MARIA CRISTINA CARVALHO DO ESPIRITO SANTO
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
LIM/06 - Laboratório de Imunopatologia da Esquistossomose e outras Parasitoses, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
6 resultados
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- Characterization of subtypes of Blastocystis sp. isolated from patients with urticaria, Sao Paulo, Brazil(2019) MELO, Gessica Baptista de; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; MARUTA, Celina Wakisaka; CRIADO, Paulo Ricardo; CASTILHO, Vera Lucia Pagliusi; GONCALVES, Elenice Messias do Nascimento; ESPIRITO-SANTO, Maria Cristina de Carvalho do; PAULA, Fabiana Martins de; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo Cesar BorgesBlastocystis sp. is described as an enteric protist prevalent in fecal samples from humans and animals; its pathogenicity and epidemiology are still controversial. Currently, it has been associated with intestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and clinical manifestations of allergic skin, such as chronic urticaria. In the context of urticaria, it is still uncertain whether this organism is directly related to the allergic manifestation or just a common component of the intestinal microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence and molecular diversity of Blastocystis sp. in individuals with urticaria from a dermatology outpatient clinic, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fecal samples of 58 patients with urticaria were examined using parasitological methods; and subsequently tested by polymerase chain reaction using Blastocystis-specific primers. The subtypes (STs) and alleles (a) were determined using BLASTn and MLST tools. ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST6 and mixed infection (ST1 + ST3) were identified in the patients with urticaria; ST1 (a4), ST3 (a34 and a36) and ST4 (a42) were the most prevalent. Our molecular analyses allowed an initial description of Blastocystis subtypes in patients with urticaria from Sao Paulo city, Brazil. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of World Federation of Parasitologists.
- Molecular detection of prepatent Schistosoma mansoni infection in Biomphalaria glabrata snail vectors(2020) CASOTTI, Marcia Oliveira; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo Cesar Borges; PAULA, Fabiana Martins de; GOMES-GOUVEA, Michele; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; TUAN, Roseli; DIAS-NETO, Emmanuel; LUNA, Expedito Jose de Albuquerque; ESPIRITO-SANTO, Maria Cristina Carvalho doApproximately 240 million people worldwide are infected by Schistosoma. In Brazil, one of the main intermediate hosts of this parasite is Biomphalaria glabrata snails. The early detection of larval stages in intermediate hosts is an important challenge to public health. but it also represents an opportunity as a new alternative to indicate earlier natural infections before cercariae differentiation and emergence. In this context, we demonstrated that PCR amplification of a 28S gene fragment from the parasite does demonstrate S. mansoni infection in snails 14 days post infection. This conventional polymerase chain reaction amplified clear bands and was able to detect parasitic infection in the intermediate host B. glabrata under experimental conditions. However, we reinforce that this approach requires deeper investigations and further comparisons to confirm its specificity and sensitivity in earlier time points after miracidia infection. This approach has relevant potential as an effective molecular-based strategy for the monitoring of schistosomiasis transmission.
- Evaluation of the sensitivity of IgG and IgM ELISA in detecting Schistosoma mansoni infections in a low endemicity setting(2014) ESPIRITO-SANTO, M. C. C.; SANCHEZ, M. C. A.; SANCHEZ, A. R.; ALVARADO-MORA, M. V.; CASTILHO, V. L. P.; GONCALVES, E. M. N.; LUNA, E. J. A.; GRYSCHEK, R. C. B.Schistosomiasis is a major public health concern, with 200 million people infected worldwide. In Brazil, this disease has been reported in 19 states, and its prevalence in the city of Barra Mansa in Rio de Janeiro State is 1 %. The parasitological diagnostic methods currently available in these areas lack sensitivity; however, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been employed successfully for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis by using antibodies against antigens of Schistosoma mansoni adult worms and eggs, and for the detection of circulating antigens. The objective of this study was to determine systematically the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in the peripheral areas of Barra Mansa. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to December 2011 by using probabilistic sampling that collected 610 fecal samples and 612 serum samples. ELISA-IgG with total extracts and ELISA-IgM with trichloroacetic acid-soluble fractions were employed to detect antibodies against S. mansoni and were compared with the Kato-Katz and Hoffman parasitological techniques. Among the individuals studied, anti-S. mansoni antibodies were detected in 11.16 % (n = 71) by ELISA-IgG and in 20.75 % (n = 132) by ELISA-IgM, while the parasitological techniques showed 0.82 % (n = 5) positivity. The agreement between the two ELISA tests was 85.38 % (n = 543), and 8.65 % (n = 55) of the serum samples showed positive results in both tests. The higher positivity of the ELISA-IgM test corroborates the results of previous reports and indicates that the test may be a useful tool in epidemiological studies, particularly in areas of low endemicity for S. mansoni.
- Access to drinking water and sewage treatment in Brazil: a challenge for the control of waterborne infectious diseases(2020) GOMES, Filumena Maria da Silva; SANTO, Maria Cristina Carvalho do Espirito; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo Cesar Borges; BERTOLOZZI, Maria Rita; FRANCA, Francisco Oscar de Siqueira
- Evaluation of real-time PCR assay to detect Schistosoma mansoni infections in a low endemic setting(2014) ESPIRITO-SANTO, Maria Cristina Carvalho; ALVARADO-MORA, Monica Viviana; DIAS-NETO, Emmanuel; BOTELHO-LIMA, Livia Souza; MOREIRA, Joao Paulo; AMORIM, Maria; PINTO, Pedro Luiz Silva; HEATH, Ashley R.; CASTILHO, Vera Lucia Pagliusi; GONCALVES, Elenice Messias do Nascimento; LUNA, Expedito Jose de Albuquerque; CARRILHO, Flair Jose; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo Cesar BorgesBackground: Schistosomiasis constitutes a major public health problem, and 200 million people are estimated to be infected with schistosomiasis worldwide. In Brazil, schistosomiasis has been reported in 19 states, showing areas of high and medium endemicity and a wide range of areas of low endemicity (ALE). Barra Mansa in Rio de Janeiro state has an estimated prevalence of 1%. ALE represent a new challenge for the helminth control because about 75% of infected individuals are asymptomatic and infections occur with a low parasite load (<100 eggs per gram of feces), causing a decrease in sensitivity of stool parasitological techniques, which are a reference for the laboratory diagnosis of this helminth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique in serum and feces DNA samples using the techniques of Kato-Katz (KK), Hoffman, Pons and Janer (HH) as references, during an epidemiological survey using fecal samples and sera from randomized residents from an ALE. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted from April to December 2011 using a probabilistic sampling that collected 572 fecal and serum samples. The laboratory diagnostic techniques used were: KK, HH and qPCR ( feces and serum). Results: We obtained the following results using the different diagnostic techniques: KK and HH, 0.9% (n = 5); qPCR-feces, 9.6% (n = 55); and qPCR-serum, 1.4% (n = 8). The qPCR-feces presented the highest positivity, whereas the techniques of HH and KK were the least sensitive to detect infections (0.8%). Compared to HH and KK, qPCR-feces showed a statistically significant difference in positivity (p < 0.05), although with poor agreement. Conclusion: The positivity rate presented by the qPCR approach was far higher than that obtained by parasitological techniques. The lack of adequate surveillance in ALE of schistosomiasis indicates a high possibility of these areas being actually of medium and high endemicity. This study presents a control perspective, pointing to the possibility of using combined laboratory tools in the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in ALE.
- Unusual case of lagochilascariasis with breast involvement: the first case report in pregnancy(2020) ASSY, Joao Guilherme Pontes de Lima; ESPER, Helena Rangel; QUIROGA, Mariana Margarita Martinez; BRANDAO, Alisson dos Santos; SAID, Renato do Carmo; PINHEIRO, Olivia Campos; RIBEIRO, Adriana Paulino da Silva; SANTO, Maria Cristina Carvalho do Espirito; FRANCA, Francisco Oscar de SiqueiraLagochilascariasis is a neglected neotropical hehninthiasis, responsible for human infections through the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat from wild animals infected by larvae encysted in their tissues. It is characterized by a chronic evolution with periods of remission and recurrences, affecting mainly the head and neck regions. It can progress to death by invasion of the central nervous system. It is caused by the Lagochilascaris minor nematode, first described in 1909 and mainly found in the Brazilian Amazon ecosystem, notably in Para State. In May 2010, a 15-year-old female, born in the city of Aveiro. Para State, was hospitalized in the city of Santarem, Para State, presenting with cervical and spinal abscesses and osteolytic lesions at T3-T5 level. During hospitalization, white larvae identified as L. minor were observed in a cervical subcutaneous fistula. After the surgical drainage of abscesses. albendazole 400 mg/day was started, with improvement of symptoms. The patient abandoned the follow-up and in January 2016. during the 20th week of pregnancy. she was readmitted to the Santarem Municipal Hospital with new cervical abscesses in the infra-mammary region, with numerous larvae exiting by subcutaneous left breast fistulas. The antiparasitic treatment was restarted due to possible reactivation of the infection in the spine and dissemination to the central nervous system. Ten weeks after hospital discharge, the patient had resolution of the fistulas and decreased abscesses, without gestational complications. This is the first case report of lagochilascariasis during pregnancy. as well as of involvement of mammary glands.