The authors studied 66 wild nine-banded armadillos from Brazil. The ear samples were collected and Ziehl-Neelsen or Fite-Faraco stains were performed, as well as immunostaining using polyclonal BCG antibody, to avaluate the presence of the Mycobacterium leprae. The AFB were not detected by the Ziehl-Neelsen or Fite-Faraco staining, neither immunoexpression of the BCG marker. However, many norma...

To evaluate Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining using variants of carbol-fuchsin solution, duplicate smears from 416 samples were stained with ZN, one set with 1% basic fuchsin and the other 0.3%. Another set of duplicate smears from 398 samples were stained with ZN, one with 1% basic fuchsin and the other 0.1%. The coded smears were read and discrepancies resolved. All samples underwent mycobacterial ...

The Leprosy Control Program of Antioquia, (post-elimination leprosy state of Colombia), had registered by 1999, 56 lepromatous leprosy patients and their household contacts (HHC). Our interest was to detect Mycobacterium leprae infection in these HHC. Clinical examination, acid-fast bacillary staining (AFB) in nasal secretions, and slit skin samples, IgM anti-PGL-I in serum and Lepromine A (Mit...

One of the simplest procedures to demonstrate mucinous substances (acid mucopolysaccharides) in routine histological preparations involves the use of Alcian dyes. Methods involving these dyes have largely. replaced the older, more empirical mucicarmine technique arid are faster and less complicated than the colloidal iron method of Hale,1 which suffers from the possibility of false-positive sta...

Skin biopsy specimens from 3 consecutive patients with lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma limited to the skin were cultured for bacteria, and also examined histopathologically for the presence of acid-fast wall deficient (CWD) bacteria. Corynebacterium sp and Propionibacterium acnes were isolated from two repeated cultures from the first case. Both Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus viridans...

OBJECTIVE To develop an animal model of intraocular tuberculosis (TB) with features of pulmonary TB and extrapulmonary dissemination to the eye. METHODS Hartley strain guinea pigs were infected via an aerosol route with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One group of guinea pigs was infected with a relatively low bacterial inoculum and received no treatment. A second group of guinea pigs re...

Microbiological methods such as Gram staining and culture of low respiratory tract secretions are necessary to detect the real bacterial pathogens that cause lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). In many cases, Gram stain analysis may be unreliable to determine the cause of LRTI, and bacterial cultures provide adequate information. However, we herein report two cases of lower respiratory t...

Tuberculosis is one of the most common causes for cervical lymphadenopathy apart from distant metastasis and lymphoma. Early diagnosis this disease reduces patient’s morbidity by initiating early course Antitubercular treatment with complete resolution disease. Hence, condition we are searching a modality which can give results in shorter period time, more sensitive, specific important easier t...

Introduction: Parkinson disease (PD) results from the destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of natural antioxidants such as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) to maintain these neurons. Methods: CAPE is one of the main ingredients of propolis. Intranasal administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-2;3;4;6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was...