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An outbreak of Lawsonia intracellularis infection in rabbits, which occurred in 1988 in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, is reported. The disease had an acute course (24-48 hours) with clinical signs characterized by brownish or green diarrhea and dehydration. Occasionally, the animals died one day after the onset of diarrhea, without showing any other clinical signs. At necropsy, the ileum was prominent, firm and had a thickened wall; it was dilated in the caudal direction and had a somewhat reticulated appearance, perceptible through the serosa. The thickened mucous membrane had finely corrugated aspect and a shiny surface. The ileocecal valve and surrounding areas were slightly edematous and irregular. The Peyer's patches were sometimes more evident. There was moderate enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes. The histological examination revealed different degrees of hyperplasia of the epithelial cells of intestinal crypts consisting of poorly differentiated, hyperchromatic cells with high mitotic index, arranged in a pseudostratified layer which, in some cases, reached the apical portions of the villi. The inflammatory infiltrate between the hyperplastic epithelial cells was composed of lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, some eosinophils and globular leukocytes. Silver impregnation revealed large numbers of bacteria with morphology of the genus Lawsonia in the apical pole of cryptal enterocytes. These bacteria reacted positively to a Lawsonia intracellularis polyclonal antibody by the avidin-biotin immunohistochemistry method.

Three isosporan species are described from the double-collared seedeater, Sporophila caerulescens from Eastern Brazil. Isospora sporophilae n. sp. oocysts spherical to subspherical; oocyst wall bi-layered, smooth, inner layer colorless to pale yellowish, 21.6 x 20.9 (19.20-23.20 x 18.40-22.60) microm, shape-index 1.03 +/- 0.02 (1-1.10), with no micropyle or oocyst residuum. Polar bodies splinter-like or comma-like. Sporocysts ovoidal, 15.2 x 10.6 (17.40-12.80 x 12.60-8.40) microm, shape-index 1.43 +/- 0.14 (1.17-1.81), with knob-like Stieda body and residuum. Large crystalloid body in the center of the sporocyst. Isospora flausinoi n. sp. oocysts spherical to subspherical, oocyst wall bi-layered, smooth, colorless, 17.30 x 16.53 (14-20 x 13.60-20) microm, shape-index 1.05 +/- 0.04 (1-1.21). Micropyle and oocyst residuum absent; presence of a large polar body. Sporocystpiriform, 14.88 x 10.70 (11.80-18 x 8-12.40) microm, shape-index 1.40 +/- 0.18 (1.07-1.77), with smooth, thin, single-layered wall. Sporocyst with rounded Stieda body with no substieda body, and residuum composed of granular material. Isospora teixeirafilhoi n. sp. oocysts spherical to subspherical, oocyst wall bi-layered, smooth, colorless, 17.41 x 16.81 (15.60 - 19.40 x 14.20-18.80) microm. Shape-index 1.04 +/- 0.08 (1-1.12). Micropyle and oocyst residuum absent; presence of a small double-lobuled polar body. Sporocyst ovoid, 11.74 x 8.12 (9-14.20 x 6.20-9.40) microm. Shape-index 1.46 +/- 0.23 (1.06-1.88). Sporocyst with knob-like Stieda body, no sub-Stieda body and residuum composed of granular material.

Physiological parameters of laboratory animals used for biomedical research is crucial for following several experimental procedures. With the intent to establish baseline biologic parameters for non-human primates held in closed colonies, hematological and morphometric data of captive monkeys were determined. Data of clinically healthy rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were collected over a period of five years. Animals were separated according to sex and divided into five age groups. Hematological data were compared with those in the literature by Student's t test. Discrepancies with significance levels of 0.1, 1 or 5% were found in the hematological studies. Growth curves showed that the sexual dimorphism of rhesus monkeys appeared at an age of four years. In earlier ages, the differences between sexes could not be distinguished (p < 0.05). Sexual dimorphism in both squirrel monkeys and cynomolgus monkeys occurred at an age of about 32 months. Data presented in this paper could be useful for comparative studies using primates under similar conditions.

The purpose of this study is to report the first case of parasitism by the giant kidney worm, Dioctophyme renale (Goeze, 1782), in the crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766), in Brazil. A debilitated adult male fox was taken to the Screening Center for Wild Animals in Rio de Janero (CETAS/RJ) and eventually died of an unknown cause. During necropsy, a brownish-red nematode, 28.9 cm long, was found in the peritoneal cavity. The worm was identified as a male D. renale. This study reports the first case of dioctophymatosis in the crab-eating fox, enlarging the range of wild definitive host species infected by the giant kidney worm in the Neotropical region.

Esporocistos de Sarcocystis foram identificados nas amostras fecais de um cachorro-do-mato. Eles foram dados por via oral para um bezerro em aleitamento, sendo observados cistos com morfologia compatível com os de Sarcocystis cruzi na musculatura cardíaca e esquelética, três meses após a infecção. Musculatura cardíaca deste bezerro foi dada para um segundo cão doméstico livre de coccídios, que eliminou esporocistos compatíveis com os de Sarcocystis em suas fezes, tendo com períodos pré-patente e patente 11 e 12 dias após a infecção respectivamente. Para comparar a morfologia dos esporocistos e cistos, um segundo cão, também livre de coccídios, foi alimentado com musculatura cardíaca de um bovino infectando naturalmente e positivo para cistos de S. cruzi. Esporocistos compatíveis com os eliminados pelo primeiro cão foram encontrados nas fezes. Apesar dos esporocistos eliminados pelo cachorro-do-mato serem significativamente diferentes dos eliminados pelos cães infectados experimentalmente, pode se considerar com base na morfologia dos esporocistos, cistos e na transmissão biológica que a espécie encontrada nas fezes do cachorro-do-mato é Sarcocystis cruzi. Sporocysts of Sarcocystis were identified in feces samples of a crab-eating fox, and were orally given to a suckling calf; after 3 months of infection, sarcocysts morphologically similar to Sarcocystis cruzi were observed in cardiac and skeletal striated muscles. The cardiac muscles of this calf were orally given to a puppy free of coccidia, that shed sporocysts in its feces.with a prepatent and patent period of 11 and 12 days after infection, respectively. To compare the morphology of the sporocysts and cysts, a second puppy was fed on bovine cardiac muscles infected naturally, and sporocysts identical to those shed by the first dog were recovered from its feces. In spite of the significant difference between sporocysts found in the mucosa of the crab-eating fox and those shed by the first and second puppies, the species observed in this study was considered to be Sarcocystis cruzi, based on size of the sporocyts, morphology of the cyst wall, and the pray-predator cycle.

Outbreaks of infection of swine with Lawsonia intracelullaris in the state of Rio de Janeiro are described. The symptomathology was characterized by bloody diarrhea with peracute course. Postmortem findings were pale organs and tissues, reticulate aspect of the ileum with its mucosa moderately thickened nad contained large amounts of partially coagulated blood. Histopathological examination revealed hyperplastic epithelial cell proliferation of the Lieberkuhn crypts, sometimes associated with inflammatory and necrotic alterations. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of large amounts of bacteria in the cytoplasm of the cryptal epithelial cells. L. intracellularis was also seen by ultramicroscopic examination. These outbreaks occurred in 1987 and this is the first report of the disease in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar protozoários intestinais em amostras fecais de primatas neotropicais não-humanos, comercializados ilegalmente, apreendidos por autoridades governamentais, e enviados para um centro de triagem de animais silvestres no município de Seropédica, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, sob a administração do Instituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais. Fezes de micos-saguí (cruzamento entre Callithrix jacchus e C. penicillata) e bugios marrons (Alouatta fusca) foram coletados e submetidos à técnica de centrifugo-sedimentação de Ritchie. Esfregaços foram confeccionados com o sedimento e submetidos à coloração pelas técnicas da safranina-azul de metileno e Tricrômio modificada de Wheatley. Três (100%) amostras fecais de bugios marrons e oito (88,9%) de micos-saguí foram positivos para oocistos de Cryptosporidium. Formas de Blastocystis homonis-simile foram observadas em todas as amostras de bugios marrons e em 66,7% (6/9) de micos-saguí. Primatas neotropicais não-humanos como os micos-saguí originados do cruzamento de espécies de Callithrix e a espécie A. fusca podem abrigar formas similarmente identificadas como organismos com potencial zoonótico. O contato estrito entre macacos e humano pode representar riscos para ambos por transmissão mútua de patógenos. Não está esclarecida se as espécies de macacos estudadas no presente trabalho são também infectadas com estes parasitos em ambiente natural ou adquirem estes quando submetidos ao contato humano. Estresse é também um fator que merece atenção para os animais submetidos à captura, apreensão e transporte para o centro de triagem de animais silvestres.

Por meio de revisão da literatura pertinente foram coligidos e são apresentados os principais dados relativos aos aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos, anátomo e histopatológicos observados na infecção por Circovírus Porcino tipo 2 (PCV-2) em suínos. São abordados a Síndrome Definhante Multissistêmica dos Suínos Desmamados (SDMDS), o Tremor Congênito Suíno (TCS), a Síndrome da Nefropatia e Dermatite Porcina (SNDP), bem como outras enfermidades associadas ou correlatas, a Síndrome Respiratória e Reprodutiva Porcina (SRRP), a Pneumonia Necrotizante Proliferativa (PNP) e as falhas reprodutivas. Uma vez que a SDMSD já foi registrada na Região Sul do Brasil e no Estado do Rio de Janeiro esse estudo objetiva chamar a atenção para o especial significado dessa virose para a suinocultura brasileira, em função dos prejuízos econômicos por ela determinados.