Epidemiology of canine visceral leishmaniasis in a vulnerable region in Brazil

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected and endemic zoonosis that occurs throughout Brazil; nevertheless, few studies have focused on the early detection of the disease. The municipality of Ourinhos is a non-receptive, silent and vulnerable area for VL, where the seroprevalence of this disease has so far not been investigated. The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of canine VL in Ourinhos-SP, and to identify the presence of risk factors. Blood samples were obtained from 604 dogs during a rabies vaccination campaign together with application of a socioeconomic questionnaire, environmental and animal characteristics and tutor's knowledge about the disease. The samples were subjected to indirect ELISA and new samples were collected from reactive and suspect animals, including whole blood and lymph node aspiration evaluated by parasitological method, complete blood count and PCR. No animal was diagnosed as positive based on the combination of direct and indirect tests and the tutors' answers indicated little knowledge about leishmaniasis, being often confused with other diseases transmitted by arthropods; hence, according to the proposed methods, the presence of canine leishmaniasis in the city of Ourinhos was not confirmed and health education campaigns about the disease should be carried out.

Role of Exocrine and Endocrine Insufficiency in the Management of Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis

Background: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency results from the destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma and is diagnosed by using direct or indirect tests, both of which have shortcomings. Chronic pancreatitis is the most frequent cause of this pathology in adults. Methods: Patients meeting radiological or histological diagnostic criteria of chronic pancreatitis are enrolled and the stool elastase test is conducted, considering fecal elastase levels >200 µg/g to represent normal pancreatic function, and levels <200 μg/g to indicate the presence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Additionally, we determine the body mass index of the patients and study their nutritional status and main biochemical and hematological variables, including their glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Results: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is detected in 60% of the patients. Among these, 83.3% are severe cases, and 72% of the latter also are diagnosed with endocrine pancreatic insufficiency (diabetes mellitus). During the nutritional status study, HbA1c levels are significantly higher, and magnesium and prealbumin levels are significantly lower in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency than in those without this disease. Conclusions: Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency are highly prevalent among patients with chronic pancreatitis and an early diagnosis of these diseases is vital to improve the clinical management of these patients and reduce their risk of mortality.

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF SUB-CLINICAL MASTITIS IN LACTATING BLACK BENGAL GOATS DETECTED BY USING INDIRECT AND DIRECT METHODS OF SOMATIC CELL COUNT IN BANGLADESH

Background: Sub-clinical mastitis (SCM) has been reported to be more widely prevalent than clinical mastitis (CM) in lactating dairy animals and associated with heavy economic losses with changes in quality and quantities of milk worldwide. Several indirect and direct methods of Somatic cell count (SCC) are used to detect SCM in dairy animals but reports on their comparative evaluation are very limited in inland literature especially in goats. Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the comparative efficacy of different indirect tests with direct microscopic milk SCC (DMMSCC) to detect the prevalence of SCM in lactating goats of smallholder and organized goat farms with their associated risk factors in Bangladesh Materials and Methods: Milk samples were collected aseptically from both halves (n = 140) of each of 70 apparently healthy lactating Black Bengal goats (BBG) at different stages of lactation from Rajshahi Goat Development Farm (RGDF; n = 20) and smallholder farms (n = 50) of adjacent villages of the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) campus, Mymensingh during the period from July 2010 to June 2011. The White side test (WST), Surf field mastitis test (SFMT), California mastitis test (CMT) and DMMSCC were used to diagnose the SCM in milk samples as per instructions of the diagnostic methods. The potential risk factors associated with the prevalence of SCM were analyzed using multiple regression and uni-variable logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall an average of 30.0% prevalence of SCM was recorded in this study irrespective of the method used. The comparative evaluation of four milk screening tests for SCM showed higher efficacy with the WST (32.0%) and CMT (31.43%) in comparison to SFMT (28.0%) and DMMSCC (26.0%). The significantly higher prevalence of SCM was recorded in late lactation (37.90%), long teat (44.40%) and shortest teat end to floor distance (33.30%) in lactating goats. Uni-variable logistic regression analysis depicted that SCM was more prevalent in does with increased age, parity and during winter season. Conclusions: This study recorded comparatively higher efficacy with WST and CMT in comparison to SFMT and DMMSCC to detect SCM in lactating goats. It may be concluded that either WST or CMT along with bacterial culture of milk samples are required for accurate diagnosis of SCM in goats. Moreover, it may also be suggested to test the milk samples simultaneously of both the haves of lactating goats by using a single test to compare their results between the half for the detection of SCM. Some risk factors are found associated with the prevalence of SCM in goats and therefore, effective measures need to be required to improve these risk factors in both goat development farm and smallholder farm levels to control caprine mastitis in Bangladesh. Keywords: Black Bengal goats, Sub-clinical mastitis, Prevalence, Indirect tests, Direct somatic cell count, Goat farm, Smallholder farmers, Risk factors

Indirect and Neuropsychological Indicators of Pedophilia

The present study aimed to differentiate pedophilic child sex offenders (CSOs) from nonoffending controls (CTLs), as well as contact from noncontact CSOs. For this purpose, we investigated 21 contact CSOs, 20 noncontact CSOs (child pornography offenders), as well as 21 CTLs on neuropsychological test measures and indirect test measures of sexual interest. Multiple logistic regression models showed that three parameters of indirect tests and two neuropsychological test parameters allowed the differentiation of CSOs from CTLs with a maximum accuracy of 87%. The profile of contact and noncontact CSOs was remarkably similar and the optimal model for this group differentiation had a maximum accuracy of 66%, with slightly increased levels of risk-taking behavior and greater susceptibility for perceptual interference in contact CSOs than in noncontact CSOs. The findings suggest that standardized, objective methods can support the assessment of sexual offenders against children in forensic psychiatry and legal psychology.

Nasopharyngeal and Oropharyngeal Swabs, And/Or Serology for SARS COVID-19: What Are We Looking For?

Governments and clinicians that were fully involved in the dramatic SARS-CoV-2 outbreak during the last few weeks in Italy (and more or less all over the world) are fiercely debating the use of methods for screening this viral infection. Thus, all countries are employing a lot of resources in order to test more and more subjects. For this purpose, there are different strategies, based on either direct or indirect tests. Among the first category, the main assays used for SARS-CoV-2 are based on a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Such tests can be performed on nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for the categories of those with symptoms and those potentially exposed. In order to integrate the molecular assays in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, a wide range of serology immunoassays (IAs) have also been developed. If we want to identify “immune” people in order to let them to come back to work, serology is the best (and probably the only) approach.

Immunological assays for SARS-CoV-2: an analysis of available commercial tests to measure antigen and antibodies

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection has led to the development of molecular and serologic tests in a short period of time. While tests such as RT-PCR have applications in the immediate diagnosis revealing the presence of the virus, serological tests can be used to determine previous exposure to the virus and complement acute diagnosis. Antibody production can occur as early as 5 days post-infection. Both IgM and IgG specific anti-SARS-COV-2 antibodies can be a useful tool to test faster and larger groups of individuals. The objective of this study was to carry out a review of the different serological tests offered to detect antigen or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This information should be useful for decision takers in different countries to choose a test according to their needs. Based on web pages that listed serological assays, we found 226 coming from 20 countries, the majority are indirect tests for specific antibodies detection (n 180) and use immunochromatography methods (n 110) with samples coming from blood-derived products (n 105). Measuring IgM/IgG at the same time (n 112) and a procedure time of <20 min (n 83) are the most common. The overall average sensitivity was 91.8% and specificity was 97%. Most of the tests are currently for in vitro diagnosis (IVD). This information gathered could change day by day due to the expedite process of production and emergency of authorization use.

A 2,000-year-old specimen with intraerythrocytic Bartonella quintana

ABSTRACTPhotogrammetry and cascading microscopy investigations of dental pulp specimens collected from 2,000-year-old individuals buried in a Roman necropolis in Besançon, France, revealed unprecedented preserved tissular and cellular morphology. Photogrammetry yielded 3-D images of the smallest archaeological human remain ever recovered. Optical microscopy examinations after standard hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron staining and anti-glycophorin A immunohistochemistry exposed dental pulp cells, in addition erythrocytes were visualized by electron microscopy, which indicated that the ancient dental pulp trapped a blood drop. Fluorescence in situ hybridization applied on red blood cells revealed the louse-borne pathogen Bartonella quintana, a finding confirmed by polymerase chain reaction assays. Through paleohistology and paleocytology, we demonstrate that ancient dental pulp preserved intact blood cells at the time of the individual’s death, offering an unprecedented opportunity to engage in direct and indirect tests to diagnose pathogens in ancient buried individuals.

The Role of Phosphatidylinositol Mannosides in the Serological Diagnosis of Mycobacterial Infections

Accurate diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, such as bovine tuberculosis and paratuberculosis, remains challenging. Available direct diagnostic tests aimed at detecting the pathogen are highly specific but lack sensitivity, depending on the stage of infection and the prevalence of infection in a population. The sensitivity of indirect diagnostic assays that measure the host immune response to infection is similarly affected by disease characteristics. The choice of antigen used to detect a host response to infection has a critical impact on test sensitivity and specificity. Many indirect tests rely on crude antigen preparations and cell-free extracts, of which the production is poorly standardized. Moreover, these preparations contain ample uncharacterized cross-reactive compounds. To enhance serological test specificity, existing assays depend on the pre-treatment of samples and a relatively high cut-off value, that in turn influences test sensitivity. Research therefore focuses on the identification of more specific, defined antigens to improve diagnostics. In the current study, we extracted phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs) and investigated their potential use in antibody-based tests. Our results demonstrate that specific IgG class antibodies are generated against PIMs in cows, but this is unrelated to tuberculosis or paratuberculosis infection status, making these antigens unsuitable for diagnostic applications. In addition, we demonstrate that PIMs are widely present in crude antigen preparations and in serum pre-absorption buffer. Our results indicate that PIMs are cross-reactive compounds with immunodominant B cell epitopes that could impair serological test specificity.