Epidemiology and study of the factors responsible for ocular spongiosis in the city of Araguatins - TO

In October 2005 the notification of 17 cases of eyes' disease of unknown etiology, involving, in its majority, the infant population of the city of Araguatins/TO, led the local authorities to ask help to the Secretariat of State of Health of the State of Tocantins in order to discover their etiology, treatment and prevention. In affected patients, the signs frequently observed were: intense hyperemia conjutival, granuloma, episclerite, peripheral cornea infiltrated. In the anamnesis performed in patients was observed that all of them had contact with the waters of the Araguaia river. The results obtained from processing samples of water, sediments and substrates particularly in the vegetation marginal flooded, allowed confirming the hypothesis that there should be a rich fauna sponges in Araguaia, close to the city of Araguatins The presence of spicula of intraocular sponge species of freshwater Drulia uruguayensis and Oncosclera navicela was confirmed in material evaluated histopathologically from three patients who had undergone lensectomy, suggesting that 'spikes freshwater could be a surprising new etiologic agent of pathology ocular'. Thus, in this study was performed cytotoxicity assays with samples from two species of sponges collected in place. The results indicate that the extracts of sponges after filtration Millipore 0.45 μm continued presenting cytotoxic activity, suggesting there is a SOLUBLE component, and not only spikes, capable of inducing cellular death in the population of cells used. The individuals affected were the majority of males aged between 05 and 14 years. (author)