Diagnosis of Leishmania infantum infection by Polymerase Chain Reaction in wild mammals

Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Leishmania infantum (synonym: Leishmania chagasi) and transmitted by the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis in Brazil. It is an endemic zoonosis in several regions of the country, including Belo Horizonte (State of Minas Gerais). In urban areas, the domestic dog is susceptible and considered the most important animal reservoir. However, L. infantum has been previously diagnosed in other species, including captive primates and canids. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of the agent DNA in captive animals as well as some free ranging animals from the Zoo-Botanical Foundation of Belo Horizonte by Polymerase Chain Reaction. Eighty one blood samples from primates, carnivores, ruminants, edentates, marsupial, and a monogastric herbivore were analyzed. Three primates Alouatta guariba (brown howler monkey), and two canids Speothos venaticus (bush dog) were positive, demonstrating the importance of leishmaniasis control in endemic areas for preservation of wildlife species in captivity

Distribution of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus provirus, RNA, and antigen in the reproductive tract of one naturally and seven experimentally infected bucks

AbstractCaprine arthritis encephalitis is a worldwide, multisystemic disease caused by a small ruminant lentivirus. Although the main route of transmission is oral, detection of proviral DNA of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) in caprine semen has been previously described. However, the presence of viral antigens in the male reproductive tract has apparently never been reported. The objective was to study lesions in the buck reproductive system and to detect, in these tissues, the presence of proviral DNA, viral RNA and CAEV antigens. Tissues from eight CAEV-infected bucks (one naturally and seven experimentally infected) were analyzed by histopathology, nested polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry. Interstitial pneumonia, synovitis, and lesions in the male reproductive tract were detected in some of the bucks. Proviral DNA was detected in the lungs and joints as well as in the reproductive systems of all animals, whereas viral RNA was detected only in the genital tract of the naturally infected buck. Viral antigens were immunostained in most of the organs of the male reproductive tract. This report was apparently the first to clearly demonstrate CAEV antigen expression in the male reproductive tract, which indicates the possibility of venereal transmission of CAEV