Field and experimental symptomless infections support wandering donkeys as healthy carriers of Trypanosoma vivax in the Brazilian Semiarid, a region of outbreaks of high mortality in cattle and sheep

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud The Brazilian Semiarid is the home of the largest herd of donkeys in South America and of outbreaks of Trypanosoma vivax infection of high mortality in dairy cattle and sheep. For a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these outbreaks and epidemiological role of donkeys, we surveyed for T. vivax in wandering donkeys and follow the experimental infection of donkeys and sheep with a highly virulent isolate from the Semiarid.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud Blood samples from 180 randomly selected wandering donkeys from the Brazilian Semiarid region were employed for PCV and parasitemia assessments and tested using the T. vivax-specific TviCATL-PCR assay. PCR-amplifed Cathepsin L (CATL) sequences were employed for genotyping and phylogenetic analysis. Four wandering donkeys were experimentally infected with a T. vivax isolate obtained during an outbreak of high mortality in the Semiarid; the control group consisted of two non-inoculated donkeys.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud We detected T. vivax in 30 of 180 wandering donkeys (16.6 %) using TviCATL-PCR. The prevalence was higher during the dry (15.5 %) than the wet season (1.1 %) and more females (23.1 %) than males (8.9 %) were infected. All the PCR-positive donkeys lacked patent parasitemia and showed normal values of body condition score (BCS) and packed cell volume (PCV). To evaluate the probable tolerance of donkeys to T. vivax, we inoculated five donkeys with a highly virulent isolate (TviBrRp) from the Semiarid. All inoculated donkeys became PCR-positive, but their parasitemia was always subpatent. A control goat inoculated with TviBrRp showed increasing parasitemia concurrently with fever, declining PCV, tachycardia, mucous membrane pallor, enlarged lymph nodes and anorexia. None of these signs were observed in donkeys. However, T. vivax from wandering donkeys shared identical or highly similar genotypes (identified by Cathepsin L sequences) with isolates from cattle and sheep outbreaks of acute disease in the Semiarid.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud This is the first report of T. vivax in donkeys in Brazil and, to our knowledge, the first experimental infection of donkeys with T. vivax. The symptomless field and experimental infections corroborated that donkeys are more tolerant to T. vivax than other livestock species as shown in African countries. Therefore, farmers, veterinaries and control programmes should be aware of healthy carrier donkeys as a possible source of T. vivax for susceptible livestock species in the Brazilian Semiarid.CNPq and CAPES Brazilian agencies supported this research. CMFR is a PhD\ud fellow of CNPq and HAG and ACR are recipients of post-doctoral fellowships\ud from CNPq (PDJ) and CAPES (PNPD

Diagnóstico molecular de herpesvírus ovino tipo 2 em surto de febre catarral malígna em bovinos do Rio Grande do Norte

Molecular findings that confirmed the participation of ovine herpesvirus 2 (OVH-2) in the lesions that were consistent with those observed in malignant catarrhal fever of cattle are described. Three mixed-breed cattle from Rio Grande do Norte state demonstrated clinical manifestations that included mucopurulent nasal discharge, corneal opacity and motor incoordination. Routine necropsy examination demonstrated ulcerations and hemorrhage of the oral cavity, corneal opacity, and lymph node enlargement. Significant histopathological findings included widespread necrotizing vasculitis, non-suppurative meningoencephalitis, lymphocytic interstitial nephritis and hepatitis, and thrombosis. PCR assay performed on DNA extracted from kidney and mesenteric lymph node of one animal amplified a product of 423 base pairs corresponding to a target sequence within the ovine herpesvirus 2 (OVH-2) tegument protein gene. Direct sequencing of the PCR products, from extracted DNA of the kidney and mesenteric lymph node of one cow, amplified the partial nucleotide sequences (423 base pairs) of OVH-2 tegument protein gene. Blast analysis confirmed that these sequences have 98-100% identity with similar OVH-2 sequences deposited in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the deduced amino acid sequences, demonstrated that the strain of OVH-2 circulating in ruminants from the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte and Minas Gerais are similar to that identified in other geographical locations. These findings confirmed the active participation of OVH-2 in the classical manifestations of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever.Os achados moleculares confirmaram a participação do herpesvírus ovino tipo 2 (OVH-2) nas lesões observadas em um surto de febre catarral malígna em bovinos. Três bovinos oriundos de propriedade rural de Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte apresentaram manifestações clínicas, que incluíram secreção nasal mucopurulenta, opacidade da córnea e incoordenação motora. A necropsia revelou ulcerações e hemorragias da cavidade oral, opacidade da córnea e linfonodomegalia. Os achados histopatológicos significativos incluíam vasculite necrosante generalizada, meningoencefalite não supurativa, nefrite intersticial linfocítica, hepatite linfocítica e trombose. A PCR, realizada a partir de DNA extraído do rim e do linfonodo mesentérico de um dos animais, amplificou um produto com 423 pares de base do gene da proteína do tegumento do herpesvírus ovino 2 (OVH-2). O sequenciamento direto dos produtos da PCR e a análise pelo Blast demonstraram que o produto amplificado apresentava 98-100% de identidade com sequências do OVH-2 depositadas no GenBank. As análises filogenéticas, baseadas nas sequências deduzidas de aminoácidos demonstraram que a cepa de OVH-2 circulando em ruminantes nos estados de Rio Grande do Norte e Minas Gerais são semelhantes àquelas identificadas em outras regiões geográficas. Esses achados confirmam a participação ativa de OVH-2 nas manifestações clássicas de febre catarral maligna em ovinos.National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazi

Gaia Early Data Release 3: Structure and properties of the Magellanic Clouds

We compare the Gaia DR2 and Gaia EDR3 performances in the study of the Magellanic Clouds and show the clear improvements in precision and accuracy in the new release. We also show that the systematics still present in the data make the determination of the 3D geometry of the LMC a difficult endeavour; this is at the very limit of the usefulness of the Gaia EDR3 astrometry, but it may become feasible with the use of additional external data. We derive radial and tangential velocity maps and global profiles for the LMC for the several subsamples we defined. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the two planar components of the ordered and random motions are derived for multiple stellar evolutionary phases in a galactic disc outside the Milky Way, showing the differences between younger and older phases. We also analyse the spatial structure and motions in the central region, the bar, and the disc, providing new insights into features and kinematics. Finally, we show that the Gaia EDR3 data allows clearly resolving the Magellanic Bridge, and we trace the density and velocity flow of the stars from the SMC towards the LMC not only globally, but also separately for young and evolved populations. This allows us to confirm an evolved population in the Bridge that is slightly shift from the younger population. Additionally, we were able to study the outskirts of both Magellanic Clouds, in which we detected some well-known features and indications of new ones

The Gaia mission

Gaia is a cornerstone mission in the science programme of the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA). The spacecraft construction was approved in 2006, following a study in which the original interferometric concept was changed to a direct-imaging approach. Both the spacecraft and the payload were built by European industry. The involvement of the scientific community focusses on data processing for which the international Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) was selected in 2007. Gaia was launched on 19 December 2013 and arrived at its operating point, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, a few weeks later. The commissioning of the spacecraft and payload was completed on 19 July 2014. The nominal five-year mission started with four weeks of special, ecliptic-pole scanning and subsequently transferred into full-sky scanning mode. We recall the scientific goals of Gaia and give a description of the as-built spacecraft that is currently (mid-2016) being operated to achieve these goals. We pay special attention to the payload module, the performance of which is closely related to the scientific performance of the mission. We provide a summary of the commissioning activities and findings, followed by a description of the routine operational mode. We summarise scientific performance estimates on the basis of in-orbit operations. Several intermediate Gaia data releases are planned and the data can be retrieved from the Gaia Archive, which is available through the Gaia home page. http://www.cosmos.esa.int/gai

Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Brazil: A study using the COPCORD approach

Objective. To estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in residents of Montes Claros, Brazil, of both sexes, aged above 16 years, using the COPCORD questionnaire.Methods. This was a cross-sectional study of 3038 people; the sample was probabilistic, by conglomerates, multiple stages, within homogeneous strata, the sampling unit being the domicile. The COPCORD questionnaire was used for all subjects, and a rheumatologist evaluated those patients who presented pain and/or functional disability. Laboratory tests and radiographs of small and large joints were done in some patients to confirm the diagnosis. Subjects were identified by socioeconomic level in quintiles A, B, C, D, and E, A being the highest.Results. Two hundred nineteen patients were identified with rheumatic diseases, mean age 37 (SD 27) years, with female predominance. Seventy-seven (35.2%) were unemployed and socioeconomic level D was the most prevalent. Of all patients with rheumatic disease, osteoarthritis (OA) was observed in 126 (57.5%) patients, fibromyalgia (FM) in 76 (34.7%), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 14 (6.4%), and lupus in 3 (1.4%). Women were predominant in all diseases except OA. The mean (SD) age was 56 (12.7) years for OA, 43.2 (9.1) for FM, 53.4 (13.9) for RA, and 40 (14) for lupus.Conclusion. The prevalence of rheumatic diseases evaluated by the COPCORD questionnaire was 4.14% for OA, 2.5% for FM, 0.46% for RA, and 0.098% for lupus.Univ Montes Claros, Dept Med, Div Rheumatol, UNIMONTES, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc