Suchergebnisse

Information on neoplasms in animals has increased over time, and these studies have helped in the management of reptiles that present tumors. There are similar incidences of neoplasms between homeothermic and ectothermic animals. Furthermore, there are usually more than one type of tumor present. The treatment of wild animals afflicted with cancer usually happens late, contributing to their low life expectancy. Thus, the present work aimed to describe an infrequent case of oral tumor in Boa constrictor. The tumor was observed in an adult female animal, raised in an exhibition area of the Zoo and Botanical Park of the Emílio Goeldi Museum, located in Belém, State of Pará, Brazil. Macroscopically, the mass presented morphologically with an irregular, multilobulated surface, color that varied from white to grey, hemorrhagic areas and its extension was 3.9 x 2.3 cm. The neoplasm was surgically removed, and the histopathological evaluation revealed an adenocarcinoma, with a papillary-like development pattern and a moderate degree of differentiation. The animal died three months after diagnosis due to starvation. The necropsy showed that there was tumor recrudescence and no metastases. Given the impossibility of surgical removal with a greater margin of safety, and adjuvant therapies, this condition favoured the resurgence of the neoplasm. This compromised the animal's ability to feed and consequently lead to death. Malignant neoplasms in reptiles may have an unfavourable clinical evolution for the maintenance of life, requiring specific therapeutic care such as chemotherapy. Scientific contributions on tumors in these animals are essential for the medical treatment of wild animals, and the conservation of wild species.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan that parasitizes several hosts worldwide, of which cats are definitive hosts. The objective of this study is to evaluate the risk factors associated with the epidemiology of T. gondii in cattle and buffaloes in the state of Pará, Brazil. A total of 2,070 bovine samples (1,749 cattle and 321 buffaloes) were evaluated in 100 rural properties distributed in 51 municipalities from all mesoregions of the state. The evaluated risk factors were animal gender, type of farm, and number of cats in the properties. The serological prevalence of T. gondii was evaluated using the indirect enzyme immunoadsorption assay (iELISA). The samples with a sample/positive (S/P) ratio ? 0.5 were considered positive and analyzed using the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The samples diluted at 1:64 were considered positive. The chi-square test with a level of significance of 5% and the odds ratio (OR) with a confidence interval of 95% was applied.The data were analyzed using BioEstat software version 5.0.The prevalence of T. gondii in bovines was 35.79% and 45.12% in ELISA and IFAT, respectively. The prevalence was 34.48% and 44.14% in cattle and 42.99% and 50.47% in buffaloes using ELISA and IFA, respectively. The mesoregion with the highest prevalence of infection was Marajó Island, corresponding to 42.86% (129) and 50.5% (152) in ELISA and IFA, respectively. In buffaloes, the prevalence of T. gondiiusing ELISA was higher in males (p < 0.05) in the two age groups. In contrast, the prevalence of T. gondii using IFA was higher in males in the age group 13 to 24 months (p < 0.05). The type of farm did not affect the prevalence of T. gondii in cattle (p > 0.05). However, the presence of cats strongly affected the occurrence of infection in cattle. These results demonstrate the high levels of anti-T. gondii antibodies in cattle and buffaloes in Pará and this may be a public health problem. Furthermore, the presence of cats is a risk factor for infection with T. gondii in these species in Pará.

The genus Bartonella comprises gram-negative bacilli that possess tropism for erythrocytes and endothelial cells in animals of the orders Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Eulipotyphla, and Chiroptera. Bacterial infection may be associated with lymphadenitis, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis hepatis. Thirteen species of Bartonella are recognized as zoonotic and bats are considered to be their potential reservoirs. This study aimed to analyze the occurrence of Bartonella spp. in livers of neotropical bats belonging to the families Molossidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae, classified into 21 genera from the Atlantic Forest biome in São Paulo. A total of 341 (n = 341) chiropterans samples were tested for the presence of citrate synthase (gltA) gene of Bartonella by partial amplification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Samples of two bats (0.6%) of the species Glossophaga soricina from the municipality of São Roque were tested positive for gltA gene. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that sequences clustered in a clade that was close to the Bartonella sp. detected in G. soricina, which was collected from the Cerrado biome in Tocantins, Brazil. Despite a low prevalence of the detected infection, results indicated that neotropical bats from the Atlantic Forest were potential hosts of Bartonella spp., which might be related to the maintenance of a wild enzootic cycle of the bacterium. Additional studies, particularly on bats of genus Glossophaga, are required to elucidate the dynamics of intraspecific relationships between etiologic agent-vector-hosts.

Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) are globally distributed birds that, together with members of the Columbiformes, represent the most susceptible animals, in regards to infection by Chlamydophila psittaci, which is an obligate, zoonotic, intracellular bacterium that causes chlamydiosis in domestic and wild birds and psittacosis in humans. The aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of C. psittaci in Brazilian psittacids kept in conservation breeding sites in Pará State, Brazil. Cloacal and oropharynx swab samples were collected from 201 psittacids that were distributed among four breeding sites: Metropolitan Area of Belém (C1 and C2), Northeastern Pará (C3), and Low Amazon (C4). The samples were screened for C. psittaci using semi-nested PCR, and the resulting incidence data were analyzed using proportion and chi-square tests. Chlamydophila infection was confirmed for all the breeding sites, with an overall prevalence of 31.84%, and no species-specific predisposition was observed. Furthermore, 13.93% of the sampled birds eliminated the infectious agent by the cloaca, whereas 11.44% eliminated the agent by the oropharynx, and 6.47% eliminated the agent by both routes. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the incidence of Chlamydophila infection of breeding sites C2 and C3 (p=0.029), which yielded the smallest and largest number of diagnosed cases, respectively. In the present study, most of the birds (27.86%) were considered unapparent carriers of Chlamydophila infection, and only 3.98% of the birds yielded both a positive diagnosis and clinical signs of chlamydiosis.

The hepatitis A virus (HAV, Hepatovirus A) in humans has a relevant impact on public health, especially in geographic regions with poor basic sanitation, such as the Brazilian Amazon. Isolates related to hepatoviruses have been described in non human primates, chiropterans, marsupials, rodents, marmots, shrews, and terrestrial hedgehogs. However, the circulation of these viruses in the Amazonian mammal fauna remains unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against this hepatovirus in captive and free-living wild mammals belonging to the orders Didelphimorphia, Primates, Carnivora, and Artiodactyla. Serum samples from 71 animals, from three municipalities in the State of Pará (Belém, Santarém, and Capitão-Poço) were tested for total anti-HAV and anti-HAV IgM through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Total anti-HAV antibodies were detected in 29.5% (21/71) of non-human primates, 8.4% (6/71) of carnivores, and 5.6% (4/71) of didelphos. All tayassuidos 0% (0/2) were seronegative. Anti-HAV IgM antibodies were not detected in any of the samples tested. The highest total anti-HAV seropositivity in the municipalities studied was in Santarém with 54.24% (12/22), followed by Capitão Poço with 50% (15/30), and then Belém with 21.05% (4/19). Among the seropositive animals, animals kept in exposure cages showed 43.9% (18/41), quarantined animals with 60% (9/15), and free-living animals with 26.6% (4/15). The serological results indicated a profile of previous exposure to hepatovirus among these animals. Therefore, additional studies to characterize HAV-related viruses in captive and free living wild animals need to be conducted to better understand the impact of the circulation of this virus on human and animal health.