Paulo Municipality Research Articles

Epidemiological profile of tuberculosis in São Paulo municipality from 2006 to 2013.

Tuberculosis is a serious public health problem that still persists in the world and in Brazil. The municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, is among the prioritized ones in the country for disease control. To describe the epidemiological profile of all new tuberculosis cases in São Paulo municipality reported between the years 2006 and 2013. The variables selected for the study were: socioeconomic, demographic and clinical-epidemiologic obtained through the online information system TB-WEB. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed to undertake the comparison among the years. To study the historical series, linear trend analysis was held. There was an increase in the tuberculosis incidence rate in children under 15 years and in homeless people. The cure rate has improved as the proportion of completion of supervised treatment and the proportion of cases diagnosed by primary care clinics. The disease is unevenly distributed within the municipality of São Paulo and there are districts that were not able to improve the tuberculosis control. The municipal tuberculosis program control needs to target the vulnerable groups and the regions of the city where the incidence rates are higher.

First record of the invasive species Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Poaceae, Andropogoneae) in the South Region of Brazil

Rottboellia cochinchinensis is an aggressive invasive species native to Asia. This species is known worldwide for invading crops and disturbed habitats in tropical and subtropical regions. In Brazil, R. cochinchinensis had its southernmost record in São Paulo state; however, in this study we expand its distribution to Santa Catarina state, in the South Region of Brazil, based on the discovery of a population in Blumenau municipality. These new records are ca. 440 km distant from the nearest known population, in São Paulo municipality, São Paulo state, Brazil.

Characteristics of the acquisition of sonorant consonants orthography in Brazilian children from a São Paulo municipality.

To describe the spelling performance of children with regard to the record of sonorant consonants in Brazilian Portuguese language, to verify if the errors in their records were influenced by the accent in the word, and to categorize the kinds of errors found. For this current survey, 801 text productions were selected as a result of the development of 14 different thematic proposals, prepared by 76 children from the first grade of primary school, in 2001, coming from two schools of a city from São Paulo, Brazil. Of these productions, all words with sonorant consonants in a syllabic position of simple onset were selected. They were then organized as they appeared as pre-tonic, tonic, and post-tonic syllables, unstressed and tonic monosyllables. The following was observed: the number of hits was extremely higher than that of errors; higher occurrence of errors in non-accented syllables; higher occurrence of phonological substitutions followed by omissions and, at last, orthographic substitutions; and higher number of substitutions that involved graphemes referring to the sonorant class. Considering the distribution of orthographic data between hits and errors, as well as their relationship with phonetic-phonological aspects, may contribute to the comprehension of school difficulties, which are usually found in the first years of literacy instruction.

Factors associated with undernourishment among people 20 years old or over with HIV/AIDS, attending public health services in the São Paulo municipality, Brazil.

The study evaluated the nutritional status of 629 people living with HIV/AIDS attended at 12 specialized services of São Paulo's Municipal Health Department, Brazil. Data were obtained from medical records and through interviews during nutritional consultation. We used the classification criteria established by World Health Organization to assess malnourished individuals, a BMI < 18.5kg/m2. The prevalence of malnutrition in people with AIDS is 3.12 times that observed among people with HIV, and among people with co-infection it is 3.41 times that obtained among people without co-infection. This indicates how these conditions can harm the maintenance of the nutritional status, and shows that they demand a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon, as well as the development of strategies to improve the health care of individuals at nutritional risk.

A new species and records of Helochares (Insecta: Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) from Southeastern Brazil

A new species of Helochares Mulsant, 1844 (Hydrophilidae: Acidocerinae) from Brazil is described and illustrated. Helochares (s. str.) atlanticus sp. nov. is distinct mainly by characteristics of the aedeagus whose phalobase is short, narrowed on basal third; parameres are thick, constricted on apical quarter, with small tooth-like projection on outer margin near apex; dorsal lobe longer than ventral lobe, shorter than parameres, very wide at base, abruptly narrowing toward apex until about half of its length where it dilates and divides into two long and narrow projections apart from each other at base, but turned inward at apex; ventral lobe acuminate and symmetrical. The rounded emargination on anteromedial margin of labrum bearing small tooth-like projections and the convex and slightly elevated mesoventral process, without high-elevated carina, also helps in identifying the species. Specimens of the new species were collected in the mountain region of the state of Rio de Janeiro (municipality of Teresópolis) and in the north coast of the state of São Paulo (municipality of Ubatuba), both localities in Southeastern Brazil. Helochares (s. str.) oculatus Sharp, 1882 and Helochares (Sindolus) femoratus (Brullé, 1841) are recorded for the first time from the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Assessment of the taxonomic status of some species included in the shannoni complex, with the description of a new species of Psathyromyia (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae).

The Shannoni complex, comprising sand flies belonging to the subgenus Psathyromyia (Psathyromyia) Barretto, consists of several species, of which the females have banana-shaped spermathecae and the males have digitiform parameres on the terminalia. Among these species, Psathyromyia shannoni (Dyar) and two taxa considered as its junior synonyms (Phlebotomus limai Fonseca and Phlebotomus bigeniculatus Floch & Abonnenc), Psathyromyia pestanai (Barretto & Coutinho), and a new species are the focus of this study. On the basis of morphological and morphometric characters, Psathyromyia bigeniculata (Floch and Abonnenc) stat. rev.; comb. n. and Psathyromyia limai (Fonseca) stat. rev.; comb. n. are resurrected from the synonymy of Pa. shannoni. Pa. pestanai is proposed as a new junior synonym of Pa. limai. Psathyromyia ribeirensis sp. n., occurring in the middle and upper Ribeira Valley in the state of São Paulo, Brazil is described. Pa. limai, described from the Serra da Cantareira (São Paulo municipality) and also found in the lower Ribeira Valley and on the adjacent coastal plain, is morphologically very close to the new species.

Mining in urban areas: methodological proposal for the identification and mediation of socio-environmental conflicts

The conflicts generated by mining in urban areas are due to several reasons. In this paper we sought to identify the social actors and the dynamics of conflicts in the northwestern region of the São Paulo Municipality. This area presents aspects of environmental preservation, quarry activities, and dense urbanization. To minimize/solve these conflicts, strategies are proposed based on Social Learning methodologies.

Urban solid waste plant treatment in Brazil: Is there a net emergy yield on the recovered materials?

Disposal alternatives of urban solid waste (USW) are being considered one of the main topics on the political agenda worldwide due to high concerns related to economic, social and environmental issues. In São Paulo Municipality, Brazil, the Sorting and Composting Waste Treatment Plant (SCWTP) is suggested as an appropriated way to manage the 14,000Mg of USW generated daily by 11 million inhabitants in 2010. The argument is that recovering materials from USW is aligned to sustainable development concept, however there is a lack of a deeper sustainability assessment, raising doubts about the benefits received by society on recovering materials. In this sense, emergy accounting (spelled with “m”) suggests to be a good alternative when assessing these benefits under a global scale. The aim of this work is to assess the São Paulo's SCWTP using Emergy Accounting. Results shown that currently there is an emergy balance by sorting paper (ratio of recovered by invested emergy of 0.97), and an emergy benefit for iron&steel (2.65), plastic (2.91) and compost (2.57). However, there is an emergy cost by sorting glass (0.23) and aluminum (0.20). A plausible scenario by increasing the recovering efficiency of glass from current 11.6% to 52.9%, and aluminum from 4.7% to 24.7% (both in wet weight), results in an emergy benefit for all materials. The Net Emergy Benefit indicates the SCWTP as a better alternative when the total net emergy return to society is the focus, because while it makes available about 3.13E+14seJ/Mg of treated USW, the landfills have an average emergy deficit of −3.39E+13seJ, indicating that landfill uses more emergy than makes available. Results indicates that SCWTP must receive political incentives due to its good emergy performance and others social beneficial aspects, however, aiming to improve the overall performance, each individual citizen must collaborate with waste reduction and the separation of non-organic material from the organic ones at origin.

Mosquitoes in degraded and preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest and potential for vector-borne disease risk in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil

In order to assess the epidemiological potential of the Culicidae species in remaining areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, specimens of this family were collected in wild and anthropic environments. A total of 9,403 adult mosquitoes was collected from May, 2009 to June, 2010. The most prevalent among species collected in the wild environment were Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, the Melanoconion section of Culex (Melanoconion), and Aedes serratus, while the most common in the anthropic site were Coquillettidia chrysonotum/albifera, Culex (Culex) Coronator group, and An. (Ker.) cruzii. Mosquito richness was similar between environments, although the abundance of individuals from different species varied. When comparing diversity patterns between environments, anthropic sites exhibited higher richness and evenness, suggesting that environmental stress increased the number of favorable niches for culicids, promoting diversity. Increased abundance of opportunistic species in the anthropic environment enhances contact with culicids that transmit vector-borne diseases.

Trend of homicide in São Paulo city: an intra-urban analysis

The homicide mortality rate (HMR) is declining consistently in São Paulo, Brazil. From 2001 to 2008 HMR dropped by 74% in the city. Few studies tried to analyse homicide trends...

Homicide fall in São Paulo municipality, Brazil: the role of public security indicators

Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, homicide mortality rate (HMR) significantly decreased in the state of São Paulo. In the city of São Paulo (MSP), this rate dropped...

First report of Trypanosoma vivax outbreak in dairy cattle in São Paulo state, Brazil

This is the first description of a Trypanosoma vivax outbreak in the state of São Paulo (municipality of Lins). Fever, jaundice, decreased milk production, weight loss, profuse diarrhea, abortion, anemia, leukocytosis and hyperfibrinogenemia were observed in the affected animals. Thirty-one cows and calves died out of a total of 1080 in the herd. Three cows showed neurological symptoms like dysmetria, ataxia, muscle weakness, ptyalism, lymph node enlargement and submandibular edema. Flagellated hemoparasites were observed in blood smears. The species was diagnosed as T. vivax by means of PCR. This T.vivax strain showed resistance to diaminazene aceturate and the infection spread quickly at the herd. From the ELISA test, 599 serum samples (98.36%) were positive for anti-T.vivax IgG antibodies. This outbreak occurred during a very dry period, which indicates that other factors were involved in the outbreak, such as absence of tabanids and large populations of Haematobia irritans and Stomoxys calcitrans. The increases in these populations may have been due to the use of biosolid waste from sugar and ethanol plants in the sugarcane plantations surrounding the dairy farm.

Spatial Heterogeneity of PM10 and O3 in São Paulo, Brazil, and Implications for Human Health Studies

ABSTRACT Developing exposure estimates is a challenging aspect of investigating the health effects of air pollution. Pollutant levels recorded at centrally located ambient air quality monitors in a community are commonly used as proxies for population exposures. However, if ample intraurban spatial variation in pollutants exists, city-wide averages of concentrations may introduce exposure misclassification. We assessed spatial heterogeneity of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) and ozone (O3) and evaluated implications for epidemiological studies in São Paulo, Brazil, using daily (24-hr) and daytime (12-hr) averages and 1-hr daily maximums of pollutant levels recorded at the regulatory monitoring network. Monitor locations were also analyzed with respect to a socioeconomic status index developed by the municipal government. Hourly PM10 and O3 data for the São Paulo Municipality and Metropolitan Region (1999–2006) were used to evaluate heterogeneity by comparing distance between monitors with pollutants' correlations and coefficients of divergence (CODs). Both pollutants showed high correlations across monitoring sites (median = 0.8 for daily averages). CODs across sites averaged 0.20. Distance was a good predictor of CODs for PM10 (p < 0.01) but not O3, whereas distance was a good predictor of correlations for O3 (p < 0.01) but not PM10. High COD values and low temporal correlation indicate a spatially heterogeneous distribution of PM10. Ozone levels were highly correlated (r ≥ 0.75), but high CODs suggest that averaging over O3 levels may obscure important spatial variations. Of municipal districts in the highest of five socioeconomic groups, 40% have ≥1 monitor, whereas districts in the lowest two groups, representing half the population, have no monitors. Results suggest that there is a potential for exposure misclassification based on the available monitoring network and that spatial heterogeneity depends on pollutant metric (e.g., daily average vs. daily 1-hr maximum). A denser monitoring network or alternative exposure methods may be needed for epidemiological research. Findings demonstrate the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity and differential exposure misclassification by subpopulation. IMPLICATIONS This study is the first of its kind in São Paulo, Brazil: the findings provide relevant and novel information regarding spatial characteristics of air pollution in this region, a “mega-city” with 18 million inhabitants. Results suggest that a potential for exposure misclassification exists in the most commonly used epidemiological study designs of air pollution and health, particularly for groups of lower socioeconomic status. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity of air pollution and potential biases in pre-existing monitor networks. Results will inform and improve future epidemiological studies in this region and in other large, urban areas.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. from HIV infected patients from an urban area of Brazil

Cryptosporidium spp. are important cause of enteric disease in humans, but may also infect animals. This study describes the relative frequency of several Cryptosporidium species found in human specimens from HIV infected patients in the São Paulo municipality obtained from January to July 2007. Sequence analysis of the products of nested-PCR based on small subunit rRNA and Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein coding genes revealed 17 (63.0%) isolates of C. hominis, four (14.8%) C. parvum, five (18.5%) C. felis and one (3.7%) C. canis. These findings suggest that, in urban environments of Brazil, the cat adapted C. felis may play a potential role in the zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis whereas the anthroponotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis caused by C. hominis seems to predominate.

Evaluation on the effectiveness of actions for controlling infestation by rodents in Campo Limpo region, São Paulo Municipality, Brazil

Rodents are responsible for the transmission of more than 60 diseases both to human beings and to domestic animals. The increase in rodent infestation in a given area brings several health problems to the nearby population. Thus, when infestation increases, it is time to take intervention measures. Although many countries have implemented programs aimed at controlling rodent infestation, literature on studies evaluating the effectiveness of intervention measures in urban areas is scarce. Aimed at contributing to the understanding of rodents' population dynamics in urban areas, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the control methods proposed by “Programa de Vigilância e Controle de Roedores do Município de São Paulo” (Program for Rodents Surveillance and Control in São Paulo Municipality), conducted on Jardim Comercial District. As a first step, a survey to assess infestation rates was conducted in 1529 dwellings located in the area studied. After that, a chemical control upon rodents was accomplished in every dwelling infested. One week and six months after completion of control measures, a new evaluation on infestation rates was carried out, in order to verify the effectiveness of the procedures taken and to estimate the re-infestation capacity. Initial infestation rate was 40.0%, and the final infestation rate, 14.4%. Therefore, the effectiveness of the control methods utilized was 63.8%. It can thus be concluded that the control methods applied were quite effective.

Environmental conditions and rodent infestation in Campo Limpo district, São Paulo municipality, Brazil

Rodents are involved in the transmission to human beings of several diseases, including liptospirosis, which shows high lethality rates in São Paulo municipality. Despite this, few studies have assessed the relationship existing between urban environmental conditions and building rodent infestation. With the purpose of clarifying this relationship, an analysis has been conducted in order to quantify the influence of environmental factors upon rodent infestation on a low-income district. Diagnosis of the environmental situation has been performed to evaluate the frequency according to which harborage, food and access sources occur, and a survey on infestation rates in 2175 dwellings in the area studied. The logistic regression analysis showed that among the environmental variables, the one that showed the closest association with rodent infestation was access; followed by harborage, and food. It was concluded that poor socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the area propitiate the occurrence of high rodent infestation rates.

Description of the larva of Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) by light and scanning electron microscopy

The description of the larva of Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844) is based on optical and scanning electron microscopy. Larvae (F1) were obtained under laboratory conditions from an engorged A. longirostre female, which had been collected on a Coendu prehensilis (Linnaeus) (Rodentia: Erethizontidae) from the Jaraguá Mountain, São Paulo municipality, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Several characters are presented including the chaetotaxy of idiosoma, palps and Haller's organ, campaniform sensillum on festoons and measurements. In addition, the relationship of A. longirostre larva to other Neotropical Amblyomma spp. larvae is discussed.

Density And Survival Rate of Culex quinquefasciatus at Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil

Parity rate, gonotrophic cycle length, and density of a Culex quinquefasciatus female population was estimated at the Parque Ecológico do Tietê (PET), São Paulo, Brazil. Adult Cx. quinquefasciatus females were collected from vegetation along the edges of a polluted drainage canal with the use of a battery-powered backpack aspirator from September to November 2005 and from February to April 2006. We examined 255 Cx. quinquefasciatus ovaries to establish the parity rate of 0.22 and determined the gonotrophic cycle length under laboratory conditions to be 3 and 4 days. From these data, we calculated the Cx. quinquefasciatus survival rate to be 0.60 and 0.68 per day. Density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female (5.71 females per m2) was estimated based on a population size of 28,810 individuals divided by the sampled area of 5,040 m2. Results of all experiments indicate medium survivorship and high density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female population. This species is epidemiologically relevant in the PET area and should be a target of the vector control program of São Paulo municipality.

In vitro isolation and molecular characterization of an Ehrlichia canis strain from São Paulo, Brazil.

An Ehrlichia canis isolate was obtained from an naturally infected dog exhibiting clinical signs of ehrlichiosis in São Paulo Municipality, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The isolate was characterized by PCR and DNA sequencing of portions of the ehrlichial genes dsb, 16SrRNA, and p28. Partial dsb and 16S rRNA sequences were identical to three and five other E. canis strains, respectively, from different countries and continents (including North America, Africa, Asia and Europe). Conversely, the p28 partial sequence for this E. canis (São Paulo) differed by 1, 2, and 2 nucleotides from the corresponding sequences of the E. canis strains Jake (from USA), Oklahoma (USA), and VHE (Venezuela), respectively. The results in this study indicate that E. canis is the only recognized Ehrlichia species infecting dogs in Brazil.

Oral health of low-income pregnant women in a community of a São Paulo municipality: problems perceived and access to treatment

An exploratory descriptive study whose purpose was to verify oral health problems perceived by low-income pregnant women in a community of a Sao Paulo municipality, as well as their access to treatment during pregnancy. The sample consisted of 169 women who participated in the pregnant women´s group in the Sao Lucas Nucleus for Women’s Health Care, from August 2004 to April 2007. Results showed that the pregnant women’s mean age was 23.7 years, with an age variation of 14 to 42 years, 21.8% of which were adolescent. The educational level was low, as only 16% had concluded the eighth grade, 15.3% had finished high school and 49.7% had not completed the basic education program. Only 10.6% were employed and the family income was 1.4 times the minimum wage. Regarding the perception of oral health problems, 44.9% of the sample identified some problems, such as pain (35.5%), dental cavities (27.6%) or gum bleeding (19.7%). Of the pregnant women who reported problems, only 39.4% sought professional help. Among these, 63.3% did not obtain access to treatment because they were unable to get dental appointments (70%) or due to the fact that they were pregnant (13.3%). It was therefore concluded that, at least in this community, full procedures to assist pregnant women are not being adequately provided. Some women and even some health practitioners erroneously believe that pregnancy represents an obstacle to dental treatments. Therefore, it is necessary to provide better attention from professionals in prenatal assistance regarding the importance of oral health care and its effects on both the women’s and the babies’ health.