Numerous studies addressed the diversity of bird Plasmodium and Haemoproteus parasites. However, a few have been carried out in continental avian hotspot regions such as Brazil, a country with markedly different biomes, including Amazon, Brazilian Savanna, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Pantanal, and Pampas. We present the first study on hemosporidian (Haemosporida) parasites in free-living birds from an Atlantic Forest fragment where more than 80 avian species have been reported. Within this area, the São Paulo Zoo locates, and it is the fourth largest zoo in the world and the largest in Latin America. A total of 133 free-living bird samples representing 12 species were collected in the zoo, with the overall hemosporidian prevalence of 18 % by PCR-based diagnostics. Twenty-four positive PCR signals were reported from four different bird species, including migratory ones. Columba livia, an urban species, considered nowadays a pest in big cities, showed 100 % prevalence of Haemoproteus spp., mainly Haemoproteus columbae. We discuss the epidemiological importance of new parasites introduced by migratory birds in the São Paulo Zoo area and the risk it poses to the captive species, which are natives or exotics. We also warn about the influence these parasites can have on the biodiversity and the structure of host populations by altering the competitive interaction between the free-living and the captive birds.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) using CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 stem cells from an adult donor has resulted in the only known cure of HIV infection. However, it is not feasible to repeat this procedure except rarely because of the low incidence of the CCR5-delta 32 allele, the availability of only a small number of potential donors for most patients and the need for a very close HLA match between donor and recipient. In contrast, cord blood (CB) transplants require significantly less stringent HLA matching. Therefore, our hypothesis is that cure of HIV infections by HCT can be accomplished much more readily using umbilical cord blood stem cells obtained from a modestly sized inventory of cryopreserved CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 CB units. To test this hypothesis we have developed a screening program for cord blood units and are developing an inventory of CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 cryopreserved units available for HCT. 300 such units are projected to provide for Caucasian pediatric patients a 73.6% probability of finding an adequately HLA matched unit with a cell dose of ≥ 2.5 x 107TNC/kg and a 27.9% probability for Caucasian adults. With a cell dose of ≥ 1 x 107TNC/kg the corresponding projected probabilities are 85.6% and 82.1%. The projected probabilities are lower for ethnic minorities. Impetus for using CB HCT was provided by a transplant of an adult with acute myelogenous leukemia who was not HIV infected. The HCT was performed with a CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 CB unit, and post-transplant in vitro studies indicated that the patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were resistant to HIV infection.

The technique of diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) is commonly used to assess metal contamination in natural waters. In this paper, we assess the effect of biofouling on DGT measured labile concentrations in water and investigate whether an additional nuclepore polycarbonate membrane on the surface of DGT devices can limit biofilm growth. Simultaneous field deployments of DGT equipped with and without the additional membrane in a canal receiving wastewater were compared. The effect of the biofilm was also assessed in controlled laboratory experiments, completed by the experimental determination of several metals diffusion coefficients in the hydrogel and membrane systems. The biofilms effect was problematic only from the 10th day of accumulation. Accumulation of some elements is highly biased by the presence of a thick biofilm (Zn, Ni, Cd). The polycarbonate membrane improved the quantification of Cd and Ni but adversely affects the quantification of Cr and Co. A kinetic model is proposed to explain the biofilm role on the DGT measurement. Depending on the metals of interest, it is possible to limit bias due to biofilms by using an additional polycarbonate membrane.

The case of a 13-year-old Caucasian girl with a 1-year history of a linear plaque on her thigh is reported. Histopathologic examination of the incisional biopsy tissue established the diagnosis of lupus erythematosus panniculitis. Six months later she developed the clinical and laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She was treated with azathioprine and oral prednisolone, with a favorable clinical outcome. Our case illustrates a child with linear lupus erythematosus profundus as an initial manifestation of SLE. To our knowledge, only eight other cases of linear lupus erythematosus profundus have been reported in the literature, five in children. In contrast to our patient, none of those cases progressed to SLE during the reported follow-up period. The authors report this case to illustrate an unusual superimposed segmental manifestation of an inflammatory polygenic disorder.

The production of São Paulo metallo-β-lactamase (SPM-1) is the most common carbapenem resistance mechanism detected among multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates in Brazil. Dissemination of SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa has been restricted to the nosocomial settings, with sporadic reports of environmental isolates due to contamination by hospital sewage. Herein, we described the detection and molecular characterization of SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa recovered from the microbiota of migratory birds in Brazil. Three hundred gram-negative bacilli were recovered from cloacal and choanal swabs of Dendrocygna viduata during a surveillance study for detection of carbapenem-resistant isolates. All isolates were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Molecular typing was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing. MICs were determined by agar dilution, except for polymyxin B. Antibiotic resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing. Transcriptional levels of oprD and efflux system encoding genes were also carried out by quantitative real-time PCR. Nine imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered with 7 of them carrying bla. Additional resistance genes (rmtD-1, blaaacA4, and aac(6')-Ib-cr) were also detected in all 9 isolates. The SPM-1-producing isolates showed high MICs for all β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides, being susceptible only to polymyxin B. Interestingly, all isolates showed the same PFGE pattern and belonged to ST277. Overexpression of MexXY-OprM and MexAB-OprM was observed in those isolates that did not harbor bla. Our results suggest that migratory birds might have played a role in the dissemination of SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa within the Brazilian territory.

We report the pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of fatal acute systemic toxoplasmosis in an adult, female, free-living southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) from São Paulo state, Brazil. PCR-RFLP genotyping analysis identified the #21 genotype of Toxoplasma gondii. This represents the first report of acute toxoplasmosis involving this genotype in humans and animals.

Non-human primates (NHPs) have been shown to be infected by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, the etiological agent of malaria in humans, creating potential risks of zoonotic transmission. Plasmodium brasilianum, a parasite species similar to P. malariae of humans, have been described in NHPs from Central and South America, including Brazil. The merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1), besides being a malaria vaccine candidate, is highly immunogenic. Due to such properties, we tested this protein for the diagnosis of parasite infection. We used recombinant proteins of P. malariae MSP1, as well as of P. falciparum and P. vivax, for the detection of antibodies anti-MSP1 of these parasite species, in the sera of NHPs collected in different regions of Brazil. About 40% of the NHP sera were confirmed as reactive to the proteins of one or more parasite species. A relatively higher number of reactive sera was found in animals from the Atlantic Forest than those from the Amazon region, possibly reflecting the former more intense parasite circulation among NHPs due to their proximity to humans at a higher populational density. The presence of Plasmodium positive NHPs in the surveyed areas, being therefore potential parasite reservoirs, needs to be considered in any malaria surveillance program.

A cinetobacter species are ubiquitous pathogens that are broadly encountered in the environment, with some species, like Acinetobacter baumannii, A. pittii, and A. nosocomialis, more frequently detected in nosocomial settings (1). During the last decades, carbapenem resistance rates among such microorganisms have increased mainly because of the acquisition of carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D ␤-lactamase (CHDL)-encoding genes. The dissemination of bla OXA-23 , bla OXA-143 , and more recently bla OXA-72 is the main cause of carbapenem resistance among Brazilian A. baumannii clinical isolates (2). In contrast, bla OXA-58 has been rarely reported in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter species in Brazil (3-5). However, Cayô and colleagues recently described two OXA-58-producing A. seifertii isolates from patients hospitalized at a tertiary-care hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Interestingly, these isolates were recovered more than 20 years ago (1993 and 1997) (3). Here, we describe an OXA-58-producing A. seifertii isolate colonizing a black-necked swan residing in the lakes of the São Paulo zoo. During a surveillance study, 37 black-necked swans (Cygnus melanocoryphus) residing in the lakes of the São Paulo zoo were screened for colonization by carbapenemresistant Gram-negative bacilli. Swabs of both the choana and the cloaca were collected. The swabs were streaked onto MacConkey agar supplemented with imipenem at 1 g/ml (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO), followed by Gram staining. We recovered a cloacal carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative coccobacillus (Ac-12.1) that was initially identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry as a member of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex. Subsequently, Ac-12.1 was identified to the species level as A. seifertii by rpoB sequencing (6). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution and interpreted according to the EUCAST guidelines (7). Ac-12.1 showed high piperacillintazobactam (Ͼ256 and 4 g/ml), ampicillin-sulbactam (32 and 16 g/ml), cefepime (16 g/ml), ceftazidime (32 g/ml), and ceftriaxone (64 g/ml) MICs. It was resistant to imipenem (MIC, 16 g/ml), meropenem (MIC, 8 g/ml), amikacin (MIC, Ͼ256 g/ml), and polymyxin B (MIC, 4 g/ml). In contrast, Ac-12.1 was susceptible to gentamicin (MIC, 4 g/ml), ciprofloxacin (MIC, 1 g/ml), levofloxacin (MIC, 0.25 g/ml), and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (MICs, 2 and 38 g/ml). Screening for carbapenemase production by Blue Carba test was positive with 2 h of incubation, as previously described (8). Molecular characterization of carbapenemaseencoding genes was performed by PCR, followed by DNA sequencing with specific primers (9, 10), and demonstrated that Ac-12.1 carried the bla OXA-58 gene. No additional