Effect of racial crossing on the seminal parameters of rams submitted to heat stress

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of racial crossing on seminal parameters of eight Santa Inês and crossbred (Santa Inês x Dorper) rams submitted to heat stress, and to monitor the return of these parameters to previously reported. Before to place the insulation bags, two collects of semen through electroejaculation were performed. The insulation pouches were made with double-layer plastic, internally lined with cotton, and fixed around the spermatic funiculus and scrotum with adhesive tape and bandage remaining on the testes of the animals for seven days. The first collect was performed on the day that the pouches were taken (day 0) and thereafter, every seven days, totalizing 15 measurements. Data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA). The analyzed variables were subjected to Dunnett test at 5% probability to compare the values obtained before treatment with those obtained in the following days. In this study it was found that the animals restored normal seminal parameter after the insulation effects, however, the return rate differed slightly among the studied breeds. The crossbred animals restored the seminal patterns, on average, a week before Santa Inês. It is concluded that the racial crossing influences the semen parameters of rams submitted to heat stress. Keywords: motility, scrotal insulation, sperm concentration, sperm quality

Phylogenetic analysis of rabies surveillance samples from north and northeast Brazil

Viruses of the Lyssavirus genus are classified into several genotypes (GT1 to GT7), of which only GT1 (classic rabies virus—RABV) has a cosmopolitan distribution and circulates in Brazil. GT1 is subdivided into several antigenic variants (AgV) maintained in independent cycles with a narrow host range and distinct geographic distributions, namely, AgV1 and AgV2 found in dogs, AgV3 in the vampire bats Desmodus rotundus, and AgV4 and AgV6 in bats non-hematophagous Tadarida brasiliensis and Lasiurus cinereus, a common variant of marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), and crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous). In this study, we performed phylogenetic analysis to identify at the antigenic variant level; six RABV genomes derived from the Rabies Surveillance in the north and northeast regions of Brazil. The analysis resulted in the formation of 11 monophyletic clusters, each corresponding to a particular variant, with high bootstrap support values. The samples were positioned inside the AgV3, AgV6, and Callithrix variant clades. This is the first report of the AgV6 variant found in northern Brazil, which provides valuable information for rabies surveillance in the country. The possibility of viral spillover has been much debated, as it deals with the risk of shifting transmission from a primary to a secondary host. However, more genomic surveillance studies should be performed, with a greater number and diversity of samples to better understand the transmission dynamics of each variant to detect changes in its geographic distribution and spillover events

Prevalence of animal rabies in Pará State, Brazil, from 2004 to 2013

Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia. Instituto da Saúde e Produção Animal. Belém, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.OBJETIVO: Descrever a prevalência da raiva animal no estado do Pará, no período de 2004 a 2013. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um levantamento no banco de dados dos encéfalos recebidos no Laboratório de Diagnóstico de Raiva da Seção de Arbovirologia e Febres Hemorrágicas do Instituto Evandro Chagas, de 2004 a 2013, oriundos das seis mesorregiões do Pará. RESULTADOS: Das 13.987 amostras recebidas e analisadas no Laboratório, 1,26% (176/13.987) foram positivas. Os registros positivos, por espécies examinadas, foram: 34,78% de equinos (8/23); 34,71% de bovinos (42/121); 25,00% de suínos (3/12); 1,33% de felinos (5/375); 1,22% de caninos (105/8.633); 0,27% de quirópteros (13/4.797); e as demais espécies (caprinos, ovinos, símios, leporídeos, procionídeos, roedores e não identificadas) foram negativas (0/26). A Mesorregião Sudoeste Paraense foi a que apresentou o maior índice de positividade (6,15%). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados apresentados neste estudo ressaltam a importância da imunização anual de animais de produção, bem como enfatizam a relevância das campanhas de vacinação de animais domésticos para o controle da raiva urbana, a fim de reduzir a incidência e a letalidade da doença