A case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection.

Strongyloidiasis has been recognized as one of the life-threatening parasitic infections in the immunocompromised patients. We report an intestinal infection case of Strongyloides stercoralis in a 61-year-old man. Rhabditiform larvae were detected in the stool examination and developed to filariform larvae having a notched tail through the Harada-Mori filter paper culture. The patient received five courses of albendazole therapy but not cured of strongyloidiasis.     

Inventing a new diagnostic test for vaginal infection.

Bacterial vaginosis, which is underdiagnosed in clinical practice, has a characteristic fishy smell because of production of diamines. This smell is the basis of a visual rapid diagnostic test that is technically simple to perform. The test has been patented in Europe and America, and a licence agreement has been negotiated. This paper describes the process from idea to invention to patenting and licensing. The combined costs of research and patenting were met by a multinational company in return for rights to exploit the patent invention. The process has taken nine years and has needed clinical, scientific, legal, and commercial input to get the test to the marketplace.     

Strongyloides stercoralis infection in the ferret

The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was evaluated as an animal model for infection with human strains of Strongyloides stercoralis. Results indicate that such infections can be easily and reproducibly accomplished.     

Frequency of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in alcoholics

Several studies have shown that chronic alcoholics have increased susceptibility to infections due to higher exposure to infectious agents as well as breakdown in their immune defenses. As Strongyloides stercoralis infection is usually more relevant in immunocompromised patients, the aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of S. stercoralis infection in alcoholics. Thus, coproparasitological examination was carried out in 145 subjects, from which 45 were chronic alcoholics (mean age of 45.7 +/- 11.0 years), 10 were nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients (mean age of 50.2 +/- 13.1 years), and 90 were asymptomatic nonalcoholic subjects (mean age of 46.7 +/- 10.1 years), which served as controls. From the alcoholics, 9 had hepatic cirrhosis, 9 had chronic pancreatitis and 27 had neither cirrhosis nor pancreatitis. For the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis, the Baermann-Moraes and Lutz methods were used in three fecal samples from each subject. Samples were collected at alternated days, and three slides of each sample were analyzed for each method, thus totalizing 2,610 slides examined. The frequency of strongloidiasis in the total alcoholic group (33.3%) and in the subgroups of alcoholics, i.e., patients with hepatic cirrhosis (44.4%), with chronic pancreatitis (33.3%), and those with no cirrhosis or pancreatitis (29.6%) was statistically higher than that found in the control group (5.5%). None of the individuals with nonalcoholic hepatic cirrhosis had S. stercoralis infection. Our results showed that the chronic alcoholism itself is an important factor that predisposes to strongyloidiasis.     

A rapid diagnostic test for schistosomiasis mansoni

This article presents an improvement to the Kato-Katz (KK) method, making it fasterand more efficient for the visualisation of fertile eggs in stool samples. Thismodified KK method uses sodium acetate formalin as a fixative and reveals theintensity of infection in less than 1 h, reducing the diagnostic time withoutincreasing the cost. This modified method may contribute to future epidemiologicalstudies in both hospitals and the field due to its rapid and precise diagnostic,which allow for immediate treatment.     

A potential diagnostic blood test for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, adolescents, and adults remains controversial. Dramatic growth in the diagnosis of this disorder in both young people and adults has focused criticism on the subjective nature of the diagnostic procedure. A new blood test that measures blood cell membrane potential (expressed as membrane potential ratio [MPR(?)]) has been recently developed. The current study was performed to explore the potential utility of this blood test in diagnosis of ADHD. Consecutive outpatient children (n?=?89), adolescents (n?=?18), and adults (n?=?89) diagnosed with ADHD, or not (n?=?60, 17, and 92, respectively), provided sample in which the blood test was performed. ADHD subjects were relatively depolarized with an MPR(?) of 0.804?±?0.0381, compared to non-ADHD subjects, 0.684?±?0.0260 (P?相似文献   

A simple diagnostic test for Fanconi anemia by flow cytometry

A simple diagnostic test for Fanconi anemia (FA) by flow cytometry is proposed. It is based on the cell cycle disturbances of FA cells and their sensitisation by alkylating agents. Following PHA-stimulation of whole blood cell cultures in the presence or absence of nitrogen mustard, the accumulation of cells in G2/M phase was measured. A sharp increase of cells in G2/M was observed in cultures from FA patients when nitrogen mustard was added. This increase allows one to distinguish FA patients from patients with anemias of other origin, healthy controls, and FA heterozygotes, as effectively as chromosome breakage studies. The rapidity of the test and its reliability as demonstrated on the ten FA patients studied, will make the diagnosis of FA easier in centers without cytogenetic laboratory facilities.     

A new test for infection by Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica is a common parasite of the human intestine, and in a significant percentage of cases it invades the tissues. Virulent strains of the organism produce the proteinose histolysain, which almost certainly facilitates the invasive behaviour. Histolysoin has been isolated, a selective assay developed, and specific antisera raised against the enzyme. As described here by Alfredo Luaces, Lyda Osorio and Alan Barren, the ENZYMEBA test for infection by E. histolytica combines the specificities of both antibodies and enzyme assay to achieve a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity. Circulating antibodies to histolysain were detected in a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay, the results suggesting that a humoral immune response is induced by histolysain during the formation of liver abscess.     

Evaluation of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in patients with HTLV-1

Introduction: Individuals infected with the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) may present severe and disseminated forms of Strongyloides stercoralis infection with low therapeutic response.Objective: To investigate the S. stercoralis infection and the seroprevalence of IgG anti-S. stercoralis antibodies in individuals infected with HTLV-1 attending the Reference Center for HTLV-1 (CHTLV) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 178 HTLV-1-infected individuals treated at the HTLV specialized center between January, 2014, and December, 2018. The parasitological diagnosis of S. stercoralis was performed using the Hoffman, Pons and Janer, agar plate culture, and Baermann-Morais methods. The IgG anti-S. stercoralis detection was performed using an in house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The HTLV-1 infection was diagnosed using a commercial ELISA and confirmed by Western blot.Results: The frequency of S. stercoralis infection was 3.4% (6/178). Individuals infected with S. stercoralis from rural areas (50.0%; 3/6) also showed S. stercoralis hyperinfection (>3,000 larvae/ gram of feces). The frequency of circulating anti-S. stercoralis IgG antibodies was 20.8% (37/178). Conclusions: HTLV-1-infected people living in precarious sanitary conditions are more prone to develop severe forms of S. stercoralis infection. Considering the high susceptibility and unfavorable outcome of the infection in these individuals, the serological diagnosis for S. stercoralis should be considered when providing treatment.     

Efficacy of agar-plate culture in detection of Strongyloides stercoralis infection

Agar-plate culture of feces using a modified petri dish proved to be highly efficient in the detection of Strongyloides stercoralis infection. Furrows left by S. stercoralis on the agar plate were distinguished readily in size from those left by Necator americanus.     

Evaluation of tadpole mouthpart depigmentation as a diagnostic test for infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis for four California anurans

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of gross morphologic examination of larval mouthpart defects as a diagnostic screening test to detect Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in four California, USA, anuran species. We examined mouthparts of 2,034 tadpoles of Bufo boreas, Pseudacris regilla, and Rana catesbeiana collected in 2003 and 2004 and Bufo canorus collected in 2004. Data were recorded for three morphologic features: upper toothrows, lower toothrows, and combined jaw sheaths. Mouthpart defects were observed in all four species (n=757), but only two species were infected with B. dendrobatidis (n=84). Sensitivity and specificity of the mouthparts test were 76% and 58%, respectively. Forty-two percent of B. dendrobatidis-negative animals would have been designated positive based on mouthpart defects. Observed prevalence was 43%, and true prevalence was 3.0%. Tests of the null hypothesis using logistic regression analysis showed that anuran larval mouthpart defects were not associated with B. dendrobatidis infection whether mouthparts scores were tested by individual morphologic feature or in combination (P=0.37). We conclude that B. dendrobatidis infection and anuran larval mouthpart defects are two separate processes that may occur concurrently and that evaluation of tadpole oral morphology is neither an accurate nor a reliable diagnostic test for B. dendrobatidis infection for the four species tested.