OBJECTIVE: Dogs play an important role as infection source of human cryptosporidiosis. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp. in dogs as well as to compare two techniques of fecal analysis. METHODS: Four-hundred and fifty canine fecal samples from the city of São Paulo were analyzed between 2003 and 2004. Fecal samples were randomly selected from dogs housed in a university veterinary hospital (group 1, n=200) and private kennels (group 2, n=250). The detection […]

Feces, collected after the killing of 9,150 dogs and 674 cats caught on throughfares of S. Paulo City, Brazil, and impounded, were examined for evidence of Ancylostomidae and Ascaridae parasites by the direct Willis’ and sedimentation methods. The present article relates to material collected during the period 1980-1985. The following infestation rates were discovered: 59.83% of dogs and 22.26% of cats were found to have Toxocara sp. ova.

This survey analises the prevalence of the intestinal helminthiasis and their correlation with anemia, nutritional status, income and family size in school children in Santa Eudóxia (S. Carlos, SP, Brazil). Results achieved by the Lutz method performed on fecal samples from a total of 254 children showed a prevalence of 12.1% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 3.7% for ancylostomideo, 4.8% for Trichuris trichiura and 3.7% for Hymenolepis nana. The highest level of infestation (51.9%) occurred in the 8 to 12-year age groups. […]

Between November 2001 and December 2002, 600 dog fecal samples were collected in main squares and public parks of 13 cities in Chile, from the extreme north to the extreme south of the country. The samples were processed in the laboratory by centrifugal sedimentation and the Harada-Mori methods. T. canis eggs were found in 12 cities. Detection rates ranged from 1.9 to 12.5% with an average of 5.2%. Seven percent of the samples had eggs and 9.5% had rhabditoid and/or […]

The natural distribution of thermotolerant Campylobacter sp. in dogs (150 stray animals and 64 pets) was studied. Campylobacters were more frequently isolated (p<0.01) from stray dogs (51.3%) rather than from pet dogs (21.9%). All the biotypes described by Lior for C. jejuni and C. coli were found among stray animals, whereas only C. jejuni biotypes I and II and C. coli biotype II were found among pet dogs. The need for more studies related to the role of environmental sanitary […]

OBJETIVES: To detect anti-Giardia lamblia serum antibodies in healthy children attending public day care centers and to assess serological tests as tools for estimating the prevalence of G. lamblia in endemic areas. METHODS: Three separate stool specimens and filter paper blood samples were collected from 147 children ranging from 0 to 6 years old. Each stool sample was processed using spontaneous sedimentation and zinc sulfate flotation methods. Blood samples were tested by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) […]

OBJECTIVE: To verify any possibility of the elimination of p24 in feces of Triatoma infestans, p24 being an antigen and one of the markers of HIV infection. The purpose of the study was the evaluation of any risk of contamination by laboratory staff who work with activities related to this particular insect, and also investigate any mechanism that might thus lead to the dissemination of HIV. METHOD: Triatoma infestans were fed with p24-marked blood from 23 AIDS patients. Twenty-four and […]