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is a haematophagous mite of veterinary and public health concern. The association between O. bursa and humans in Brazil has been known for several decades, but most of the information is limited and confusing. Herein, we present an overview of the cases of gamasoidosis in Brazil based on published and new records. Wild birds are common sources for human infestation, especially omnivorous and insectivorous birds that live in urban and rural environments. Species of the Columbidae are the most common birds associated with O. bursa in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studying aseptic meningitis in Salvador, Brazil, we diagnosed anicteric leptospirosis in 1.7% (5/295) of patients hospitalized for aseptic meningitis. Leptospirosis-associated meningitis patients had lower mean cerebrospinal fluid cell counts and protein than other-cause aseptic meningitis (p<0.05). Clinicians must consider leptospirosis-associated meningitis in appropriate clinical-epidemiologic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1970s, gated housing areas of the privileged have been spreading in Latin American cities. They have to be seen as a visible consequence of the deepening social disparities within Latin American societies and the resulting fragmentation of urban space. Condomínios fechados (Brazil) or barrios cerrados (Argentina) can be typified following different criteria, such as formation, location, size, fittings, construction typology, as well as social structure. Three groups of actors influence the process of their expansion: the real estate companies, for which the new form of living offers an attractive market segment, the target groups, whose increasing expectations regarding security and living comfort need to be met, and the public authorities, who have to find adequate responses concerning the further orientation of urban development. Based on case studies from Brazil, the paper will discuss the different phases of gated community expansion and the reasons why this is happening. Their internal structure and differentiation, as well as consequences for socio-spatial development and urban planning will also be dealt with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the 1950s and 1970s, as the São Paulo population inflated from a little over two million to more than eight million, residents and public officials proposed a set of regulatory measures to control noise. This article examines shifts in noise-related problems and solutions as a thread to understand the politics of collective living in Brazil's largest city. Focusing on the noise generated by two major infrastructural projects (the Congonhas Airport and the Minhocão elevated expressway), I argue that noise debates went through three major changes in the 1950s–1970s. First, the noise generated by transportation systems galvanized residents and audio experts into a call for the city to tackle noise as an infrastructural issue rather than a "nuisance." Second, as cities became entangled in environmental pollution debates, the city administration attempted to approach urban planning as a broader issue that included noise. Finally, the increasing presence of acousticians and engineers in the city facilitated the reframing of noise as a measurable problem that could only be solved with their techno-scientific input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An entomological study was conducted in the municipality of Oiapoque (lower Oyapock River Basin) in the Brazilian side bordering French Guiana to gain information on the transmission pattern of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in that region, presumed to reflect the classical Amazonian/Guianan enzootic scenario. Methods: Three ecologically isolated forested areas near urban environments were surveyed during the rainy and dry seasons of 2015 and 2016, using a multi-trapping approach comprising ground-level and canopy light traps, black and white colored cloth Shannon traps and manual aspiration on tree bases. Female phlebotomines were dissected to find infections and isolate flagellates from Leishmania spp. The strains were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and compared with those of local ACL cases and World Health Organization reference strains. Results: Nyssomyia umbratilis, Trichopygomyia trichopyga and Evandromyia infraspinosa were the most frequently found species. Findings on relative abundance, spatiotemporal vector/ACL congruence, natural infections and anthropophilic insights strengthened the Guianan classical transmission of Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis by Ny. umbratilis and suggested further investigations for Ev. infraspinosa. Nyssomyia umbratilis showed an eclectic feeding habit, including bird blood. Ecological data and literature reports also included Psychodopygus squamiventris maripaensis and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata on the list of suspected vectors. Conclusions: These findings contributed to understanding ACL ecoepidemiology in the Amazonian/Guianan scenario. Local studies are required to better comprehend the Leishmania spp. enzootic mosaic in specific ecotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]