First Confirmed Diagnosis of Nocardioform Placentitis (Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis) in South America.

Nocardioform placentitis is a pathologically unique form of placental disease first diagnosed in central Kentucky in the mid-80s. Since then, the occurrence of nocardioform placentitis in the region has varied over the years, from sporadic cases to outbreaks. The disease has been sporadically detected in other countries and has not been confirmed in South America.

Cacipacore virus as an emergent mosquito-borne Flavivirus.

Introduction:: Cacipacore virus (CPCV), a possible bird-associated flavivirus, has yet to be detected in mosquitoes. Our purpose is examining CPCV in mosquitoes from the Amazon region of Brazil.

Methods:: Approximately 3,253 Culicidae (grouped into 264 pools) were collected from the Amazon region during 2002-2006 and analyzed using a Flavivirus genus-specific reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction followed by nested polymerase chain reaction assay and by nucleotide sequencing of amplicons.

A real-time RT-PCR for rapid detection and quantification of mosquito-borne alphaviruses.

Mosquito-borne alphaviruses are widely distributed throughout the world, causing important human illnesses. Therefore, the development of methods to enable early diagnosis of infections by alphavirus is essential. We show here the development and evaluation of a quantitative real-time RT-PCR using genus-specific primers to the nsP1 viral gene of all mosquito-borne alphaviruses.

A real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for detection and quantification of Vesiculovirus.

Vesiculoviruses (VSV) are zoonotic viruses that cause vesicular stomatitis disease in cattle, horses and pigs, as well as sporadic human cases of acute febrile illness. Therefore, diagnosis of VSV infections by reliable laboratory techniques is important to allow a proper case management and implementation of strategies for the containment of virus spread. We show here a sensitive and reproducible real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection and quantification of VSV.

Detection of hantavirus in bats from remaining rain forest in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: The significant biodiversity found in Brazil is a potential for the emergence of new zoonoses. Study in some places of the world suggest of the presence to hantavirus in tissues of bats. Researches of hantavirus in wildlife, out rodents, are very scarce in Brazil.