Environment Impact of Moxidectin in Sheep Faeces upon Dung Diptera in South of Brazil

Dung Diptera can be beneficial to the environment because the adults feed on, deposit eggs in, and the larval nutrition depends on the feaces of animals which significantly im-proves nutrient cycling. However, anthelmintics which are used to control internal parasites have long persistence with a long half-life in faeces. This is harmful to the coprofauna and may adversely affect the diversity of this environmen-tal system. In this study we evaluated the toxicity of moxidectin anthelmintic on the dung Diptera population in pastures of South of Brazil

ANÁLISE DE RISCO DE CONTAMINAÇÃO DAS ÁGUAS SUBTERRÂNEAS E SUPERFICIAIS DA REGIÃO DE PETROLINA (PE) E JUAZEIRO (BA)

Analisou-se o potencial de contaminação das águas subterrâneas e superficiais do Submédio do Rio São Francisco por pesticidas aplicados nas culturas de manga e uva, mediante critérios da Environmental Protection Agency, do índice de GUS e critérios propostos por GOSS. Todos os critérios utilizados levam em consideração as propriedades dos produtos aplicados, não demandando custos elevados nem muito tempo para o levantamento das informações e para a avaliação do potencial de contaminação. Os resultados obtidos reforçam a importância de disponibilizar informações sobre as propriedades físico-químicas dos pesticidas, principalmente o coeficiente de adsorção, cujo valor permite a previsão da mobilidade do composto no solo. Este fator, integrado ao conhecimento do tempo de degradação do produto até a metade de sua concentração inicial (meia-vida) no solo, fornece informações sobre a sua influência no potencial de contaminação das águas. Os resultados deste trabalho propiciam o conhecimento dos pesticidas com maior potencial de contaminação dos recursos hídricos, os quais devem ser priorizados no monitoramento ambiental in loco. GROUND AND SURFACE WATER OF THE REGIONS PETROLINA (PE) AND JUAZEIRO (BA) Abstract The contamination potential of ground water and surface water in the sub-middle portion of San Francisco river basin was analyzed for pesticides applied in mango and grape cultivation by following the criteria of Environmental Protection Agency and to the index of GUS and criteria proposed by GOSS. All the criteria used take into consideration the applied products properties, by not demanding high costs nor a long time for rising information and evaluating contamination potential. The results obtained reinforce the importance of information publication on the physicochemical properties of pesticides, especially data on adsorption coefficient, whose values allow to predict the pesticide mobility in soils. This factor combined with the pesticide degradation time to the half of its initial concentration (half life) in the soil, provides information on pesticide water contamination potential. The results of this work allow the identification of the pesticides with higher contamination potential to water resources, which should be prioritized in environmental monitoring in loco

Anatomical Organization of Urocortin 3-Synthesizing Neurons and Immunoreactive Terminals in the Central Nervous System of Non-Human Primates [Sapajus spp.]

Urocortin 3 (UCN3) is a neuropeptide member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) peptide family that acts as a selective endogenous ligand for the CRF, subtype 2 (CRF2) receptor. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization data from rodents revealed UCN3-containing neurons in discrete regions of the central nervous system (CNS), such as the medial preoptic nucleus, the rostral perifornical area (PFA), the medial nucleus of the amygdala and the superior paraolivary nucleus. UCN3-immunoreactive (UCN3-ir) terminals are distributed throughout regions that mostly overlap with regions of CRF2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Currently, no similar mapping exists for non-human primates. To better understand the role of this neuropeptide, we aimed to study the UCN3 distribution in the brains of New World monkeys of the Sapajus genus. To this end, we analyzed the gene and peptide sequences in these animals and performed immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to identify UCN3 synthesis sites and to determine the distribution of UCN3-ir terminals. The sequencing of the Sapajus spp. UCN3-coding gene revealed 88% and 65% identity to the human and rat counterparts, respectively. Additionally, using a probe generated from monkey cDNA and an antiserum raised against human UCN3, we found that labeled cells are mainly located in the hypothalamic and limbic regions. UCN3-ir axons and terminals are primarily distributed in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and the lateral septal nucleus (LS). Our results demonstrate that UCN3-producing neurons in the CNS of monkeys are phylogenetically conserved compared to those of the rodent brain, that the distribution of fibers agrees with the distribution of CRF2 in other primates and that there is anatomical evidence for the participation of UCN3 in neuroendocrine control in primates

One More Piece in the VACV Ecological Puzzle: Could Peridomestic Rodents Be the Link between Wildlife and Bovine Vaccinia Outbreaks in Brazil?

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that smallpox eradication was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980, other poxviruses have emerged and re-emerged, with significant public health and economic impacts. Vaccinia virus (VACV), a poxvirus used during the WHO smallpox vaccination campaign, has been involved in zoonotic infections in Brazilian rural areas (Bovine Vaccinia outbreaks - BV), affecting dairy cattle and milkers. Little is known about VACV's natural hosts and its epidemiological and ecological characteristics. Although VACV was isolated and/or serologically detected in Brazilian wild animals, the link between wildlife and farms has not yet been elucidated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we describe for the first time, to our knowledge, the isolation of a VACV (Mariana virus - MARV) from a mouse during a BV outbreak. Genetic data, in association with biological assays, showed that this isolate was the same etiological agent causing exanthematic lesions observed in the cattle and human inhabitants of a particular BV-affected area. Phylogenetic analysis grouped MARV with other VACV isolated during BV outbreaks. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These data provide new biological and epidemiological information on VACV and lead to an interesting question: could peridomestic rodents be the link between wildlife and BV outbreaks