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Chagas Disease (CD) or American trypanosomiasis is a serious infectious disease that presents acute and chronic phases. In Brazil, acute cases of CD are compulsory notification to epidemiological surveillance. Between the years 2013 and 2017, in Piaui state, 350 cases were confirmed in chronic phase, which represent 26.8% of the acute cases registered in Brazil (1304 cases). Therefore, screening of Chagas disease in the chronic phase is of paramount importance for controlling the pathology.

Objective: This study deals on the hygienic quality of lettuce commercialized in the city of Teresina, Piaui, by small horticulturists and supermarkets. Methods: In the period of January to April 2016aleatory samples of lettuce were collected in community horticulture yards and supermarkets and, then, taken to the Laboratory of Parasitology of Federal Institute of Piaui for parasitological analysis, following the modified methodology of Hoffman, Pons, and Janer. The positivity of the samples was confirmed by visualization of evolutive forms of enteroparasites in one of the tests. Results: The rate of contamination by parasitary forms was 66.5% (21/32) of the samples analyzed, being 64.7% (11/17) and 66.5% (10/15) for supermarkets and community horticulture yards respectively. The protozoa found were the commensals Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Iodamoeba butschlii, and the pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Giardia sp., and Eimeria sp. Among the helminths, Ascaris sp, Ancylostoma sp, and Strongyloides sp occurred. The presence of enteroparasites in lettuce points that hygienic-sanitary conditions along the productive chain is not satisfactory, increasing the risk of infection by the consumers. Conclusion: Lettuces commercialized in Teresina-PI are contaminated. Such data suggest that a better hygienization strategy should be taken for the consumption of lettuce by the population of the studied area.

In Brazil, 179 bat species have been recorded to date, representing 68 genera and nine families. Few data are available on the bat fauna of the state of Maranhão, so the present study was based on a survey of the bat fauna of the Inhamum Municipal Environmental Protection Area (APA Inhamum) in the Cerrado savanna of the eastern extreme of the state. This inventory provides new records of bat species for the state of Maranhão and the Cerrado biome. A total of 31 species (four families) were collected, representing 39% of the bat species known to occur in Maranhão and 28.71% of the species described for the Cerrado. The family Phyllostomidae was the most diverse, with 23 species (74.20% of the total), and also the most abundant, with 86.09% of the specimens collected. The Molossidae (four species) was the second most diverse, followed by the Vespertilionidae (three species) and the Emballonuridae (one species). Carollia perspicillata was the most abundant species (28%).The records of Artibeus fimbriatus and Platyrrhinus fusciventris are the first for the Cerrado and were also recorded in Maranhão for the first time. The cumulative species curve did not reach an asymptote. The species Dermanura gnoma, Lasiurus blossevillii, Lasiurus ega, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops temminckii, Platyrrhinus cf. recifinus, Phylloderma stenops and Trachops cirrhosus, were also recorded in Maranhão for the first time demonstrating the value of for mammal inventories and emphasizing the need for further surveys in this poorly-known region. Resumo Atualmente são registrados para o Brasil, nove famílias, 68 gêneros e 179 espécies de morcegos. No Maranhão, poucas são as informações sobre a fauna de morcegos, portanto objetivou-se realizar um levantamento faunístico e reportar os novos registros de morcegos para o Cerrado leste maranhense na Área de Proteção Ambiental Municipal do Inhamum. Foram coletadas 31 espécies, distribuídas em quatro famílias representando 39% das espécies de morcegos registradas no Maranhão e 28,71% das espécies descritas para o Cerrado. A família Phyllostomidae apresentou a maior riqueza (23 espécies - 74,20%) e abundância (86,09%). A família Molossidae (quatro espécies) foi a segunda mais representativa, seguida de Vespertilionidae (três espécies) e Emballonuridae (uma espécie). Carollia perspicillata foi a espécie mais abundante (28%). As espécies Artibeus fimbriatus e Platyrrhinus fusciventris constituem novos registros para o Cerrado e o primeiro registro para o Maranhão. A curva de acumulação de espécies mostrou-se não estabilizada. As espécies Dermanura gnoma, Lasiurus blossevillii, Lasiurus ega, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops temminckii, Platyrrhinus cf. recifinus, Phylloderma stenops e Trachops cirrhosus constituem novos registros para o Maranhão. As espécies coletadas na APA do Inhamum correspondem a novos registros para o Cerrado do leste maranhense evidenciando-a como uma área de extrema importância para levantamentos mastozoológicos, mostrando que a região necessita de mais estudos.