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Leishmania amazonensis infection leads to progressive diseases in a majority of inbred strains of mice. Glutathione (GSH) participates in a large number of cellular phenomena and seems to be essential for several immune functions, including host defense during leishmaniasis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of N-acetyl-L: -cysteine (NAC), as GSH supplement, on the course of L. amazonensis infection in susceptible BALB/c mice. The treatment with NAC (200 mg/kg daily) was effective in raising GSH levels in both lymph node and spleen cells. Although this treatment did not change the footpad swelling development in L. amazonensis-infected mice, it caused a significant decrease in the number of parasites recovered from the footpad lesion and draining popliteal lymph node. Our data suggest that intracellular Leishmania killing in vivo was improved by the augment of GSH levels through NAC administration.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the larvicidal effect of andiroba oil, Carapa guyanensis, against 2 strains of Aedes aegypti. After 8 h after exposure to oil, the lethal concentration (LC)90 and LC95 values for the GCZ (temephos-resistant) strain larvae were 80 and 86 ppm (1st instars), 98 and 106 (2nd instars), 166 and 182 (3rd instars), and 192 and 202 ppm (4th instars), respectively. TheLC90 and LC95 values for the Rockefeller strain larvae were 164 and 182 ppm (1st instars), 212 and 224 (2nd instars), 210 and 226 (3rd instars), and 450 and 490 ppm (4th instars), respectively. Comparison of the 2 laboratory strains of Ae. aegypti in the present study demonstrated significant variation in the susceptibility of larvae to andiroba oil. Whether a higher susceptibility of field populations of Ae. aegypti to andiroba oil occurs remains to be investigated.

This study aimed to verify Leptospira spp. serovar infections in stray dogs in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Serum samples were collected from 590 stray dogs and tested against 25 Leptospira spp. serovars using the microscopic agglutination test. Prevalence of anti-leptospiral antibodies against one or more serovars was 10.5%. The most frequent serovar was pyrogenes, positive in 26 (18.0%) samples, followed by canicola with 20 (13.8%) and icterohaemorragiae and copenhageni with 18 (12.5%, with antibody titers from 1:100 to 1:3,200). Significant prevalence (10.4 to 11.1%) was also detected against serovars castellonis, butembo, and grippothyphosa.

Samples of feces from dogs seized by the health surveillance program of Itapema city, SC, were studied. From 158 samples examined 121 (76.6%) were positive, with a prevalence of Ancylostoma spp (70.9%), followed by Toxocara canis (14.5%), Trichuris vulpis (13.9%), Isospora spp (6.3%) and Dipylidium caninum (1.9%).

Andiroba Carapa guianensis Aubl. Meliacea is known to possess repellent activity against many mosquito species. We evaluated the larvicidal effect of dry-scratched seed kernels of andiroba against a sylvatic F1 progeny and a laboratory-colonized population of Aedes albopictus (Skuse). The 3rd instar of F1 treated with 0.5 to 2% of C. guianensis for 24 and 48 hours, had mortality with LC50 of 0.74 (0.56-0.90%) and 0.68 (0.53-0.84%), respectively, and the 4th instar 0.66 (0.52-0.80%) and 0.55 (0.20-0.91%), respectively. For the 3rd instars of laboratory-colonized larvae, the treatment with 0.5 to 4% of C. guianensis induced mortality after 24 hours with LC50 of 1.81 (1.39-2.22%), and an LC50 of 1.82 (1.57-2.07%) to the 4th instar. This is the 1st report of the larvicidal effect of C. guianensis on mosquitoes.