Parasitic encephalitis caused by Stephanurus dentatus in a pig in Brazil

A pig was in left lateral recumbency with limb spasticity, accentuated prostration, and strabismus, and was euthanized. During autopsy, yellowing of the leptomeninges at the ventral pons to medulla oblongata was noted. In the cerebellar peduncles, there was a focally extensive black-to-yellow area at the level of the vestibular nuclei. Histologic examination revealed a cross-section of a nematode larva, consistent with Stephanurus dentatus, bordered by edema and marked infiltration of mononuclear cells, plasma cells, and a few eosinophils. Vacuolation of the neuropil, with rare gitter cells and axonal spheroids, was also observed. We diagnosed parasitic encephalitis caused by S. dentatus migration based on the pathology findings and characterization of the parasite.

AN OPHTHALMOLOGIC CASE OF DIROFILARIASIS: CLINICAL ASPECTS, DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION

Objective: to characterize the macroscopic diagnosis, sources of infection, and ways of prevention using the example of an ophthalmic case of dirofilariasis. Material and methods. The work presents an ophthalmologic case of dirofilariasis in a 27 year-old female patient and describes the macroscopic diagnosis of helminthiasis. Results. The article deals with actual issues of one of the transmissible zoonotic biohelminthiasis - human dirofilariasis. It gives a historical perspective of the disease and the data about the frequency of dirofilariasis in Belarus. The article describes a clinical case of human dirofilariasis in Gomel first caused by hypodermic migration of nematode larva and then by parasitization of the conjunctiva by an adult nematode. The male Dirofilaria repens was found and identified in the female patient. The fact of local infection was established, morphological diagnostic features of the helminth were defined. Preventive measures were recommended. Conclusion. In Gomel, dirofilariasis has a sporadic character, but some cases of indigenous infection can be found. Further studies of the epidemiology of the disease are required.

Morphological and molecular diagnosis of Pseudoterranova decipiens (sensu stricto) (Anisakidae) in imported cod sold in Brazil

An anisakid nematode larva found in cod sold in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy and by a molecular approach. Mitochondrial cytochrome c-oxidase subunit 2 (mtDNA cox-2), 28S rRNA and ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 regions were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of the larva. The genetic profile confirmed that this larva belongs to the species Pseudoterranova decipiens (sensu stricto). This is the first molecular and ultrastructural study of Pseudoterranova decipiens (sensu stricto) in imported cod sold in Brazil. The health implications of these findings are discussed.

Lesions in the liver of guinea-pigs infected with the swine lungworm, Metastrongylus apri

Clear spot lesions were formed on the liver surface in guinea-pigs repeatedly infected with swine lungworm, Metastrongylus apri. The largest lesion, measuring 0.25 cm in diameter, was hard and yellow and showed a large granuloma in the lobule. The nematode larva was located at the centre of the lesion. This finding is likely to be an example of erratic parasitism in guinea-pigs with metastrongylidiasis.

Preliminary Entomological and Parasitological Studies in Humboldt, Aripuanã, Mato Grosso State, Brazil.

ABSTRACT The preliminary results are given of studies on the sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in forest surrounding the Humboldt Research Centre, Municipio of Aripuanã, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. A total of 712 sandflies were obtained, including 26 different species: of these, 387 were caught off human bait; 317 from tree-trunks; 4 in a malaise-trap; 3 in rodent baited oil traps; and 1 in a light-trap. Man-biting species were absent or very rare during studies in the dry season (August and September, 1974), but relatively abundant at the end of the rainy season (June, 1975): this suggests a seasonal transmission of leishmaniasis. The species at present known as Lutzomyia anduzei of Floch & Abonnenc (1942) was a major man-biter, this species is an important vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in North Pará, Brazil, and could be responsible for transmission in Aripuanã. Among a total of 349 female sandflies dissected, promastigote flagellates were found in 2 Lutzomyia yuilli; epimastigote flagellates in 1 L. yuilli; a microsporidian in Psychodopygus (1) complexus; a gregarine, probably Monocystis chagasi, in P. davisi; and a nematode larva in P. complexus. Inoculation of the promastigote flagellates into the skin of hamsters failed to give Leishmania infections: possibly they were developmental stages of some other parasite. Two research workers of Project RADAM acquired cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Humboldt area; and 6 cases of malaria were diagnosed, 3 due to P. falciparum and 3 to P. vivax. Transmission of malaria was shown to be taking place in the camp site itself. Finally, man-biting "black-flies" (Diptera: Simuliidae) were found to be a serious problem, necessitating constant use of insect repellent.