Foi realizado um estudo quantitativo e qualitativo dos plexos de Auerbach e Meissner do esôfago de quatro cães chagásicos sacrificados na fase aguda da infecção. As ganglionites e periganglionites do plexo de Auerbach variaram de discretas a moderadas, induzindo lesões neuronais significativas, principalmente em dois animais. Os gânglios do plexo de Meissner foram observados em pequeno número, impossibilitando qualquer análise. Miosite discreta ou moderada foi observada principalmente no terço inferior do esôfago, raramente associada a ninhos de amastigotas. A contagem de gânglios e neurônios não demonstrou desnervação. Apesar de em nenhum dos cães ter sido induzida a formação de megaesôfago, relatamos lesões do plexo de Auerbach e de miocélulas do esôfago de animais na fase aguda da infecção chagásica. Este parece ser o primeiro estudo quantitativo e qualitativo sistemático dos plexos de Auerbach e Meissner do esôfago na tripanosomíase cruzi experimental.

A quantitative and qualitative study was conducted on the Auerbach and Meissner plexuses of the esophagus of four chagasic dogs sacrificed during the acute pbase of infection. Ganglionitis and periganglionitis of the Auerbach plexus ranged from mild to moderate and induced significant neuronal lesions, especially in two animals. The ganglions of the Meissner plexus were obsenvd in small number which did not permit any analysís. Mild or moderate myositis iras obsewed mainly in the lower third of the esophagus and was rarely associated with amastigote nests. Ganglion and neuron connts did not demonstrate denervation. Although the formation of megaesophagus was not induced in any dog, lesions of the Auerbach plexus and myocells of the esophagus were observed during the acute phase of chagasic infection. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic quantitative and qualitative study of the Auerbach and Meissner plexuses of the esophagus in experimental trypanosomiasis cruzi.

Foi realizado estudo qualitativo e quantitativo dos plexos cardíacos superficiais e profundos em cães inoculados com o Trypanosoma cruzi das cepas Be-62 e Be-78 e sacrificados na fase aguda. O processo inflamatório, as lesões e o parasitismo dos plexos foram mais intensos e frequentes nos animais inoculados com a cepa Be-78 do que naqueles inoculados com a cepa Be- 62. Apesar deste fato, não foi verificada diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o número de corpos de neurônio por gânglio dos animais chagásicos e os controles.

Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the superficial and profound cardiac plexus of dogs experimentally infected with Be-62 and Be-78 strains of Trypanosoma cruzi were studied. Animals were autopsied in the acute phase of infection. The inflammatory process, lesions and number of parasites were more intense and frequent in animals infected with the Be-78 strain than in those infected with Be-62. Despite this, no statistically significant differences could be found between the number of neuron bodies in the ganglia of infected and control dogs.

This paper describes the development of experimental Chagas' disease in 64 out-bred young dogs. Twenty-nine animals were inoculated with the Be-62 and 35 with Be-78 Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Twenty-six were infected with blood trypomastigotes by different inoculation routes and 38 with metacyclic trypomastigotes from the vector via the conjunctival route. Twenty of the 26 dogs infected with blood trypomastigotes were autopsied during the acute phase. Eleven died spontaneously and nine were sacrificed. Six remained alive until they died suddenly (two) or were autopsied (four). Twelve of the 38 dogs infected with metacyclic trypomastigotes evolved naturally to the chronic phase and remained alive for 24-48 months. The parasitemia, clinical aspects and serology (IgM and IgG) as well as electrocardiogram, hemogram and heart anatomo-histopathologic patterns of acute and chronic cardiac forms of Chagas' disease as seen in human infections, were reproduced. The most important finding is the reproductibility of diffuse fibrosing chronic chagasic cardiopathy in all dogs infected with Be-78 T. cruzi strain autopsied between the 90th and 864th days of infection. Thus, the dog can be considered as a suitable experimental model to study Chagas' disease according to the requisites of the World Health Organization (1984). Futhermore the animal is easily obtained and easy to handle and maintain in experimental laboratory conditions.

Os autores documentam a cardiopatia difusa fibrosante, com todos os sintomas clínicos e dados de autópsia pertinentes à insuficiência cardíaca congestiva, em um dos 21 cães infectados com a cepa Colombiana (cinco morreram na fase aguda e quatro continuam vivos) e cinco, dos 13 infectados com a cepa Berenice-78 (oito morreram na fase aguda), num período de oito anos de observação. Em vista destes resultados, os autores sugerem que o cão possa vir a ser um modelo experimental, adequado para o estudo da história natural da doença de Chagas, preenchendo os requisitos estabelecidos pelo Comitê Assessor de Doença de Chagas do Programa Especial de Pesquisa e Treinamento em Doenças Tropicais da Organização Mundial de Saúde.

The authors found the fibrosing chronic chagasic cardiopathy with congestive heartfailure in one out of the 21 dogs infected with the Colombian strain (five died in acutephase andfour are alive)five out of the 13 animais infected with the Berenice-78 strain eight died in acute phase) were observed until eight years of infection with T. cruzi. In view of these results, the author suggest that the dog could be a suitable experimental model for the study of the natural history of Chagas' disease. The dog conforms with the requisites of the World Health Organization (WHO) Steering Committee of Chagas' disease of the Programmefor Research Training in Tropical Diseases.

Vinte pacientes com a associação Salmonella-S. mansoni (Grupo 1) e 20 com esquistossomose mansoni hepatesplênica (Grupo 2) foram selecionados para o estudo. Submeteram-se os pacientes dos Grupos le 2 a exame clínico minucioso e a uma série de exames complementares, com destaque para as provas de função renal. Em 10 pacientes do Grupo 1 e 20 do Grupo 2, realizou-se, ainda, estudo histológico do rim à microscopia óptica, de fluorescência e eletrônica. As alterações renais foram mais freqüentes nos pacientes do Grupo 1. Após o tratamento dos pacientes do Grupo 1, com antibióticos e/ou esquistossomicidas, observou-se regressão das alterações renais sob o ponto de vista clínico, laboratorial e imunopatológico. Os autores concluem pela existência de duas nefropatias distintas: a nefropatia esquistossomótica e a encontrada em pacientes com a associação Salmonella-S. mansoni.

The responses of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs were evaluated through the in vitro test using blood sample collected from patients of 7 municipalities of the south of Pará State. Sixty nine microtests for chloroquine and mefloquine, 62 for amodiaquine and 61 for quinine were pet formed. The results showed a high resistancefor chloroquine (71%), a relatively low resistance level for amodiaquine (25.8%) and little resistance to quinine (8.2%). For mefloquine 100% of sensitivity wasfound.

Utilizando-se técnicas histoquímicas pela prata (Masson-Fontana e Sevier- Munger) estudaram-se a distribuição e o número de células enterocromafins (EC) e do conjunto EC mais células argirófilas (ARG) em peças cirúrgicas de megassigmóide chagásico. Observou-se que tanto nos "megas"(n = 16) como nos controles (n = 8), a posição das células EC e ARG na mucosa foi predominantemente basal, com distribuição irregular, principalmente das EC. A análise histológica revelou aparente aumento numérico das EC e do conjunto EC mais ARG. Todavia, contagens sistematizadas mostraram que somente o conjunto dessas células apresentou aumento estatisticamente significativo (P < 0,01). Realizou-se também o estudo morfométrico da mucosa e das musculares que revelou espessamento significativo (P

Silver stainings (Masson-Fontana and Sevier- Munger methods) were applied to sections from surgical specimens of chagasic megasigmoid. The distribution and the number of both enterochromaffin (EC) cells and EC plus argyrophyl (ARG) cells were studied. Both of them, EC and ARG cells presented a predominantly basal localization in mucosal glands of megasigmoids (n = 16) and Controls (n= 8) The counting of EC cells and EC plus ARG cells has shown that only the group EC plus ARG cells was significantly increased. Morphometric studies revealed a significant increase in the thickness of the muscle and mucosa layers of the megasigmoid when compared to the Controls.

Estudamos as alterações ultra-estruturais dos hepatócitos na forma aguda, toxêmica, da esquistossomose, em cinco pacientes, membros de uma mesma família infectados em idênticas condições em um córrego existente próximo da lagoa de Pampulha, em Belo Horizonte (MG), e não tratados especificamente para a esquistossomose. Este estudo confirma os dados obtidos em trabalho anterior, em sete pacientes infectados no Município de Sabara (MG). Nos cinco casos, as alterações ultra-estruturais foram inespecíficas, pouco acentuadas, embora mais intensas do que as observadas anteriormente, e se caracterizaram sobretudo pelas modificações das organelas citoplasmáticas, explicando o freqüente encontro de células claras a microscopia óptica. A identificação de alguns granulomas a microscopia eletrônica permitiu verificar que estes mostram, no exstudato, granulócitos eosinófilos, macrófagos, plasmócitos, células epitelióides e mastócitos. Entre as células havia material amorfo e finos feixes de colágeno.

In this paper the authors discuss the ultrastructural changes of liver cells in the acute toxaemic form of schistosomiasis mansoni in five member of the same family who got the infection in identical conditions in an endemic area located near the Pampulha Lake, in Belo Horizonte (MG) and that did not receive specific treatment for schistosomiasis. This study confirms the data obtained and documented in a prior communication in seven patients infected in Sabará (MG). In the five cases the ultrastructural changes were also non-specific, although more intense than observed previuosly and were characterized mainly by alteration of the cytoplasmic organelles that could explain the common feature of clear cells by light microscopy. The results of the observation of some granulomas in ultrathin sections have demonstrated eosinophils, macrophages, plasma cells, epithelioid cells and mast cells. Among these cells there were also ground substance and thin bundles of collagen.