Presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii, -Neospora caninum, -Leishmania spp. and -Ehrlichia canis antibodies in free-ranging maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

O lobo-guará (Chrysocyon brachyurus) habita o ecossistema de Cerrado e é considerado o maior canídeo da América do Sul e uma espécie ameaçada de extinção pela "International Union for Conservation of Nature" (IUNC). O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a presença de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii, -Neospora caninum, -Leishmania spp. e -Ehrlichia canis em lobos-guará da região nordeste do estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Das 17 amostras de soro testadas por meio da reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI), 88,2% (15/17), 17,6% (3/17) e 52,9% (9/17) apresentaram anticorpos anti-T. gondii, -Leishmania spp. e -E. canis, respectivamente. Todos os animais testados foram soronegativos para N. caninum. Esses resultados indicam a exposição dos lobos-guará dessa região aos agentes pesquisados. A presença de um complexo industrial, agricultura extensiva e fragmentação de habitat na região nordeste do estado de São Paulo, favorece a proximidade desses animais silvestres a ambientes urbanos o que pode contribuir para a transmissão de doenças entre os animais silvestres, domésticos e o homem.The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), an inhabitant of the Brazilian savanna, is considered the largest canid of South America and is classified as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUNC). The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, -Neospora caninum, -Leishmania spp., and -Ehrlichia canis in free-ranging maned wolves in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 17 serum samples tested by the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), 88.2% (15/17), 17.6% (3/17) and 52.9% (9/17) showed anti-T. gondii, -Leishmania spp., and -E. canis antibodies, respectively. None of the studied maned wolves tested positive for N. caninum antibodies. Our results indicated the exposure of free-ranging maned wolves to the agents in question. The presence of industrial complexes, extensive agriculture and habitat fragmentation in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo puts these wild animals in proximity to urban areas, possibly contributing to the transmission of diseases between wild and domestic animals and human beings

Exposição de capivaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) à Rickettsia no Distrito Federal, área não endêmica para febre maculosa brasileira

In this study, whole blood samples and ticks were collected from 57 capybaras in recreational areas in the Federal District, Brazil, aiming to investigate the presence of Rickettsia spp. using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT) assays. None of the capybara blood samples yielded rickettsial DNA by PCR. Among 55 capybara serum samples tested by IFAT, 53 (96.3%) reacted to Rickettsia spp. Among these, 21 (39.6%) identified the R. bellii antigen as the probable antigen involved in a homologous reaction (PAIHR), whereas 2 (3.8%) identified the R. parkeri antigen. Ticks collected from capybaras were identified as 173 Amblyomma sculptum and 410 A. dubitatum, in addition to nine Amblyomma spp. larvae. A sample of 231 ticks was subjected to DNA extraction and PCR for Rickettsia species. None of 122 A. sculptum yielded rickettsial DNA. Molecular evidence of R. bellii was found in 25/108 (23.1%) and of Rickettsia sp. strain Cooperi (R. parkeri-like agent) in 2/108 (1.9%) of the A. dubitatum samples. These results suggest a greater exposure to R. bellii in these capybara populations, in addition to a more significant number of A. dubitatum, which might characterize the Federal District region as not endemic for Brazilian spotted fever

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

Reflexões sobre a paz

O tema da paz está presente no pensamento político ocidental desde a idade antiga. As diversas guerras ocorridas entre as cidades gregas antigas foram o primeiro cenário e forneceram os primeiros elementos para o desenvolvimento da reflexão ocidental sobre a paz. Um dos textos mais extensos dedicados exclusivamente à reflexão sobre a paz consiste justamente no Discurso sobre a paz (356 a.C.) de Isócrates, que traz os conselhos apresentados pelo autor na assembleia de Atenas para decidir sobre o fim da Guerra dos Aliados, travada por Atenas contra as cidades aliadas

Contribuições da Sociologia na América Latina à imaginação sociológica: análise, crítica e compromisso social Sociology's contribution in Latin America to sociological imagination: analysis, critique, and social commitment

O artigo aborda o papel desempenhado pela Sociologia na análise dos processos de transformação das sociedades latino-americanas, no acompanhamento do processo de construção do Estado e da Nação, na problematização das questões sociais na América Latina. São analisados seis períodos na Sociologia na América Latina e no Caribe: I) a herança intelectual da Sociologia ; II) a sociologia da cátedra; III) O período da "Sociologia Científica" e a configuração da "Sociologia Crítica"; IV) a crise institucional, a consolidação da "Sociologia Crítica" e a diversificação da sociologia; V) a sociologia do autoritarismo, da democracia e da exclusão; VI) a consolidação institucional e a mundialização da sociologia da América Latina (desde o ano de 2000), podendo-se afirmar que os traços distintivos do saber sociológico no continente foram: o internacionalismo, o hibridismo, a abordagem crítica dos processos e conflitos das sociedades latino-americanas e o compromisso social do sociólogo.<br>The article focuses on the role played by Sociology in the analysis of processes of change in Latin American societies, in the process of construction of Nation and State, in the debate of social issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Six periods in Sociology in Latin America and the Caribbean are examined: I) sociology's intellectual legacy; II) sociology as a cathedra; III) the period of "Scientific Sociology"; IV) the institutional crisis, the consolidation of "Critical Sociology", and the diversifying of sociology; V) sociology of authoritarianism, democracy and exclusion; VI) institutional consolidation and globalization of Latin American sociology (since 2000). It may be said that the distinctive features of sociological knowledge in the continent were: internationalism, hybridism, the critical approach to processes and conflicts of Latin American societies, and the sociologist social commitment