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The article discusses a study which investigated the occurrence of the parasite Chloroscombrus chrysurus captured in the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte Brazil. It presents parasitological indices of the gill parasite and the prevalence of monogenean parasites in the fills of fishes sampled in various ecosystems. The level of infestation by monogenean gill parasites is also discussed.

Background: The milk production chain is an important component of the agribusiness in Western Santa Catarina, Brazil. However, this activity is facing problems regarding health of the herd that are often difficult to control because they can be caused by different etiologic agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The damage caused by endoparasites may occur directly and indirectly, reflecting on weight gain, milk production, expenses with antiparasitic drugs, and mortality of untreated animals. To minimize these losses, all properties should implement a strategic program to monitor the herd. As a result, the objective of this study was to monitor dairy cattle properties from the West of Santa Catarina, by collecting information about the herd and parasitological stool examinations. Materials, Methods & Results: This study was conducted on farms from 12 cities of the Western region of Santa Catarina state during the months of November and December of 2010 and January and February of 2011 (summer). The study included 23 properties that have part of their farm income from dairy cattle activity; these animals had not been treated with anti-parasitic for at least 30 days. To assist research, a questionnaire was given to the farmers. For parasitological examination, fecal material was collected from at least 20% of the herd up to 100%, that is, was standardized the analysis of 8-10 samples per property for the McMaster technique using saturated salt solution to determine the degree of infection (EPG: eggs per gram of faeces). The total number of cows present in the properties was 648 animals, and of these 569 was lactating. All properties fed their animals with cultivated pasture and ration, whose amount ranged between 1 to 8 kg ration/day according to the productivity. In the interview, it was found that 100% of properties used anti-helmintic treatment. Of these, 70% of all treatments were performed usually with six months of interval and 75% conducted antiparasite rotations. Stool examination showed that only five farms had animals positive for gastrointestinal parasites the of Trichostrongylidae family (degree of infection between 100-300 EPG). Therefore, from 215 samples processed only 11 were positive for helminth eggs, which correspond to 5.16%. Discussion: Cattle raised on natural pastures and raised in Brazil are exposed to infection by larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes. The occurrence and distribution of endoparasites present regional and seasonal variations. Young animals are generally more susceptible to helminths, however, adult animals may be involved in situations such as post-partum, in association with other diseases, high exposure to the agent and stress conditions, like during the lactation period during the summer. Milk production has gained importance in rural properties of West Santa Catarina and in recent years has modernized and invested in technology and genetics. Based on the data it is possible to conclude that the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in dairy cows, in the summer, is low. This fact can be attributed to efficient parasite control achieved by owners; by adult animals with good immunity and probably low exposure to parasites in the environment due the excellent parasite control with drugs, held by owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protective factors associated with atopy or asthma in rural areas include socioeconomic level, overcrowding, and helminth infection. However, little epidemiological information was originated from schistosomiasis areas. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with asthma in a schistosomiasis endemic area. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographics, socioeconomic, and environmental features. The ISAAC questionnaire was used to identify individuals with asthma. Parasitological exam was done in all participants and skin prick test to aeroallergens in all asthmatics. Prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection was 57.4% and Ascaris lumbricoides, 30.8%. Asthma was found in 13.1% of the population, and 35.1% of them had a positive SPT. Active and passive smoking was positively associated with asthma, whereas A. lumbricoides was negatively associated. In a schistosomiasis hyperendemic region, current infection with A. lumbricoides is protective against asthma. However, we cannot rule out the involvement of S. mansoni infection in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is recognizable by characteristic signs of disease and is highly lethal. The infection, however, may be quite inapparent in some seropositive dogs, and this has raised the polemic question as to whether or not such animals can be a source of infection for Lutzomyia longipalpis, the vector of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). In this study we have examined 51 dogs with acute CVL from an AVL area in Pará State, northern Brazil, and compared the parasite density, amastigotes of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi, in the skin, lymph node and viscera of symptomatic with that of nine asymptomatic but seropositive dogs (IFAT-IgG). Post-mortem biopsy fragments of these tissues were processed by immunohistochemistry, using a polyclonal antibody against Leishmania sp. The X2 and Mann Whitney tests were used to evaluate the means of infected macrophage density (p < 0.05). There was no difference (p > 0.05) in the skin (10.7/mm2 x 15.5/mm2) and lymph node (6.3/mm2 x 8.3/mm2), between asymptomatic and symptomatic dogs, respectively. It was higher (p < 0.05), however, in the viscera of symptomatic (5.3/mm2) than it was in asymptomatic (1.4/mm2) dogs. These results strongly suggest that asymptomatic or symptomatic L. (L.) i. chagasi-infected dogs can serve as a source of infection, principally considering the highest (p < 0.05) parasite density from skin (10.7/mm2 x 15.5/mm2), the place where the vetor L. longipalpis takes its blood meal, compared with those from lymph node (6.3/mm2 x 8.3/mm2) and viscera (1.4/mm2 x 5.3/mm2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo is the property of Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: In the city of Salvador, a large urban centre in Northeast Brazil, a city-wide sanitation intervention started in 1997, aimed at improving the sewerage coverage of households from 26% to 80%. Our aim was to study the impact of the intervention on the prevalence and incidence of geohelminths in the school-aged population. Methods: The study comprised two comparable cohorts: the first assembled in 1997, before the intervention, and thesecond assembled in 2003, after the intervention. Both were sampled from 24 sentinel areas chosen to represent the different environmental conditions throughout the city. Copro-parasitological examinations were carried out on everyindividual from both cohorts, at baseline and nine months later. Demographic, socio-economic, and environmental data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and environmental surveys. A hierarchical modelling approach fitting a sequence of Poisson multivariate linear models was undertaken to test the effect of the intervention variables on the prevalence and incidence rate ratios. Findings: 729 and 890 children aged 7-14 years (mean = 10.4 y, SD = 0.05 y) were analysed over the first and the second cohorts, respectively. The adjusted reductions of the prevalence and incidence rates at the second in relation to the first cohort were 27% and 34%, 25% and 32%, 33% and 26%, and 82% and 42% for geohelminths overall, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm, respectively. Hierarchical modelling showed that a major part of each of these reductions was explained by the intervention. Conclusion: Our results show that a city-wide sanitation program may reduce significantly the prevalence and incidence of geohelminths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the ecological aspects of metazoan endoparasites of Metynnis lippincottianus from the Upper Paraná River floodplain in Brazil. Of the 44 specimens of M. lippincottianus, 72.7 percent of fishes were infected by at least one species of helminth endoparasites, including Dadayus pacupeva, Spinoxyuris oxydoras, Contracaecum, Procamallanus inopinatus and Raphidascaris mahnerti. It was also observed that the parasite community was dominated by D. pacupeva and S. oxydoras having the highest values of prevalence, mean density and abundance. Findings reveal the potential of aggregation as a life strategy of the parasite to maximize fitness as well as the absence of correlation between parasitism and sex.

The article identifies the diverse and atypical genotypes in Toxoplasma gondii in unwanted dogs in São Paolo, Brazil. The prevalence of T. gondii in 118 unwanted dogs was determined using antibodies assayed by the modified agglutination test. The results confirm the previous findings that toxoplasma gondii population genetics is highly diverse in Brazil.

Presents morphological and molecular evidence of the third group of ticks in Rondonia, Brazil representing the taxon Amblyomma latepunctatum. Collection of specimens; Number of tick species in Brazil; Examination of the collections of A. scalpturatum and A. incisum deposited in various tick collections.

The article studies the variation of gastrointestinal helminth fauna varies according to the age and sex of Enyalius perditus by researchers from Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study also discusses the ecological and behavioral significance of the relationship. The identified species include Strongyluris oscari, Oswaldocruzia subauricularis and Aplectana vellardi. The study concluded that the largest numbers of nematodes occurred in the caecum and large intestine.