RESUMO ABSTRACTIntroduction: Preliminary studies indicate a probable schistosomiasis expansion in Alagoas. This work analyzes the occurrence of Schistosoma mansoni in students from two municipalities, located in the Mundaú and Paraíba rivers basins. Methods: The study group consisted of 690 students in the urban area, aged between seven and 15 years. A standardized socio-economic questionnaire was filled out and parasitological tests were used to diagnosis schistosomiasis (Lutz and Kato methods). Positive cases were treated and students and their families were lectured about health education. Results: The Schistosoma mansoni prevalence was 24.9%. The association between schistosomiasis and other parasitic diseases was significant in relation to trichuriasis (p <0.05). Only 50% of infected children lived in brick homes with sanitation and public water supply. Among them, 48.1% used to go usually to the water collections and 55.8% of them knew rivers snails. The concordance analysis between the Lutz and Kato methods showed disagreement in 54.2%, with greater sensitivity for the Lutz technique (76.4%). Conclusions: The indices obtained characterize the municipalities as hyperendemic areas, because prevalence rates over 5% are considered high according to the World Health Organization. The high prevalence observed here is also two times higher than that reported by the Brazilian Schistosomiasis Program Control.

RESUMOExistem poucos estudos sobre as alterações da função hepática em camundongos com esquistossomose associada à desnutrição. Neste trabalho, os animais foram divididos em quatro grupos, de acordo com as dietas (normal ou hipoprotéica) e infectados ou não pelo Schistosoma mansoni. Todos os grupos desenvolveram-se menos que o grupo controle (p<0,0001). A mortalidade nos animais foi devida à infecção. Níveis altos de aminotransferases nos animais nutridos e infectados sugerem um processo inflamatório intenso (p<0,0001). Todos os grupos apresentaram elevação da fosfatase alcalina. Houve aumento da aspartato transferase e da fosfatase alcalina em animais nutridos infectados. As dietas modificaram os níveis de albumina (p>0,001), e das proteínas séricas. Os grupos, comparados ao controle, mostraram baixos níveis de glicose (p<0,001). Este estudo verificou que ambas, infecção e/ou desnutrição, interferiram nos níveis dos indicadores bioquímicos, mas as alterações mais importantes da função hepática ocorreram durante a inflamação intensa causada pela esquistossomose. Palavras-chaves:Esquistossomose. Desnutrição. Função hepática. Camundongos. ABSTRACTThere are few studies on liver function abnormalities in mice with schistosomiasis associated with malnutrition. In this study, animals were divided into four groups, according to their diet (normal or low protein) and whether they were infected with Schistosoma mansoni or not. All the groups grew slower than the control did (p < 0.0001). Mortality among the animals occurred because of the infection. High levels of aminotransferases in well-fed animals with infection suggested that there was an intensive inflammatory process (p < 0.0001). All the groups presented high levels of alkaline phosphatase. There were increases in aspartate transferase and alkaline phosphatase in infected well-fed animals. The diets modified the albumin levels (p > 0.001) and the serum proteins. Compared with the controls, the groups showed low levels of glucose (p < 0.001). This study found that both infection and malnutrition interfered with the biochemical indicator levels, but the most important liver function abnormalities occurred during the intense inflammation caused by schistosomiasis. Há cerca de 6,3 milhões de portadores de esquistossomose no Brasil 16 . A evolução da doença e suas manifestações clínicas são influenciadas por fatores tais como a carga parasitária e a condição nutricional do indivíduo 7 . A esquistossomose está quase sempre associada à desnutrição, porque incide com freqüência na parcela populacional menos favorecida economicamente. Na desnutrição, a deterioração fisiológica está em consonância com seu grau 13 e o fígado, órgão central no metabolismo, tornase quase sempre afetado. Foi observado que a deficiência energético-protéica afeta os sistemas, de modo que, concomitante ao progresso da doença, sobrevém a deterioração das funções hepáticas, com aumento de aminotransferases no soro 14 . KeyNa esquistossomose mansônica (EM), as alterações hepáticas são as manifestaçõ...

RESUMO Saúde in 1997Saúde in , 1998Saúde in /1999Saúde in and 2000, confirmed the importance of schistosomiasis mansoni in the areas surveyed in this work.

The effects of high and low-protein diets on the structure of the jejunal mucosa were studied in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice (morphology and histomorphometry). Weaning male albino mice were infected with 80 cercariae, fed with high (20%) or low-protein (5%) diets and compared to uninfected controls under the same conditions. Mice were sacrificed 12 weeks after infection. Animals submitted to a low-protein diet showed lower weight curves, mainly when infected. In the jejunal mucosa, finger-like villi were the predominant pattern among uninfected high-protein fed animals, while the infected ones showed leaf-shaped and flattened villi in most cases. Undernourished infected mice had 65.7% leaf-shaped villi. A significant increase in the number of goblet cells was seen in infected mice. A decrease in the number of absorptive cells was detected in undernourished mice, particularly in infected ones.

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