Three recent studies of Blastocystis epidemiology in mammalian hosts identified four novel sequences that appeared to share B. lapemi as the most similar sequence. However, full-length ssu rRNA gene sequences were not available to confirm the validity of these new subtypes. In the present study, Nanopore MinION sequencing was used to obtain full-length reference sequences for each of the new subtypes. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses and pairwise distance comparisons were performed to confirm the validity of each of these new subtypes. We propose that the novel sequences described in this study should be assigned the subtype designations ST35-ST38. The full-length reference sequences of ST35-ST38 will assist in accurate sequence descriptions in future studies of Blastocystis epidemiology and subtype diversity.

Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica) is a nematode of the Capillariidae family that infects rodents and other mammals. In Brazil, human spurious infections of C. hepaticum have been detected in indigenous or rural communities from the Amazon Basin, but not in the southern states of the country. Here, we report the highest occurrence (13.5% of 37 residents) of C. hepaticum human spurious infection detected in Brazil and the first record in a southern region, Guaraqueçaba. The finding is explained by the area being located in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Paraná, surrounded by preserved forests and because the inhabitants consume the meat of wild mammals.

Most human epidemiological and clinical studies use visual inspection of the hair and scalp to diagnose Pediculus humanus capitis , however this method has low sensitivity to diagnose active infestations (presence of nymphs and adult lice). Vacuuming the hair and scalp has been used as a diagnostic method, but there are no previous data comparing its effectiveness with visual inspection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overall infestation (nits and trophic stages), of active infestation by Pediculus humanus capitis , and to evaluate the effectiveness of vacuuming in comparison with the visual inspection. Visual inspection was performed by three examiners and vacuuming of the scalp by one investigator, with an adapted vacuum cleaner. A total of 166 children aged 4 to 10 years old were randomly selected from public schools in Southern Brazil. Considering the positive results obtained by both methods, the prevalence of overall infestation was 63.3%, whereas active infestation was 18.7%. The visual inspection was more effective on diagnosing overall infestation, however, its effectiveness to detect active infestation was lower, ranging from 0.6% (RR=3%, p<0.001) to 6.6% (RR=35%, p=0.001), depending on the number of examiners. The effectiveness of vacuuming to diagnose active infestation was higher than the one of visual inspection, with a prevalence rate of 16.3% (RR=87%, p=0.332). As presented in our study, the vacuuming method was 2.74 to 7.87 times most likely to detect active infestation, thus it could be adopted as a more accurate method to diagnose active pediculosis.

A Bahia foi o último estado brasileiro a ser declarado livre da transmissão da doença de Chagas pelo Triatoma infestans em 2006. O programa designado para controle vetorial da transmissão da doença de Chagas está atualmente ativo, e os potenciais triatomíneos coletados por funcionários do Departamento da Saúde do Estado da Bahia são praticamente todos diagnosticados como negativos para Trypanosoma cruzi quando analisados pelo método parasitológico convencional direto. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar se os triatomíneos da Bahia, de fato, não estão infectados por T. cruzi, utilizando-se, para isso, uma metodologia de diagnóstico mais sensível, como a reação em cadeia da polimerase do DNA do cinetoplasto (kDNA-PCR). Com a ajuda dos funcionários da área da saúde, foram analisados 51 triatomíneos provenientes de áreas do peridomicílio da região centro-norte do estado da Bahia. Dos insetos analisados, a maioria (60,8%) era Triatoma brasiliensis, 29,4% eram Triatoma pseudomaculata e 9,8% eram ninfas que não foram identificadas. Apenas um inseto, analisado pelo método parasitológico convencional direto, mostrou-se potencialmente positivo para T. cruzi e 31,4% foram positivos para T. cruzi pela kDNA-PCR. Quase a metade dos insetos infectados (41,9%) era constituída por T. brasiliensis, uma espécie com alto potencial para a transmissão de T. cruzi. Estes resultados demonstram que o número de triatomíneos infectados com elevado potencial de transmissão de T. cruzi pode ser maior do que o esperado em quatro localidades do estado da Bahia.

Biological collections are important for acquiring knowledge of the biodiversity of a specific environment. Here, we organize, list and catalog adult specimens of Culicidae from the Parasitology Collection of the Basic Pathology Department at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, and present a databank of taxonomic and collection information for each sample. Culicids were collected using different methodologies in 18 municipalities in Paraná state, between 1967 and 1999. There are 5,739 catalogued specimens, of which 4,703 (81.94%) are identified at species level, with a diversity of 100 species. Of these, 18 are new recorded samples for Paraná, and three are new for Brazil. This collection is named the Ana Leuch Lozovei Entomological Collection in honor of the 30 years Prof Lovozei dedicated to culicid study in Paraná. The collection comprises insect vectors or potential vectors, of agents causing human diseases.