Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas
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Master Thesis Parasitoses como bioindicadores de qualidade socioambiental e seu impacto na saúde e desenvolvimento de crianças(Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 2020-12-29) Moura, Ana Beatriz Gomes; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; Souza, Maria de Fátima de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/7011426083461968; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/9899121749183829; Almeida, Elinei Araújo de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/3865714707038562; Pereira, Nathalie de Sena; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/6882923707364191Parasitic diseases associated with factors such as malnutrition and anemia can determine important impacts on the growth and development of children, with effects that can have an impact on a person's entire life. The objective of this work was to study the prevalence of infections by parasites transmitted by water and food, associating them with risk factors and the impact on children's health and development. The study included children aged 11 months to 12 years and six months. Biological samples (blood and feces) were collected from 96 children, from three schools located on the west side of Natal; nutritional assessment was also carried out using the parameters weight for age, height for age and height for weight, according to the anthropometric standard of the National Center for Health Statistics; and an epidemiological questionnaire was applied to those responsible. Fecal samples were analyzed using the spontaneous sedimentation technique, modified Willis technique and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique to investigate intestinal parasites. Blood samples were used to perform the hematocrit technique and to obtain the serum for performing the immunoenzymatic test (ELISA), aiming to verify the presence of antiToxoplasma gondii antibodies. The data were analyzed by the chi square test, with a 0.05 significance level. From the 88 feces’ samples analyzed, eight species of enteroparasites were identified, with an overall prevalence of 52.2% (n = 46). The most frequent unicellular intestinal parasites were Blastocystis hominis (28.4%), Giardia lamblia (13.6%) and Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (12.5%). Two species of helminths were also diagnosed, namely Ascaris lumbricoides and Enterobius vermicularis, both with a frequency of 3.4%. Intestinal parasitism showed a significant inverse association with family income (p = 0.000). Condition of low weight for age and obesity occurred in 14.3% and 16.3% of cases, respectively. The seroreactivity for T. gondii was 11.5% (n = 11) and the avidity test for anti-T gondii antibodies indicated that all cases were in the chronic phase of the infection. From the 96 blood samples analyzed using the micro hematocrit technique, 44.8% (n = 43) presented anemia. Infections with enteroprotozoa and T. gondii indicate that these children live in unhealthy environments. In addition, anemia was a relevant diagnosis detected in this study and must be determined in these children by other factors than parasitism.Master Thesis Aspectos epidemiológicos da toxoplasmose em gestantes atendidas nas unidades básicas de saúde do município de Santa Cruz-RN(2019-04-24) Maia, Andressa de Oliveira; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; Aloise, Débora de Almeida; ; ; ; Silva, Andre Talvani Pedrosa da; ; Souza, Maria de Fátima de;Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis present worldwide with the ability to target any homeothermic animal, including humans. This disease is particularly serious in immunocompromised and pregnant women. Primary infection in pregnant women is usually asymptomatic and Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of the disease, can cross the placenta, infecting the fetus, causing retinocoriditis, hydrocephalus, mental retardation, seizures or even fetal death. Due to the importance of toxoplasmosis in public health, this study aimed to characterize the epidemiological aspects of T. gondii infection in pregnant women attended at the basic health units (BHUs) of the city of Santa Cruz-RN, as well as to investigate the risk factors associated with this infection, including individual, behavioral and socioeconomic factors. In this study, 184 pregnant women were evaluated and the serological results for IgG and IgM antibodies specific for T. gondii were obtained by ELISA and Electrochemiluminescence. The prevalence found was 28.8% in the pregnant women attending the UBSs of the city, showing that 71.1% of the women are still susceptible to infection. Of the 6 analyzed areas, the neighborhoods Maracujá and Paraiso presented a higher percentage of pregnant women with positive IgG serology when compared to the other neighborhoods. When only women with IgG negative serology (susceptible) were observed during the first gestation and at reproductive age, it was verified that they were present in greater number, characterizing vulnerability to infection during a possible later pregnancy. It was also observed that professions / occupations that possibly expose them continuously to risk factors for illness and habits such as poor meat consumption, gardening practices, consumption of water directly from tap and salad without knowledge about the origin of hygiene were practical among the pregnant women evaluated. The presence of a fully or partially enclosed water reservoir is proving to be a protective factor for infection in this group. Therefore, given the high number of women of reproductive age at risk for toxoplasmosis in the municipality, exposed to factors that contribute to infection, it is necessary to implement prevention and screening programs, especially during pregnancy.Master Thesis Estudo de polimorfismos nos genes IL17A e IL17RA e da produção de IL-17A, IL-33 e CCL2 em gestantes infectadas pelo Toxoplasma gondii do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil(2018-08-31) Andrade, Joelma Maria de Araújo; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; ; ; Souto, Janeusa Trindade de; ; Medeiros, Lilian Giotto Zaros de; ; Sales, Valeria Soraya de Farias; ; Nascimento, Manuela Sales Lima;Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a parasitic infectious parasitic disease that is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of determining a delicate balance between parasitism and the immune response of the host, which is modified due to environmental and genetic factors. Due to this, we aimed to investigate the allelic and genotype frequencies of specific SNPs in the IL17A and IL17RA genes, as well as the production of IL-17A, IL-33, and CCL2 in pregnant women infected with T. gondii from the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Through PCR-RFLP techniques, two SNPs implicated in Th17 immune response, IL17A rs2275913 (G> A) and IL17RA rs4819554 (A> G) modulation were evaluated in pregnant women, infected or not by T. gondii and treated in Maternity School Januário Cicco, Natal / RN. These women were also evaluated for the production of cytokines involved in the modulation of the immune response, CCL2, IL-33, and IL-17A, by the direct ELISA method. The results showed that the G-allele of the SNP rs2275913 (IL17A) appeared to be protective in this population, while the rs4819554 (IL17RA) SNP G allele was associated with a greater susceptibility to T. gondii infection [P value = 0.025; OR = 2.815 (1.118-7.089); CI = 95%]. Regarding cytokines, none of them had any influence on the analyzed parameters (abortion and hypertension). In view of these results, this unpublished study brings important immunogenic evidence in humans that support the existence of a contribution of the host genotype to the immunomodulation result of T. gondii; this still opens perspectives for other future approaches of the parasite-host relationship.Master Thesis Estudo de fatores de risco, sororreatividade e perfil clínico de pacientes HIV/Aids co-infectados com Toxoplasma gondii em Natal, Rio Grande do Norte(2016-10-31) Oliveira, Marianne Garcia de; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; Bay, Mônica Baumgardt; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5915195593670452; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8154044466776433; Feitosa, Ana Paula Sampaio; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/7741235050382403; Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5445410844075357Toxoplasma gondii is the main etiological agent responsible for central nervous system involvement in HIV / AIDS patients. The screening of patients with HIV / AIDS related to the positivity for T. gondii, associated to the determination of the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes, may help to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to this co-infection. The present study had as general objective to evaluate the frequency of T. gondii infection in HIV positive patients and to correlate clinical, serological and epidemiological aspects. For this, 179 HIV positive patients were evaluated at the Hospital Giselda Trigueiro. Serological tests were performed using the ELISA technique, while the clinical and epidemiological analyzes occured through research in medical records and questionnaire application, respectively. In addition, molecular analysis was performed by PCR in peripheral blood samples from 11 HIV patients hospitalized with neurotoxoplasmosis (suspected or confirmed). Our results indicate a high rate of T. gondii infection among patients with HIV / AIDS (83.8%), being detected neurotoxoplasmosis (11.7%) and ocular toxoplasmosis (3.35%). The presence of cats and raw salad ingestion were identified as risk factors, increasing the chance of acquiring the infection in 2.6 and 3.4 times, respectively. The most frequent clinical manifestations among all patients affected by cerebral toxoplasmosis consisted of: paresis / hemiparesis (65.62%), headache (37.50%) and changes in consciousness (28.12%). Besides that, among hospitalized HIV / AIDS patients, neurotoxoplasmosis was due to latent infection reactivation. The molecular evaluation presented limitations on the diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis. It is concluded that the accomplishment of this work allowed an epidemiological and clinical characterization of the toxoplasmosis in HIV / AIDS patients of Rio Grande do Norte, being a pioneer study in the region.Master Thesis Parasitos apicomplexa de matrizes caprinas da raça Canindé, na estação experimental terras secas, Rio Grande do Norte(2015-08-31) Silva, Alana Karina Miranda da; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/6312941085969568; Medeiros, Lilian Giotto Zaros de; ; Simplício, Aurino Alves; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/0723715433283381The goat production is a widely exploited activity in tropical countries and has great social and economic importance. Despite this, many diseases affect goats among which, parasitosis. In this context, some parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa are of great importance, due to high prevalence, impact on productivity and reproduction of animals, in addition to zoonotic's characteristics of some species. The aim of this study was to monitor the infections by Eimeria spp., Cryptosporidium spp.e Toxoplasma gondii in goats matrices of Canindé breed, raised in semi-intensive regime at the Experimental Station Terras Secas, Pedro Avelino, Rio Grande do Norte. Crops of stool samples and blood were carried out from August 2010 to July 2011. To monitor Eimeria spp. Infection it was realized the oocyst count per gram of feces (OoPG) and the identification of species based on morphological and morphometric parameters of sporulated oocysts. The infection by Cryptosporidium spp. was verified by oocyst's search in fecal smears stained with modified Zielh- Neelsen technique. To monitor infection by T. gondii was performed the conventional ELISA and avidity. The statistical analysis of the correlation between the average oocysts disposal and intensity of rainfall was verified by the t test for the regression coefficients. And the correlation between the oocysts shedding and reproductive status of matrices, it was made an analysis of variance. Statistical analyzes were performed using the R Core Team program, version 2015, assuming a significance level of 0.05%. Eimeria oocysts were detected in 85.24% of feces samples. Nine species of Eimeria have been identified: E. alijevi, E. arloingi, E. apsheronica, and. caprovina, E. christenseni, E. hirci, E. joechijevi, E. Ninakohlyakimovae e, E. caprina. The intensity of rainfall is related to the elimination of oocysts in the months in which the rainfall intensity was greater than 100 mm there was a greater elimination of oocysts in the feces (p = 0.00). Pregnant and calved matrices tend to eliminate more oocysts of Eimeria than dry, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.00). Of 405 fecal smears examined, nine were Cryptosporidium spp, representing 2.20% of the samples.; being the oocysts present in a sample taken in August, one in January, three in February, three in March and one in June. Of the 215 serum samples tested by ELISA, 93 (43.26%) were considered reactive to T. gondii. The greater reactivity rate was observed in July 2011 (94.10%). In the samples considered reactive, it was performed the ELISA test of antibody avidity of which 65 (69.90%) had high avidity antibodies, indicative of chronic infection and 28 (30.10%) had low avidity, indicative of acute infection. The infection by Eimeria spp. constitutes a problem for the flock since the five considered pathogenic species for goats were observed with high prevalence throughout the study period. The infection by Cryptosporidium spp. a low risk, but this is continuous, since the elimination of Cryptosporidium spp. It occurred at several points over the study time. The risk of vertical transmission of T. gondii can be considered high, since approximately one third of matrices were in the acute phase of infection.Master Thesis Parasitos de importância para a caprinocultura e a ovinocultura potiguar(Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 2015-03-24) Macedo, Mariany Patricia Wanderley de; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/6226426544269372; Simplício, Aurino Alves; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/0723715433283381; Medeiros, Lilian Giotto Zaros de; ; Souza, Maria de Fátima de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/7011426083461968The goat and sheep industry shows up as an agricultural activity of great importance for the semiarid Northeast. However, the sheep and goats production is made with various difficulties. Among them, parasitic infections, particularly helminth infections of the gastrointestinal tract, the eimeriosis and toxoplasmosis; this one related to problems in reproduction. For this reason, the aim of this study is to to make a survey of the occurrence and some determinants of parasitic diseases that affect small ruminant flocks of the microregions Natal, Macaíba, Litoral Sul, Angicos, Vale do Açu and Borborema Potiguar. Thereunto, epidemiological tools were applied with producers, keepers or guardians of herds and also held collections of blood and feces of animals in eight properties located in seven municipalities of these microregions. The parasite load of the animals was determined through eggs and oocysts counting per gram of feces EPG and OPG, respectively. In addition, the recovery of infective larvae was made. Blood samples were used to measure the globular cell volume and the search for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG in sheep serum, by Enzyme Linked Immune Sorbent Assay (ELISA). For categorical variables, the statistical analysis was performed using Poisson regression, with significance level of 0.05. The analysis of the instruments showed that ivermectin is the anthelmintic used in 85,71% of properties. From the total of feces samples of the sheep (n = 179), 53,07% were positive for helminth eggs and 48,04% were positive for oocysts of Eimeria. From the samples of faeces of goats (n = 133), 72,18% were positive for helminth eggs and 96,99% for oocysts of Eimeria. The lowest EPG and OPG count was observed in the micro region of Angicos. Most of the EPG count was found in the micro region Litoral Sul and the OPG count in the micro-region Borborema Potiguar. Both cases the difference was statistically significant(p- value0,000)The most prevalent helminth genus found was Haemonchus, present in 49,87% of the sheep and 80,42% of goats. The average of hematocrit ranged from 22,91 to 33,25 in sheep and from 22,62 to 28,25 in goats. The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG ranged from 63,33% to 100,00%. The goats showed to be more susceptible to infections by parasites of the gastrointestinal tract than the sheep. In all the properties was observed high prevalence of infection by T. gondii, with the lowest percentages recorded in the micro regions Angicos and Borborema Potiguar.Master Thesis Estudo da frequência e perfil epidêmico-sorológico da toxoplasmose ocular em pacientes atendidos no Ambulatório de Oftalmologia do Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes no município de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte(Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 2011-03-31) Mendes, Norma Helena Duarte; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/1102278468306215; Câmara, Antônia Cláudia Jácome da; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5445255186647578; Romero, Oscar Bruna; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2472508053117517Toxoplasmosis, provoked by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most prevalent parasitoses in the world. In humans, transmission occurs by three evolutionary forms of the parasite: oocysts, tissue cysts and tachyzoites. Wild and domestic felines are definitive hosts. The ocular form of toxoplasmosis can be of congenital origin with early or late clinical manifestations, or acquired after birth. T. gondii is considered the main culprit for most cases of infectious uveitis. This study aimed at assessing ocular toxoplasmosis, relating it to factors associated to the patient s lifestyle and describing the epidemic-serological and clinical profile of affected individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a population of 159 patients. Univariate analysis (odds ratio) was used to evaluate the data, with a confidence interval of 95% and p-value < 0.05. A prevalence of 4% of ocular toxoplasmosis was observed in the population of patients treated at an ophthalmological clinic. Of patients directly examined by immunoenzymatic assay (MEIA-AxSYM®- Microparticle Enzyme Immune Assay), considering only uveitis, a frequency of anti-T. gondii of 73%, most of whom exhibited titulation between 40-99 UI IgG/mL. With respect to location of ocular lesions, bilaterality was observed in 57% of patients assessed by the ophthalmoscopy technique. When compared with the results of an active search of medical records, a similarity in ocular toxoplasmosis (74%) and bilateral lesion location (55%) was observed. Type I lesion was the most frequent type observed, with intraocular disposition in the macula. An epidemiological survey revealed that direct contact with cats; consuming raw or poorly cooked meat and direct contact with the soil were significantly associated with greater likelihood of acquiring ocular toxoplasmosis. Sample characterization in relation to age range was significant for patients between 31 and 40 years [χ², chi-square test (p = 0.04)], but population traits such as schooling, sanitary district, and monthly income were not significant. Results confirm that ocular toxoplasmosis is widely distributed in the metropolitan area of Natal, Brazil, with significant prevalence of ocular lesions provoked by T.gondii. It is suggested that sanitary authorities exert greater control in order to minimize the risk of toxoplasmic infection, mainly in pregnant women.Master Thesis Ocorrência da infecção por Toxoplasma gondii e avaliação da imunização em caprinos do sertão do cabugi, Rio Grande do Norte(Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 2010-03-31) Medeiros, Andréa Dantas de; Andrade Neto, Valter Ferreira de; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4863082845974813; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5685254817989267; Barbosa, Francisco Barros; ; http://lattes.cnpq.br/1767755709219073; Santos, Elizeu Antunes dos; ; http://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/visualizacv.do?id=K4782221T9&dataRevisao=nullToxoplasmosis is one zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii protozoan. Goats, amongst the production animals, are one of the species most susceptible to this parasite, being one them main involved agents in ovine and goat abortions, determining great economic losses and implications for public health, since the presence it parasite in the products of goat origin, consist in one of the main sources of infection for the man. In this study 244 blood samples in 8 farms situated in 4 cities from the Sertão do Cabugi region, Rio Grande do Norte State, northeast of Brazil and, tested by ELISA assay. The results had shown a prevalence of 47.13% for anti- T. gondii antibodies and a significant association between positivity and variable evaluated as age, locality and property. The IgG avidity assay evaluated in 115 positive samples was carried to discriminate acute and chronic infection. Twelve samples (10.4%) had presented antibodies of low avidity while 103 (89.6%) presented high avidity antibodies; indicating that most of the animals was precocious exposure to the parasite. Significant difference was verified only for the variable sex. We also evaluate the capacity of recombinant adenoviruses codifying SAG1, SAG2, SAG3 and CMV in inducing activation of specific immune response in goat. These 109 animals received 109 pfu of the AdSAG1, AdSAG2, AdSAG3, AdCMV or PBS in vaccine protocol with 3 immunizations. Serum samples of the each animal, before and after mmunization, had been submitted to the ELISA. The results demonstrate that the immunizations had induced the production of IgG antibodies specific against T. gondii proteins