rodents alone: Rio Mearim virus, Jaborá virus, and a hantavirus lineage related to Seoul virus. This study describes the genetic detection and characterization of a Juquitiba-like hantavirus in Oligoryzomys nigripes, or the black-footed pygmy rice rat, in the Serra dos Orgãos National Park, Rio de Janeiro State, where so far no cases of HCPS have been reported.
Asunto(s)
Reservorios de Enfermedades/virología , Infecciones por Hantavirus/veterinaria , Orthohantavirus/aislamiento & purificación , Sigmodontinae/virología , Animales , Brasil , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , ARN Viral/genética , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Homología de SecuenciaAsunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/sangre , Coxiella burnetii/inmunología , Infecciones por VIH/complicaciones , Fiebre Q/epidemiología , Adulto , Brasil/epidemiología , Comorbilidad , ADN Bacteriano/sangre , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Factores de Riesgo , Población Rural , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Población UrbanaAsunto(s)
Rhipicephalus sanguineus/microbiología , Infecciones por Rickettsia/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Rickettsia/microbiología , Rickettsia/clasificación , Rickettsia/aislamiento & purificación , Animales , Proteínas de la Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Brasil , Citrato (si)-Sintasa/genética , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Enfermedades Endémicas , Resultado Fatal , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Rickettsia/genética , Infecciones por Rickettsia/epidemiología , Población RuralRESUMEN
Bartonellae are fastidious Gram-negative bacteria that are widespread in nature with several animal reservoirs (mainly cats, dogs, and rodents) and insect vectors (mainly fleas, sandflies, and human lice). Thirteen species or subspecies of Bartonella have been recognized as agents causing human disease, including B. bacilliformis, B. quintana, B. vinsonii berkhoffii, B. henselae, B. elizabethae, B. grahamii, B. washoensis, B. koehlerae, B. rocha-limaea, and B. tamiae. The clinical spectrum of infection includes lymphadenopathy, fever of unknown origin, endocarditis, neurological and ophthalmological syndromes, Carrion's disease, and others. This review provides updated information on clinical manifestations and seroepidemiological studies with an emphasis on data available from Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Gatos , Perros , Humanos , Infecciones por Bartonella/epidemiología , Bartonella/clasificación , Reservorios de Enfermedades/clasificación , Insectos Vectores/clasificación , Brasil/epidemiología , Roedores , Estudios SeroepidemiológicosRESUMEN
Bartonella is an important cause of blood culture-negative endocarditis in recent studies. Seroprevalence studies in the States of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro have shown Bartonella IgG positivity around 14 percent in healthy adults and 40 percent in HIV seropositive adults, respectively. A case report of a 46-year-old white male with moderate aortic regurgitation (AR) due to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), admitted due to worsening heart failure, is presented. Clinical features were apyrexia, anemia, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, hematuria and splenomegaly. He was submitted to surgery due to worsening AR. Histopathology of the excised valve showed active bacterial endocarditis and underlying RHD. Routine blood cultures were negative. Indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) assays for Coxiella burnetii were non-reactive. Bartonella henselae IgG titer was 1:4096 prior to antibiotics and 1:512 14 months after treatment. History of close contact with a young cat during the months preceding his admission was elicited.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Gatos , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/aislamiento & purificación , Endocarditis Bacteriana/microbiología , Insuficiencia de la Válvula Aórtica/etiología , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Bartonella henselae/inmunología , Endocarditis Bacteriana/complicaciones , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente Indirecta , Cardiopatía Reumática/complicaciones , Cardiopatía Reumática/cirugíaRESUMEN
Bartonella is an important cause of blood culture-negative endocarditis in recent studies. Seroprevalence studies in the States of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro have shown Bartonella IgG positivity around 14% in healthy adults and 40% in HIV seropositive adults, respectively. A case report of a 46-year-old white male with moderate aortic regurgitation (AR) due to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), admitted due to worsening heart failure, is presented. Clinical features were apyrexia, anemia, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, hematuria and splenomegaly. He was submitted to surgery due to worsening AR. Histopathology of the excised valve showed active bacterial endocarditis and underlying RHD. Routine blood cultures were negative. Indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) assays for Coxiella burnetii were non-reactive. Bartonella henselae IgG titer was 1:4096 prior to antibiotics and 1:512 14 months after treatment. History of close contact with a young cat during the months preceding his admission was elicited.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/aislamiento & purificación , Endocarditis Bacteriana/microbiología , Animales , Insuficiencia de la Válvula Aórtica/etiología , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Bartonella henselae/inmunología , Gatos , Endocarditis Bacteriana/complicaciones , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente Indirecta , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Cardiopatía Reumática/complicaciones , Cardiopatía Reumática/cirugíaRESUMEN
Wild sigmondontine rodents are known to be the reservoir of several serotypes of New World hantaviruses. The mechanism of viral transmission is by aerosol inhalation of the excreta from infected rodents. Considering that the captive breed colonies of various wild mammals may present a potential risk for hantaviral transmission, we examined 85 specimens of Thrichomys spp. (Echimyidae) and 17 speciemens of Nectomys squamipes (Sigmodontinae) from our colony for the presence of hantavirus infections. Blood samples were assayed for the presence of antibodies to Andes nucleocapsid antigen using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, serum samples from workers previously exposed to wild rodents, in the laboratories where the study was conducted, were also tested by ELISA to investigate prevalence of anti-hantavirus IgG antibodies. All blood samples were negative for hantavirus antibodies. Although these results suggest that those rodent's colonies are hantavirus free, the work emphasizes the need for hantavirus serological monitoring in wild colonized rodents and secure handling potentially infected rodents as important biosafety measures.
Asunto(s)
Reservorios de Enfermedades/veterinaria , Infecciones por Hantavirus/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Roedores/virología , Roedores/virología , Animales , Animales Salvajes , Anticuerpos Antivirales/sangre , Brasil/epidemiología , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Orthohantavirus/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por Hantavirus/epidemiología , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Prevalencia , Factores de Riesgo , Enfermedades de los Roedores/epidemiología , Estudios SeroepidemiológicosRESUMEN
Wild sigmondontine rodents are known to be the reservoir of several serotypes of New World hantaviruses. The mechanism of viral transmission is by aerosol inhalation of the excreta from infected rodents. Considering that the captive breed colonies of various wild mammals may present a potencial risk for hantaviral transmission, we examined 85 speciemens of Thrichomys spp. (Echimyidae) and 17 speciemens of Nectomys squamipes (Sigmodontinae) from our colony for the presence of hantavirus infections. Blood samples were assayed for the presence of antibodies to Andes nucleocapsid antigen using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, serum samples from workers previously exposed to wild rodents, in the laboratories where the study was conducted, were also tested by ELISA to investigate prevalence of anti-hantavirus IgG antibodies. All blood samples were negative for hantavirus antibodies. Although these results suggest that those rodent's colonies are hantavirus free, the work emphasizes the need for hantavirus serological monitoring in wild colonized rodents and secure handling potentially infected rodents as important biosafety measures.