FREQUÊNCIA DE CORDAS TENDÍNEAS DA VALVA MITRAL DO CORAÇÃO DE OVINOS (Ovis aries, LINNAEUS 1758) DA RAÇA SANTA INÊS

Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar a frequência de cordas tendíneas no complexo valvar atrioventricular esquerdo (CVAE) do coração de ovinos da raça Santa Inês. Os ensaios foram realizados em quarenta órgãos preparados com a utilização de solução de formol a 10% e dissecados para a retirada do CVAE, classificando-se e quantificando-se as cordas tendíneas, cujo número variou de 10 a 27, bem como as que se orientavam à comissura entre as válvulas, variando em número de duas a cinco cordas, saindo dos músculos papilares subauricular e subatrial. Corações com três cordas que se orientavam à comissura apresentaram maior frequência. Os resultados sugerem a inexistência de uma padronização anatômica na quantidade de cordas tendíneas no coração do ovino da raça Santa Inês. Palavra-chaveS: Cordas tendíneas, coração, frequência, morfologia, ovino

Epidemiological aspects of Toxoplasma gondii infection in riverside communities in the Southern Brazilian Amazon

INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in humans and other animals worldwide. Information on the prevalence of T. gondii infection is scarce in some regions of Brazil, including riverside communities along the Amazon River basin. M METHODS: The prevalence of T. gondii in 231 people, aged 1-85 years, who were living in four riverside communities along the Purus River, L&#225;brea, State of Amazonas, Brazil, was determined. Antibodies against T. gondii were assayed using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The hearts and brains of 50 chickens, which were raised free-range in the communities, were pooled according to the community of origin and bioassayed in mice. The isolates were genotyped using polymorphisms at 12 nuclear markers (SAG1, 5' and 3'-SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico and CS3). RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 56.7% (131/231). IgG antibodies were presented by 117 (89.3%) and IgM by 14 (10.7%) of the 131 positive individuals. No association between age group and gender with prevalence was observed (chi-square test, p > 0.05); however, the comparison between localities showed that the seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly lower among the individuals living in the Boca do Ituxi (p < 0.05) community. Five isolates of T. gondii were obtained in the mouse bioassay, and genotyping revealed two complete genotypes that had not been described previously and three mixed isolates. CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous findings that T. gondii population genetics are highly diverse in Brazil and that T. gondii infection is active in these riverside communities