Suchergebnisse

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) and bovine genital trichomonosis (BGT) are globally widespread, predominantly sexually transmitted diseases that mainly affect herds in which natural mating takes place. Bulls serve as good epidemiological indicators for studying the causative agents of these diseases in cattle herds. The objective of the present work was to determine the prevalence of BGC and BGT among bulls sent to slaughterhouses in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Samples of preputial smegma from 200 sexually mature, non-castrated bulls of several ancestries were collected in 2013 from four regional slaughterhouses. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect Tritrichomonas foetus, Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus, and C. fetus subsp. venerealis. Isolation also was used aiming to diagnosis of BGT. All smegma samples were negative in culture for T. foetus. Molecular tests revealed 8% (16/200) of animals to be positive for T. foetus, 17.5% (35/200) for Campylobacter. fetus subsp. fetus, and 13.5% (27/200) for C. fetus subsp. venerealis. The results of the present study indicate that T. foetus, C. fetus subsp. venerealis, and C. fetus subsp. fetus are present among bulls slaughtered in southern Minas Gerais, and that BGC and BGT occur in this region. These diseases therefore need to be considered during differential diagnosis of reproductive diseases affecting cattle herds in which natural mating is employed.

Water buffalo are of great economic importance in Brazilian Amazonia, which has the largest herd in Brazil. Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a zoonotic disease that results in severe losses to water buffalo production. Although the disease has already been described in the country, data on the occurrence and distribution of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo in Brazil is very scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo in the Baixo Araguari River region of Amapá, Brazil. Thirty herds, randomly selected from the 41 herds of water buffalo in the region, were sampled. From those herds, 212 randomly selected water buffalo were subjected to the comparative tuberculin skin test. The proportion of Baixo Araguari River region herds that were positive for bovine tuberculosis was 50.0% (95% CI 31.3% to 68.7%) and the proportion of animals that were positive was estimated to be 14.8% (95% CI 7.8% to 21.9%). Our results show that bovine tuberculosis is spread widely among water buffalo in the Baixo Araguari River region, which suggests that measures to control the disease should be undertaken in the region.

Goat milk presents interesting characteristics to consumers, but the production of this food faces several challenges that influence its quality. Process failures from milking to processing and commercialization can expose milk to contamination by pathogenic microorganisms, including the coagulase-positive Staphylococcus group. Although Staphylococcus aureus is the most relevant species in mastitis and food poisoning, other species in this group are also important, especially those related to food poisoning. This study aimed to identify the coagulase-positive Staphylococcus species in goat milk using biochemical tests, determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance using the disc diffusion test, and investigate enterotoxin-producing genes, sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, and sei by multiplex PCR. A total of 384 coagulase-positive Staphylococcus strains obtained from raw goat milk collected from nine farms in Paraná during four seasons of the year were studied. Biochemical tests showed that 85.69% of the 384 strains were S. aureus, followed by 9.38% of S. intermedius, 4.17% of S. hyicus and 0.78% of S. delphini. For the antimicrobial resistance test, up to three strains of each species identified as coagulase-positive Staphylococci were chosen from each farm, with a total of 74 strains. Of these, 27% (20/74) showed resistance to at least one antibiotic, and among all penicillin-resistant strains, 45% (9/20) also presented resistance to tetracycline. In the search for staphylococcal enterotoxin-producing genes, 49 S. aureus strains were studied; among them, 40.81% (20/49) presented enterotoxin-producing genes. The highest prevalence was detected for the sec gene, which was present in 22.44% (11/49) of the strains, followed by the seh gene in 18.36% (9/49), and the see gene was detected in 4.08% (2/49). It was concluded that S. aureus was the predominant species in raw goat milk, with a high prevalence of penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant Staphylococci and a significant number of strains with staphylococcal enterotoxin-producing genes. The strains studied carried enterotoxin-producing genes involved in food poisoning in humans, indicating that goat milk is a possible source of contamination and, therefore, a potential danger to public health.

The aims of the present study were: to estimate the seroprevalence of Bluetongue vírus (BTV), bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), Brucella abortus and Leptospira spp. in cattle from family farms in North of Minas Gerais; to determine the intercurrence and association among these pathogens; and to assess the possible associated factors to seropositive herds and animals. For this, 476 cows from 46 farms were sampled and evaluated serologically. The seroprevalence in herds and cattle was, respectively, for BTV 100% and 52.0%, for BoHV-1 95.7% and 48.6%, for BVDV 78.3% and 46.1%, for Leptospira spp. 76.1% and 29.1%, and for B. abortus was 0% in herd and cattle. More than 65% of the herds was simultaneously seropositive for BTV, BoHV-1, BVDV and Leptospira spp. Seropositivity for BoHV-1, Leptospira spp. serovar Autumnalis and serovar Hardjoprajitno were associated with abortion, whereas seropositivity for BVDV was associated with BoHV-1. Moreover, association among seropositivity for BVDV, BoHV-1 and Leptospira spp. was also observed. In conclusion, BTV, BoHV-1, BVDV and Leptospira spp. are highly seroprevalent and occurred simultaneously in cattle from family farms in Minas Gerais, indicating the need for the implementation of control measures to avoid economic losses related to these diseases.