Low vaccine coverage and varicella outbreaks in Brazil - 2019-2022.

The persistence of varicella outbreaks in Brazil has underscored the high concern with the low vaccine coverage in the last 4 years. Using publicly available data from the Brazilian Health System (SUS), this study analyzed varicella vaccine coverage and incidence trends from 2019 to 2022 in Brazilian States. Vaccine coverage decreased nationally in 2020, possibly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic's initial phase.

Dengue and climate changes: Increase of DENV-1 in São Paulo/Brazil - 2023.

Dengue is a vector borne disease caused by virus serotypes DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4, representing a significant public health concern in the Region of the Americas (2,997,097 cases in 2023). This study explores the relationship between dengue incidence and climate changes in the city of São Paulo-Brazil. During the first semester of 2023, Brazil reported the highest number of dengue cases in Americas' Region.

Isolated specific IgA against respiratory viruses, Influenza or SARS-CoV-2, present in the saliva of a fraction of healthy and asymptomatic volunteers.

Objectives: Defense against respiratory viruses depends on an immune response present in the mucosa, as saliva IgA secretes antibodies. During the pandemic, such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2, most infected patients are asymptomatic but retain specific antibodies post-infection. The authors evaluated IgG and IgA antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in the saliva of asymptomatic volunteers, validated with controls or vaccinated individuals.

Efficiency of a Single well IgG, IgM and IgA Anti T. gondii Fluorimetric Assay for Pre-natal Screening for Congenital Toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis, worldwide protozoan disease, is usually benign, except when acute disease occurs in pregnant women, resulting in fetal infection with deaths or high morbidity after birth. Treatment blocks fetal infection or damage after infection, imposing a quick and effective diagnosis. Maternal infection is mostly asymptomatic thus regular serology are the main tool for detect seroconversion and acute infection in prenatal care.

Serum antibodies blocked by glycan antigens in canine visceral leishmaniasis serology are mostly IgA immune complexes.

Immune complexes (ICs) are found in canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) and interfere with the serum detection of antibodies. Dissociation of these monovalent complexes by dissociative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) removes false-negative results and allows some characterization of antibodies and antigens. We studied the serology of dogs with suspected CVL in an endemic area, testing two Leishmania (Leishmania) [L.

Early high avidity specific IgG production in experimental hamster visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is epidemic in Brazil. Hypergammaglobulinemia appears early in patients with VL and is ineffective. Usually, high-affinity IgG B cells are selected during most infections, a critical step for an effective humoral response.

Paratrygon aiereba irradiated anti-mucus serum reduce edematogenic activity induced in experimental model.

Accidents by freshwater stingrays are common in northern Brazil, there is no specific therapy for high morbidity and local tissue destruction. The irradiation of venoms and toxins by ionizing radiation has been used to produce appropriate immunogens for the production of antisera. We planned to study the efficacy of stinging mucus irradiation in the production of antisera, with serum neutralization assays of edematogenic activity and quantification of cytokines performed in animal models of immunization with native and irradiated mucus of Paratrygon aiereba, a large freshwater stingray.

Measles, rubella, mumps and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in saliva of vaccinated students of schools and universities in São Paulo City, Brazil.

Introduction: Vaccines are well-established public health interventions with major impact on the prevalence of infectious diseases, but outbreaks are occurring frequently due to primary and secondary failures, despite high coverage. Surveillance of efficacy and duration of induced immunity is a difficult task as it requires invasive blood sampling in children and teenagers. Saliva can be an acceptable alternative source of IgG to assess vaccine efficacy and toxoplasmosis incidence.

Indirect Evidence of Circulating Parasite Hapten Immune Complexes in Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Background: Hypergammaglobulinemia is present in visceral leishmaniasis (VL), inducing the formation of immune complexes (ICs), which interferes in conventional serology. Parasitic haptens block antibodies, making it difficult to identify and detect them. ICs could be determined indirectly by acid dissociative ELISA (DE) seroconversion in natural and experimental VL.

Saliva collection and detection of anti- T. gondii antibodies of low-income school-age children as a learning strategy on hygiene, prevention and transmission of toxoplasmosis.

School-age children are a social group in which blood collection for laboratory testing can be perceived as an invasive procedure, with low acceptance and tolerance of stakeholders. This problem could be circumvented by replacing serum samples with saliva. For this purpose, and to make the collection of saliva samples playful and instructive for children, educational activities on hygiene and toxoplasmosis transmission and prevention were performed using toys and audiovisual tools.

Effect of chaotropes in Chagas disease and leishmaniasis cross-reacting serology assays for epidemiological surveys.

Introduction: Serological cross-reactivity between leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, especially at low titers, leads to difficulties of the seroepidemiological interpretation.

Methods: We have studied the ability of urea as a chaotrope to select high-avidity antibodies in IgG ELISA, thus reducing low-avidity IgG cross-reactivity in serologically positive samples in both assays.

Results: Using 0.

Pharmacokinetic of meglumine antimoniate encapsulated in phosphatidylserine-liposomes in mice model: A candidate formulation for visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a fatal parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania spp. Meglumine antimoniate (MA) is the main treatment and has demonstrated a promising efficacy in a VL-model when encapsulated into negatively charged liposomes. Considering the current concept for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters at early phases of drug discovery, we developed a formulation of MA-encapsulated into phosphatidylserine liposomes (MA-LP) and analyzed the in vitro antileishmanial activity, physicochemical properties, and pharmacokinetic profile in a mice model.

Vimentin and Anti Vimentin Antibodies in Chagas' Disease.

Background: Vimentin is a main structural protein of the cell, a component of intermediate cell filaments and immersed in cytoplasm. Vimentin is mimicked by some bacterial proteins and anti-vimentin antibodies occur in autoimmune cardiac disease, as rheumatic fever. In this work we studied vimentin distribution on LLC-MK2 cells infected with T.

DETECTION OF HUMAN ANTI-ZIKA VIRUS IgG BY ELISA USING AN ANTIGEN FROM in vitro INFECTED VERO CELLS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS.

Zika virus (ZKV) infection is a huge public health problem in Brazil because of the increased incidence of microcephaly in neonates from infected mothers. Detection of specific IgG antibodies in maternal serum samples constitutes an important approach for diagnosing ZKV infection and evaluating its relationship with neonatal microcephaly. However, as there is no serological test produced in Brazil to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against ZKV, we sought to examine specific IgG in serum samples from patients or suspected mothers to detect previous infection and to test for specificity with regard to flaviviral infections occurring in the same area.

Antimonial drugs entrapped into phosphatidylserine liposomes: physicochemical evaluation and antileishmanial activity.

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania that resides mainly in mononuclear phagocytic system tissues. Pentavalent antimonials are the main treatment option, although these drugs have toxic side effects and high resistance rates. A potentially alternative and more effective therapeutic strategy is to use liposomes as carriers of the antileishmanial agents.

CD19 LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATION INDUCED BY Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis IN C57BL/6 MICE EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasmosis is frequently acquired through the oral route by the ingestion of cysts or oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii. Once ingested, the parasites penetrate the intestinal epithelial cells and rapidly disseminate to all organs in the host. During T.

Uneventful benznidazole treatment of acute Chagas disease during pregnancy: a case report.

This report describes the case of a patient with acute Chagas disease in Tocantins, Brazil, who was unaware of her pregnancy during benznidazole treatment. She presented with impaired cardiac function during the acute phase (pericarditis and incomplete right bundle-branch block) that resolved favorably after benznidazole therapy. Serological results also became negative, as determined by hemagglutination assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and immunofluorescence assays.

Health problems awareness during travel among faculty members of a large university in Latin America: preliminary report.

Health safety during trips is based on previous counseling, vaccination and prevention of infections, previous diseases or specific problems related to the destination. Our aim was to assess two aspects, incidence of health problems related to travel and the traveler's awareness of health safety. To this end we phone-interviewed faculty members of a large public University, randomly selected from humanities, engineering and health schools.