No abstract

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies and a major zoonotic disease in Brazil. Due to the southward expansion of the disease within the country and the central role of dogs as urban reservoirs of the parasite, we have investigated the occurrence of CVL in two municipalities Erval Velho and Herval d’Oeste in the Midwest region of Santa Catarina state. Peripheral blood samples from 126 dogs were collected in both cities and tested for anti-L. infantum antibodies by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IIF) and for the presence of parasite DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in peripheral blood. From examined dogs, 35.71% (45/126) were positive for at least one of the three tests and two (1.6%) were positive in all performed tests. Twelve dogs (9.5%) were positive for both ELISA and IIF, while 21 dogs were exclusively positive for ELISA (16.7%), and 15 (11.9%) for IIF. L. infantum k-DNA was detected by PCR in 9 out of 126 dogs (7.1%) and clinical symptoms compatible with CVL were observed for 6 dogs. Taken together, these results indicate the transmission of CVL in this region, highlighting the needs for epidemiological surveillance and implementation of control measures for CVL transmission in this region.

Intrarenal manometry (IRM) using the Salaman fine-needle technique was routinely performed in 28 renal transplant patients in order to make the differential diagnosis of acute tubular necrosis, cyclosporin nephrotoxocity, and acute rejection. A total of 246 IRM determinations with simultaneous percutaneous renal biopsies were obtained in cases of acute renal failure following a renal transplant. Normal IRM values were 21.4 +/- 1.3 mm Hg. After collecting the clinical data, cyclosporin levels, ultrasound information, response to therapy, and renal biopsy results, we retrospectively obtained 49 IRM measurements in acute rejection, 9 in cyclosporin nephrotoxicity, and 26 in acute tubular necrosis. The values in acute rejection (41.3 +/- 9.5 mm Hg) were significantly different from the normally functioning kidneys, cyclosporin nephrotoxicity, or acute tubular necrosis. The values in cyclosporin nephrotoxicity were slightly elevated when compared to the normal or acute tubular necrosis determinations (p < 0.04) but were still significantly lower than the acute rejection. Our results suggest that IRM represents a useful technique in the approach to the acute renal dysfunction in renal transplant recipients.