Clinical and epidemiological aspects of feline leishmaniasis in Brazil

Tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis are severe and unfortunately common parasitic diseases in Brazil. Among domestic animals, dogs are considered the main urban reservoir of the protozoan parasites, however, there is evidence that infected cats can also contribute towards the disease pool. The number of cats diagnosed with leishmaniasis has greatly increased in the last few years, highlighting the importance of thorough investigations on the role of the cat in the epidemiological cycle of the disease and in public health related issues. The main clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis suffered by cats, even when infected with Leishmania chagasi, a viscerotropic species, are skin abnormalities, which can be confounded with multiple other diseases. Indirect ELISA should be used as a screening test in epidemiological investigations for being a sensitive technique, followed by more specific laboratory tests. The standardization and validation of rapid, economical and reproducible diagnostic methods, to be employed in epidemiological surveillance, are still required36314671480FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2010/51111-

Caracterização molecular de Cryptosporidium em bezerros de assentamentos rurais da região Noroeste do estado de São Paulo, Brasil

The study was conducted on 25 properties of the settlements Sao Jose I and Salvador, located in the municipalities of Brejo Alegre and Birigui, in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A record of variables was elaborated and included data such as gender, breed and age of the animals. A total of 231 stool samples were collected from bovines aged one to six months, 128 being females and 103 males, 131 crossbred and 100 Holstein. Among the 231 samples, 17 (7.36%) were positive for Crvptosporidium spp. both by malachite green negative staining and by nested-PCR. Of the 17 positive samples, 14 were sequenced in agarose gel. These sequences were detected between 99% and 100% of genetic similarity for the following species. One sequence was similar to C. parvum (AB513880.1), one to C. bovis (MF074602.1), two to C. ryanae (KT922233.1), one to C. felis (KM977642.1) and nine were similar for C. andersoni reference MF350628. C. andersoni was found in animals aged 2-6 months, an age group which is different from those described by several authors. The presence of C. parvum indicates that the calves in the studied region should be considered a potential source for zoonotic transmission. For the first time to our knowledge, C. felis was identified in cattle in America401491496FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2012/13733-3O estudo foi realizado num total de 25 propriedades localizadas nos assentamentos São José I e Salvador, situados nos municípios de Brejo Alegre e Birigui, no estado de São Paulo. Um registro de variáveis foi elaborado, incluindo dados como sexo, raça e idade dos animais. Foram colhidas 231 amostras de fezes de bovinos de um a seis meses de idade, sendo 128 fêmeas e 103 machos, 131 mestiços e 100 da raça Holandesa. Entre os 231 bovinos examinados, 17 (7,36%) foram positivos para Cryptosporidium spp. tanto pela coloração negativa de verde malaquita como pela nested-PCR. Das 17 amostras positivas, 14 apresentaram amplificação pela eletroforese em gel de agarose suficiente para fazer o sequenciamento de DNA. Essas sequências foram detectadas similaridade genética entre 99% e 100% com as seguintes espécies. Uma sequência foi semelhante com C. parvum (referência: AB513880.1), uma com C. bovis(MF074602.1), duas com C. ryanae (KT922233.1), uma com C. felis (KM977642.1) e nove foram semelhantes com C. andersoni (MF350628). O estudo caracteriza a presença do Cryptosporidiumspp. em bovinos oriundos de propriedades produtoras de leite na região Noroeste do estado de São Paulo, sendo o C. andersoni a espécie mais prevalente nesses animais, principalmente em uma faixa etária diferente das descritas por diversos autores. A presença de C. parvum indica que os bezerros da região estudada devem ser considerados como uma fonte potencial de oocistos de espécies zoonóticas.Identificamos com ineditismo o C. felis em bovinos na América, o que corrobora outros estudos realizados na Polônia e Espanha e evidencia a presença de espécies de Cryptosporidium em fezes em hospedeiros não naturais. Palavras-chave: Bezerros. Caracterização molecular. Criptosporidiose. Nested-PCR.Protozoan of the genus Cryptosporidium are obligate intracellular coccidia with a cosmopolitan distribution. Biological data and various molecular genotyping tools indicate that the genus Cryptosporidium comprises about 30 valid species and more than 70 genotypes that can infect fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (NAKAMURA; MEIRELES, 2015).Among the named species, 13 have been described in cattle. Of these, nine present zoonotic potential, being more prevalent in humans: Cryptosporidium hominis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium meleagridis, Cryptosporidium cuniculus and, occasionally,Cryptosporidium muris, Cryptosporidium suis, Cryptosporidium ubiquitum, Cryptosporidium felis(BORNAY-LLINARES et al. 1999; CARDONA et al., 2015) and Cryptosporidium canis (KVÁČ et al., 2016).Cattle are mainly infected with C. parvum, Cryptosporidium bovis, Cryptosporidium ryanaeand Cryptosporidium andersoni (XIAO, 2010). Of these, only the first is of zoonotic importance, being a concern for public health, since human cryptosporidiosis can be acquired from infected calves (LEARMONTH et al., 2004; SOPWITH et al., 2005; DEL COCO et al., 2014). These four species of Cryptosporidium are frequently diagnosed in cattle of different ages. Among these, C. parvumis the most prevalent in young pre-weaning calves (less than two months old) and shows low host specificity, and some genotypes are considered to have high zoonotic potential (DIXON et al., 2011).During the post-weaning phase (three to 11 months of age) a reduction in the prevalence of C. parvum is observed, however, in this stage an increase of C. bovis and C. ryanae infections is noticed. The latter two species are not considered zoonotic and show high specificity for bovine. C. andersoni is the species that mainly infects post-weaned calves and adult cattle. These parasitic species can infect other ruminants and rarely humans (DIXON et al., 2011).Due to the ability of this protozoan to infect different hosts and its constant presence in the environment, humans can acquire the infection in several ways, such as through ingestion of food and water contaminated with oocysts, direct contact with infected people (anthroponotic) or animals (zoonotic). Increases in environmental contamination and infected reservoirs assist in zoonotic transmission, as human cryptosporidiosis is also caused by certain species that also affect ruminants. The contact of humans with the feces of these animals that contains oocysts or contaminated water constitutes routes of transmission to humans (DEL COCO et al., 2014

Prevalence of ehrlichia canis (rickettsiales: ehrlichieae) DNA in tissues from rhipicephalus sanguineus (acari: ixodidae) ticks in areas endemic for canine monocytic ehrlichiosis in Brazil

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is a disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Ehrlichia canis. Tropical lineages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks play an essential role in the transmission of this pathogen. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of E. canis DNA in tissue from R. sanguineus ticks in areas endemic for CME in Brazil and quantify levels of E. canis DNA in dissected tissues from these samples. A total of 720 ticks were collected from 72 dogs (36 dogs from the city Aracatuba in Sao Paulo state and 36 from Campo Grande in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul). Ticks were dissected to collect the guts, ovaries and salivary gland. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeting the disulphide bond formation (dsb) protein gene was performed to quantify the level of E. canis infection. The E. canis dsb-qPCR assay was positive for 31.9, 10, and 15.2% of the gut, ovary, and salivary glands, respectively. The average gut, ovary, and salivary gland bacterial load estimated by qPCR was 1.21 x 10(3), 2.60 x 10(3), and 4.92 x 10(3) gene copies/mu l, respectively. This is the first report of E. canis DNA in ovaries of R. sanguineus ticks parasitizing dogs in these CME-endemic areas. These observations raise the possibility of E. canis trans-ovarial transmission563828831FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2014/26461-

Criptosporidiose em animais domésticos: aspectos epidemiológicos

Studies related cryptosporidiosis will be essential, due to its relevance in public health and pathogenicity in pets and production animals. Over the past 20 years, there has been a rapid expansion of research involving the Cryptosporidium genus, largely related to molecular studies, providing a description of various species, genotypes and subtypes of the parasite. The molecular characterization of isolates from different sources (human, animal and environmental) has been widely used in order to investigate the potential zoonotic of this protozoa. The documented transmission forms from animals to humans, from person to person, through water intake or water for the leisure that are directly or indirectly contaminated with sporulated oocysts. The high rate of animals naturally infected and the susceptibility by protozoan, justify the importance of attending to the occurrence of this disease. So are demonstrated epidemiological aspects of this zoonotic disease in domestic animals