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Histologic study of Bancroftian lymphadenopathy in 58 patients originating from an endemic area revealed a wide range of tissue reactions to the filarial worms. In seven patients (12.0%), no attendant inflammation or parasite damage was observed. A mild-to-intense nongranulomatous chronic lymphangitis was found in 12 patients (20.7%). Granulomatous reactions with variable composition were the most common pattern observed (37 patients, 63.8%); fibrotic lesions containing calcified worms were present in 13 of these patients. Epithelioid granulomas without worms, associated either with granulomatous reactions to the worms (seven patients) or nongranulomatous lymphangitis (two patients), were also detected. Lymphoid hyperplasia and lymphatic dilation were constant, and eosinophil infiltration was usually remarkable. These findings were compared with those reported from nonendemic populations and emphasize the parallelism between the pathologic findings and the immune responsiveness reported in such patients.

The diagnosis of active infection in bancroftian filariasis continues to pose an important and continuously evolving challenge to filariasis-endemic countries and to health personnel. Sensitivity of the immunochromatographic card test (ICT) relative to detection of adult Wuchereria bancrofti worms by ultrasound was evaluated in a retrospective study conducted in the Center for Teaching, Research and Tertiary Referral Hospital for bancroftian filariasis (Federal University of Pernambuco) in Recife, Brazil. The results showed that among 408 persons tested, the overall sensitivity of the ICT was 84.5% and varied from 52% to 100% when patients were grouped by different criteria (age, sex, presence or absence of living adult worms by ultrasound, microfilaremia status/density). The present study provides evidence that a negative antigen result should be interpreted cautiously and may help to explain the different sensitivities of the antigen test found by different investigators in settings with different transmission intensities.

It has been suggested, mostly using in vitro experiments, that defenses against parasites involve mainly activated eosinophils and their toxic proteins, such as major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO). Eosinophil degranulation has been described around degenerating onchocercal microfilariae in patients treated with diethylcarbamazine (DEC). In bancroftian filariasis, traditional histopathologic studies have shown remarkable numbers of eosinophils in granulomatous lesions associated with both DEC-induced and spontaneous death of adult Wuchereria bancrofti parasites. No immunohistochemical study targeting eosinophil degranulation has been previously performed in these granulomas, which are found mainly within intrascrotal lymphatic vessels. This investigation was undertaken in 22 (12 DEC-treated and 10 untreated) male patients in order to determine the immunohistochemical expressions of MBP, EPO and ECP in bancofitian granulomas, using the indirect method. Stained intact esosinophils, as well as granular, extra-cellular material positive for all three proteins, were found in all granulomas. The immunohistochemical patterns were similar in both DEC-treated and untreated cases, irrespective of microfilaremia, blood eosinophilia, and granuloma age. Positive intact cells were observed mostly at the periphery of the granulomas, whereas granular material predominated in central areas around dead or degenerating parasites. These results indicate that eosinophils accumulate in the granulomas and degranulate preferentially in close proximity to degenerating or dead adult parasites. In bancroftian granulomas, influx and degranulation of eosinophils are considered a consequence of parasite death, rather than its cause.

Resumo: A fêmea da espécie caprina é normalmente classificada como poliéstica estacional. Esta classificação está baseada sobretudo em sua resposta ao fotoperíodo, no entanto, fatores extremos (nutrição, efeitos sociais) podem modificar o comportamento estral e ovulatório da espécie. Nesta revisão os autores têm por objetivo discutir os conhecimentos atuais sobre a atividade estral e ovulatória da cabra, bem como os fatores que interferem em sua ciclicidade. Made available in DSpace on 2022-02-08T13:01:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 API-Atividade-estral.pdf: 9301542 bytes, checksum: c36cfb04d8cc0e4a379a0575c6dd7803 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001