Lucimar Milagres | UERJ - Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Rio de Janeiro State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Lucimar Milagres
Background COVID-19 is characterized by a rapid change in the patients condition, with major chan... more Background COVID-19 is characterized by a rapid change in the patients condition, with major changes occurring over a few days. Our aim was to develop and evaluate an emergency system for monitoring patients with COVID-19, which may be useful in hospitals where more severe patients stay in their homes. Methodology/Principal findings The system consists of the home-based patient unit, which is set up around the patient and the hospital unit, which enables the medical staff to telemonitor the patients condition and help to send medical recommendations. The home unit allows the data transmission from the patient to the hospital, which is performed using a cell phone application. The hospital unit includes a virtual instrument developed in LabVIEW environment that is able to provide a real-time monitoring of the oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ), beats per minute (BPM), body temperature (BT) and peak expiratory flow (PEF). Abnormal events may be fast and automatically identified. After the des...
Vaccine, Dec 31, 2017
We aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and adverse events (AEs) after a booster dose of Meningococca... more We aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and adverse events (AEs) after a booster dose of Meningococcal C conjugated (MCC) vaccine in HIV-infected children and adolescents, who had a previous low seroconversion rate after priming with MCC, at a reference HIV-care center in Rio de Janeiro. 2-18 years old HIV-infected subjects with CD4+ T-lymphocyte cell (CD4) ≥15%, without active infection or antibiotic use, were enrolled to receive 2 doses of conjugated meningococcal C oligosaccharide-CRM197 12-18 months apart. All patients were evaluated before and 1-2 months after immunization for seroprotection [defined as human serum bactericidal activity (hSBA) titer ≥1:4]. AEs were assessed at 20 min, 3 and 7 days after each dose. Factors independently associated with seroprotection were studied. 156 subjects were enrolled and 137 received a booster MCC dose. 55% were female, and median age was 12 years. Eight-nine percent were receiving combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) at the booster visit (...
Vaccine
Anti-diphtheria antibody levels decrease with aging, and frequent booster vaccinations are requir... more Anti-diphtheria antibody levels decrease with aging, and frequent booster vaccinations are required to maintain herd immunity. We analyzed the diphtheria toxin neutralizing antibody (DT-Nab) response induced by a conjugate vaccine (meningococcal C polysaccharide-CRM197) in HIV-vertically infected (HI) children and adolescents and healthy controls (HC) with matched age. We report the association of DT-Nab with the bactericidal antibodies to serogroup C meningococcus (MenC). Before vaccination, 21 HI patients (50%) had no protection against diphtheria (≤0.01IU/ml of antibody) and only 8 (19%) showed complete protection (≥0.1IU/ml). About half of the HC (56%) had complete protection before immunization and 6 subjects (12%) had no protection against diphtheria. After one and two vaccine injections, 96% of HC and 64% of HI vaccinees, respectively, showed full protection against diphtheria. These data indicate that CRM197 was able to induce primary and/or booster response in both groups of individuals.
Pathogens and Immunity
Background: Why HIV-infected individuals have poor responses to standard dose and schedule hepati... more Background: Why HIV-infected individuals have poor responses to standard dose and schedule hepatitis B virus immunization is not well understood.Methods: We compared the serologic and cellular immune profiles of treated HIV-infected individuals with similar durations of infection and preserved CD4 counts (>350 cells/microliter) by hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) response before and after vaccination.Results: Similar levels of immune activation and plasma cytokine profile were found between non-responders and responders. The baseline plasma levels of CXCL-13, a surrogate of germinal center reactivity, were significantly lower in HBV responders compared to HBV non-responders and were a predictor of both vaccine response and titer. Furthermore, response to HBV vaccination was associated with a significantly higher frequency of circulating IgGhigh memory B cells post vaccination and preserved Th1 antigen-specific T-cell responses.Conclusions: Taken together, our data suggest that preserved...
Vaccine, Dec 7, 2016
Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the main causative agent of meningitis in Brazil. HI... more Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the main causative agent of meningitis in Brazil. HIV infection affects the quality of the immune system. HIV(+) children have an increased risk of infection to encapsulated bacteria such as N. meningitidis. We evaluated the opsonic antibody (OPA) levels and its correlation with serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) levels induced by one and two doses of a MenC conjugate vaccine in children and adolescents HIV(+) and HIV-exposed but uninfected children (HEU) group. Overall the data show the importance of two doses of vaccine for HIV(+) individuals. About 79% and 58% of HIV(+) patients showed SBA and OPA positive response after two doses of vaccine, respectively. For HEU group, 62% and 41% of patients showed SBA and OPA positive response after one dose of vaccine, respectively. A positive and significant association between SBA and OPA levels was seen after two doses of vaccine in HIV(+) patients.
Journal of Medical Microbiology, Nov 1, 2008
The importance of identifying Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be appreciated since diphtheria rem... more The importance of identifying Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be appreciated since diphtheria remains endemic in many countries, alongside the risk of epidemic outbreaks and the existence of a large number of non-immunized people worldwide (Galazka & Robertson, 1995; ...
Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo, 1992
Vaccine, Jul 1, 2003
PorA protein is an important component of group B meningococcal protein-based vaccines. The goals... more PorA protein is an important component of group B meningococcal protein-based vaccines. The goals of this study were: (i) to classify the non-serosubtypable strains recovered from vaccine failures and controls by porA variable region (VR) type; (ii) to investigate if point mutations of VRs of the porA gene are present in P1.19,15 strains recovered from vaccine failures and controls; (iii) to investigate if nucleotide sequence variation in the promoter region of porA gene is related to low expression of PorA protein. VR type P1.19,15 predominated in younger vaccine failures (3-47 months) compared to older failures (48-83 months). No changes in VRs of porA were observed in 46 P1.19,15 strains studied. A promoter spacer of 16 bp and 10 guanidine residues in the polymeric G tract was detected in five of six strains with weak PorA expression. Overall, this study indicated that lack of antibody response was probably the major cause of low vaccine efficacy in young children.
Pediatria, 2008
4 Médica resumo objetivo: avaliar o diagnóstico da infecção e colonização pulmonar por Pseudomona... more 4 Médica resumo objetivo: avaliar o diagnóstico da infecção e colonização pulmonar por Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), através da detecção de anticorpos séricos específicos em pacientes fibrocísticos. Fontes pesquisadas: foi revisada a base de dados Medline, no ...
Revista Argentina de Microbiología, 2015
Asymptomatic meningococcus carriers in hospitals is a risk factor for acquiring meningococcal dis... more Asymptomatic meningococcus carriers in hospitals is a risk factor for acquiring meningococcal disease. Meningococcal carrier (MC) frequency was investigated in oropharyngeal swab samples collected from 200 staff members at a teaching hospital from Brazil. MC prevalence was 9% (95% CI 5-13%). Risk factors associated with MC were: mean age of 26.5 years, male gender, bar attendance frequency and number of persons/house. Of 18 isolated meningococcal strains, 14 were non-groupable (NG), 3 corrresponded to serogroup B and 1 to serogroup 29E. The frequency of serotypes and serosubtypes was heterogenous, with a slight predominance of serotypes 4 and 7 and serosubtypes P1.7 and P1.5. Most strains (n=13) were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested. The ctrA gene (PCR) was identified in 9 (64.3%) of the 14 NG strains, suggesting virulence in most of the NG isolated strains. Therefore, a constant surveillance of these asymptomatic carriers is required.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Differences in the adhesive properties of Staphylococcus saprophyticus to HEp-2 cells and erythrocytes]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/70001577/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
S. saprophyticus has been frequently isolated from urinary tract infections in young women. In co... more S. saprophyticus has been frequently isolated from urinary tract infections in young women. In contrast with S. aureus, no defined virulence factors have been recognized for the coagulase negative Staphylococcus species. The objective this study was to analyze the adherence of S. saprophyticus to HEp-2 cells and sheep erythrocytes. The sample were isolated from urine of patients with urinary infection. Hemagglutination, adherence to HEp-2 cells tests and inhibition by specific carbohydrates of the interactions between these cells were analyzed. Most of the strains were hemagglutinating whose properties was inhibited by mannose (100mM). There was a high adherence level to HEp-2 cells. The differences in specificity and attachment level noted in this study suggest that multiple adhesins are involved in the mechanism of cellular interaction.
Clinics, 2015
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 ... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte numbers in Brazilian peacekeepers. METHODS: Venous blood was collected from 759 peacekeepers who had just returned from a peace mission in Haiti. Among the 759 soldiers, 642 individuals completed the psychosocial measures. CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte counts were measured by flow cytometry using a commercially available kit. Psychosocial factors, including military peace force stressors, clinical stress, anxiety and depression, were recorded. As a reference for T lymphocyte numbers, we measured T lymphocyte counts in 75 blood donors from the Instituto de Biologia do Exé rcito, Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: The median numbers of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the blood donors were 819 cells/ml and 496 cells/ml, respectively, with a CD4:CD8 ratio of 1.6. Significantly (p,0.05) lower CD4 T cell counts (759 cells/ml) were recorded for peacekeepers, with similar CD8 levels (548 cells/ml) and smaller CD4:CD8 ratios (1.3, p,0.001) compared to blood donors. These differences were due to a group of 14 military personnel with CD4 and CD8 medians of 308 and 266 cells/ml, respectively. Only one (7.1%) of these 14 individuals was diagnosed with clinical stress compared with 13.5% of the individuals with normal levels of CD4 T lymphocytes. One individual out of 628 (0.16%) had a Lipp's Stress Symptom Inventory score of 3, indicating near exhaustion. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of psychological disorders was low and there were no associations with CD4 or CD8 T cell numbers.
Journal of clinical microbiology, 1992
Beginning in 1988, the incidence of meningococcal disease in the area of greater São Paulo began ... more Beginning in 1988, the incidence of meningococcal disease in the area of greater São Paulo began to surpass the upper confidence limit of an 8-year average incidence (from 1979 to 1986), thus characterizing a new epidemic in the region of greater São Paulo. This epidemic, which extended to 1990, was different from previous epidemics in that it was caused by serogroup B. The increased incidence of meningococcal disease was paralleled by an increased prevalence of a single group B clone, B:4:P1.15, of the ET-5 complex. ET-5 strains have been present in the greater São Paulo area since 1979; however, they have been associated with a high percentage of the group B disease only from 1987 to the present. On the basis of the increased incidence of group B disease in São Paulo, a mass vaccination program with a serotype 4:P1.15 meningococcal protein vaccine was undertaken. The impact of this vaccination program is under analysis.
Vaccine, 2014
Currently, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the major cause of bacterial meningitis i... more Currently, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the major cause of bacterial meningitis in Brazil, affecting mainly teenagers and adults due to the lack of routine public vaccination of these age groups. The goal of this study was to investigate the bactericidal antibody response and the development of CD4(+) T cell memory during the convalescent phase of patients infected with N. menigitidis. Most (85.7%) of the patients developed a protective antibody response against MenC and 57% also responded to N. meningitidis serogroup B. We detected a significant CD4(+) T central memory (TCM) response to meningococcal outer membrane proteins.
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 1994
The expression of iron regulated proteins (IRPs) in vitro has been obtained in the past by adding... more The expression of iron regulated proteins (IRPs) in vitro has been obtained in the past by adding iron chelators to the culture after bacterial growth, in the presence of an organic iron source. We have investigated aspects concerning full expression of the meningococcal IRPs during normal growth, in defined conditions using Catlin medium, Mueller Hinton and Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB). The expression of IRPs varied between different strains with respect to Ethylenediamine Di-ortho-Hidroxy-phenyl-acetic acid (EDDA) concentrations, and according to culture medium, and also between different lots of TSB. For each strain, a specific set of IRPs were expressed and higher EDDA concentrations, or addition of glucose, or use of different culture media did not resulted in a differential expression of IRPs. We were not able to grow N. meningitidis under normal growth conditions using Desferal. We looked for a good yield of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) expressing IRPs in iron-deficient Catlin m...
PLoS ONE, 2014
Meningococcal disease is endemic in Brazil, with periodic outbreaks and case fatality rates reach... more Meningococcal disease is endemic in Brazil, with periodic outbreaks and case fatality rates reach as high as 18 to 20% of cases. Conjugate vaccines against meningococci are immunogenic in healthy children. However, we have previously shown a poor bactericidal antibody response to a Men C conjugate vaccine in Brazilian HIV-infected children and adolescents after a single vaccine administration. The goal of the present work was to investigate associations between bactericidal antibody response induced by MenC vaccine and the frequency and activation profile (expression of CD38, HLA-DR and CCR5 molecules) of total CD4 + memory T cell sub-populations in HIV-1-infected children and adolescents. Responders to vaccination against MenC had a predominance (about 44%) of CD4 + T INTERMEDIATE subset followed by T TRANSITIONAL memory subset (23 to 26%). Importantly, CD4 + T INT frequency was positively associated with bactericidal antibody response induced by vaccination. The positive correlation persisted despite the observation that the frequency T INT CD38 + HLA-DR + was higher in responders. In contrast, CD4 + T CENTRAL MEMORY (T CM) subset negatively correlated with bactericidal antibodies. In conclusion, these data indicate that less differentiated CD + T cells, like T CM may be constantly differentiating into intermediate and later differentiated CD4 + T cell subsets. These
Vaccine, 2007
There is no universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus (Men B). We investigated the deve... more There is no universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus (Men B). We investigated the development of spleen and bone marrowspecific IgG-secreting plasma cells (ASC) in mice immunised with the Cuban outer membrane protein (OMP) vaccine (VA-MENGOC-BC ®). Bone marrow was the predominant anatomical site of specific ASC and showed constant ASC levels (∼4%) at each time point analysed, indicating the production of long-lived ASC. A mean of 2.36 and 0.35% of Men B ASC was detected in spleen after the third dose and 2 months later, respectively, indicating a short-lived population. The data suggest that a short-lived ASC population in spleen was responsible for serum IgG anti-OMP while ASC from bone marrow produced persistent bactericidal antibodies against the vaccine strain. The response to the booster dose was consistent with development of memory B cells by primary vaccination.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2014
We aimed to evaluate the Neisseria meningitidis C conjugated vaccine (MCC) seroconversion and adv... more We aimed to evaluate the Neisseria meningitidis C conjugated vaccine (MCC) seroconversion and adverse events (AE) in HIV-infected and uninfected children and adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. HIV-infected or uninfected subjects, 2-18 years old, with CD4+ T-lymphocyte cell (CD4) percentage >15%, without active infection or antibiotic use, were enrolled. All patients were evaluated before and 1-2 months after immunization for seroconversion (defined as ≥4-fold titer increase in human serum bactericidal activity), and for AEs at 20 minutes, 3 and 7 days after immunization. Factors associated with seroconversion among HIV-infected group were studied. 204 subjects were enrolled: 154 HIV-infected and 50 HIV-uninfected. Median age was 12 years and 53% were female. Among the HIV-infected group, 82 (53%) had a history of at least one C clinical category Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention event, and 134 (87%) were using combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The median nadir CD4 percentage was 13% (0%-47%). 76(37.3%) experienced mild AEs. Seroconversion occurred in 46/154 (30%) of the HIV-infected group, and in 38/50 (76%) of the uninfected group (p<0.01). Factors associated with seroconversion in the HIV-infected group were: Never had a C clinical category event (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.0-4.4); undetectable viral load at immunization (OR=2.4, 95%CI=1.1-5.2), and higher CD4 nadir/100 cells (OR=1.1, 95%CI=1.0-1.2). MCC vaccine should be administered to HIV-infected children and adolescents after maximum immunologic and virologic benefit has been achieved with cART. Our data suggest that a single dose of MCC vaccine is insufficient for HIV-infected individuals 2-18 years of age.
Background COVID-19 is characterized by a rapid change in the patients condition, with major chan... more Background COVID-19 is characterized by a rapid change in the patients condition, with major changes occurring over a few days. Our aim was to develop and evaluate an emergency system for monitoring patients with COVID-19, which may be useful in hospitals where more severe patients stay in their homes. Methodology/Principal findings The system consists of the home-based patient unit, which is set up around the patient and the hospital unit, which enables the medical staff to telemonitor the patients condition and help to send medical recommendations. The home unit allows the data transmission from the patient to the hospital, which is performed using a cell phone application. The hospital unit includes a virtual instrument developed in LabVIEW environment that is able to provide a real-time monitoring of the oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ), beats per minute (BPM), body temperature (BT) and peak expiratory flow (PEF). Abnormal events may be fast and automatically identified. After the des...
Vaccine, Dec 31, 2017
We aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and adverse events (AEs) after a booster dose of Meningococca... more We aimed to evaluate immunogenicity and adverse events (AEs) after a booster dose of Meningococcal C conjugated (MCC) vaccine in HIV-infected children and adolescents, who had a previous low seroconversion rate after priming with MCC, at a reference HIV-care center in Rio de Janeiro. 2-18 years old HIV-infected subjects with CD4+ T-lymphocyte cell (CD4) ≥15%, without active infection or antibiotic use, were enrolled to receive 2 doses of conjugated meningococcal C oligosaccharide-CRM197 12-18 months apart. All patients were evaluated before and 1-2 months after immunization for seroprotection [defined as human serum bactericidal activity (hSBA) titer ≥1:4]. AEs were assessed at 20 min, 3 and 7 days after each dose. Factors independently associated with seroprotection were studied. 156 subjects were enrolled and 137 received a booster MCC dose. 55% were female, and median age was 12 years. Eight-nine percent were receiving combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) at the booster visit (...
Vaccine
Anti-diphtheria antibody levels decrease with aging, and frequent booster vaccinations are requir... more Anti-diphtheria antibody levels decrease with aging, and frequent booster vaccinations are required to maintain herd immunity. We analyzed the diphtheria toxin neutralizing antibody (DT-Nab) response induced by a conjugate vaccine (meningococcal C polysaccharide-CRM197) in HIV-vertically infected (HI) children and adolescents and healthy controls (HC) with matched age. We report the association of DT-Nab with the bactericidal antibodies to serogroup C meningococcus (MenC). Before vaccination, 21 HI patients (50%) had no protection against diphtheria (≤0.01IU/ml of antibody) and only 8 (19%) showed complete protection (≥0.1IU/ml). About half of the HC (56%) had complete protection before immunization and 6 subjects (12%) had no protection against diphtheria. After one and two vaccine injections, 96% of HC and 64% of HI vaccinees, respectively, showed full protection against diphtheria. These data indicate that CRM197 was able to induce primary and/or booster response in both groups of individuals.
Pathogens and Immunity
Background: Why HIV-infected individuals have poor responses to standard dose and schedule hepati... more Background: Why HIV-infected individuals have poor responses to standard dose and schedule hepatitis B virus immunization is not well understood.Methods: We compared the serologic and cellular immune profiles of treated HIV-infected individuals with similar durations of infection and preserved CD4 counts (>350 cells/microliter) by hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) response before and after vaccination.Results: Similar levels of immune activation and plasma cytokine profile were found between non-responders and responders. The baseline plasma levels of CXCL-13, a surrogate of germinal center reactivity, were significantly lower in HBV responders compared to HBV non-responders and were a predictor of both vaccine response and titer. Furthermore, response to HBV vaccination was associated with a significantly higher frequency of circulating IgGhigh memory B cells post vaccination and preserved Th1 antigen-specific T-cell responses.Conclusions: Taken together, our data suggest that preserved...
Vaccine, Dec 7, 2016
Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the main causative agent of meningitis in Brazil. HI... more Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the main causative agent of meningitis in Brazil. HIV infection affects the quality of the immune system. HIV(+) children have an increased risk of infection to encapsulated bacteria such as N. meningitidis. We evaluated the opsonic antibody (OPA) levels and its correlation with serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) levels induced by one and two doses of a MenC conjugate vaccine in children and adolescents HIV(+) and HIV-exposed but uninfected children (HEU) group. Overall the data show the importance of two doses of vaccine for HIV(+) individuals. About 79% and 58% of HIV(+) patients showed SBA and OPA positive response after two doses of vaccine, respectively. For HEU group, 62% and 41% of patients showed SBA and OPA positive response after one dose of vaccine, respectively. A positive and significant association between SBA and OPA levels was seen after two doses of vaccine in HIV(+) patients.
Journal of Medical Microbiology, Nov 1, 2008
The importance of identifying Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be appreciated since diphtheria rem... more The importance of identifying Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be appreciated since diphtheria remains endemic in many countries, alongside the risk of epidemic outbreaks and the existence of a large number of non-immunized people worldwide (Galazka & Robertson, 1995; ...
Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo, 1992
Vaccine, Jul 1, 2003
PorA protein is an important component of group B meningococcal protein-based vaccines. The goals... more PorA protein is an important component of group B meningococcal protein-based vaccines. The goals of this study were: (i) to classify the non-serosubtypable strains recovered from vaccine failures and controls by porA variable region (VR) type; (ii) to investigate if point mutations of VRs of the porA gene are present in P1.19,15 strains recovered from vaccine failures and controls; (iii) to investigate if nucleotide sequence variation in the promoter region of porA gene is related to low expression of PorA protein. VR type P1.19,15 predominated in younger vaccine failures (3-47 months) compared to older failures (48-83 months). No changes in VRs of porA were observed in 46 P1.19,15 strains studied. A promoter spacer of 16 bp and 10 guanidine residues in the polymeric G tract was detected in five of six strains with weak PorA expression. Overall, this study indicated that lack of antibody response was probably the major cause of low vaccine efficacy in young children.
Pediatria, 2008
4 Médica resumo objetivo: avaliar o diagnóstico da infecção e colonização pulmonar por Pseudomona... more 4 Médica resumo objetivo: avaliar o diagnóstico da infecção e colonização pulmonar por Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), através da detecção de anticorpos séricos específicos em pacientes fibrocísticos. Fontes pesquisadas: foi revisada a base de dados Medline, no ...
Revista Argentina de Microbiología, 2015
Asymptomatic meningococcus carriers in hospitals is a risk factor for acquiring meningococcal dis... more Asymptomatic meningococcus carriers in hospitals is a risk factor for acquiring meningococcal disease. Meningococcal carrier (MC) frequency was investigated in oropharyngeal swab samples collected from 200 staff members at a teaching hospital from Brazil. MC prevalence was 9% (95% CI 5-13%). Risk factors associated with MC were: mean age of 26.5 years, male gender, bar attendance frequency and number of persons/house. Of 18 isolated meningococcal strains, 14 were non-groupable (NG), 3 corrresponded to serogroup B and 1 to serogroup 29E. The frequency of serotypes and serosubtypes was heterogenous, with a slight predominance of serotypes 4 and 7 and serosubtypes P1.7 and P1.5. Most strains (n=13) were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested. The ctrA gene (PCR) was identified in 9 (64.3%) of the 14 NG strains, suggesting virulence in most of the NG isolated strains. Therefore, a constant surveillance of these asymptomatic carriers is required.
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
S. saprophyticus has been frequently isolated from urinary tract infections in young women. In co... more S. saprophyticus has been frequently isolated from urinary tract infections in young women. In contrast with S. aureus, no defined virulence factors have been recognized for the coagulase negative Staphylococcus species. The objective this study was to analyze the adherence of S. saprophyticus to HEp-2 cells and sheep erythrocytes. The sample were isolated from urine of patients with urinary infection. Hemagglutination, adherence to HEp-2 cells tests and inhibition by specific carbohydrates of the interactions between these cells were analyzed. Most of the strains were hemagglutinating whose properties was inhibited by mannose (100mM). There was a high adherence level to HEp-2 cells. The differences in specificity and attachment level noted in this study suggest that multiple adhesins are involved in the mechanism of cellular interaction.
Clinics, 2015
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 ... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte numbers in Brazilian peacekeepers. METHODS: Venous blood was collected from 759 peacekeepers who had just returned from a peace mission in Haiti. Among the 759 soldiers, 642 individuals completed the psychosocial measures. CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte counts were measured by flow cytometry using a commercially available kit. Psychosocial factors, including military peace force stressors, clinical stress, anxiety and depression, were recorded. As a reference for T lymphocyte numbers, we measured T lymphocyte counts in 75 blood donors from the Instituto de Biologia do Exé rcito, Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: The median numbers of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the blood donors were 819 cells/ml and 496 cells/ml, respectively, with a CD4:CD8 ratio of 1.6. Significantly (p,0.05) lower CD4 T cell counts (759 cells/ml) were recorded for peacekeepers, with similar CD8 levels (548 cells/ml) and smaller CD4:CD8 ratios (1.3, p,0.001) compared to blood donors. These differences were due to a group of 14 military personnel with CD4 and CD8 medians of 308 and 266 cells/ml, respectively. Only one (7.1%) of these 14 individuals was diagnosed with clinical stress compared with 13.5% of the individuals with normal levels of CD4 T lymphocytes. One individual out of 628 (0.16%) had a Lipp's Stress Symptom Inventory score of 3, indicating near exhaustion. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of psychological disorders was low and there were no associations with CD4 or CD8 T cell numbers.
Journal of clinical microbiology, 1992
Beginning in 1988, the incidence of meningococcal disease in the area of greater São Paulo began ... more Beginning in 1988, the incidence of meningococcal disease in the area of greater São Paulo began to surpass the upper confidence limit of an 8-year average incidence (from 1979 to 1986), thus characterizing a new epidemic in the region of greater São Paulo. This epidemic, which extended to 1990, was different from previous epidemics in that it was caused by serogroup B. The increased incidence of meningococcal disease was paralleled by an increased prevalence of a single group B clone, B:4:P1.15, of the ET-5 complex. ET-5 strains have been present in the greater São Paulo area since 1979; however, they have been associated with a high percentage of the group B disease only from 1987 to the present. On the basis of the increased incidence of group B disease in São Paulo, a mass vaccination program with a serotype 4:P1.15 meningococcal protein vaccine was undertaken. The impact of this vaccination program is under analysis.
Vaccine, 2014
Currently, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the major cause of bacterial meningitis i... more Currently, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the major cause of bacterial meningitis in Brazil, affecting mainly teenagers and adults due to the lack of routine public vaccination of these age groups. The goal of this study was to investigate the bactericidal antibody response and the development of CD4(+) T cell memory during the convalescent phase of patients infected with N. menigitidis. Most (85.7%) of the patients developed a protective antibody response against MenC and 57% also responded to N. meningitidis serogroup B. We detected a significant CD4(+) T central memory (TCM) response to meningococcal outer membrane proteins.
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 1994
The expression of iron regulated proteins (IRPs) in vitro has been obtained in the past by adding... more The expression of iron regulated proteins (IRPs) in vitro has been obtained in the past by adding iron chelators to the culture after bacterial growth, in the presence of an organic iron source. We have investigated aspects concerning full expression of the meningococcal IRPs during normal growth, in defined conditions using Catlin medium, Mueller Hinton and Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB). The expression of IRPs varied between different strains with respect to Ethylenediamine Di-ortho-Hidroxy-phenyl-acetic acid (EDDA) concentrations, and according to culture medium, and also between different lots of TSB. For each strain, a specific set of IRPs were expressed and higher EDDA concentrations, or addition of glucose, or use of different culture media did not resulted in a differential expression of IRPs. We were not able to grow N. meningitidis under normal growth conditions using Desferal. We looked for a good yield of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) expressing IRPs in iron-deficient Catlin m...
PLoS ONE, 2014
Meningococcal disease is endemic in Brazil, with periodic outbreaks and case fatality rates reach... more Meningococcal disease is endemic in Brazil, with periodic outbreaks and case fatality rates reach as high as 18 to 20% of cases. Conjugate vaccines against meningococci are immunogenic in healthy children. However, we have previously shown a poor bactericidal antibody response to a Men C conjugate vaccine in Brazilian HIV-infected children and adolescents after a single vaccine administration. The goal of the present work was to investigate associations between bactericidal antibody response induced by MenC vaccine and the frequency and activation profile (expression of CD38, HLA-DR and CCR5 molecules) of total CD4 + memory T cell sub-populations in HIV-1-infected children and adolescents. Responders to vaccination against MenC had a predominance (about 44%) of CD4 + T INTERMEDIATE subset followed by T TRANSITIONAL memory subset (23 to 26%). Importantly, CD4 + T INT frequency was positively associated with bactericidal antibody response induced by vaccination. The positive correlation persisted despite the observation that the frequency T INT CD38 + HLA-DR + was higher in responders. In contrast, CD4 + T CENTRAL MEMORY (T CM) subset negatively correlated with bactericidal antibodies. In conclusion, these data indicate that less differentiated CD + T cells, like T CM may be constantly differentiating into intermediate and later differentiated CD4 + T cell subsets. These
Vaccine, 2007
There is no universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus (Men B). We investigated the deve... more There is no universal vaccine against serogroup B meningococcus (Men B). We investigated the development of spleen and bone marrowspecific IgG-secreting plasma cells (ASC) in mice immunised with the Cuban outer membrane protein (OMP) vaccine (VA-MENGOC-BC ®). Bone marrow was the predominant anatomical site of specific ASC and showed constant ASC levels (∼4%) at each time point analysed, indicating the production of long-lived ASC. A mean of 2.36 and 0.35% of Men B ASC was detected in spleen after the third dose and 2 months later, respectively, indicating a short-lived population. The data suggest that a short-lived ASC population in spleen was responsible for serum IgG anti-OMP while ASC from bone marrow produced persistent bactericidal antibodies against the vaccine strain. The response to the booster dose was consistent with development of memory B cells by primary vaccination.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2014
We aimed to evaluate the Neisseria meningitidis C conjugated vaccine (MCC) seroconversion and adv... more We aimed to evaluate the Neisseria meningitidis C conjugated vaccine (MCC) seroconversion and adverse events (AE) in HIV-infected and uninfected children and adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. HIV-infected or uninfected subjects, 2-18 years old, with CD4+ T-lymphocyte cell (CD4) percentage >15%, without active infection or antibiotic use, were enrolled. All patients were evaluated before and 1-2 months after immunization for seroconversion (defined as ≥4-fold titer increase in human serum bactericidal activity), and for AEs at 20 minutes, 3 and 7 days after immunization. Factors associated with seroconversion among HIV-infected group were studied. 204 subjects were enrolled: 154 HIV-infected and 50 HIV-uninfected. Median age was 12 years and 53% were female. Among the HIV-infected group, 82 (53%) had a history of at least one C clinical category Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention event, and 134 (87%) were using combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The median nadir CD4 percentage was 13% (0%-47%). 76(37.3%) experienced mild AEs. Seroconversion occurred in 46/154 (30%) of the HIV-infected group, and in 38/50 (76%) of the uninfected group (p<0.01). Factors associated with seroconversion in the HIV-infected group were: Never had a C clinical category event (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.0-4.4); undetectable viral load at immunization (OR=2.4, 95%CI=1.1-5.2), and higher CD4 nadir/100 cells (OR=1.1, 95%CI=1.0-1.2). MCC vaccine should be administered to HIV-infected children and adolescents after maximum immunologic and virologic benefit has been achieved with cART. Our data suggest that a single dose of MCC vaccine is insufficient for HIV-infected individuals 2-18 years of age.