Natália Berne Pinto

Evaluation of the transcription of interleukin-12 in the intestinal mucosa of mice subjected to experimental toxocariasis and supplemented with Saccharomyces boulardii

• Was evaluate the expression the IL-12 in the intestinal mucosa of mice inoculated with T. canis larvae, and supplemented or not with S. boulardii .

Intestinal parasites in cancer patients in the South of Brazil

Intestinal parasitic infections in immunocompromised patients can lead to serious complications when not diagnosed and treated early. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of intestinal parasites in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the South of Brazil. Three fecal samples collected from each patient (73 individuals) were processed by Ritchie and Faust techniques and submitted to specific staining methods for intestinal protozoa. A 61.6% parasite and/or commensal positivity was found. Helminths identified were Ascaris lumbricoides (33.3%), Taenia spp. (6.6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (4.4%) and Trichuris trichiura (2.2%). Among protozoans, Giardia lamblia (26.6%), Cryptosporidium spp. (13.3%) and Cystoisospora belli (4.4%) were identified. The presence of Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana and Entamoeba hartmanni was also recorded. The results obtained warn of the importance of fecal parasitological diagnosis and the use of specific staining methods for the detection of intestinal parasites in cancer patients. These exams should be regularly requested at the patients first clinic visit, given the high prevalence found in this study and the possible severity of such conditions for these individuals.Intestinal parasitic infections in immunocompromised patients can lead to serious complications when not diagnosed and treated early. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of intestinal parasites in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the South of Brazil. Three fecal samples collected from each patient (73 individuals) were processed by Ritchie and Faust techniques and submitted to specific staining methods for intestinal protozoa. A 61.6% parasite and/or commensal positivity was found. Helminths identified were Ascaris lumbricoides (33.3%), Taenia spp. (6.6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (4.4%) and Trichuris trichiura (2.2%). Among protozoans, Giardia lamblia (26.6%), Cryptosporidium spp. (13.3%) and Cystoisospora belli (4.4%) were identified. The presence of Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana and Entamoeba hartmanni was also recorded. The results obtained warn of the importance of fecal parasitological diagnosis and the use of specific staining methods for the detection of intestinal parasites in cancer patients. These exams should be regularly requested at the patients first clinic visit, given the high prevalence found in this study and the possible severity of such conditions for these individuals.

Detection of Toxocara canis DNA in tissues of experimentally infected mice

The main etiological agent of toxocariasis is the helminth Toxocara canis. Several difficulties are found in the diagnosis of this disease, because of nonspecific clinical signs and possible cross-reactions that may occur in the available test, the indirect ELISA. Therefore, molecular diagnosis has been indicated as an alternative to conventional diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the identification of T. canis in tissues of experimentally infected mice. To this end, nine mice were inoculated with 1500 embryonated eggs and were divided into two groups, the first euthanized 48 h (G1) and the other 30 days post inoculation (G2). Lungs, brain, liver and blood were collected from all the animals for DNA Extraction and tissue digestion, also was collected blood samples for DNA extraction and ELISA test (serum). Toxocara canis DNA was identified in all the inoculated animals using the ITS-2 target gene. The PCR test successfully identified the parasite in the brain, lung and liver of the animals euthanized 48 h PI and 30 days PI. This technique yielded good results in the identification of the parasite in the brain, being more sensitive than the method for the recovery of larvae, in the group with acute infection (48 h PI). The infection was confirmed by PCR within 48 h after infection, while the ELISA indicated serological conversion occurred only 14 days after inoculation. This study demonstrates the ability of PCR to identify T. canis in the liver, lungs and brain during acute and chronic infection.

Controlling gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle by Bacillus species

In this study, we tested the in vitro and in vivo larvicidal activity of Bacillus species against gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle, and their viability in the presence of anthelmintics. For in vitro tests, cattle feces naturally infected with trichostrongylides were incubated with spore suspensions of Bacillus circulans (Bcir), B. thuringiensis var. osvaldocruzi (Bto), B. thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) or B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk). Subsequently, residual larvae were counted and identified. All of the Bacillus species showed 60% or more larvicidal effects. Bcir and Bti were selected to be incubated with anthelmintics (moxidectin, nitroxynil and levamisole), and after 24, 72, and 144h, their viability was evaluated. Bti showed highest drug resistance, maintaining a concentration of 1×107CFU/mL. Based on this result, Bti was selected for in vivo tests on calves naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. The calves were dived into four groups: Group 1, Bti suspension of ∼1×109CFU orally administered; Group 2, Bti suspension of ∼1×109CFU orally administered with levamisole (subcutaneously, 150mg); Group 3, only levamisole (subcutaneously, 150mg), and Group 4 untreated. Then 24 and 48h after treatment, larvae numbers were counted. We observed a reduction of 84%, 100%, and 100% after 48h of treatment, respectively, for Groups 1, 2 and 3 treatments in comparison with the untreated. The tested Bacillus species showed larvicidal activity against bovine trichostrongylides, and its association with anthelmintics. It may serve as a promising integrated alternative for control of gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle.