Invasive infections by group A Streptococcus infections in Brazil: a pediatric case series.

Objective: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) are Gram-positive cocci that colonize the nasopharynx and/or skin and in rare cases may cause severe invasive infections. Although these infections decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries have observed an increased number of invasive GAS (iGAS) diseases in recent years. The objective of this study was to describe a series of iGAS diseases in a referral hospital for the treatment of pediatric infectious disease in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, between September 2022 and August 2023.

Evaluation of different cut-off points for IgG avidity and IgM in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women participating in a congenital toxoplasmosis screening program.

The main social impact of toxoplasmosis stems from its ability to be vertically transmitted. Postnatally acquired infection is generally asymptomatic in approximately 70-90% of cases, making diagnosis often dependent on laboratory tests using serological methods to search for anti-T. gondii antibodies.

Maternal and perinatal risk factors associated with congenital syphilis.

Objective: Mother-to-child transmission of syphilis remains an important global public health problem. Untreated intrauterine infection may result in adverse events for the fetus or newborn (NB). Maternal risk factors, such as prenatal care, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, significantly impact the likelihood of vertical transmission of syphilis.

Psychometric properties of CVFQ7-BR-toxo to evaluate vision-related quality of life in children with congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil.

Purpose: The high prevalence and severity of congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil, with several affected individuals progressing to low vision, emphasize the importance of evaluating their quality of life. In this study, the Children's Visual Function Questionnaire (CVFQ) was adapted to the sociocultural context of Brazilian children, and its psychometric properties were investigated for evaluating the vision-related quality of life of these individuals.

Methods: This was a nested cross-sectional epidemiological study that prospectively monitored a cohort of 142 preschool children at a single referral university hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and visceral leishmaniasis in children: a series of cases and literature review.

Objective: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome (HLHS) is characterized by an immunological hyperactivation of cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages, leading to the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. HLHS associated with Visceral Leishmaniasis might be difficult to diagnose once symptoms are similar, resulting in the death of untreated patients. Our aim is to describe a series of cases of Visceral Leishmaniasis with HLHS admitted to a referral hospital for infectious diseases.

High Frequency of Bone Marrow Depression During Congenital Toxoplasmosis Therapy in a Cohort of Children Identified by Neonatal Screening in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Background: There are few studies reporting frequency and control of adverse events associated with congenital toxoplasmosis treatment. The objective of this study is to describe treatment adherence and adverse hematologic events in a cohort of children identified with congenital toxoplasmosis in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Methods: Children were treated with sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine and folinic acid and were evaluated clinically and by laboratory tests at regular intervals.

Adverse socioeconomic conditions and oocyst-related factors are associated with congenital toxoplasmosis in a population-based study in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Objective: Congenital toxoplasmosis is a public health problem in Brazil. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with congenital toxoplasmosis in Minas Gerais which is the second largest Brazilian State based on number of inhabitants, and its territorial extension is larger than that of France.

Methods: Population-based case-control study to assess the association between congenital toxoplasmosis and maternal exposure to infection risk factors.

Association between IgG subclasses against Toxoplasma gondii and clinical signs in newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between clinical signs of congenital toxoplasmosis and IgG subclasses found in newborns participating in the Minas Gerais State Neonatal Screening Program.

Methods: Neonates with confirmed congenital toxoplasmosis underwent standardized ophthalmologic evaluation, neuroimaging studies and hearing assessment, as well as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing for total IgG and its subclasses (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4) against soluble (STAg) and recombinant (rSAG1 and rMIC3) antigens of Toxoplasma gondii.

Results: Newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis but without ocular lesions were more likely to present anti-rMIC3 total IgG when compared with those newborns with active or cicatricial retinochoroidal lesions.

IgG and IgM western blot assay for diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of western blot (WB) analysis as a diagnostic tool for congenital toxoplasmosis in 215 newborn infants. The children were submitted to clinical examinations to assess macular, neurological and hearing signals. The WB results obtained were compared to the persistence of IgG antibodies at the end of 12 months, which is regarded as the "gold standard" diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Congenital toxoplasmosis from a chronically infected woman with reactivation of retinochoroiditis during pregnancy.

Objective: To report a rare case of congenital toxoplasmosis from an immunocompetent mother with chronic infection who had reactivation of ocular disease during pregnancy.

Description: The newborn was asymptomatic at birth and identified by neonatal screening (IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii in dried blood) among other 190 infants with congenital toxoplasmosis during a 7-month period. His mother had had a non-treated episode of reactivation of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis during pregnancy, with stable IgG titers and negative IgM results.

Congenital toxoplasmosis in southeastern Brazil: results of early ophthalmologic examination of a large cohort of neonates.

Objective: To report results of early ophthalmologic examinations in a large cohort of newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) after neonatal screening.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a cohort.

Participants: A total of 178 newborns with confirmed CT from 146,307 screened babies (95% of live births) from Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil.

[Evaluation of prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: a cross-sectional study of postpartum women in two maternity hospitals].

This cross-sectional study of 420 women in two public maternity hospitals from August 2004 to May 2005 evaluated the application of a prenatal toxoplasmosis serological screening protocol in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and the information provided to susceptible pregnant women. Ninety-eight percent of women received prenatal care and 97% underwent the initial serological screening test, at an average of 16 weeks gestational age. The initial testing identified 163 women as susceptible to toxoplasmosis: 44% of these did not undergo repeat serological testing, and 42% of them did not remember having received information on the prevention of toxoplasmosis infection.