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During the 1990s, an epidemic of B:4 Neisseria meningitidis infections affected Brazil. Subsequent increase in C:4 disease suggested B → C capsular switching. This study identified B → C switches within the sequence type 32 complex. Substantial disease related to capsular switching emphasizes the need for surveillance of circulating meningococcal strains to optimize disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii and is especially fatal for neotropical primates. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health is responsible for national epizootic surveillance, but some diseases are still neglected. Here, we present an integrated investigation of an outbreak that occurred during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic among eleven neotropical primates housed at a primatology center in Brazil. After presenting non-specific clinical signs, all animals died within four days. A wide range of pathogens were evaluated, and we successfully identified T. gondii as the causative agent within four days after necropsies. The liver was the most affected organ, presenting hemorrhage and hepatocellular necrosis. Tachyzoites and bradyzoite cysts were observed in histological examinations and immunohistochemistry in different organs; in addition, parasitic DNA was detected through PCR in blood samples from all specimens evaluated. A high prevalence of Escherichia coli was also observed, indicating sepsis. This case highlights some of the obstacles faced by the current Brazilian surveillance system. A diagnosis was obtained through the integrated action of researchers since investigation for toxoplasmosis is currently absent in national guidelines. An interdisciplinary investigation could be a possible model for future epizootic investigations in animals.

The vast spectrum of clinical features of COVID-19 keeps challenging scientists and clinicians. Low resistance to infection might result in long-term viral persistence, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we studied the immune response of immunocompetent COVID-19 patients with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection by immunophenotyping, cytokine and serological analysis. Despite viral loads and symptoms comparable to regular mildly symptomatic patients, long-term carriers displayed weaker systemic IFN-I responses and fewer circulating pDCs and NK cells at disease onset. Type 1 cytokines remained low, while type-3 cytokines were in turn enhanced. Of interest, we observed no defects in antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell responses, and circulating antibodies displayed higher affinity against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in these patients. The identification of distinct immune responses in long-term carriers adds up to our understanding of essential host protective mechanisms to ensure tissue damage control despite prolonged viral infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

During 2003-2012, 8 clusters of meningococcal disease were identified in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, all caused by serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis. The isolates were assigned to 3 clonal complexes (cc): cc11, cc32, and cc103. These hyperinvasive disease lineages were associated with endemic disease, outbreaks, and high case-fatality rates.

Background: Here, we report a laboratory-based study of Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from patients with meningitis in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil., Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the evolution of β-lactam resistance, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, serotypes, and genetic diversity of S. pneumoniae, isolated from meningitis patients between 2000 and 2008., Results: A total of 264 S. pneumoniae recovered from patients between 2000 and 2008 were included. Susceptibility testing (E-test) of S. pneumoniae showed resistance to penicillin, ceftriaxone, oxacillin, cotrimoxazole, tetracycline, ofloxacin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and rifampicin. Penicillin resistance (PEN-R, minimal inhibitory concentration [MIC] ≥ 0.12 μg/mL) increased from 8% of isolates in 2000-2002, to 12% in 2003-2005, and to 20% in 2006-2008. Ceftriaxone resistance (MIC ≥ 1.0 μg/mL) was detected among some PEN-R isolates (13%) from 2004 onward. Within the PEN-R isolates, serotypes that are included in 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine predominated (90%), and resistance was detected mostly in isolates of serotypes 14 (61%), 23F (16%), 6B (10%), and 19F (3%). Multilocus sequence typing showed that 52% of the PEN-R isolates, and 89% of those with MICs ≥ 0.5 μg/mL, were sequence type (ST)-156 or single-locus variants of this ST (ST-557 or ST-4388); all of these isolates were serotype 14 and were assigned to the Spain-3 clone., Conclusions: β-lactam resistance increased recently among cerebrospinal fluid isolates and was mainly due to the surge of the ST-4388, a previously undescribed gki single-locus variants of ST-156. Regional surveillance is shown to be essential to provide optimal antimicrobial therapy, monitor highly successful clones, and formulate adequate vaccination strategy.