Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In order to characterize lesions associated with Codiostomum struthionis in ostriches, 10 caeca were examined on both macro- and microscopic levels. Parasites were found in the distal third of the caecum and characterized as C.... more
In order to characterize lesions associated with Codiostomum struthionis in ostriches, 10 caeca were examined on both macro- and microscopic levels. Parasites were found in the distal third of the caecum and characterized as C. struthionis. Thickened mucosa was identified macroscopically where parasites were observed in high concentrations. Nodular areas were also observed in the distal third of the infected caeca, as well as hemorrhagic areas abutting small ulcers surrounded by edema. These findings were not observed in healthy controls. The concentration of C. struthionis found in infected animals was directly correlated with the severity of lesions observed in each caecum. These results allowed us to infer that C. struthionis is responsible for lesions in ostrich caeca.
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To assess the frequency of the genetic markers HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 in patients with... more
To assess the frequency of the genetic markers HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 in patients with Graves' orbitopathy (GO) with and without extraocular muscle involvement. The frequencies of class II HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 allele groups were determined for 81 Brazilian patients with GO and 161 normal subjects. The patients were divided into myogenic and nonmyogenic groups based on the clinical characteristics of the orbitopathy and quantitative computed tomography analysis of the extraocular muscle (EOM) dimensions. Compared to the frequency obtained for samples of normal subjects of the Brazilian population, HLA-DRB1 16 ( pc=0.008) was overrepresented in myogenic and HLA-DRB1 03 ( pc=0.02) in nonmyogenic patients. The association between the HLA-DRB1 16 and the myogenic subtype of GO suggests that EOM involvement in GO may be genetically predisposed.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Heterorhabditis is a nematode found in the soil that is used as an important biological control agent against various organisms. However, few studies have been performed of its use against snails and the present study is the first to... more
Heterorhabditis is a nematode found in the soil that is used as an important biological control agent against various organisms. However, few studies have been performed of its use against snails and the present study is the first to investigate the effect of experimental exposure of Bradybaena similaris to Heterorhabditis indica LPP1. Two groups of 16 snails were formed: the control group (not exposed) and the treatment, which was exposed for three weeks to infective juveniles (J3) of H. indica LPP1. The entire experiment was conducted in duplicate, using a total of 64 snails. After this period, the snails were dissected to collect the hemolymph to evaluate the possible physiological alterations, namely total proteins, uric acid and hemolymph urea, as well as the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as a result of the infection. The terrariums were analyzed on alternate days throughout the experiment to count the dead snails. Intense proteolysis was observed in the infected snails. An increase in the level of uric acid and reduction of the hemolymph urea content indicated that the infection by H. indica results in the inversion of the excretion pattern of the host snail. Variations in the aminotransferase activities were also observed, with the infected group presenting significantly higher values (p<0.05) than the control group for both ALT and AST. The exposure to H. indica LPP1 caused 55% mortality, with the highest rate observed in the first week after exposure (30%). These results suggest that the use of H. indica LPP1 is a feasible alternative for the biological control of B. similaris.