Anita de Moura Pessoa

Spatial analysis of visceral leishmaniasis in the municipality of Rondonópolis, in the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso, from 2003 to 2012: human, canine and vector distribution in areas of disease transmission

INTRODUCTION Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonosis of great importance to public health and is considered a neglected disease by the World Health Organization. The disease has expanded and become more prevalent in urban areas in Brazil. METHODS Geospatial analyses were performed and thematic maps of the triad of the disease were produced for the study period (2003-2012) in the urban area of the municipality of Rondonópolis in the midwestern State of Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil, TerraView 4.2.2 software was used for the analyses. RESULTS A total of 87.9% of the 186 confirmed human cases of VL were cured. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 were the most affected. Registered deaths were predominant among adults aged 60 years or older. The urban area of the municipality consists of eight strata and 12 census districts include 237 neighborhoods. All sectors had confirmed cases of VL. During the study period, human cases of the disease were recorded in 90 neighborhoods. The 23 deaths from the disease were distributed in 21 neighborhoods. Sandflies carrying the parasite were captured in 192 out of 200 neighborhoods evaluated for the presence of the VL vector. The presence of dogs carrying the parasite was confirmed in, 140 out of 154 surveyed neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrated the endemic nature of VL, with a high percentage of infected children, a high distribution of canine infection, and a wide adaptation and dispersal of the vectors in the urban environment. These results, illustrate the process of urbanization of VL in the municipality of Rondonópolis, MT, Brazil.

Profile of arachnid accidents in the State of Goias, Brazil, between 2007 and 2011

Objetivos: Descrever os aspectos epidemiologicos e clinicos dos acidentes com aranhas reportados ao Centro de Informacoes Toxicologicasdo Estado de Goias. Comparar e contrastar os dados de descricao e avaliacao do quadro clinico e uso do soro especifico com as recomendacoesdo Ministerio da Saude e da literatura medica.Metodos: Para a coleta de dados foram utilizadas as fichas de notificacao do Centro de Informacoes Toxicologicas de Goias. Os dados sobrea expansao urbana foram obtidos no Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica e atraves de imagens de satelite Landsat.Resultados: No periodo estudado, o araneismo no estado de Goias correspondeu a 15,91% dos acidentes com artropodes peconhentos,totalizando 659 casos. As duas microrregioes com maior ocorrencia foram Goiânia, com 305 casos (46,28%) e Entorno de Brasilia, com 69(10,47%). Houve um acometimento maior dentro da faixa etaria de 20 a 39 anos. A regiao mais comum da picada foi o pe. O intervalo entreacidente e atendimento, na maioria dos casos, foi de uma a tres horas. A dor foi o sintoma mais prevalente, podendo estar associada a edema,hiperemia e parestesia que, juntamente com sintomas vagais, determinaram a gravidade do acidente. Em 214 casos foi usada soroterapia, sendoinformado o tipo de soro em 83,17% dos mesmos. Houve uso de numero excessivo de ampolas de soro de acordo com as recomendacoes doMinisterio da Saude em 98,87% dos casos em que o dado pode ser levantado. Dos casos informados, 89,37% evoluiram para a cura. Os dadosnao indicam o genero da aranha que foi agente causal dos acidentes.Conclusoes: Os resultados indicam que a prevalencia do araneismo esta ligada ao processo de expansao urbana. O tratamento foi em geralsatisfatorio, com alto indice de cura e inexistencia de obitos. Houve uso desnecessario de soro e de um numero incorreto de ampolas em muitoscasos. Os dados sugerem um distanciamento das recomendacoes do Ministerio da Saude, que possui protocolos claros, desde a identificacaoda aranha ate o uso de soro conforme a gravidade do caso.(AU) Aims: To describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the spider accidents reported at the Center for Toxicological Information ofthe State of Goias. To compare and contrast the data of description and evaluation of the clinical picture and use of specific serum with therecommendations of the Ministry of Health and the medical literature.Methods: The data were collected using the report notes of the Center for Toxicological Information of the State of Goias. The data on theurban expansion were obtained at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and through Landsat satellite images.Results: In the period of this study the spider accidents in the State of Goias represented 15,91% of the accidents with venomous arthropods, witha total of 659 cases. The two micro regions with the highest occurrence of cases were Goiânia, with 305 cases (46,28%) and the surroundingsof Brasilia, with 69 cases (10,47%). There was a higher incidence in the 20 to 39 years age group. The most common region of accident wasthe foot. The time interval between accident and first medical care, in the majority of the cases, was between one and three hours. Pain wasthe prevailing symptom, which might be associated with edema, hyperemia and paresthesia, which together with vagal symptoms determinethe gravity of the accident. In 214 cases serum therapy was used, and the type of serum was informed in 83.17%. There was use of excessivenumber of serum ampoules according to the Ministry of Health recommendations in 98,87% of the cases in which these data could be recovered.Among the notified cases, 89,37% evolved to cure. The data did not indicate the spider genus that caused the accidents.Conclusions: These results indicate that the prevalence of spider accidents is linked to the urban expansion. In general the treatment wassatisfactory, with high rate of cure and absence of deaths. There was an unnecessary use of serum and an incorrect number of ampoules inmany cases. These data suggest a detachment from the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, which possess clear protocols, fromidentification of the spider to use of serum according to the gravity of the case.(AU)AIMS: To describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the spider accidents reported at the Center for Toxicological Information of the State of Goias. To compare and contrast the data of description and evaluation of the clinical picture and use of specific serum with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and the medical literature. METHODS: The data were collected using the report notes of the Center for Toxicological Information of the State of Goias. The data on the urban expansion were obtained at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and through Landsat satellite images. RESULTS: In the period of this study the spider accidents in the State of Goias represented 15,91% of the accidents with venomous arthropods, with a total of 659 cases. The two micro regions with the highest occurrence of cases were Goiânia, with 305 cases (46,28%) and the surroundings of Brasilia, with 69 cases (10,47%). There was a higher incidence in the 20 to 39 years age group. The most common region of accident was the foot. The time interval between accident and first medical care, in the majority of the cases, was between one and three hours. Pain was the prevailing symptom, which might be associated with edema, hyperemia and paresthesia, which together with vagal symptoms determine the gravity of the accident. In 214 cases serum therapy was used, and the type of serum was informed in 83.17%. There was use of excessive number of serum ampoules according to the Ministry of Health recommendations in 98,87% of the cases in which these data could be recovered. Among the notified cases, 89,37% evolved to cure. The data did not indicate the spider genus that caused the accidents. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the prevalence of spider accidents is linked to the urban expansion. In general the treatment was satisfactory, with high rate of cure and absence of deaths. There was an unnecessary use of serum and an incorrect number of ampoules in many cases. These data suggest a detachment from the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, which possess clear protocols, from identification of the spider to use of serum according to the gravity of the case.

Recognition of venom fractions from Brazilian coral snakes by antielapid serum

Aims: To investigate whether the antielapid serum produced in Brazil could identify venom fractions from six species of Micrurus, including those in the inoculation pool: Micrurus brasiliensis, M. corallinus, M. frontalis, M. lemniscatus, M. spixii, and M. surinamensis. Methods: The samples belong to the venom bank of the Center for Biological Studies and Research from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Goias, Brazil. The antielapid serum was granted by the Ezequiel Dias Foundation. Both electrophoresis and immunoblotting methods were used. Results: Variability in venom components and in the ability to recognize such components was demonstrated by the antielapid serum. Based on the western-blotting technique, the antielapid serum from Ezequiel Dias Foundation was able to recognize most, but not all the components present in the analyzed venoms. Conclusions: The results suggest restricted efficacy of the antielapid serum, due to its limitations against species from the Amazon region, reinforcing the need for a review of intraspecific and interspecific studies of Micrurus venoms.Aims: To investigate whether the antielapid serum produced in Brazil could identify venom fractions from six species of Micrurus , including those in the inoculation pool: Micrurus brasiliensis , M. corallinus , M. frontalis , M. lemniscatus , M. spixii , and M. surinamensis . Methods: The samples belong to the venom bank of the Center for Biological Studies and Research from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Goias, Brazil. The antielapid serum was granted by the Ezequiel Dias Foundation. Both electrophoresis and immunoblotting methods were used. Results: Variability in venom components and in the ability to recognize such components was demonstrated by the antielapid serum. Conclusions: The results suggest restricted efficacy of the antielapid serum, due to its limitations against species from the Amazon region, reinforcing the need for a review of intraspecific and interspecific studies of Micrurus venoms.