BACKGROUND: Bacteraemia is a common cause of fever among patients presenting to hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. The worldwide rise of antibiotic resistance makes empirical therapy increasingly difficult, especially in resource-limited settings OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of bacteraemia in febrile adults presenting to Maputo Central Hospital (MCH), an urban referral hospital in the capital of Mozambique, and characterise the causative organisms and antibiotic susceptibilities. We aimed to describe the antibiotic prescribing habits of local doctors, to identify areas for quality improvement METHODS: Inclusion criteria were: (i) >18 years of age; (ii) axillary temperature >38°C or <35°C; (iii) admission to MCH medical wards in the past 24 hours; and (iv) no receipt of antibiotics as an inpatient. Blood cultures were drawn from enrolled patients and incubated using the BacT/Alert automated system (bioMérieux, France). Antibiotic susceptibilities were tested using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method RESULTS: Of the 841 patients enrolled, 63 (7.5%) had a bloodstream infection. The most common isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and non-typhoidal Salmonella. Antibiotic resistance was common, with 20/59 (33.9%) of all bacterial isolates showing resistance to ceftriaxone, the broadest-spectrum antibiotic commonly available at MCH. Receipt of insufficiently broad empirical antibiotics was associated with poor in-hospital outcomes (odds ratio 8.05; 95% confidence interval 1.62 - 39.91; p=0.04 CONCLUSION: This study highlights several opportunities for quality improvement, including educating doctors to have a higher index of suspicion for bacteraemia, improving local antibiotic guidelines, improving communication between laboratory and doctors, and increasing the supply of some key antibiotics

We consider the problem of surface reconstruction of a geometric object from a finite set of sample points with normals. Our contribution is to present a new scheme for implicit surface reconstruction. Similarly to the multilevel partition of unity (MPU) method we hierarchically divide the domain obtaining local approximation for the object on each part, and then patch all together obtaining a global description of the object. Our new scheme uses ridge regression and weighted gradient one fitting techniques to get better stability on local approximations. The method behaves reasonably on sparse set of points and data with holes as those which comes from 3D scanning of real objects.

L1, L2 e L3 de Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis (Mattos), L3 de O. confusa Lopes, L2 de Ravinia belfordi (Prado & Fonseca) e L2 de Oxyvinia excisa (Lopes) foram descritas e figuradas usando-se microscópio de varredura.

L1, L2 and L3 of Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis (Mattos), L3 of O. confusa Lopes, L2 of Ravinia belforti (Prado & Fonseca) and L2 of Oxyvinia excisa (Lopes) were described and figured using scanning electron microscope.

Foram estudados Aulacophyto reinhardi n.sp., da Argentina; A. baumgartneri n.sp., a. tarmaensis n.sp. do Peru; A. rusca Hall do Chile e Euparaphyto peruana n.sp. do Peru; é publicada uma chave para as espécies do Aulacophyto.

Aulacophyto reinhardi n.sp., from Argentina, A. baumgartneri n.sp., A tarmanensis, n.sp. from Peru; A. rusca Hall from Chile and Euparaphyto peruana n.sp. from Peru were studied; a key to species of Aulacophyto is given.

Primeiro e segundo "instars" de Sarcophagidae (Diptera) da tribu Raviniini são descritos neste trabalho.

First and second instar larvae of some Sarcophagidae (Diptera) of the tribe Raviniini are described on observations with a scanning electron microscope.

Completando nosso estudo sobre a biologia da família Sarcophagidae na região de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, estudamos a atratividade das diversas iscas utilizadas para capturas sistemáticas, realizadas por um ano (maio de 1980 a abril de 1981). A análise dos resultados obtidos foi feita tanto em relação à família de um modo geral, quanto às 25 espécies mais numerosas, que perfizeram um total de 9.582 exemplares dos 10.097 espécimes capturados. Para as 12 espécies em número superior a 250, fizemos uma análise estatística, a fim de verificar a possível influência das condições climáticas sobre a atratividade das iscas utilizadas.

Systematic collection of Sarcophagidae was made between May 1980 and April 1981 with two types of traps and five different baits. Twenty-five species were represented amingst the 9,592 specimens identified. The results are analysed to determine the attractiveness of different baits for Sarcophagidae in general and for each of the species obtained. For the commonest species, attractiveness of baits is correlated to climatic conditions.

Visando contribuir para o conhecimento da biologia de algumas espécies de Sarcophagidae da região de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, realizamos capturas sistemáticas pelo periodo de um ano (maio de 1980 a abril de 1981). Para isto utilizamos armadilhas e iscas atrativas adequadas para a captura destes dipteros. Foi capturado um total de 10.097 espécimes, dos quais 9.582, representados por 25 espécies, foram estudados e analisados sob diferentes aspectos. neste trabalho apresentamos a distribuição sazonal da família Sacophagidae, bem como a distribuição anual observada para cada uma das 25 espécies.

Systematic capture of Sarcophagidae was made over a period of one year (May, 1980 - April, 1981) in three different areas (urban, rural and silvatic), using two types of traps and five different baits. The total of 9,582 flies identified represented 25 especies. The monthly variations and seasonal abundance of each species are recorded.

Com o objetivo de se conhecer a fauna de Sarcophagidae da região de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, e se obter dados sobre seu comportamento, foram realizadas capturas sistemáticas em três áreas ecologicamente distintas, pelo período de um ano (maio de 1980 a abril de 1981). Para as capturas, foram utilizadas dois tipos de armadilhas apropriadas e cinco tipos de iscas; peixe cru, carcaça de camundongo, v´sceras de galinha, banana amassada com rapadura e fezes humanas. Foi capturado um total de 10.097 espécimens, dos quais foram estudados 9.582 exemplares, representados por 25 espécies. O índice de sinantropia foi determinado segundo a metodologia de Nuorteva (1963). Foram obtidos índices variáveis de sinantropia para as 25 espécies analisadas, sendo as mais sinantrópicas Parasarcophaga ruficornis (IS = + 94,7) e Bercaea haemorrhoidalis (IS = + 84,3), e as mais assinantrópicas Euboettcheria florencioi (IS = - 98,8) e Oxysarcodexia augusta (IS = - 96,9).

Over a period of one year (May, 1980 to April, 1981), systematic collections of Sarcophagidae were made in three ecologically distinct areas of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Two types of traps and five types of bait were used: raw fish, carcasses of mice, viscera of chickens, banana mashed with sugar, and human faeces. Of the total of 10,097 specimens captured, the 9,582 studied included 25 species. Indices of synanthropy (I.S.) for the 25 species varied considerably. The most synanthropic were Parasarcophaga ruficornis (I.S. = + 94.7) and Bercaea haemorrhoidalis (I.S. = + 84.3), and the least were Euboettcheria florencioi (I.S. = - 98.8) and Oxysarcodexia augusta (I.S. = - 96.9).

São estudadas e figuradas nove espécies de NOtochaeta, cinco das quais novas (napoensis, flavipes, huixtlaensis, affinis e stifrons). O material estudado provém principalemnte da Região Amazônica do Peru e Equador; uma espécie foi colecionada no México e o paratipo de N. panamensis Dodge, foi redescrito. O material típico pertence às coleções do "Biosystematics Research Institute", Ottawa e Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.

Nine species of Notochaeta, five of them proposed as new species (napoensis, flavipes, hixtlaensis, affinis and setifrons) were described and figured. Mostly of the species were obtained from the Amazon Region of Peru and Ecuador; one species was collected in Mexioc and the paratype of N. panamensis Dodge was redescribed. The typical material belongs to the collection of the Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa and "Museu Nacional", Rio de Janeiro.

As espécies do gênero Euboettcheria são, pela primeira vez, observadas como dominantes (54.39%), com sete espécies em Sinop, Estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil. Duas novas espécies (alvarengai e roppai) e fêmeas de espécies conhecidas foram descritas e figuradas. Notochaeta sinopi n. sp. e Sinopiella rufopilosa n. gen., n. sp. são também descritos.

In Sinop, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, for the first time specimens of Euboettcheria, with seven species, are dominant (54.39%) among the Sarcophagid flies. Two new species of Euboettcheria (alvarengai and roppai) and females of known species are described and figured. Notochaeta sinopi n.sp. and Sinopiella rufopilosa n. gen., n. sp. are also described.

The present paper, a revision of the genus Sarcophagula Wulp, is based upon material from the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz and the American Museum of Natural History. Five species are considered two of wich are new ones.