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Loxosceles spp. (brown spiders) bites are responsible for the development of a syndrome consisting mainly of dermonecrotic lesions, and also systemic effects. Rabbits are one of the main experimental models used for better understanding the systemic and local effects of Loxosceles venom. The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxic and protective effects of rabbits immunized with Loxosceles spp. venom. Male New Zealand rabbits were allocated as a control group (CG; n = 5) that received adjuvant (Montanide) and phosphate-buffer saline (PBS), or as venom group (VG; n = 5) that received 21 μg of Loxosceles venom using Montanide as adjuvant. After five immunization cycles, a trial with 7 μg of Loxosceles intermedia (L. intermedia) venom was performed, and dermonecrotic lesions were measured. The rabbits were then euthanized, and their organs were collected for histopathology analysis. Rabbits that had undergone Loxosceles venom immunization protocol showed minor clinical disturbances during the experimental period. The used immunization protocol protected the rabbits against the toxic effect of the Loxosceles venom because they showed minor clinical disturbances during the experimental period.

Bites of brown spiders (

Background and Aim: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a grave prognosis. A clinical assessment of kidney function can be performed based on the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Cystatin C (CysC) can indicate the GFR or kidney function and its measurement is currently performed using immunological methods such as nephelometry, immunoturbidimetry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in human medicine. However, these techniques are not specific for use in veterinary medicine. This study aimed to validate an immunoturbidimetric assay for serum CysC (sCy) in dogs, determine the sCy reference intervals for healthy dogs, evaluate sCy stability in serum samples, and compare sCy with serum creatinine (sCr) in healthy dogs and dogs with AKI. Materials and Methods: Forty-three dogs were divided into a control group (n = 19) and an AKI group (n = 24). An immunoturbidimetric method including commercially available human CysC calibrated with canine CysC was used to evaluate canine serum samples. Results: An average recovery of 97% was observed for canine serum samples. The reference interval for CysC in healthy dogs was 0.57–1.29 mg/L. The sCy concentration in dogs with AKI was significantly higher (2.82 ± 1.46 mg/L) than in healthy dogs (0.93 ± 0.18 mg/L). Statistical analysis confirmed a strong correlation between sCy and sCr (r = 0.94; p < 0.05) in dogs with AKI. Conclusion: The immunoturbidimetric method of evaluating sCy yielded satisfactory results and can be used for canine samples when a species-specific calibrator is used. Furthermore, sCy is a reliable marker of renal dysfunction in dogs. It is best to store samples for sCy evaluation at temperatures between 4°C and 8°C.

A megabacteriose é uma doença que acomete algumas espécies de aves, tendo como agente etiológico Macrorhabdus ornithogaster, um microrganismo Gram positivo de forma bacilar e com características de fungo, sendo classificado como fungo ascomiceto anamórfico. É um agente oportunista que se torna patogênico em casos de imunossupressão, manifestando assim a sua forma clínica, que varia muito de acordo com cada animal, podendo levar o animal ao óbito. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a prevalência de megabacteria em psitacídeos criados em estabelecimentos comerciais do município de Uberaba-MG associado as condições de criação. Para isso, foram colhidas amostras de secreções do ventrículo e pro ventrículo de 71 aves, entre elas Calopsitas (Nymphicus hollandicus) (n=33), Periquitos Australianos (Melopsittacus undulatus) (n=31), Agapornis (Agapornis roseicollis) (n=4) e Catarinas (Bolborhynchus lineola) (n=3) e transferidas para lâminas de vidro. As amostras foram encaminhadas para o Laboratório de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva do Hospital Veterinário de Uberaba, para pesquisa do patógeno. Após coloração das lâminas por Gram pode-se notar a presença do microrganismo em 35,21% das aves analisadas. A prevalência entre as Calopsitas, Periquitos Australianos, Agapornis e Catarinas foi respectivamente de: 42,42% (14/33), 29,03% (9/31), 50% (2/4) e 0% (0/3). Neste contexto, pode-se concluir que a Macrorhabdus ornithogaster é comum entre as aves, principalmente entre as Calopsitas e o manejo incorreto dos animais pode ser a causa da elevada prevalência. Nos estabelecimentos comerciais observaram-se as condições das gaiolas, qualidade dos bebedouros e comedouros, quantidade de fezes na gaiola e número de animais por gaiola inadequados.