RESUMO
Rodents, particularly rats, are widely held to be the source of most human cases of leptospirosis. Feral rats were trapped at sites throughout Barbados during two six month surveys: from October to March 1986/87 and from October to March 1994/95. During the first survey, 63 rats were trapped, of which 26 (41%) were identified as Rattus rattus and 37 (59%) as Rattus norvegicus. In the second study, 100 rats were trapped, of which R. rattus comprised 24% (24) and R. norvegicus 76% (76). Cultures of blood, urine and kidney were made in EMJH medium. Leptospires were isolated from 12/63 (19%) and from 16/100 (16%) of the rats during 1986/87 and 1994/95, respectively; 27/28 isolates were recovered from the kidneys or urine or both, while only one isolate was recovered from the blood. During the first study, isolates were identified as serovars copenhageni (11) and arborea (1), while in the second study, serovars copenhageni (9), arborea (5) and bim (1) were identified; one isolate was lost before it could be identified. In the first study, antibodies were detected by microscopic agglutination at a titre of > or = 100 in 26/62 (42%) of rats tested, while in the second survey, 5/100 (5%) of rats had similar titres. In two surveys, conducted eight years apart, we confirmed that rats in Barbados are commonly infected with leptospires, and that viable organisms are found in the kidneys and urine, evidence of chronic infection and thus excretion of leptospires in rodent urine. Moreover, the predominant serovar isolated was copenhageni, of which Rattus spp. are the worldwide reservoir. There was little evidence that rats act as a reservoir for the serovar bim, the most common cause of human leptospirosis in Barbados.
Assuntos
Animais Selvagens/microbiologia , Vetores de Doenças , Leptospira/isolamento & purificação , Leptospirose/transmissão , Ratos/microbiologia , Animais , Barbados , Feminino , Humanos , Rim/microbiologia , Leptospirose/prevenção & controle , Masculino , Controle de Roedores , Urina/microbiologiaRESUMO
Sahara or African dust originates on the African continent and its transported across the North Atlantic to Barbados and other Caribbean Islands by the North East Trade Winds. The amount of dust deposited in Barbados has shown a steady increase over the years and so has the incidence of respiratory disease and asthma. This study investigated the monthly variation of the concentration of Sahara dust in the atmosphere the presence of micro-organisms in it. It also examined whether there was any association between these and asthmatic attendances at the Asthma Bay of the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). During the one year study period, dust deposition was lowest during February and March 1996 and heaviest during April to July 1996 with the peak in April. The peak in April did not coincide with any noticeable increase in asthma attendances during that month. A total of 289 dust samples were collected and cultured. The cultures grew mainly bacillus species and fungi, including several species of Aspergillus. 43 samples (14.8 percent) grew bacilli and fungi and 5 (1.7 percent) grew organisms other than bacilli and fungi, such as micrococci. More colonies of fungi were isolated during the early part of the year and more bacilli were found during the latter part of the year when there was the peak attendance at the QEH Asthma Bay. It is concluded that the content of Sahara dust may be of greater importance to the development of asthma than the concentration of the dust.(AU)
Assuntos
Poeira/análise , Asma/etiologia , Asma/microbiologia , Estações do Ano , BarbadosRESUMO
Rodents, particularly rats, are widely held to be the source of most human cases of leptospirosis. Feral rats were trapped at sites throughout Barbados during two-six month surveys: from October to March 1986/87 and from October to March 1994/95. During the first survey, 63 rats were trapped, of which 26 (41 percent) were identified as Rattus rattus and 37 (59 percent) as Rattus norvegicus. In the second study, 100 rats were trapped, of which R. rattus comprised 24 percent (24) and R. norvegicus 76 percent (76). Cultures of blood, urine and kidney were made in EMJH medium. Leptospires were isolated from 12/63 (19 percent) and from 16/100 (16 percent) of the rats during 1986/87 and 1994/95, respectively; 27/28 isolates were recovered from the kidneys or urine or both, while only one isolate was recovered from the blood. During the first study, isolates were identified as serovars copenhageni (11), arborea (1), while in the second study, serovars copenhageni (9), arborea (5) and bim (1) were identified; one isolate was lost before it could be identified. In the first study, antibodies were detected by microscopic agglutination at a titre of > or = 100 in 26/62 (42 percent) of rats tested, while in the second survey, 5/100 (5 percent) of rats had similar titres. In two surveys, conducted eight years aparts we confirmed that rats in Barbados are commonly infected with leptospires, and that viable organisms are found in the kidneys and urine, evidence of chronic infection and thus excretion of leptospires in rodent urine. Moreover, the predominant serovar isolated was copenhageni, of which Rattus spp. are the worldwide reservoir. There was little evidence that rats act as a reservoir for the serovar bim, the most common cause of human leptospirosis in Barbados.(AU)
Assuntos
21003 , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Animais Selvagens/microbiologia , Vetores de Doenças , Leptospira/isolamento & purificação , Leptospirose/transmissão , Ratos/microbiologia , Barbados , Rim/microbiologia , Leptospirose/prevenção & controle , Controle de Roedores , Urina/microbiologiaRESUMO
Rodents, particularly rats, are widely held to be the source of most human cases of leptospirosis. Feral rats were trapped at sites throughout Barbados during two six month surveys: from October to March 1986/87 and from October to March 1994/95. During the first survey, 63 rats were trapped, of which 26 (41) were identified as Rattus rattus and 37 (59) as Rattus norvegicus. In the second study, 100 rats were trapped, of which R. rattus comprised 24(24) and R. norvegicus 76(76). Cultures of blood, urine and kidney were made in EMJH medium. Leptospires were isolated from 12/63 (19) and from 16/100 (16) of the rats during 1986/87 and 1994/95, respectively; 27/28 isolates were recovered from the kidneys or urine or both, while only one isolate was recovered from the blood. During the first study, isolates were identified as serovars copenhageni (11) and arborea (1), while in the second study, serovars copenhageni (9), arborea (5) and bim (1) were identified; one isolate was lost before it could be identified. In the first study, antibodies were detected by microscopic agglutination at a titre of > or = 100 in 26/62 (42) of rats tested, while in the second survey, 5/100 (5) of rats had similar titres. In two surveys, conducted eight years apart, we confirmed that rats in Barbados are commonly infected with leptospires, and that viable organisms are found in the kidneys and urine, evidence of chronic infection and thus excretion of leptospires in rodent urine. Moreover, the predominant serovar isolated was copenhageni, of which Rattus spp. are the worldwide reservoir. There was little evidence that rats act as a reservoir for the serovar bim, the most common cause of human leptospirosis in Barbados.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Animais , Animais Selvagens/microbiologia , Leptospira/isolamento & purificação , Leptospirose/transmissão , Ratos/microbiologia , Vetores de Doenças , Barbados , Controle de Roedores , Leptospirose/prevenção & controle , Rim/microbiologia , Urina/microbiologiaRESUMO
Rodents, particularly rats, are widely held to be the source of most human cases of leptospirosis. Feral rats were trapped at sites throughout the island of Barbados during two six month surveys, from October - March 1986/87 and 1994/95. During the first survey, 63 rats were trapped, of which 26 (41 percent) were identified as Rattus rattus and 37 (59 percent) as Rattus norvegicus. In the second study, 100 rats were trapped, of which R. rattus comprised 24 percent (24) and R. norvegicus 76 percent (76). Cultures of blood, urine and kidney were made in EMJH medium. Leptospira were isolated from 12/63 (19 percent) and from 16/100 (16 percent) of the rats during 1986/87 and 1994/95, respectively; 27/28 isolates were recovered from the kidneys or urine or both, while only one isolate was recovered from blood. During the first study, isolates were identified as serovars copenhageni (11) and arborea (1), while in the second study, serovars copenhageni (9), arborea (5) and bim (1) were identified; one isolate was lost before it could be identified. In the first study, antibodies were detected by microscopic agglutination at a titre of > 100 in 26/62 (42 percent) of rats tested, while in the second survey, 5/100 (5 percent) of rats had similar titres. In two surveys, conducted eight years apart, we confirmed that rats in Barbados are commonly infected with leptospira, and that viable organisms are found in the kidneys and urine, evidence of chronic infection and thus excretion of leptospira in rodent urine. Moreover, the predominant serovar isolated was copenhageni, of which Rattus spp. are the worldwide reservoirs. There was little evidence that rats act as a reservoir for the serovar bim, the most common cause of human leptospirosis in Barbados. (AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , 21003 , Ratos , Leptospirose/epidemiologia , Ratos , Barbados , Reservatórios de DoençasRESUMO
Fourteen freshwater or brackish-water samples taken from different sites were examined for the presence of Vibrio cholerae. Standard enrichment techniques, using pre-incubation in alkaline peptone water and plating on thiosulfate citrate bile sucrose agar (TCBS) followed by biochemical, physiological and morphological characterization of the isolates, revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae at nine of the sites examined. Serotyping for type 01 only was performed. All the strains isolated were non-01 Vibrio cholerae.
Assuntos
Cólera/transmissão , Vibrio cholerae/isolamento & purificação , Microbiologia da Água , Técnicas Bacteriológicas , Barbados , Cólera/microbiologia , Contagem de Colônia Microbiana , Humanos , Sorotipagem , Vibrio cholerae/classificaçãoRESUMO
Fourteen freshwater or brackish-water samples taken from different sites were examined for the presence of Vibrio cholerae. Standard enrichment techniques, using pre-incubation in alkaline peptone water and plating on thiosulfate citrate bile sucrose agar (TCBS) followed by biochemical, physiological and morphological characterization of the isolates, revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae at nine of the sites examined. Serotyping for type O1 only was performed. All the strains isolated were non-O1 Vibrio cholerae (AU)
Assuntos
Água/análise , Vibrio cholerae/isolamento & purificação , Testes de Aglutinação , BarbadosRESUMO
Fourteen freshwater or brackish-water samples taken from different sites were examined for the presence of Vibrio cholerae. Standard enrichment techniques, using pre-incubation in alkaline peptone water and plating on thiosulfate citrate bile sucrose agar (TCBS) followed by biochemical, physiological and morphological characterization of the isolates, revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae at nine of the sites examined. Serotyping for type O1 only was performed. All the strains isolated were non-O1 Vibrio cholerae.