Abstract This study investigated the effects of the addition of different antioxidants to broiler diets on their live performance, liver antioxidant composition and concentrations, immune response, and meat and skin color. A total of 945 three-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks of both genders were randomly allocated to one of nine dietary treatments (n=105), with three replicates 35 chicks per pen, as follows: T1: control (commercially available corn-and soybean-based broiler diet); T2: selenium (control+0.5 mg/kg Sel-PlexTMSe yeast); T3: vitamin E (control+200 mg/kg Kavimix-E-50 a-tocopherol acetate); T4: lutein (control+100 mg/kg 5% Lutein Beads XB); T5: lycopene (control+100 mg/kg 5% Lyco Beads XB);T6: canthaxanthin (control+25 mg/kg 10% Carophyll(r)Red);T7: apo-ester (control+25 mg/kg 10% Carophyll(r)Yellow); T8: lutein+zeaxanthin (control+25 mg/kg Xamacol(r)); and T9: b-carotene (control+100 mg/kg 10% Rovimix(r)). Feed (starter, grower, developer and finisher phases) and water were provided ad libitum for 42 days. Body weights, feed intake, feed conversion values and plasma carotene concentrations were recorded weekly, and liver antioxidant concentrations were recorded at the end of the experiment. Newcastle disease (LaSota) vaccination was performed on day 22. HI titers were measured on days 14, 21, 35 and 42 to determine the effects of the antioxidants on the immune system. The addition of selenium, vitamin E, and carotenoid supplements to the commercial broiler diet significantly increased antioxidant accumulation in the liver and the plasma. All antioxidants assessed significantly improved the immune response. Selenium and vitamin E supplementation also significantly improved total carotenoid concentrations in the plasma. The carotenoids enhanced skin and meat color. None of the supplements tested influenced growth (p>0.05).

Foram realizadas hemoculturas seriadas, semeando-se 0,2 ml de sangue de pacientes com Doença de Chagas na fase crônica, em cada um de 14 tubos de ensaio contendo 6 ml de meio LIT. o exame foi repetido por 3 dias consecutivos, obtendo-se um total de 42 tubos semeados, correspondentes a uma série. A colheita do material foi repetida 30 e 60 dias após. As hemoculturas foram mantidas a 28°C e examinadas com 30, 45 e 60 dias. Dos 1337 tubos semeados 54 apresentaram-se positivos, observando-se que a maior freqüência de tubos positivos ocorreu após 45 dias de incubação, o que permitiu o diagnóstico parasitológico de 13 entre 15 pacientes examinados (86,6%). A hemocultura seriada em. meio LIT deve ser considerada como uma técnica a ser utilizada na triagem de pacientes para ensaios clínicos ou outros tipos de pesquisas que indiquem a necessidade de prévio diagnóstico parasitológico. Por ser um método trabalhoso e demorado não é possível recomendar o seu emprego em diagnóstico de rotina.

Serial hemocultures were made on blood from 15 Chagas' Disease patients using a modification of the technic described by Albuquerque et al (1). Warren's médium was substituted by "LIT" - ("Liver-infusion tryptose") medium. 0. 2 ml of blood from each patient was added to each one of 14 culture tubes each containing 6 ml of "LIT" medium on 3 consecutive days. The whole process was repeated 3 times at 30 days interval. 54 positive tubes (4,0%) were obtained. These results gave a positive parasitological diagnosis in 13 out of the 15 patients (86,6%). The results obtained demonstrated that there is a residual blood parasitemia in patients with chronic Chagas' disease but that there are also variations in the parasitemia of different individuais. Serial hemocultures has been found to be a reliable diagnostic method although very time consuming and its effectiveness is proportional to the number of isolations made from a patient.

Os autores apresentam o resultado de hemoculturas de 20 chagásicos crôninos, em meio LIT. Usaram como inóculo o concentrado de células de 10 ml de sangue, lavado em solução fisiológica após remoção do plasma por centrifugação a 3.000r.p.m. A papa, assim obtida, foi semeada em porções iguais em dois tubos contendo, cada um, 5 ml de LIT. Com uma única hemocultura obtiveram 6 casos positivos (30%). Números variáveis de hemoculturas, 1 a 14, nos 20 pacientes, possibilitaram a positividade de 9 casos (45%). Submetendo 7 pacientes a 4 ou mais hemoculturas (4, 5, 6, 10 e 14), 5 dentre eles mostraram-se positivos (71,4%). Recomendam o método para a rotina por ser prático e de fácil execução.

The authors have developed a process to make hemocultures in chronic phase of human Chagas' disease. They used as inocule the washed packed cells of 10 ml of blood. This material was sampled in 2 tubes of LIT (Liver Infusion Tryptose) with 5 ml of the medium. Six positive cases (30%) were detected with only one hemoculture. Increasing the nurriber of hemocultures (1 to 14) 9 out of 20 cases were positives (45%). In 7 cases 4 or more hemocultures (4, 5, 6, 10, 14) were made and 5 of them were positives (71,4%). The authors recomend the method for routine as a practical and easy method