RESUMEN
The present study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution and risk factors for infection by Toxoplasma gondii in sheep in the state of Goiás, located in the central-western region of Brazil. Through the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was analyzed in 1000 blood serum samples obtained from sheep in all macro and micro regions of the state of Goiás. Data related to sex, age of the animals, size of the farm, type of farm, water source, veterinary assistance, replacement of the herd, presence of domestic cats, presence of wild cats and presence of other wild animals were obtained at the sampling time. The differences between the seroprevalences obtained in relation to the variables analyzed were estimated using Pearson's chi-square test (χ2). The odds ratio (OR) values for each risk factor evaluated were statistically analyzed with a confidence interval of 95%. Positivity for IgG anti-T. gondii was observed (titer ≥64) in 34.3% (343/1000) of the samples, which ranged from 26.9% (31/115) to 44.2% (53/120) and from 21.8 (12/55) to 55.2% (16 / 29), respectively in the analyzed mesoregions and microregions. In all investigated regions of the State of Goiás, serum-reactive animals were detected with the age of the animals, the source of water, the form of replacement of the herd and the presence of domestic cats and wild animals risk factors statistically associated with the occurrence of T. gondii in animals.
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Enfermedades de los Gatos , Toxoplasmosis Animal , Animales , Animales Salvajes , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios , Brasil/epidemiología , Gatos , Factores de Riesgo , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Ovinos , Toxoplasmosis Animal/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of the prevalence of T. gondii in cows using the indirect immunofluorescence assay and determine associated risk factors. Serum samples were collected from 2970 cows on 263 rural farms in 223 municipalities. A questionnaire was administered to herd owners to collect data for the evaluation of risk factors associated with this disease. Mean seroprevalence of T. gondii in cows was 8.48% (95% CI: 7.48 to 9.49). The microregions with the greatest likelihood (p ≤ 0.05) of having infected animals were Anápolis, Ceres, São Miguel do Araguaia, the Federal District, Anicuns, and Vão do Paraná. The purchase of females or males for reproductive/breeding purposes was significantly associated (p ≤ 0.05) with the prevalence of T. gondii in these regions. A positive correlation (0.7618; p = 0.047) was found between the prevalence of T. gondii and total area in hectares of forests in these regions, suggesting that wild cats may be disseminating T. gondii at these sites. The present results highlight the importance of considering the meat from these animals to be an important infection route for humans who eat raw or undercooked food.
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Enfermedades de los Bovinos/epidemiología , Toxoplasma/aislamiento & purificación , Toxoplasmosis Animal/epidemiología , Animales , Brasil/epidemiología , Bovinos , Enfermedades de los Bovinos/parasitología , Femenino , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente Indirecta/veterinaria , Prevalencia , Factores de Riesgo , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Toxoplasmosis Animal/parasitologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis can be inconclusive in many cases. Despite the several serological tests developed, the literature on biomarkers that can assist in the diagnosis of congenital an acute toxoplasmosis is limited. The objective of this study was to analyze the immunoreactive profile of Toxoplasma gondii protein bands with the potential to be biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of congenital and acute toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples from women of childbearing age and/or pregnant women diagnosed with acquired toxoplasmosis as well as from congenitally infected children were selected and submitted to immunoblotting for analysis of the immunoreactive bands profile by immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. RESULTS: When comparing the immunoreactive bands profile for antibodies present in samples from different groups and subgroups, the 150, 18.5, and 16.96-kDa bands were more immunoreactive with the antibodies present in serum samples from the acquired infection group. The 343, 189, 150, 75, and 42-kDa bands showed more chance to be detected by the symptomatic congenital infection subgroup samples, while the 61, 50, and 16.96-kDa bands were significantly immunoreactive with the acute infection subgroup samples. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of these potential biomarkers can assist in early diagnosis and treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis.
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Toxoplasmosis Congénita , Toxoplasmosis , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios/sangre , Biomarcadores/sangre , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Embarazo , Pronóstico , Toxoplasma , Toxoplasmosis/diagnóstico , Toxoplasmosis Congénita/diagnósticoRESUMEN
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, whose definitive hosts are cats and whose intermediate hosts include humans.This research aims to evaluate aspects related to seroprevalence rates of anti-T. gondii antibodies among elderly users of the Primary Health Care Service in the municipality of Aparecida de Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil. A total of 101 elderly people participated in the study, and a questionnaire was applied to examine sociodemographic factors related to risk factors for toxoplasmosis. Five mL of peripheral blood were collected from all the participants for serological tests. IgM and IgG antibody screening was performed using ELISA. The average age of the participants was 69.5 years, the seroprevalence rate was 75.2% (76/101) of reactive IgG, and 24.8% (25/101) were non-reactive. IgM and IgG antibodies were found in 2.9% (3/101) of the participants. An IgG avidity test was performed, which revealed that the antibodies in the three samples were of low avidity, thus indicating that these individuals were in the acute phase of the infection. It was suggested that, in terms of socioeconomic conditions, an income of one to three monthly minimum salaries is the predominant risk factor for toxoplasmosis in this group.
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Humanos , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Toxoplasmosis , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Members of the genus Acanthamoeba are of the most common protozoa that has been isolated from a variety of environment and affect immunocompromised individuals, causing granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and skin lesions. Acanthamoeba, in immunocompetent patients, may cause a keratitis related to corneal microtrauma. These free-living amoebas easily adapt to the host environment and wield metabolic pathways such as the energetic and respiratory ones in order to maintain viability for long periods. The energetic metabolism of cysts and trophozoites remains mostly unknown. There are a few reports on the energetic metabolism of these organisms as they are mitochondriate eukaryotes and some studies under aerobic conditions showing that Acanthamoeba hydrolyzes glucose into pyruvate via glycolysis. The aim of this study was to detect the energetic metabolic pathways with emphasis on anaerobic metabolism in trophozoites of three isolates of Acanthamoeba sp belonging to the T4 genotype. Two samples were collected in the environment and one was a clinical sample. The evaluation of these microorganisms proceeded as follows: rupture of trophozoites (7.5 × 103 parasites/ml) and biochemical analysis with high performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometry. The anaerobic glycolysis was identified through the detection of glucose, pyruvate, and lactate. The protein catabolism was identified through the detection of fumarate, urea, and creatinine. The fatty acid oxidation was identified through the detection of acetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and propionate. The detected substances are the result of the consumption of energy reserves such as glycogen and lipids. The anaerobic glycolysis and protein catabolism pathways were observed in all three isolates: one clinical and two environmental. This study represents the first report of energetic pathways used by trophozoites from different isolates of the T4 genotype Acanthamoeba.
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Acanthamoeba/metabolismo , Anaerobiosis/fisiología , Metabolismo Energético/fisiología , Glucólisis/fisiología , Trofozoítos/metabolismo , Acanthamoeba/clasificación , Acanthamoeba/aislamiento & purificación , Ácidos Grasos/metabolismo , Proteínas/metabolismoRESUMEN
The accuracy of the parasitological techniques of Willis, Hoffman-Pons-Janer or Lutz (HPLJ), Sheather and Faust was evaluated in fecal samples from stray cats caught by the Zoonosis Control Center in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. These four techniques were applied separately to analyze 154 fecal samples, and their accuracy was analyzed based on an evaluation of their sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and Kappa index, resulting in the selection of the Willis technique as the nominal gold standard. Of the 154 samples, 115 (74.68%) tested positive for intestinal parasites. The analysis of the frequency of positivity indicated that the HPLJ technique detected 86.1% of the positive samples and was the closest to the gold standard. The analysis of the accuracy of the techniques was evaluated using the most prevalent parasites. The Sheather technique showed the highest accuracy in the detection of Ancylostomatidae, while the Sheather and HPLJ techniques showed similar accuracies in the detection of Cystoisospora spp. when compared to the gold standard. Lastly, the Faust technique showed the highest accuracy in the detection of Toxoplasma gondii when compared to the gold standard. This study underscores the importance of combining parasitological techniques in the diagnosis of intestinal parasites in cats.
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Enfermedades de los Gatos/diagnóstico , Heces/parasitología , Parasitosis Intestinales/veterinaria , Animales , Brasil , Enfermedades de los Gatos/parasitología , Gatos , Parasitosis Intestinales/diagnóstico , Parasitosis Intestinales/parasitologíaRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitary disease that presents high rates of gestational and congenital infection worldwide being therefore considered a public health problem and a neglected disease. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis amongst pregnant women and vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in their newborns attended in the Basic Units of Health (BUH) from the city of Gurupi, state of Tocantins, Brazil. METHODS: A prevalence study was performed, including 487 pregnant women and their newborns attended in the BUH of the urban zone of the city of Gurupi, state of Tocantins, Brazil, during the period from February 2012 to February 2014. The selection of the pregnant women occurred by convenience. In the antenatal admission they were invited to participate in this study. Three samples of peripheral blood were collected for the detection of specific anti-T. gondii IgG, IgM and IgA through ELISA, for the polimerase chain reaction (PCR) and IgG avidity during pregnancy. When IgM antibodies were detected the fetal and newborn infection investigation took place. The newborn was investigated right after birth and after one year of age through serology and PCR to confirm/exclude the vertical transmission. The analyses were performed in the Studies of the Host-Parasite Relationship Laboratory (LAERPH, IPTSP-UFG), Goiania, state of Goias, Brazil. The results were inserted in a data bank in Epi-Info 3.3.2 statistic software in which the analysis was performed with p≤5%. RESULTS: The toxoplasmosis infection was detected in 68.37% (333/487, CI95%: 64.62-72.86). The toxoplasmosis chronic infection prevalence was of 63.03% (307/487, CI95%: 58.74-67.32). The prevalence of maternal acute infection was of 5.33% (26/487; CI95%: 3.3-7.3) suspected by IgM antibodies detection in the peripheral blood. The prevalence of confirmed vertical transmission was of 28% (7/25; CI95%: 10.4-45.6). CONCLUSIONS: These results show an elevated prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and vertical transmission of T. gondii in the city of Gurupi, state of Tocantins, Brazil.
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Transmisión Vertical de Enfermedad Infecciosa , Complicaciones Parasitarias del Embarazo/epidemiología , Toxoplasmosis/epidemiología , Brasil/epidemiología , Estudios de Cohortes , Femenino , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Embarazo , Prevalencia , Toxoplasmosis/complicaciones , Toxoplasmosis/transmisiónRESUMEN
Introduction Knowledge of the prevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii dissemination among pregnant women is relevant because the parasite can be spread from mother to infant. The objective of this study was to assess the epidemiology and risk factors of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women from Gurupi, State of Tocantins, Brazil, from February 2012 to June 2013. Methods The study population included 487 pregnant women. Sociodemographic, dietary and cultural data were collected using a standardized and validated form. Peripheral blood was collected for serologic testing using the ELISA test (IgM/IgG antibodies). The data were analyzed by comparing seropositivity with risk factors using crude and adjusted odds ratios. Results The prevalence rate for IgG and IgM antibodies was 68.7% and 5.7%, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with toxoplasmosis risk included the following: education level ≤ 8 years (OR: 6.612; CI: 1.450-30.144), age ≥ 30 years (OR: 5.273; CI: 1.166-23.844), working outside the home (OR: 1.604; CI: 1.015-2.536), and family income of two minimum wages or lower (OR: 2.700; CI: 1.891-8.182). Regarding dietary habits, there was a significant association of seropositivity with meat intake (OR: 1.78; CI: 1.149-4.080), cutting vegetables without washing the cutting board beforehand (OR: 2.051; CI: 1.165-3.614), frequent intake of vegetables (OR: 2.051; CI: 1.368-3.006) and in natura milk intake (OR: 2.422; CI: 1.014-5.785). Conclusions The high prevalence rates of toxoplasmosis in Gurupi are related to age, raw meat and in natura milk intake, as well as education level, working outside the home, and poor hygienic habits during meal preparation. .
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Adulto , Animales , Gatos , Perros , Femenino , Humanos , Embarazo , Adulto Joven , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios/sangre , Complicaciones Parasitarias del Embarazo/epidemiología , Toxoplasma/inmunología , Toxoplasmosis/epidemiología , Brasil/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Inmunoglobulina M/sangre , Prevalencia , Complicaciones Parasitarias del Embarazo/diagnóstico , Factores de Riesgo , Factores Socioeconómicos , Toxoplasmosis/diagnósticoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To analyze the serological, anatomopathological and parasitological results obtained from abortive material in order to detect infections with the risk of vertical transmission, with emphasis on toxoplasmosis. METHODS: A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of infectoparasitic diseases. A total of 105 women who suffered spontaneous complete or incomplete abortion participated in the study. The women were interviewed, answered a questionnaire and had their blood and abortive material collected. Immunological tests were carried out in order to detect toxoplasmosis, Chagas disease, rubeola, cytomegalovirus and syphilis, and anatomopathological analysis of the ovular remains was performed. RESULTS: 55% of the women studied were 20 to 30 years old. Most of them (68%) presented a gestational age between the 7th and 14th week. 54.3% of the women had complete or incomplete high school education. Serological analysis showed cytomegalovirus (CMV) as the most common vertically transmitted infection with 97.1% positivity, followed by rubeola with 95.2%. Toxoplasmosis showed 54.3% positivity, Chagas disease 1.9% and syphilis 0.95%. Anatomopathological analysis showed inflammation in 63.1% of the cases and absence of inflammation in 34%. The results of the serological, anatomopathological and parasitological analysis of the 105 participants showed that 57 women were T. gondii positive. However, none showed positivity in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or in mouse inoculation. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diseases with the risk of vertical transmission is important in women with spontaneous abortion, indicating the need for more research in order to investigate the etiology of abortion.
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Aborto Espontáneo/sangre , Aborto Espontáneo/parasitología , Transmisión Vertical de Enfermedad Infecciosa , Toxoplasmosis/sangre , Toxoplasmosis/transmisión , Aborto Espontáneo/microbiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Estudios de Cohortes , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Transmisión Vertical de Enfermedad Infecciosa/estadística & datos numéricos , Prevalencia , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
One hundred fifty-two Trypanosoma cruzi seropositive women were submitted to a single hemoculture; 101 were pregnant, and 51 were not pregnant. Seven tubes from each individual were harvested with liver infusion tryptose (LIT) medium and observed monthly until the fifth month. Hemocultures were positive in 50% (76 of 152) of the women. Results showed that the positivity was 29.4% (15 of 51) among non-pregnant women and 60.4% (61 of 101) in pregnant women (P < 0.05). In relation to gestational age, there were significant differences in positivity, with a higher proportion of women with positive hemocultures (20 of 25) before 21 weeks and lower after 30 weeks (10 of 21; P = 0.02). We conclude that pregnancy enhances the parasitemia in Chagas disease, with a higher effect early in pregnancy.
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Enfermedad de Chagas/sangre , Enfermedad de Chagas/parasitología , Adulto , Sangre/parasitología , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Embarazo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Our research aimed to characterize the genetic profiles of 102 Trypanosoma cruzi isolates recently obtained from 44 chronic chagasic patients from different regions of the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás in Brazil. At least two isolates were obtained from each patient at different times in order to study the parasite population dynamics during disease progression in the chronic phase. The isolates were characterized molecularly by genotyping the 3' region of the 24S alpha rRNA, the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (COII) gene, and the intergenic region of the spliced leader intergenic region (SL-IR) gene. Seventy-seven isolates were analyzed for nine microsatellite loci. The data presented here show a strong correlation between the T. cruzi lineage II (T. cruzi II) and human infection in these regions of Brazil. Interestingly, isolates from two patients were initially characterized (by rRNA genotyping) as T. cruzi I and hybrid strains, but subsequent analyses of the COII and SL-IR genes confirmed that those isolates belonged to T. cruzi III and a hybrid group, respectively. Our results confirm the risk of misclassifying T. cruzi isolates on the basis of analysis of a single molecular marker. The microsatellite profiles showed that different isolates obtained from the same patient were genetically identical and monoclonal. Exceptions were observed for T. cruzi isolates from two patients who presented differences for the SCLE11 locus and also from two other patients who showed amplification of three peaks for a microsatellite locus (TcAAAT6), implying that they were multiclonal. On the basis of the findings of the studies described here, we were not able to establish a correlation between the clinical forms of Chagas' disease and the genetic profiles of the T. cruzi isolates.
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Enfermedad de Chagas/parasitología , Polimorfismo Genético , Trypanosoma cruzi/clasificación , Trypanosoma cruzi/aislamiento & purificación , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Brasil , Análisis por Conglomerados , ADN Intergénico/genética , ADN Protozoario/genética , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Femenino , Genotipo , Humanos , Masculino , Repeticiones de Microsatélite , Persona de Mediana Edad , Proteínas Protozoarias/genética , ARN Protozoario/genética , ARN Ribosómico/genética , Trypanosoma cruzi/genética , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important diseases of the nervous central system, leading to severe symptoms and, many times, irreversible sequelae. This work demonstrated the main anatomopathological lesions caused by Toxoplasma gondii in brains from experimentally infected BALB/c mice. We analyzed 51 cases of mice that developed toxoplasmosis after experimental infection by intraperitoneal inoculation of blood, amniotic liquid and cerebrospinal fluid from fetuses, newly born children and pregnant women with clinical and laboratory signals of toxoplasmosis. In all experiments where we detected the parasite in mice we also detected pathological lesions in the animal brains with great polymorphism between experiments. Edema was the most found lesion in all cases. Besides, it was possible to demonstrate the inflammatory process in 82.4% of cases and necrosis in 64.7% of cases, in agreement with the literature that describes severe neurological damage in its hosts.
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Encéfalo/patología , Infecciones Protozoarias del Sistema Nervioso Central/patología , Toxoplasmosis Animal/patología , Animales , Encéfalo/parasitología , Infecciones Protozoarias del Sistema Nervioso Central/parasitología , Femenino , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , EmbarazoRESUMEN
The change in parasitemia profile, measured by sequential blood cultures of 27 benznidazole (Bz) treated patients compared with 13 untreated patients, on the chronic phase of chagas disease, is described. All patients were adults (age limits: 23-88) with positive serology (three tests); 23 of them were females. All patients were submitted to six blood cultures, three before and three after Bz treatment. The parasitemia was classified as nondetected (with three negative blood cultures), medium (one positive culture in three), and high (two or three positive cultures). From the eight patients with nondetected parasitemia before Bz, seven still had the same profile and only one switched to medium; from eight with medium parasitemia, seven shifted to nondetected, and one to high parasitemia. From the 11 patients with high parasitemia before Bz, ten converted to nondetected and only one was positive after Bz. Nineteen of the 27 patients changed the parasitemia profile (70.4%), and the rate of therapeutic failure was 11.1% (3/27) during the first 24 months of follow-up after Bz. The shift to nondetected parasitemia profile was from 8/27 to 24/27 patients after Bz treatment for the first 2 years. Only 46.2% (6/13) of the nontreated individuals changed the parasitemia profile. We conclude that there is a strong trypanocide effect of Bz (88.8%) and a rate of therapeutic failure of 11.1% during the first 2 years after trypanocidal treatment.
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Antiparasitarios/uso terapéutico , Técnicas de Cultivo de Célula/métodos , Nitroimidazoles/uso terapéutico , Parasitemia/tratamiento farmacológico , Tripanosomiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Parasitemia/diagnóstico , Parasitemia/fisiopatología , Trypanosoma cruzi/efectos de los fármacos , Trypanosoma cruzi/crecimiento & desarrollo , Trypanosoma cruzi/aislamiento & purificación , Tripanosomiasis/diagnóstico , Tripanosomiasis/fisiopatologíaAsunto(s)
Enfermedad de Chagas , Glicoproteínas de Membrana , Parasitemia/diagnóstico , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Proteínas Protozoarias , Pruebas Serológicas/métodos , Trypanosoma cruzi , Animales , Enfermedad de Chagas/diagnóstico , Enfermedad de Chagas/tratamiento farmacológico , Humanos , Parasitemia/tratamiento farmacológico , Resultado del Tratamiento , Tripanocidas/uso terapéutico , Trypanosoma cruzi/genética , Trypanosoma cruzi/inmunologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that pregnancy is a risk factor for toxoplasmosis seroconversion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study of women at child-bearing age vulnerable to Toxoplasma gondii. Serological reactions with indirect immunofluorescent antibody and immunoenzyme tests were used. The risk estimate used limits of reliability at 95%, and the results were validated by chi(2) and RR tests. RESULTS: Acute infection among pregnant women was 8.6% (45/522), and pregnancy was confirmed to be a risk factor for seroconversion (P=0.001). Living in close contact with host animals and vehicles of oocyst transmission proved to be a statistical risk for pregnant women to seroconvert, which was aggravated in adolescents. CONCLUSION: Gestation, potentiating susceptibility to this infection, points to the need of primary and secondary prevention for all pregnant women at risk.