Abstract Maintenance of snakes at Butantan Institute started in the last century, intending to produce a different antivenom serum to reduce death caused by snakebites. Through a successful campaign coordinated by Vital Brazil, farmers sent venomous snakes to Butantan Institute by the railway lines with no cost. From 1908 to 1962, the snakes were kept in an outdoor serpentarium, where venom extraction was performed every 15 days. During this period, the snake average survival was 15 days. In 1963, the snakes were transferred to an adapted building, currently called Laboratory of Herpetology (LH), to be maintained in an intensive system. Although the periodicity of venom extraction remained the same, animal average survival increased to two months. With the severe serum crisis in 1983, the Ministry of Health financed remodeling for the three public antivenom producers, and with this support, the LH could be improved. Air conditioning and exhausting systems were installed in the rooms, besides the settlement of critical hygienic-sanitary managements to increase the welfare of snakes. In the early 1990s, snake survival was ten months. Over the years to the present day, several improvements have been made in the intensive serpentarium, as the establishment of two quarantines, feeding with thawed rodents, an interval of two months between venom extraction routines, and monitoring of snake health through laboratory tests. With these new protocols, average snake survival increased significantly, being eight years for the genus Bothrops, ten years for genus Crotalus and Lachesis, and four years for the genus Micrurus. Aiming the production of venoms of good quality, respect for good management practices is essential for the maintenance of snakes in captivity. New techniques and efficient management must always be sought to improve animal welfare, the quality of the venom produced, and the safety of those working directly with the venomous snakes.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar os sorotipos de Streptococcus pneumoniae isolados de uma população internada em um hospital terciário para verificar a cobertura vacinal teórica das vacinas conjugada pneumocócica 13-valente (VCP13) e pneumocócica polissacarídica 23-valente (VPP23). Métodos: Estudo transversal envolvendo 118 pacientes internados no Hospital São Lucas, na cidade de Porto Alegre (RS), cujas amostras de cultura de sangue, líquor ou outro líquido estéril apresentaram isolados de pneumococos entre janeiro de 2005 e dezembro de 2016. A cobertura vacinal teórica foi estudada em relação aos sorotipos observados na amostra e sua relação com os contidos nas vacinas pneumocócicas disponíveis no Brasil. Resultados: A maioria da população era masculina (n = 66; 55,9%), com mediana de idade de 57 anos (intervalo interquartil: 33-72 anos). O agravo mais frequente foi pneumonia, e o pneumococo foi mais frequentemente isolado em hemocultura. Mais de um quarto da população estudada tinha algum grau de imunossupressão (n = 34; 28,8%). Na amostra geral, 39 pacientes (33,1%) foram a óbito. Não houve associações significativas do número de óbitos com o tipo de comorbidades, internação em UTI ou necessidade de ventilação mecânica. A cobertura vacinal teórica da VPP23 e da combinação VCP13 + VPP23 foi de 31,4% e 50,8%, respectivamente. Conclusões: Nesta amostra, se os pacientes tivessem sido previamente vacinados com a combinação VCP13 seguida de VPP23, teoricamente, 50,8% dos casos de doença pneumocócica invasiva que necessitaram de internação hospitalar poderiam ter sido prevenidos potencialmente. Essa doença deve ser prevenida com a vacinação não só de crianças e idosos, mas também de adultos em idade economicamente ativa, para reduzir o custo socioeconômico, a morbidade e a mortalidade ainda associados à doença, especialmente em países subdesenvolvidos.

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes isolated from an inpatient population at a tertiary care hospital, in order to determine the theoretical coverage of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 118 inpatients at the Hospital São Lucas, in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, whose cultures of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or other sterile body fluid specimens, collected between January 2005 and December 2016, yielded pneumococcal isolates. The theoretical vaccine coverage was studied in relation to the serotypes identified in the sample and their relationship with those contained in the pneumococcal vaccines available in Brazil. Results: The majority of the population was male (n = 66; 55.9%), with a median age of 57 years (interquartile range: 33-72 years). The most common manifestation was pneumonia, and the pneumococcus was most commonly isolated from blood cultures. More than one fourth of the study population had some degree of immunosuppression (n = 34; 28.8%). Of the total sample, 39 patients (33.1%) died. There were no significant associations between mortality and comorbidity type, ICU admission, or need for mechanical ventilation. The theoretical vaccine coverage of PPV23 alone and PCV13 plus PPV23 was 31.4% and 50.8%, respectively. Conclusions: If the patients in this sample had been previously vaccinated with PCV13 plus PPV23, theoretically, 50.8% of the cases of invasive pneumococcal disease that required hospital admission could potentially have been prevented. Invasive pneumococcal disease should be prevented by vaccination not only of children and the elderly but also of adults in their economically productive years, so as to reduce the socioeconomic costs, morbidity, and mortality still associated with the disease, especially in underdeveloped countries.

Annona cornifolia A. St. -Hil. é uma pequena árvore anual perene encontrada no cerrado brasileiro; seu fruto verde é usado popularmente no tratamento de úlceras. As acetogeninas isoladas a partir das sementes de Annona cornifolia anteriormente apresentaram atividade antioxidante. Continuando as nossas investigações sobre as atividades biológicas das acetogeninas, quatro misturas binárias e dez acetogeninas bis-tetra-hidrofurânicas adjacentes puras foram avaliadas quanto às atividades: citotóxica (sobre três linhagens de células tumorais humanas), antifúngica (sobre Paracoccidioides brasiliensis), tripanocida (sobre Trypanosoma cruzi) e leishmanicida (sobre Leishmania amazonensis). As acetogeninas apresentaram atividade citotóxica, confirmando seu uso potencial na terapia anticâncer. Quanto às atividades leishmanicida e tripanocida, foi observada uma inibição de 87% das formas amastigotas de L. amazonensis e 100% de formas amastigotas e tripomastigotas de T. cruzi, quando testadas a uma concentração de 20 µg mL–1. Além disso, seis acetogeninas mostraram maior atividade sobre todas as três cepas testadas de P. brasiliensis que o trimetoprim-sulfametoxazol, um medicamento usado no tratamento da paracoccidioidomicose. Assim, as acetogeninas podem ser uma alternativa no tratamento de uma série de doenças que têm um enorme impacto em milhões de pessoas no mundo. Este trabalho relata pela primeira as atividades antifúngica, leishmanicida e tripanocida para estas acetogeninas.

Annona cornifolia A. St. -Hil. is a small annual perennial tree found in the Brazilian savannah; their green fruit is popularly used in the treatment of ulcers. The acetogenins isolated from the seeds of Annona cornifolia previously showed to possess antioxidant activity. In continuation of our investigations on the biological activities of acetogenins, four binary mixtures and ten pure adjacent bis-tetrahydrofuran annonaceous acetogenins were evaluated: the cytotoxic (against three human tumor cell lines), antifungal (against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis), trypanocidal (against Trypanosoma cruzi) and leishmanicidal (against Leishmania amazonensis) activities. Acetogenins presented cytotoxic activity confirming their potential use in anti-cancer therapy. Regarding leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities, an inhibition of 87% of L. amazonensis amastigotes and 100% of T. cruzi amastigotes and trypomastigotes was observed, when tested at the concentration of 20 µg mL–1. Moreover, six acetogenins showed more activity against all the three tested isolates of P. brasiliensis than trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, a drug used for treating paracoccidioidomycosis. Thus, acetogenins may be an alternative in treating a number of diseases that have a huge impact on millions of people worldwide. This paper reports for the first time the antifungal, leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities for these acetogenins.

Lapachol was chemically modified to obtain its thiosemicarbazone and semicarbazone derivatives. These compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against several bacteria and fungi by the broth microdilution method. The thiosemicarbazone and semicarbazone derivatives of lapachol exhibited antimicrobial activity against the bacteria Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.05 and 0.10 µmol/mL, respectively. The thiosemicarbazone and semicarbazone derivatives were also active against the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus gattii (MICs of 0.10 and 0.20 µmol/mL, respectively). In addition, the lapachol thiosemicarbazone derivative was active against 11 clinical isolates of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, with MICs ranging from 0.01-0.10 µmol/mL. The lapachol-derived thiosemicarbazone was not cytotoxic to normal cells at the concentrations that were active against fungi and bacteria. We synthesised, for the first time, thiosemicarbazone and semicarbazone derivatives of lapachol. The MICs for the lapachol-derived thiosemicarbazone against S. aureus, E. faecalis, C. gattii and several isolates of P. brasiliensis indicated that this compound has the potential to be developed into novel drugs to treat infections caused these microbes.

Introduction: the agro-ecological system of milk production is limited in terms of sustainable alternatives for animal health promotion. The control of mastitis with medicinal plants can be economically and environmentally viable. Objectives: to evaluate the use of antiseptics in the post-milking teat disinfection. Methods: the comparison of conventional and herbal extracts in treating the new intramammarial infections. Results: the weekly prevalence of California Mastitis Test ranged from 29.5 to 17.1 % in group 1 and from 29.7 to 19.6 % in group 2 but no significant difference was found in any week. The incidence of positive culture for Staphylococcus/Streptococcus was 3.93 and 6.96/1 000 quarters/day for groups 1 and 2 respectively, being p= 0.057. There were four cases of clinical mastitis during the experiment, two cases in each treatment. Conclusions: the use of plant extracts in the post-milking teat disinfection may be useful for agro-ecological systems of milk production.

Introducción: el sistema de producción de leche agroecológico está limitado por alternativas sostenibles de promoción a la salud animal. El control de la mastitis con plantas medicinales puede ser viable de modo económico y ecológicamente. Objetivos: evaluar la aplicación de antisépticos en la desinfección de pezones posordeño. Métodos: se comparó un convencional y extracto de plantas medicinales en un rebaño comercial y tuvo como principal encierre las nuevas infecciones intramamarias. Resultados: la prevalencia semanal del California Mastitis Test varió en el grupo 1 entre 29,5 y 17,1 %, y en el grupo 2 de 29,7 a 19,6 %, no diferenciándose de modo significativo, en ninguna de las semanas. La incidencia de cultura positiva para Staphylococcus/Streptococcus fue de 3,93 y 6,96/1 000 cuartos/d para los grupos 1 y 2, respectivamente; con p= 0,057. Hubo 4 casos de mastitis clínica durante el experimento, 2 en cada tratamiento. Conclusiones: el uso de extractos de plantas en la desinfección de pezones posordeño puede ser útil a los sistemas de producción de leche agroecológicos.

Praziquantel chemotherapy has been the focus of the Schistosomiasis Control Program in Brazil for the past two decades. Nevertheless, information on the impact of selective chemotherapy against Schistosoma mansoni infection under the conditions confronted by the health teams in endemic municipalities remains scarce. This paper compares the spatial pattern of infection before and after treatment with either a 40 mg/kg or 60 mg/kg dose of praziquantel by determining the intensity of spatial cluster among patients at 180 and 360 days after treatment. The spatial-temporal distribution of egg-positive patients was analysed in a Geographic Information System using the kernel smoothing technique. While all patients became egg-negative after 21 days, 17.9% and 30.9% reverted to an egg-positive condition after 180 and 360 days, respectively. Both the prevalence and intensity of infection after treatment were significantly lower in the 60 mg/kg than in the 40 mg/kg treatment group. The higher intensity of the kernel in the 40 mg/kg group compared to the 60 mg/kg group, at both 180 and 360 days, reflects the higher number of reverted cases in the lower dose group. Auxiliary, preventive measures to control transmission should be integrated with chemotherapy to achieve a more enduring impact.

Este trabalho avalia o impacto do tratamento antihelmíntico sobre a infecção por A. lumbricoides (Al), T. trichiura (Tt) e ancilostomídeos (Anc) na população de Covas, Pernambuco. Durante março/2001 e março/2002, quatro inquéritos parasitológicos foram realizados. Em cada um foram coletados dois exames de fezes por morador. O diagnóstico foi feito pelos métodos de Kato-Katz e Hoffmann. Em abril/01, os indivíduos positivos foram separados em dois grupos para tratamento com albendazol (n = 62) ou mebendazol (n = 57). As proporções de indivíduos positivos reduziram-se significativamente um mês pós-tratamento: Al (de 47,7% para 6,6%), Tt (de 45,7% para 31,8%) e Anc (de 47,7% para 24,5%); permanecendo abaixo do nível inicial um ano pós-tratamento. Os casos de monoinfecção, exceto os por Tt, e infecções múltiplas reduziram-se após o tratamento. A negativação foi significativa para Al (94,0%), Anc (68,3%), mas não para Tt (45,5%) e foi maior para Al. A negativação não diferiu significativamente entre os tratados com mebendazol ou albendazol. A intensidade da infecção reduziu-se significativamente nos indivíduos que permaneceram positivos para Tt. Recomenda-se que o tratamento seja seletivo, administrado anualmente, de preferência com albendazole, devido ao seu custo-benefício.

This work aims to evaluate the impact of drug treatment on infection by Ascaris lumbricoides (Al), Trichuris trichiura (Tt) and hookworms (Hook) in a rural community from the sugar-cane zone of Pernambuco, Brazil. Four parasitological surveys were carried out from March 2001 to March 2002. Individual diagnosis was based on eight slides (four by the Kato-Katz method and four by the Hoffman method) per survey. Infected subjects were assigned to two groups for treatment with either albendazole (n = 62) or mebendazole (n = 57). Prevalence of infection fell significantly (p < 0.05) one month after treatment: Al (from 47.7% to 6.6%); Tt (from 45.7% to 31.8%) and Hook (from 47.7% to 24.5%). One year after treatment, infections by Tt and Hook remained significantly below pre-control levels. A substantial decrease in single-infection cases and multiple infections was found. Egg-negative rate was significant for Al (94.0%), Hook (68.3%) but not for Tt (45.5%), and did not differ significantly between subjects treated with mebendazole or albendazole. Egg counts fell significantly in the individuals remaining positive for Tt. It is recommended that antihelminthic treatment should be selective and given at yearly intervals preferably with albendazole, due to its cost-effectiveness.

The abundance of snail hosts and the rates of infection with Schistosoma mansoni were monitored monthly for four years in two representative localities subjected to repeated chemotherapy of infected persons. Snail abundance varied from 1.0 to 4.4 collected per person/minute/station for Biomphalaria straminea and from 0.1 to 7.0 for B. glabrata. Infection rates of snails in nature varied from 0% to 15% for the former and from 0% to 70% for the latter species. Human infection increased from 35.5% to 61.9% in the locality occupied by B. straminea, and decreased from 40.3% to 20.8% in that occupied by B. glabrata. No relationship could be detected between human infection and the snail variables. Despite seasonal variations, natural infection persisted throughout the monitoring period in both snail species. It reached remarkably high levels in B. straminea when compared to those obtained by other authors probably because of differences in methodology. It is recommended that longitudinal studies should be carried out focally and periodically to avoid underestimating the prevalence of schistosome infection in snails.

A group of 52 villagers was followed-up for three years regarding Schistosoma mansoni infection. All villagers were periodically surveyed by the Kato-Katz method. In March 1997 and March 1998 the positives were treated with oxamniquine (15-20 mg/kg), and in March 1999, with praziquantel (60 mg/kg). All infection indices decreased substantially between March 1999 and March 2000: prevalence of infection (from 32.7% to 21.2%), prevalence of moderate/heavy infection (from 7.7% to 1.9%), intensity of infection (from 23.1 epg to 7.4 epg) and reinfection (from 35.7% to 14.3%). Negativation increased from 53.8 to 82.4. An optimistic prognostic is assumed in the short term for the introduction of praziquantel in the study area.