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RESUMO Os marsupiais estão envolvidos no ciclo de vida de vários patógenos de interesse médico e veterinário. O objetivo deste estudo foi relatar a ocorrência de parasitos gastrointestinais em marsupiais capturados em fragmentos da Mata Atlântica, estado de Sergipe, nordeste do Brasil. De junho de 2017 a janeiro de 2018, marsupiais foram capturados usando-se armadilhas, e foram obtidas amostras fecais frescas após defecação espontânea. Os animais foram identificados morfometricamente e as fezes analisadas pela técnica FLOTAC. Foram capturados 88 animais, sendo 37 Marmosops incanus, 30 Marmosa demerarae, 20 Didelphis albiventris e 01 Marmosa murina. A espécie mais parasitada foi D. albiventris (45,95%) seguida de M. incanus (43,24%) e M. demerarae (23,3%). No geral, ovos de helmintos foram detectados em 47,72% (42/88) das amostras, enquanto oocistos de protozoários em 32,95% (29/88). Ovos de Ancylostoma sp. predominaram sobre outros parasitos. Este estudo aponta para a ocorrência de parasitos gastrointestinais e contribui para um melhor entendimento do parasitismo em marsupiais que vivem em fragmentos florestais da Mata Atlântica.

Dogs and cats are frequently affected by gastrointestinal parasites of medical and veterinary concern. The correct diagnosis is pivotal to the treatment outcome, reducing the risk of environmental contamination and spreading of these pathogens. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of domiciled dogs and cats in an urban area of Northeastern Brazil, as well as to discuss the findings from a “One Health” perspective. Fecal samples (n = 231) of dogs (n = 126) and cats (n = 105) were obtained directly from the environment after spontaneous defecation, and subsequently analyzed through the Mini-FLOTAC and Baermann techniques. Of all samples, 28.14% (65/231) presented immature forms of gastrointestinal parasites, with 31.75% (40/126) and 23.81% (25/105) of dogs and cats positive, respectively (x 2 = 1.413; p = 0.2345). Two genera of helminths (Ancylostoma and Toxocara) and two genera of protozoa (Cystoisospora and Entamoeba) were identified. Additionally, co-infections were observed in 15% (6/40) of positive dogs and 28% (7/25) of positive cats (p = 0.2207). None metastrongyloid larvae were detected. In conclusion, animals herein assessed presented a high prevalence of zoonotic gastrointestinal nematodes. Therefore, preventive measures against these neglected parasites should be stimulated. RESUMO Cães e gatos são frequentemente afetados por parasitos gastrointestinais de interesse médico e veterinário. Em áreas urbanas, onde esses animais apresentam uma relação próxima com o homem, o diagnóstico correto é fundamental para o resultado do tratamento, reduzindo o risco de contaminação ambiental e de disseminação desses patógenos. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a prevalência de parasitos gastrointestinais infectando cães e gatos domiciliados em uma área urbana do Nordeste do Brasil, bem como discutir os achados sob a perspectiva de “Saúde Única”. Amostras fecais (n = 231) de cães (n = 126) e gatos (n = 105) foram obtidas diretamente do meio ambiente após a defecação espontânea e, posteriormente, analisadas pelas técnicas Mini-FLOTAC e Baermann. Do total de amostras, 28,14% (65/231) apresentaram formas imaturas de parasitos gastrointestinais (ovos, cistos ou oocistos), com 31,75% (40/126) e 23,81% (25/105) de cães e gatos positivos, respectivamente (x2 = 1,413; P = 0,2345). Dois gêneros de helmintos (Ancylostoma e Toxocara) e dois gêneros de protozoários (Cystoisospora e Entamoeba) foram identificados em cães e gatos. Além disso, coinfecções foram observadas em 15% (6/40) dos cães positivos e em 28% (7/25) dos gatos positivos (P = 0,2207). Nenhuma larva de metastrongilídeo foi detectada. Em conclusão, os animais aqui avaliados apresentaram alta prevalência de nematódeos gastrointestinais de importância zoonótica. Portanto, medidas preventivas contra esses parasitos negligenciados devem ser estimuladas.

The number of domestic animals living with human beings is rapidly increasing in parallel with an enhanced risk of transmission of their parasites and the pathogens they might carry. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of hematophagous arthropods infesting domestic animals from Northeastern Brazil and to remark the implications of their occurrence on the epidemiology and control of selected veterinary and human diseases. From January 2017 to April 2019, ectoparasites infesting domestic cats, dogs and horses were collected for their respective hosts and identified. Overall, ectoparasites were sampled from 86 domestic animals, living in different anthropic settings. A total of 401 specimens (344 ticks and 57 fleas) were collected from different hosts [i.e., 10 (2.49%), 96 (23.94%) and 295 (73.57%) from cats, dogs and horses, respectively]. Two flea (i.e., Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis) and 5 tick species (i.e., Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma sculptum, Dermacentor nitens, Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) were identified. This study provides data on the ectoparasite fauna infesting domestic animals from Northeastern Brazil. The diagnosis and treatment of these parasites should not be underestimated, considering the role that hematophagous arthropods display as vectors of pathogens of medical and veterinary concern.

Cryptosporidium spp. are zoonotic protozoa, frequently associated with diarrhea in calves, which are responsible for important economic losses. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of infection by Cryptosporidium spp. and its associated risk factors among calves raised in a milk production region of Northeastern Brazil. Fecal samples (n = 385) were obtained from young animals (up to ten months old) and evaluated by means of centrifugal fecal sedimentation in formalin-ether followed by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. In addition, Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated to evaluate associations between variables and infection by these protozoa. Out of all samples analyzed, 25.7% (99/385) scored positive for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. Contact with other species (goat and sheep) (OR = 3.33; p = 0.000), use of a semi-intensive rearing system (OR = 1.70; p = 0.024) and absence of hygienic conditions (fecal contamination of food and water) (OR = 1.64; p = 0.029) were considered to be risk factors. Data herein reported shows that the implementation of hygienic-sanitary measures on the farms studied, it is imperative to reduce Cryptosporidium spp. infection and consequently the economic impact caused by this pathogen.

The goals of this study were to develop a PCR technique to detect ascV and aopB genes from the type III secretion system (T3SS), to evaluate the frequency of these genes in Aeromonas hydrophila strains isolated from diseased fish and from aquaculture environments, and to determine the relationship between the presence of these genes and virulence of A. hydrophila in Nile tilapia. The PCR assay developed here successfully detected the target genes, showing three different profiles for the strains ascV+/aopB+, ascV+/aopB-, and ascV-/aopB-. A higher frequency of ascV+/aopB+ was verified in isolates from diseased fish compared to those from aquaculture environments (P0.05). Among 64 isolates from diseased fish, ascV+/aopB+ (62.5%) was the most frequent profile (P0.05) and caused more intensive mortality rates. Environmental strains containing the ascV+/aopB+ profile were less virulent than isolates from clinical cases. These results suggest that the presence of a functional T3SS probably increases the virulence of A. hydrophila. The PCR technique was shown to be a specific and efficient tool for detection of T3SS, and this technique can be used for virulence typing of A. hydrophila isolates.

Flavobacterium columnare is a bacterial pathogen for many freshwater fish species. It is responsible for outbreaks in fish farms worldwide, causing high mortality rates. Fish vaccination is a potential approach for prevention and control of disease, with oral vaccines suitable for fish because of their easier application, low cost and minimum stress to fish. Alginate microparticles have been widely used as controlled release systems, including for fish vaccination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of oral and parenteral vaccines against F. columnare to induce a humoral response, as well as the in vivo efficiency in Nile tilapia fingerlings. The fingerlings were immunized with bacterin by intraperitoneal (i.p.), intramuscular (i.m.), oral and immersion routes, as well as orally with alginate microparticles containing formalin-killed bacteria. A sandwich ELISA was developed to detect specific antibodies against F. columnare. The animals were challenged with pathogenic strain BZ-1 to determine the relative percentage of survival. A significant humoral response was induced by bacterin administered by i.p. and i.m. routes (P < 0.05). However, none of the vaccine preparations were effective in protecting fish against F. columnare infection (P < 0.05). In spite of high antibody levels, there was no relation between immunoglobulin titers and resistance to columnaris for Nile tilapia fingerlings. These data suggest that use of serological analysis as the only method to determine vaccine efficiency against F. columnare infection in Nile tilapia can lead to imprecise results for the usefulness of these products in vivo.

For evaluation of the natural history of petroclival meningiomas, a cooperative retrospective study of 21 conservatively treated patients is reported.All patients had petroclival meningiomas that were observed for at least 4 years, with regular clinical and radiological control examinations. The follow-up periods ranged from 48 to 120 months (mean, 82 mo; median, 85 mo). Functional evaluations were performed by using the Karnofsky index. Individual growth curves and rates were defined.Age and sex distributions and presenting symptoms were comparable to those of other studies. During follow-up monitoring, radiological tumor growth was observed in 76% of the cases. With 63% of the growing tumors, there was functional deterioration. We performed statistical analyses of demographic features, radiological findings, and functional deterioration. Severe functional deterioration was observed to be statistically significantly associated with infratentorial growth and increased growth rates. A change in the growth pattern often preceded functional deterioration.This study provides a better understanding of the natural course of petroclival meningiomas. The growth patterns of these tumors are unpredictable and variable. The exact factors influencing growth remain unclear. This study can contribute to the optimization of individual management of these tumors.

Currently, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) is the major cause of bacterial meningitis in Brazil, affecting mainly teenagers and adults due to the lack of routine public vaccination of these age groups. The goal of this study was to investigate the bactericidal antibody response and the development of CD4 + T cell memory during the convalescent phase of patients infected with N. menigitidis . Most (85.7%) of the patients developed a protective antibody response against MenC and 57% also responded to N. meningitidis serogroup B. We detected a significant CD4 + T central memory (T CM ) response to meningococcal outer membrane proteins.

La morphologie du penis est decrite chez six especes de marsupiaux: Didelphis albiventris, D. aurita, Caluromys lanatus, C. philander, Lutreolina crassicaudata et Metachirus nudicaudatus. L'anatomie du phallus de ces especes presente le modele de base observe anterieurement chez les marsupiaux d'Amerique bien qu'il y ait quelques differences qui permettent leur identification sur le terrain et qui pourraient etre utilisees a des fins taxonomiques. Les diverticules du gland trouves chez Didelphis, Lutreolina et Metachirus ont des aspects anatomiques et topographiques differents. Le genre Metachirus a des caracteristiques morphologiques particulieres (la longueur des fentes uretrales, l'insertion des muscles elevateurs du penis et les structures accessoires derivees des corpora spongiosa = pli du gland) qui font que ce genre est bien distinct des autres marsupiaux d'Amerique etudies jusqu'ici. Toutefois, des etudes supplementaires qui devraient inclure d'autres especes et genres de la famille des Didelphidae sont necessaires pour determiner la valeur de la morphologie du penis pour la systematique du groupe dans son ensemble.

The aims of this study were to standard and optimize a qPCR protocol with FAM-BHQ1 probe, and to compare its sensitivity against TaqMan qPCR and PCR methods to diagnose shrimp WSD. The FAM-BHQ1 qPCR presented higher clinical sensitivity and showed to be a robust alternative to detect WSSV in clinical samples.

UNLABELLED This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of fish isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae by capsular serotyping, MLST and the pattern of selected virulence genes. Forty-six isolates from Nile tilapia and Amazon catfish were screened by PCR for the twelve virulence genes. The molecular capsular type and sequence type (ST) were determined. Two capsular types (Ia and Ib) and four STs (103, 260, 552 and 553) were identified. The ST-552 and ST-553 represent new allelic combinations. Variable results were found for the genes gbs2018-6, lmb, hylB and cylE. The combined evaluation of serotype, sequence type and pattern of the presence or absence of cylE and hylB allowed the classification of isolates into nine genetic profiles (I-IX). The proposed scheme showed higher discriminatory power and was able to detect evolutionary events missed by MLST analysis. This study provides new information about the genetic diversity of fish pathogenic Strep. agalactiae, and the proposed scheme was shown to be an improved approach to genotyping these strains. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study showed that critical genetic events in Streptococcus agalactiae isolates pathogenic for fish have been missed by serotyping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). A proposed genotyping scheme based on the evaluation of concatenated data from serotyping, MLST, and the presence/absence of virulence genes was created, and this was able to detect old and recent evolutionary events. It provided a better understanding of the genetic diversity of Strep. agalactiae populations from fish and will contribute to future studies of the molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis and evolutionary aspects of this pathogen.

RESUMO Identificar pesticidas seletivos a inimigos naturais é fundamental para a boa prática do Manejo Integrado de Pragas. Este estudo objetivou avaliar a seletividade dos seguintes agroquímicos (em g i.a. L-1 de água) sobre o predador Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus, 1763) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): triflumurom (Certero 480 SC – 0,048), espinosade (Tracer 480 SC – 0,24), clorfenapir (Pirate 240 SC – 1,2), clotianidina (Focus 500 PM – 0,33), imidaclopride+ß-ciflutrina (Connect 100/12,5 SC – 0,33/0,042), e água destilada como tratamento testemunha. As pulverizações dos produtos foram realizadas em pupas e adultos de C. sanguinea por meio de torre de Potter; as pupas permaneceram individualizadas até a emergência dos adultos quando foram formados casais. Para os adultos tratados, os casais foram formados logo após as aplicações dos produtos. Os bioensaios foram conduzidos a 25 ± 2º C, UR 60 ± 10% e fotofase de 12h. Avaliou-se a duração, sobrevivência e razão sexual de pupas diretamente tratadas; sobrevivência e parâmetros reprodutivos de adultos diretamente tratados; sobrevivência e duração dos estádios de desenvolvimento larval e pupal, razão sexual e parâmetros reprodutivos de adultos provenientes de pupas e adultos diretamente tratados. Os inseticidas triflumuron e espinosade foram seletivos às pupas de C. sanguinea, levemente nocivos aos adultos do predador, assim como às suas fases e gerações subsequentes de desenvolvimento. Clorfenapir, clotianidina e imidaclopride+ß-ciflutrina foram tóxicos a pupas e adultos de C. sanguinea.

The genus Weissella contains 14 bacterial species that usually occur in nutrient-rich environments and in fermented foods and beverages. Outbreaks of hemorrhagic septicemia were reported in three commercial rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farms in Brazil in 2008 and 2009. Seventy-seven Gram-positive isolates were obtained from 41 diseased fish from these farms. The bacterial strains were identified as Weissella at the genus level using biochemical tests, Weissella genus-specific PCR, and 16S rRNA sequencing. To evaluate potential routes of infection, rainbow trout juveniles were experimentally infected with the pathogen. In addition, the resistance of the pathogen to five antibiotics was tested, and provisional epidemiological cut-off values were calculated using the normalized resistance interpretation (NRI). All isolates presented similar phenotypic profiles and positive reactions for Weissella genus-specific PCR. The 16S rRNA sequences of the Brazilian strains showed 100% similarity with sequences of Chinese isolates that previously were identified as the first case of Weissella sp. infection in fish. The disease was successfully reproduced in the laboratory by intraperitoneal injection, immersion, and cohabitation between diseased and healthy fish. All isolates were resistant to sulfonamide, and based on NRI analysis, one, two, and three isolates were classified as non-wild-type (NWT) for erythromycin, oxytetracycline, and norfloxacin, respectively. This is the first description of multiple cases of Weissella sp. infection in rainbow trout farms outside of China, of infectious routes for the disease, and of provisional epidemiological cut-off values for resistance of these bacteria to four antibiotics.