RESUMO
Paired samples of stool and serum of 32 members of the Shipibo tribe resident in the rain forest of the Peruvian lowlands were tested for worm egg count and serum lipid parameters, respectively. 90% of the stool samples tested were found to contain eggs or larvae of several worm species, most commonly 3 or 4 different species. Serum lipid levels were found to be relatively low, most probably due to a low proportion of dietary fat ranging from 16-31%. Statistical analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between worm egg excretion and HDL levels which was true for hookworm, strongyloides and trichuris, but not for ascaris. The mechanisms underlying the observed association between intestinal worm load and HDL reduction are not completely understood and may include reduced HDL synthesis in the gut wall due to inflammatory and/or toxic irritation.
Assuntos
HDL-Colesterol/sangue , Colesterol/sangue , Helmintíase/complicações , Hipercolesterolemia/etiologia , Intestinos/parasitologia , Interpretação Estatística de Dados , Fezes/microbiologia , Feminino , Helmintíase/enzimologia , Humanos , Masculino , Contagem de Ovos de Parasitas , PeruRESUMO
In Acre, the westernmost state of Brazil in the Amazon region, the sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine, amodiaquine, mefloquine, quinine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine was determined in vitro by the Rieckmann microtechnique. The study was performed between January and June 1987; the in vitro parasite responses to all antimalarial drugs were determined according to the recommendations of WHO. Of 83 isolates of P. falciparum, all were sensitive to mefloquine and of 87 isolates of P. falciparum, 84 (97%) were sensitive to quinine. The EC50 for mefloquine was 0.27 mumol/l and for quinine 4.60 mumol/l. In contrast, 65 of 89 (73%) and 70 of 83 (84%) isolates were resistant to amodiaquine and chloroquine, respectively; 11 isolates even grew at 6.4 mumol chloroquine/l. The EC50 for amodiaquine was 0.34 mumol/l and for chloroquine 0.73 mumol/l. Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine resistance was seen in 23 of 25 (92%) cases. These data clearly indicate that in the western part of the Amazon region the 4-aminoquinolines, as well as sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, can no longer be recommended for the treatment of P. falciparum infections.