HUMAN LAGOCHILASCARÀASE AND NEOTROPICAL REGION

Abstract

LAGOCHILASCARIASIS, AN INFECTION THAT HAS AS ETIOLOGICAL AGENT THE HELMINTH OF THE FAMILY ASCARIDIDAE LAGOCHILASCARIS MINOR, IS A NEGLECTED, SEVERE DISEASE, RESTRICTED TO THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. IT HAS BEEN FOUND IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, SURINAME, MEXICO, VENEZUELA, COLOMBIA, BOLIVIA, ECUADOR, COSTA RICA, PARAGUAY AND BRAZIL. THE LATTER COUNTRY LEADS CAUSALITY WITH 100 OF 168 CASES DESCRIBED. L. MINOR HAS BEEN FOUND IN TISSUES OF THE CERVICAL REGION, AUDITORY CANAL, MASTOID, RHINO-OROPHARYNX, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, TONSIL, LUNGS, EYEBALL, DENTAL ALVEOLUS, SACRAL REGION, MAN'S NASAL SINUSES. THERE ARE NO DRUGS THAT HAVE THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY AND THE DISEASE CAN LEAD PEOPLE TO DEATH THE FACT THAT HUMAN INFECTION IS RESTRICTED TO THE NEOTROPICAL REGION IS RELEVANT TO CARRY OUT INVESTIGATIONS ON SOME ASPECTS THAT MAY BE INVOLVED IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE DISEASE. FOR THIS REASON, THE PRESENT STUDY HAD AS OBJECTIVE TO ANALYZE SOME ASPECTS OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE NEOTROPICAL REGION INCLUDING FAUNA, VEGETATION, TYPES OF SOIL AND CLIMATE. FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THIS STUDY WERE USED DATA FROM THE SPECIALIZED LITERATURE ONLINE, HIGHLIGHTING THE PORTAL OF PERIODICALS / CAPES AND PERIODICALS INSERTED IN SCIELO (SCIENTIFIC ELECTRONIC LIBRARY ONLINE). THE NEOTROPICAL REGION EXTENDS FROM MEXICO TO SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA. THIS REGION HAS SEVERAL BIOMES, AND ONE OF THEM IS THE AMAZON RAINFOREST THAT ACCOUNTS FOR 30% OF THE WORLD'S RAINFORESTS, THE CERRADO IS THE SECOND LARGEST BIOME IN BRAZIL AND OCCUPIES THE THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE COUNTRY. ANOTHER BIOME THAT STANDS OUT IS THE CAATINGA THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 10% OF THE NATIONAL TERRITORY. THE ATLANTIC FOREST, WHICH IS ALSO PART OF THIS GROUP OF BIOMES OF THE NEOTROPICAL REGION, IS CHARACTERIZED BY BEING WARM IN LOWER LATITUDES, DRIER CLIMATE TO THE CENTER, AND WINTER RIGOROUS IN THE SOUTHERN LIMITS. THE PAMPA BIOME COVERS URUGUAY, NORTHEASTERN ARGENTINA, SOUTHERN BRAZIL AND PART OF PARAGUAY. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT PUMA CONCOLOR IS A DEFINITIVE PARASITE HOST. THE FAUNA OF THE NEOTROPICAL REGION IS COMPOSED OF A LARGE VARIETY OF ANIMALS INCLUDING THE PUMA CONCOLOR, THE SECOND LARGEST FELINE SPECIES IN THE AMERICAS. IN THIS SENSE, THIS STUDY SEARCHED FOR DATA IN THE LITERATURE THAT INDICATE THE TYPE OF FEEDING USED BY THIS FELIDAE. IT WAS VERIFIED THAT THE ARMADILLO OF NINE BANDS IS THE MAIN PREY OF THE PUMA IN BRAZIL AS WELL AS IN MEXICO. THE AGOUTI ONE OF THE NEOTROPICAL RODENTS IS FOUND FROM THE TROPICAL REGIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA TO THE SOUTH OF MEXICO. THE PACA CAN BE OBSERVED IN GREAT DIVERSITY OF HABITAT, BUT PREFERS TO VEGETATION FORMED BY HUMID TROPICAL FORESTS, LOOKING FOR PLACES NEAR THE WATERWAYS. THE SEMIDECIDUOUS FORESTS AND THE TROPICAL HUMID FEATURES OF THE NEOTROPICAL REGION CONSTITUTE HABITAT AND FOOD OF THE AGOUTI RODENTS, THE PACA. THERE ARE IN THE LITERATURE RECORDS OF ROEDEORES BEING USED AS FOODS OF DOMESTIC FELIDS IN EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS BY L. MINOR. CONSIDERING EVIDENCE FROM THE LITERATURE CONSULTED, THESE RODENTS MAY APPEAR AS FELINE PREY AND INTERMEDIATE HOSTS OF L. MINOR IN NATURE. THE WARM AND HUMID CLIMATE IN THE SUMMER, SOIL OF CLAYEY TEXTURE ARE FAVORABLE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGGS OF ASCARIDAE. FINALLY, ANIMALS, VEGETATION, CLIMATE AND SOIL ARE THE ESSENTIAL LINK IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHAIN OF L. MINOR AND JUSTIFY THE OCCURRENCE OF THE DISEASE IN THIS REGION.