Janaina Miranda

Effect of aggressive prolonged diethylcarbamazine therapy on circulating antigen levels in bancroftian filariasis.

BACKGROUND Single dose diethylcarbamazine (DEC) as used in control programmes is effectively microfilaricidal for periods of up to a year or more but has incomplete ability to kill Wuchereria bancrofti adult parasites. These regimens can be effective in breaking transmission by suppression of circulating microfilariae available to mosquito vectors. Whether prolonged or aggressive therapy with DEC has a significant effect on adult worms, which may live up to 12 years or more, and is important in the context of the treatment of individual patients, is still incompletely understood.

Field trial of a rapid card test for Wuchereria bancrofti

Vol 350 • December 6, 1997 1681 2 Strategies for control of lymphatic filariasis infections and disease: report of a WHO/CTD/TDR consultative meeting held at the Universiti Sains, Penang, Malaysia, Aug 22–24, 1994. Geneva: WHO, 1994: (TDR/CTD/FIL/Penang/94.1). 3 Weil GJ, Lammie PJ, Weiss N. The ICT filariasis test: a rapid format antigen test for diagnosis of bancroftian filariasis. Parasitology Today 1997; 13: 401–04. 4 Maciel A, Rocha A, Belizia K, et al. Epidemiological study of bancroftian filariasis in Recife, Northeastern Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 1996; 91: 449–55. 5 Freedman DO, de Almeida PJ, Besh S, et al. Abnormal lymphatic function in presymptomatic bancroftian filariasis. J Infect Dis 1995; 171: 997–1001.

Bancroftian filariasis in an endemic area of Brazil: differences between genders during puberty

Gender differences in susceptibility to infectious diseases have been observed in various studies. A survey was performed in a bancroftian filariasis endemic area in the city of Olinda, Brazil. All residents aged 5 years or older were examined by thick blood film. People aged 9 to 16 years were interviewed and also tested for filarial antigenaemia. Data were analyzed by contingency table methods and regression models. The risk of microfilaraemia for males was significantly higher. Among those aged 9 to 16 years, the analysis of gender and filariasis by age showed that boys from 15 to 16 years had a higher risk of infection than girls. No association was found between menarche and filariasis in girls. The data suggest that variations between gender in filariasis could result, at least in part, from an increase in susceptibility of men. This epidemiologic feature needs to be considered while formulating elimination plans.

Observações sobre calazar em Jacobina, Bahia. VI - Investigações sobre reservatórios silvestres e comensais

From 1982 to 1986, investigations on the natural infection with leishmanias of the sylvatic and commensal mammals were carried out around the city of Jacobina, Bahia, one of the oldest endemic foci of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. The species of Marsupialia Didelphis albiventris predominated, with the rate of 44%, over the total of 213 specimens belonging to only 11 different species of mammals collected there. Among the 84 specimens of D. albiventris examined, 2(2.3%) were infected with Leishmania donovani sensu lato; 1 with L. mexicana amazonensis, 1 with L. braziliensis sub species, and 3 with Trypanosoma cruzi. Also, amastigote suspected bodies were seen in the smears of spleens and livers of 3 Dasyprocta aguti, 1 Cercomys cunnicularius and 1 Oryzomys sp. Although strengthened by some epidemiological evidences, such as specific predominancy, peri domestic and domestic occurrence, attractivenessfor the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis and the concomitancy with human cases of visceral leishmaniasis at the same place, the low rate of the natural infection of D. marsupialis still do not allow a definitive conclusion that the oppossum is a primary and the most important reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis in Jacobina.

Perfil protéico e reconhecimento antigênico de extratos de larvas infectantes (L3) de Wuchereria bancrofti

A study of protein characterization and recognition of the antigenic profile was accomplished in extracts of infective larvae (L3) from Wuchereria bancrofti. Two proteins of relative molecular weight of 49 and 55 kDa were recognized as antigenic in all extracts by the tested sera. The secretory/excretory antigen presented the largest number of recognized bands (105, 100, 76, 55, 49, 39 and 32 kDa) followed by the somatic antigen (100, 76, 55 and 49 kDa) when incubated with pools of sera from healthy individuals resident in endemic areas (normal endemics). Human sera and parasitized blood used to infect mosquitoes in order to obtain L3, were collected from microfilaraemic individuals living in a filariasis endemic area. From 792 persons screened with the thick smear technique, 87 (11%) were positive. No statistical significance was observed between genders. The group between 11 and 19 years of age presented higher percentage of infection (36.8%).