Italo Suassuna

Investigation of the response to the enterobacterial common antigen after typhoid vaccination

Antibodies against the Salmonella typhi enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) and the O and H antigens were investigated in sera from healthy male subjects who had been previously vaccinated with the typhoid vaccine. No serological response to ECA was observed. Sera from subjects not previously vaccinated presented titers of ECA hemagglutinins which quantitatively were related to the presence ofH titers, but not to O agglutinins but with no statistical significance. The results are discussed in relation to the possible protective immunological mechanisms in typhoid fever.

Isolamento de Salmonella typhimurium fermentadora de lactose, em caso autoctone no Rio de Janeiro

This is the first report of infantile gastroenteritis associated with Salmoxadnella typhimurium lactose fermenting organism in Rio de Janeiro. The same organism had became prevalent in the city of Sao Paulo showing similarly a penta resistance pattern to common antibiotics agents but being sensitive to gentamicin, colimicin and the association of sulfametaxazole and trimethoprim. Bacteriological characteristis are discussed with due emphasis on the need of reviving the traditional isolation schedules in order to avoid lack of recognition.

Salmonelose humana e animal em Araraquara, S. Paulo: prevalência de Shigella em casos humanos

After some observations, which indicated a low prevalence of Salmonella infections in the area of Araraquara, S. Paulo, an extended schedule of enrichment and isolation media were applied for investigating the presence of Salmonella organisms in 47 fecal specimens from infantile gastroenterites, 51 stool specimens from animais and 50 food samples of animal origin. Salmonella isolates were obtained in 6,3% of the g astro enter itis cases; 5,8% from animal stool cultures and 8,0% from food stuffs. In the last case only pork liver gave positive results, with no isolations being achieved from beef Products. S. anatum, S. derby and S. daytona were found in descendiny order of frequency. As related to the gastroenteritis cases Shigella organisms were twice as frequent than the Salmonella.

Avaliação do poder seletivo do meio de Rappaport para diversas espécies de enterobactérias

The selective and suppressive mechanism of Rappaports medium as related to the growth of different species of Enterobacteriaceae was evaluated. With the hyperionic medium, which includes 3.6 per cent magnesium chloride, growth of Salmonella typhimurium was suppressed, this specie being inhibited even with a 3.1 per cent concentration of the same compound in the medium. Suppression of growth for the other species was fownd at 1.8 per cent magnesium chloride for the Shigellaei, 2,2% for Escherichia coli, 3,1% for Enterobacter sp., and only when reached 3,6% for Proteus mirabilis. Malachite green, at 0.012 per cent concentration, as in the original medium, was inhibitory for most tested species, with the exclusion of Entercbacter and S. typhimurium. By substituting acid sodium phosphate for the original potassium phosphate, a general decrease of the suppresive characteristic of the medium occurred. The four Shigella species were most sensitive to the magnesium chloride hypertonic solutions, among the enteric organisms tested, and similarly they did not grow in two other hypertonic media with calcium or magnesium thiosulfate, instead.

Níveis de sensibilidade de enterobactérias, em particular Salmonella typhi, a rifamicina S.V.

From the initial investigations on the antibacterial spectrum of rifomycin S.V it was found that, contrary to the high sensitivity of the gram-positive bacteria, most gram-negative rods were relatively resistant to this antibiotic. Nevertheles rifomycin concentrations which inhibited the majority of the biliary tract of man and experimental animals, as rifomycin is concentrated and eliminated through the bile. These facts suggested the need of defining the bacteriostatic and bactericidal levels of rifomycin S.V., against pathogenic gram-negative enteric organisms, because of the importance of the Salmonella carriers and the unsolved problems of their treatment - and since some divergence were found in the few available reports on their sensitivity to rifomycin. Seventy seven strains of Salmonella typhi, and 88 other strains which included representative straign of most groups among the Enterobacteriaceae, were tested. The serial dilution technique in a tryptose- phosphate-glucose- broth was adopted. Most the Escherichia coli, Shigella and Proteus mirabilis cultures were inhibited within the range of 33-65 μg/ml of rifamycin S.V. whereas the mean concentrations for inhibition of most strains of other groups of enteric bacteria including the remaining species of Proteus, Klebsiella and Providencia cultures varied between 65 and 128 μg/ml of rifomycin. For Salmonella and Enterobacter in most cases the minimal inhibitory concentration was 128 μg/ml. More striking differences among the tested bacterial groups were found as related to the bactericidal action of rifomycin S.V. For Shigella and E. coli strains the bacteriostatic and bactericidal concentrations of rifomycin S.V. closely paralleled each other. As to the four Proteus species and Providencia strains, in spite of some variability in most instances the bactericidal concentrations was four times greater than the minimal inhibitory one. Finally, and unfortunately for the above mentioned purposes, in relation to Salmonella (S. typhi included) when given a 6 times large concentraction than the already high minimal inhibitory concentrations observed, such a concentration did not kill the strains tested.

Efeito do glicerol e do telurito de potássio sôbre os grânulos metacromáticos e a morfologia do bacilo diftérico

Due to the importance of an undisturbed conventional morphology of diphteria bacilli for the rapid tentative diagnostic of the infection, a comparative morphologic study of 10 strains of Corynebacterium was done by cultivating them in 16 modifications of four routine media for isolation of diphtheria bacilli. The four basic media corresponded to Loefflers and Pais media, human serum-agar and chocolate-agar (from human blood), to which approximately 7.0 per cent glycerol, 0.04 per cent potassium tellurite, or both glycerol and tellurite, were added. A simple method for adding potassium tellurite to the coagulated serum (Loeffler) and egg (Pai) media was developed. From the results obtained Pais medium seemed most adequate to maintain the typical conventional morphology of diphteria bacilli. Notwithstanding some strain variations, a large enhancement of production of metachromatic granules was shown addition of approximately 7 pepcent glycerol in aU media, with no substantial interference of potassium tellurite in the best suited media in this regard.

Perspectivas da imprensa médica no Brasil

italo Suassuna *O levantamento dos problemas da imxadprensa medica no Brasil seria o passo inixadcial necessario para estabelecerem-se as perspectivas que pudessem fundamentar o seu progresso. A respeito dos periodicos brasileiros, infelizmente nao se dirpoe de uma analise global, a qual, no entanto, e parte de um levantamento realizado sob os auspicios da Uniao Pan-Americana (1) em 1962, sobre publicacoes cientificas e tecxadnicas da America Latina. Essa analise corxadresponde a 950 revistas cientificas sendo que um pouco mais da metade (51%) rexadlaciona-se com as ciencias medicas, enxadquanto que apenas 3 paises — o Brasil (26%), a Argentina (20%) e o Mexico .. (13%) — contribuem com quase 60 por cento do total de revistas.No conjunto analisado verifica-se que 74% das revistas incluem relatos originais, se bem que, em muitos casos, apenas um ou dois artigos por numero. Trinta (30) por cento das revistas possuem menos de 50 paginas por numero e apenas 1/3 do numero total apresenta um indice por voxadlume . Sobre esse aspecto, e comentado que “a preparacao de indices e um dos processos que exigem mais tecnica e maioxadres custos em uma revista, pelo que, a baixa proporcao das que atendem a esse requis;to, reflete, sem duvida, os orcamenxadtos reduzidos e as limitacoes dos corpos de redacao de muitas delas”.Se bem possa ser comprovado qr.e o inxadgles tornou-se a lingua predominante nas comunicacoes cientificas em biologia t quejunto ao frances e ao alemao corresponxaddem a mais de 75% ent^-e 3 500 period - cos de biologia (2) verifica-se que 99% das publicacoes latino-americanas sao feitas em um so id.oma, obviamente o espanhol ou o portugues, os quais, segunxaddo informacoes disponive.s para os Estaxaddos Unidos, apenas 11% dos homens de ciencia confessam conhecer (2). Noventa (90) por cento das revistas latino-americaxadnas pertencem a uma instiuicao, p?lo que justifica-se que 44% so aceitam contribuixadcoes dos membros das organizacoes a que pertencem. Irregularidades e atrasos de publicacao sao surpreend das em mais de 1/4 das revistas mensais, mas tambem paxaddecem das mesmas irregularidades as puxadblicacoes arua^. No estudo em que vimos colhendo estes dados (1) comenta-se que, de forma caracteristica, o corpo de redaxadcao desses periodicos e extremamente rexadduzido: selecao, correcao de artigos e ouxadtras funcoes editoriais, cabem a professoxadres e homens de ciencia em tempo livre e amiude gratuitamente. Assim sendo, ja nao pode causar espanto que apenas 2/5 das revistas latino-americanas sejam considexadradas por, ao menos, um dos servicos inxadternacionais de indices e resumos sendo menos de 1/10 as que alcancam ser consi- d^rad^s