Suchergebnisse

<p>Determining the origin of lameness and pain in dog shoulder structures is considered a diagnostic challenge. Ultrasonography is an important diagnostic tool, capable of dynamically providing detailed information on muscle-tendon structures at a low cost. Its diagnostic accuracy for shoulder injuries is comparable to that of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); however, the technique is still underestimated and underused in orthopedic examinations of small animals in Brazil. This study aimed to compile the literature data and explore the findings of ultrasound examinations for the diagnosis of abnormalities in the shoulder joint region of dogs. Scanning maneuvers of the tendons of the biceps brachii, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, humeral head, and brachial plexus muscles were reviewed. The normal ultrasonographic patterns and findings that characterize different illnesses in this region were described.</p>

The present study aimed to evaluate factors associated with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in areas with higher seroprevalence of it in Uruguaiana city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, during the year of 2012. A semi-structured questionnaire with socioeconomic and environmental questions was applied in Leishmania endemic regions of the city. The survey data were analyzed by multivariate statistics and the associations between them were presented as odds ratio within a 95% confidence limit. The relationships between the studied variables showed no statistically significant difference between the dwellings with positive and negative dogs. However, when analyzing the odds ratio, the presence of green areas larger than 10m² turned the house into an area of potential risk for CVL (OR= 2.53). There was no difference among the socioeconomic variables education and income, though the groups with lower education and income showed a higher seroprevalence of CVL. The city of Uruguaiana is already located within the CVL broadcasting area and is taken as an endemic region of the disease, with seropositive dogs in all neighborhoods. Thus, the determinants for an increased Leishmania sp. infection could not be indicated, even so, the maintenance of green areas around the households represented a risk factor for being a potential vector shelter.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by a variety of pathogenic Leishmania species. In the New World, especially in Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by Leishmania infantum. The pathogen can infect several animal species including dogs, foxes, rodents, primates, felines, equines and humans. Dogs act as the primary domestic reservoirs. This study aimed to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting Leishmania infection in horses living in a canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) endemic region. DNA samples from horse peripheral blood were used to perform PCR. Templates were amplified using primers for the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) minicircles, which were able to detect different species of Leishmania. In addition, primers for internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA were used for detection of Trypanosomatidae sp. Amongst the 75 (39%) positive PCR samples from total 192 samples, 21 samples were positive for kDNA and 63 samples were positive for either ITS, ITS1, or ITS2 gene markers. The kDNA PCR and sequencing allowed the detection of L. infantum in horse blood samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of equine infection with L. infantum in Southern Brazil. These results proved that L. infantum could also infect horses in addition to humans and dogs, as well as in European countries. This conclusion emphasizes the urgent need to follow up investigation of the infection in these animals.

Criollo horses were used in the past only for field services, especially countryside work. However, currently, they have been used as sports animals in several modalities involving turns in legs and exercises on irregular terrain, predisposing them to injuries in the distal extremity. Among the alterations recognized as cause of lameness in this region are the conditions related to collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal joint (CL-DIPJ), which in horses are structures that help to maintain joint stability and suffer a high pressure due to the high body weight, especially when it is not equally distributed at the stance phase. Considering the importance of the ultrasound anatomical knowledge of this structure for the early diagnosis of locomotive affections in the digit of Criollo horses, this study aimed to standardize CL-DIPJ measurements in healthy horses of this breed. We used 25 adult Criollo horses not submitted to sports practice. For ultrasonographic evaluation, after a trichotomy of the region, an ultrasound Chison 8300VET and a 6.0 MHz linear probe were used with a standoff pad. This technique uses a cross-sectional view, in which CL-DIPJ is visualized in the distal concavity portion of the middle phalanx, being a standard for the measurements. For ligament measurements, the variables dorsopalmar diameter (DPD), latero-medial diameter (LMD), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of ligaments were used. Three measurements were performed for each variable and average values were obtained, which were compared to each other and did not present significant differences (p > 0.05). The average measurements of diameter and area of collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal joint in Criollo horses were 9.04 mm for DPD, 7.55 mm for LMD, and 0.52 mm2 for CSA. This was the first study that standardized the size of this structure in this breed.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonosis caused by the protozoan of the genus Leishmania. The disease is transmitted by the bite of a sand fly vector. Although the main reservoirs are dogs, other hosts can be infected and may play this role. Rio Grande do Sul western region, located on the triple border of Brazil-Uruguay-Argentina, represents a VL transmission area. The goal of the present study was to identify Leishmania spp. infection in animals from rural areas of Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul. Nine farms in the Uruguaiana municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, were included. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 113 animals (canine [n=22], equine [n=91]) for detection of Leishmania spp. DNA was isolated and polymerase chain reaction was performed. Eight (7%) animals with Leishmania spp. infection were detected on two farms in the same geographical area, seven of which were horses and one was canine, all of which were asymptomatic. To investigate the species of Leishmania, one of the positive equine samples was subjected to direct sequencing, which confirmed the presence of L. infantum genetic material. Results of this study confirm the presence of L. infantum-infected animals in rural areas of Uruguaiana, and provide evidence supporting further investigation of risk factors for dissemination in such areas.