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We refer to Oswaldo Cruz's reports dating from 1913 about the necessities of a healthcare system for the Brazilian Amazon Region and about the journey of Carlos Chagas to 27 locations in this region and the measures that would need to be adopted. We discuss the risks of endemicity of Chagas disease in the Amazon Region. We recommend that epidemiological surveillance of Chagas disease in the Brazilian Amazon Region and Pan-Amazon region should be implemented through continuous monitoring of the human population that lives in the area, their housing, the environment and the presence of triatomines. The monitoring should be performed with periodic seroepidemiological surveys, semi-annual visits to homes by health agents and the training of malaria microscopists and healthcare technicians to identify Trypanosoma cruzi from patients' samples and T. cruzi infection rates among the triatomines caught. We recommend health promotion and control of Chagas disease through public health policies, especially through sanitary education regarding the risk factors for Chagas disease. Finally, we propose a healthcare system through base hospitals, intermediate-level units in the areas of the Brazilian Amazon Region and air transportation, considering the distances to be covered for medical care.

CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico UNESCO - Organização das Nações Unidas para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura JC virus (JCV) is a member of the Polyomaviridae family and is associated with a severe disease known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, PML, which is progressively increasing in incidence as an opportunistic infection among AIDS patients. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of JCV among HIV-1 carriers including their types and molecular subtypes and the possible association with disease.Urine samples from 66 HIV-1 infected subjects were investigated for the presence of the virus by amplifying VP1 (215 bp) and IG (610 bp) regions using the polymerase chain reaction. JCV was detected in 32% of the samples. The results confirmed the occurrence of type B (subtype Af2); in addition, another polyomavirus, BKV, was also detected in 1.5% of samples of the HIV-1 infected subjects. Apparently, there was no significant difference between mono- (HIV-1 only) and co-infected (HIV-1 / JCV) subjects regarding their TCD4 + / TCD8 + lymphocyte counts or HIV-1 viral plasma load. Self admitted seizures, hearing and visual loses were not significantly different between the two groups. UFPA - Universidade Federal do Pará

Blood sampling on filter paper is a current practice in malaria seroepidemiological studies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). There is, however, scant comparative information about the use of bloodspot eluates for detection of malarial IgG antibodies simultaneously by IFAT and enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). Here we report data obtained by both serological methods done on 219 bloodspot eluate samples collected in a rural community in Brazilian Amazon Basin (Alto Paraiso, Ariquemes municipality) where malaria is endemic. Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax thick smear antigens were used in the IFAT; a detergent-soluble P. falciparum antigen was prepared for ELISA. Substantial agreement of results (Kappa coefficient k = 0.686) was observed when P. falciparum antigen was used in both tests, and IFAT titers were found to be strongly correlated to ELISA antibody units (Spearman correlation coefficient rs = 0.818, p < 0.001). Only moderate agreement (k = 0.467) between IFAT with P. vivax antigen and ELISA with P. falciparum antigen was observed. Spearman correlation coefficient value between quantitative results (IFAT titers and ELISA antibody units) in this case was numerically lower (rs = 0.540, p < 0.0001). Our results suggest that, with P. falciparum antigen, both IFAT and ELISA performed on bloodspot eluates are equivalent for seroepidemiological purposes.

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:23:32Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:33:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-40749127614.pdf: 356366 bytes, checksum: b0281b66c4d7c1c0d48d2d87c07e88cd (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:23:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-04-22 Malaria is an endemic parasitosis and its causitive agent, Plasmodium, has a metabolism linked to iron supply. HFE is a gene with the polymorphisms C282Y and H63D, which are associated with a progressive iron accumulation in the organism leading to a disease called hereditary hemochromatosis. The aim of the present study was to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the HFE gene polymorphisms in malaria patients and blood donors from the Brazilian Amazon region. We screened 400 blood donors and 400 malaria patients for the HFE C282Y and H63D polymorphisms from four states of the Brazilian Amazon region by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We did not find any C282Y homozygous individuals, and the only five heterozygous individuals detected were from Pará State. The most frequent genotype in the North region of Brazil was the H63D heterozygote, in both study groups. Our results contribute to the concept that the Brazilian Amazon region should not be regarded as a single entity in South America. These polymorphisms did not influence the symptoms of malaria in the population studied, as neither severe signs nor high parasitemia were observed. Therefore, different hereditary hemochromatosis diagnostic and control measures must be developed and applied within its diverse locations. Investigations are currently being carried out in our laboratory in order to determine the importance of the coexistence of hereditary hemochromatosis in patients affected by parasitic diseases, such as malaria. ©FUNPEC-RP. Laboratório de Hemoglobinas e Genética Das Doenças Hematológicas Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociencias, Letras e Ciencias Exatas (IBILCE-UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas, Infecciosas e Parasitárias Centro de Investigação de Microrganismos Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP Faculdade SEAMA, Macapá, AP Laboratório de Hemoglobinas e Genética Das Doenças Hematológicas Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociencias, Letras e Ciencias Exatas (IBILCE-UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP

Submitted by Guilherme Lemeszenski (guilherme@nead.unesp.br) on 2013-08-22T19:05:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 S0036-46652007000100001.pdf: 89731 bytes, checksum: db374aed174933db1226d2f70a93cd5d (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-22T19:05:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 S0036-46652007000100001.pdf: 89731 bytes, checksum: db374aed174933db1226d2f70a93cd5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-01 Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-30T20:08:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 S0036-46652007000100001.pdf: 89731 bytes, checksum: db374aed174933db1226d2f70a93cd5d (MD5) S0036-46652007000100001.pdf.txt: 20041 bytes, checksum: 620b5ae8a089f4eddd608dfdd3c56e6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-01 Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-20T14:00:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 S0036-46652007000100001.pdf: 89731 bytes, checksum: db374aed174933db1226d2f70a93cd5d (MD5) S0036-46652007000100001.pdf.txt: 20041 bytes, checksum: 620b5ae8a089f4eddd608dfdd3c56e6b (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-20T14:00:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 S0036-46652007000100001.pdf: 89731 bytes, checksum: db374aed174933db1226d2f70a93cd5d (MD5) S0036-46652007000100001.pdf.txt: 20041 bytes, checksum: 620b5ae8a089f4eddd608dfdd3c56e6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-01 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) A transmissão da malária no Brasil é heterogênea em todas as áreas endêmicas e a presença de portadores assintomáticos de Plasmodium sp. (PAPs) na Amazônia brasileira já foi demonstrada. A triagem de pacientes maláricos em bancos de sangue é baseada na seleção dos doadores com relação aos riscos possíveis associados com residência, evidência clínica e/ou os métodos diagnósticos não acurados que aumentam a probabilidade da infecção transmitida por transfusão. Avaliamos a freqüência de PAPs em quatro bancos de sangue em áreas distintas da região Amazônica brasileira. O DNA foi obtido a partir de 400 amostras de sangue humano usando o método do fenol-clorofórmio, seguido por um protocolo de nested-PCR com oligonucleotídeos espécie-específicos. A taxa de positividade variou de 1 a 3% de doadores do sangue das quatro áreas, com uma média de 2,3%. Todos os indivíduos positivos tinham infecções mistas entre o Plasmodium vivax e o Plasmodium falciparum. Nenhuma diferença significativa nos resultados foi detectada entre estas áreas; a maioria dos casos originou dos Hemocentros de Porto Velho, do Estado de Rondônia e de Macapá, Estado do Amapá. Embora ainda não esteja claro se os indivíduos PAPs possam agir como reservatórios do parasito, a triagem eficiente de PAPs e de pacientes com malária em bancos de sangue no Brasil das áreas endêmicas necessita ser implementada. The transmission of malaria in Brazil is heterogeneous throughout endemic areas and the presence of asymptomatic Plasmodium sp. carriers (APCs) in the Brazilian Amazon has already been demonstrated. Malaria screening in blood banks is based on the selection of donors in respect to possible risks associated with travel or residence, clinical evidence and/or inaccurate diagnostic methods thereby increasing the probability of transfusion-transmitted infection. We evaluated the frequency of APCs in four blood services in distinct areas of the Brazilian Amazon region. DNA was obtained from 400 human blood samples for testing using the phenol-chloroform method followed by a nested-PCR protocol with species-specific primers. The positivity rate varied from 1 to 3% of blood donors from the four areas with an average of 2.3%. All positive individuals had mixed infections for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. No significant differences in the results were detected among these areas; the majority of cases originated from the transfusion centres of Porto Velho, Rondônia State and Macapá, Amapá State. Although it is still unclear whether APC individuals may act as reservoirs of the parasite, efficient screening of APCs and malaria patients in Brazilian blood services from endemic areas needs to be improved. Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP) Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas, Infecciosas e Parasitárias Fundação HEMERON Instituto de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Amapá Fundação Centro de Hemoterapia e Hematologia do Pará Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Acre Universidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP) Departamento de Biologia Molecular Universidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de Biologia