Ocorrência de microrganismos em ração animal preparada artesanalmente a partir do licuri (Syagrus coronata)

During the dry season in the Brazilian Caatinga region when sources of food are very scanty, many farmers use alternative forms to feed their livestock. One of these alternative forms is the feed made with the fruits of licuri palm (Syagrus coronata), produced by hand by farmers or associations without any microbial control, until the present study. The control of the microbial growth in feeds, used in the animal feeding, aims mainly to decrease risks in the health of the meat consumers, by increasing sanitation and hygienic quality of the feed. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out a microbiological analysis (presence of salmonela, counting of mesophilic microorganisms, and contamination by filamentous fungi and yeasts) of the ration of licuri prepared by an association of agricultural producers from the town of Valente, Bahia. The microbiological quality in the analyzed samples was good in accordance with standardized microbiological norms from The Netherlands, without salmonela, low counting of mesophilic microorganisms, and low contamination by filamentous fungi and yeasts in all analyses that were conducted. This is the first work published that describes the microbiological quality of the licuri feed produced by hand.Durante a época de seca na região da Caatinga brasileira, quando a oferta de alimento é escassa, muitos produtores utilizam formas alternativas para alimentar seu rebanho. Uma delas é a ração à base de frutos de licurizeiro (Syagrus coronata), processada artesanalmente pelos próprios produtores rurais ou associações, sem nenhum controle microbiano, feito até o presente estudo. O controle do desenvolvimento microbiano em rações utilizadas na alimentação animal visa principalmente diminuir os riscos à saúde dos consumidores de carnes, melhorando a qualidade higiênica e sanitária da ração. Por isso, este trabalho objetivou a análise microbiológica (presença de salmonelas, contagem de microsganismos mesófilos e contaminação por fungos e leveduras) da ração à base de licuri preparada por uma associação de produtores rurais do município de Valente, Bahia. A qualidade microbiológica encontrada nas amostras analisadas foi boa quando comparada com as normas microbiológicas para ração padronizadas da Holanda, ocorrendo ausência de salmonelas, baixa contagem de microrganismos mesófilos e baixa contaminação por fungos filamentosos e leveduras em todas as análises realizadas. Este é o primeiro trabalho na literatura que descreve a qualidade microbiológica da ração à base de licuri produzida artesanalmente

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in domestic non-commercial pigs reared in small-scale farms and wild boar in South of Brazil

Hepatitis E is a zoonotic emerging disease distributed worldwide. The domestic swine and wild boars (Sus scrofa) are known as important reservoirs of HEV although HEV infections have been detected in other animal species. The southern region of Brazil has the largest swine productions in the country, ranging from highly-specialized commercial swine productions to small-scale non-commercial pig farms. The small-scale farms allow interactions between wild boars and domestic pigs, when occasionally pathogens transmission can occur between these populations. The aim of this study was to determine HEV seroprevalence in non-commercial domestic pigs and wild boars from two southern Brazilian states (RS: Rio Grande do Sul; SC: Santa Catarina), and discuss if the consumption of raw or undercooked meat from these animals is a potential risk to public health. Animals from RS and SC States were sampled. Serum was harvested from wild boar hunted between 2012 and 2016, and from non-commercial small-scale pig farms in 2014. Overall 249 wild boars (56 from RS and 193 from SC) and 382 pigs (261 from RS and 121 from SC) were tested to detect anti-HEV IgG antibodies using a commercial HEV antibody ELISA kit (Thermo fisher), specific for swine. Overall difference was observed (P\u3c0.0001) regarding HEV seroprevalence between wild boar 4.42% (n=249) and non-commercial domestic pigs 46.60% (n=382). In relation to wild boars samples, higher seroprevalence for Hepatitis E was observed in RS (14.29%; n=56) and lower in SC (1.55%; n=193; P\u3c0.0004). In relation to pigs, RS had also higher seroprevalence (53.26%; n=261) than SC (32.23%; n=121; P\u3c0.0002). Although interactions between wild boar and non-commercial domestic pigs are known to occur, the lowest antibody detection in wild boar suggest that these contact may not be sufficient to explain seroprevalence in studied populations. Our results indicate that non-commercial pigs are a more likely source of infection for the human population than wild boar