Abortion Due to Neospora caninum in Dairy Cattle in Southern Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Background: Neosporosis is a cosmopolitan disease known as the main infectious cause of abortion in cattle, reported in several states in Brazil. The transplacental transmission in cattle is responsible for perpetuating the disease in the herd. In the state of Santa Catarina, previous studies on this protozoan in cattle are mostly serological surveys. To increase information about this reproductive disorder, this work describes the diagnosis of abortions due to Neospora caninum in dairy cattle from state of Santa Catarina and the follow-up for 4 years in a farm affected by neosporosis.Case: From 2015 to 2019, necropsy was performed on 10 aborted bovine fetuses, between fifth and eighth month of pregnancy, with 1 fetus aborted in 2015, 3 in 2016, 2 in 2017 and, 4 in 2019, all originating from the same dairy property in the southern region of state of Santa Catarina. No macroscopic lesions were found. Histopathology revealed mild to moderate multifocal mononuclear necrotizing encephalitis in 5 fetuses, and multifocal mild mononuclear myositis and myocarditis in 4 and 3 fetuses, respectively. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using primers based on the Nc-5 gene was positive for N. caninum in five fetuses. Three visits were performed in the farm for epidemiological evaluation and blood samples collection for IgG antibodies anti-N. caninum (IFAT). The total herd was 170 Jersey, Holstein and crossbred cattle, raised in a semi-confined system with mechanical milking system. Since 2014, there has been a significant increase in abortions cases, approximately 20 cows had abortions; in the year 2015, approximately 10; in 2016, less than 5; in 2017, 4 cows aborted; in 2018, 11 abortions and, in 2019, there were 4 abortions. An increase in the rate of return to estrus was also reported, and both primiparous and multiparous cows had reproductive disorders. Abortions were recorded throughout the year and occurred predominantly between the fourth and sixth month of pregnancy. In 2016, an Indirect Immunofluorescence Reaction (IFAT) was performed on sera from 26 cows (13 with a history of reproductive disorders and another 13 without disorders). Of these, 50.0% (13/26) were seropositive, with titers ranging from 100 to 1600 (cutoff ≥100). The Enzyme Immunoassay (ELISA) of the entire herd was carried out in 2017, with 26.54% (43/162) of seropositivity, 8.02% (13/162) suspect, and 30.4% (17/56) had reproductive disorders. It was observed that only animals born on the property were used for replacement, there was less possibility of direct contact between dogs on the property with milking facilities, placental and fetal remains, properly disposing of these, incinerating or burying. Thirty animals were discarded from the property, 25 of which had reproductive disorders. All young female daughters of seropositive cows remained on the property for replacement. During the evaluation period, all dogs were eliminated.Discussion: In this study, the diagnosis of neosporosis was made through epidemiology, histopathological lesions characterized by mononuclear encephalitis, myocarditis and myositis, and detection of the agent by PCR, associated with serological techniques. The lesions observed are indicative of N. caninum infection and are compatible with lesions observed in other studies. Serological screening is important to complement the diagnosis of abortion by N. caninum and to help control the agent in herds. From this report it is concluded that N. caninum is an important agent of reproductive disorders in cattle in the southern region of Santa Catarina, the different serological analyzes showed a good screening index for the inclusion of control strategies. In addition, the monitoring of reproductive rates of affected properties becomes necessary over the years, allowing better observation of control strategies.Keywords: reproductive disorder, fetal death, protozoan, parasitology.Descritores: distúrbio reprodutivo, morte fetal, protozoário, parasitologia.

Outbreak of Type C Botulism in Backyard Poultry in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Background: Botulism is a disease caused by the ingestion of neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, characterized by flaccid paralysis, which can lead to high mortality. They have seven types of neurotoxins (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) and, in birds, most cases are attributed to type C. They are considered sources of botulinum toxins where the decomposition of organic matter occurs, like stagnant water and rotting food. The main feature of the disease in birds is ascending symmetric flaccid paralysis. The present study aims to describe an outbreak of type C botulism in backyard poultry in the state of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.Case: A visit was made to the property with 160 backyard poultry with a history of high mortality in the municipality of Agrolândia, Santa Catarina. Clinical signs were characterized by paralysis of the pelvic limbs, neck and pendular wings, which progressed to death within 48 h. There was a mortality rate of 37.5% (60/160) between March and May 2019. These birds were kept in an overcrowded environment, with different species (chickens, ducks, teals, and turkeys) fed irregularly. The water supplied was provided from kitchen exhaust, accumulating in puddles on the floor that contained organic matter residues such as animal feces, food waste and bone fragments. The disposal of the carcasses of birds that died was in the same enclosure, buried superficially, facilitating the access of other birds to dig them up and consume them. Necropsy was performed on 2 chickens and one duck, no macroscopic or histopathological lesions were observed. Blood, liver, and gastrointestinal content samples were sent for research and identification of botulinum toxin through the serum neutralization test in mice. The presence of type C botulinum toxin was confirmed in the liver chicken of one sampled animals.Discussion: The identification of type C botulism toxin enabled the characterization of the outbreak, which is the toxin most associated with episodes of botulism in birds. It is not always possible to identify the origin of the infection, as intoxication can occur by ingestion of water contaminated with organic waste, however, in this outbreak, as sources of poisoning in birds, it was specified and occurred due to the ingestion of water with organic matter that was stagnant in the floor of the enclosure, and also by ingesting contaminated carcasses present in the area. In subsistence farming, botulism outbreaks are reported with greater frequency in the Northeast and Southeast of Brazil generally, cases in which sanitary conditions and incorrect carcass disposal favor the occurrence of the disease. As noted in the present study, high mortality is a common feature of botulism. The evaluated signs and developed evolution were similar to previous studies, which ranged from 14 to 72 h. The absence of macroscopic and histopathological changes is commonly reported in cases of botulism in domestic animals, since botulinum toxin only causes functional changes, with no tissue damage. The association of clinical signs, epidemiology, post mortem evaluation and detection of type C botulinum toxin concludes the diagnosis of botulism. Avian influenza and Newcastle disease are important diseases that have neurological conditions and high mortality that should be distinguished from botulism. This report confirms the need to associate history, clinical signs, absence of lesions with laboratory research for the diagnosis of botulism in birds. In addition, it reinforces the importance of disclosing basic management measures to prevent the occurrence of outbreaks such as presented in this report.Keywords: Clostridium botulinum, neurotoxin, bird disease, paralysis.Descritores: Clostridium botulinum, neurotoxina, doença de ave, paralisia

Causes of fetal death in the Flemish cattle herd in Brazil

Background and Aim: Flemish cattle in Brazil are on the brink of extinction and are found only in one herd in Lages, Santa Catarina State. This study aimed to uncover the reasons for the recurring abortions in the Flemish cattle herd. Materials and Methods: Seventeen Flemish fetuses underwent postmortem examinations, with samples collected for histopathology and microbiology culture tests, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for Neospora caninum, and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) test for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) from 2015 to 2020. Results: Of the 17 fetuses, N. caninum was the most common diagnosis and was found in 88% (15/17). One fetus (5.8%) had a coinfection with N. caninum and Citrobacter amalonaticus, leading to fibrinonecrotic pericarditis. All fetuses tested negative for BVDV by RT-PCR. Of the 107 dams tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay, 26 (25.2%) were anti-N. caninum seropositive, with 17 (65.4%) aborting and 5 (19.2%) having estrus repetition. Reverse transcription-PCR results showed that 9 (8.4%) of the serum samples collected from dams tested positive, which tested follow-up test 3 months later, indicating a BVDV transient infection. The factors that contributed to neosporosis included dogs’ access to pastures and improper disposal of fetal remains, which made it easier for dogs to consume them. Conclusion: This study warns the occurrence of N. caninum as a cause of reproductive disorders that can lead to abortion in the studied Flemish cattle herd

Além do número de finalizações : criação e aplicação de um modelo de estimação de gols esperados (xG)

Orientador : Paulo Justiniano Ribeiro JuniorMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Exatas, Curso de Especialização em Data Science & Big Data.Inclui referênciasResumo : O futebol tem cada vez mais se tornado um esporte onde avaliações e decisões são feitas baseadas em informações geradas por dados coletados em treinos e partidas. Neste contexto, a métrica de gols esperados (xG) tem ganhado bastante destaque, por ser rica em contexto e avaliar a qualidade das chances criadas em uma partida de futebol de forma data-driven. O propósito deste projeto está em estudar o processo de criação de um modelo de estimação de gols esperados, através da realização de etapas de extração de informações de uma base pública de eventos ocorridos em diversas partidas, criação de features que quantifiquem aspectos relacionados à finalização e a jogada que a proporcionou, exploração dessas variáveis em diferentes modelos e aplicação do melhor modelo em diferentes análises. Neste processo, foi constatado que distância e ângulo da finalização são aspectos fundamentais, mas que outras características também contribuem para o refinamento dos resultados. Os modelos de regressão logística e XGBoost foram os que tiveram melhores performances nos testes. Por mais que ainda haja espaço de melhora, os resultados obtidos neste projeto foram satisfatórios e evidenciaram que há muito potencial para utilização da estatística de gols esperados na avaliação de performance de times e jogadores.Abstract : The football has become even more a sport where evaluations and decisions are made based on information generated by data collected in practice sessions and matches. In this context, the expected goals measure (xG) has gained prominence, because it is a measure rich in context and that evaluates the quality of the chances created in a football match in a data-driven way. The purpose of this project is to study the process to create a expected goal model, through the execution of steps of data extraction from a public dataset of football events from several matches, the creation of features to quantify aspects related to shots and how they happened, the exploration of those variables in different models and the application of the best model in different analysis. In this process, it was found that shot distance and angle are fundamental aspects, but other features have also contributed to better results, and that models that used logistic regression and XGBoost had the best performances. As much as there is opportunities to improve, the results obtained in this project were considered very satisfactory and showed that there is huge potential to use the expected goals measure to performance evaluation of football clubs and players

Steuerehrlichkeit und Steuerlotterien

Für die Einnahmenseite der Staatsfinanzen ist nicht die aggregierte rechnerische Steuerschuld ausschlaggebend, sondern das tatsächliche Steueraufkommen. Diese beiden Größen fallen durch die „Steuerlücke“ auseinander, die das Ausmaß an Steuerhinterziehung beschreibt. Insbesondere bei der Umsatzsteuer reduziert mangelnde Steuerehrlichkeit das Steueraufkommen vieler Staaten. Während in Deutschland z. B. die Registrierkassenpflicht und die Kassenbonpflicht als Maßnahmen eingeführt wurden, setzen andere Staaten auch auf Steuerlotterien. Solche Lotterien werden diskutiert und konkrete Ausgestaltungsvorschläge gemacht, die mithilfe moderner Technologien auch einen positiven Effekt auf die Steuermoral haben können. Das zugrundeliegende Konzept wurde von Schüler:innen der Deutschen Berufsschule Hong Kong für den Schülerwettbewerb YES! Young Economic Summit entwickelt

Factors Associated with Low Neighborhood Cohesion Among Women Living with HIV Impacted by Social-Structural Inequities in British Columbia : [infographic]

This infographic is based on the following article : Closson K, Palmer AK, Collins AB, Salters K, Zhang W, Montaner JSG, Hogg RS, Parashar S. Factors associated with low neighborhood cohesion among women living with HIV impacted by social-structural inequities in British Columbia. AIDS Care. 2018 Mar;30(3):318-324. This undergraduate student work is a product of a collaboration between the Making Research Accessible initiative (MRAi), researchers, Dr. Evan Mauro and the students of ASTU 100 at UBC. This student work has been reviewed by the lead author of the original item. Revisions provided by the lead author have been incorporated into the student work with support from the UBC Learning Exchange and members of the MRAi. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student research report and is not an official document of UBC.Arts, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat

Abortion Due to Neospora caninum in Dairy Cattle in Southern Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Background: Neosporosis is a cosmopolitan disease known as the main infectious cause of abortion in cattle, reported in several states in Brazil. The transplacental transmission in cattle is responsible for perpetuating the disease in the herd. In the state of Santa Catarina, previous studies on this protozoan in cattle are mostly serological surveys. To increase information about this reproductive disorder, this work describes the diagnosis of abortions due to Neospora caninum in dairy cattle from state of Santa Catarina and the follow-up for 4 years in a farm affected by neosporosis.Case: From 2015 to 2019, necropsy was performed on 10 aborted bovine fetuses, between fifth and eighth month of pregnancy, with 1 fetus aborted in 2015, 3 in 2016, 2 in 2017 and, 4 in 2019, all originating from the same dairy property in the southern region of state of Santa Catarina. No macroscopic lesions were found. Histopathology revealed mild to moderate multifocal mononuclear necrotizing encephalitis in 5 fetuses, and multifocal mild mononuclear myositis and myocarditis in 4 and 3 fetuses, respectively. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using primers based on the Nc-5 gene was positive for N. caninum in five fetuses. Three visits were performed in the farm for epidemiological evaluation and blood samples collection for IgG antibodies anti-N. caninum (IFAT). The total herd was 170 Jersey, Holstein and crossbred cattle, raised in a semi-confined system with mechanical milking system. Since 2014, there has been a significant increase in abortions cases, approximately 20 cows had abortions; in the year 2015, approximately 10; in 2016, less than 5; in 2017, 4 cows aborted; in 2018, 11 abortions and, in 2019, there were 4 abortions. An increase in the rate of return to estrus was also reported, and both primiparous and multiparous cows had reproductive disorders. Abortions were recorded throughout the year and occurred predominantly between the fourth and sixth month of pregnancy. In 2016, an Indirect Immunofluorescence Reaction (IFAT) was performed on sera from 26 cows (13 with a history of reproductive disorders and another 13 without disorders). Of these, 50.0% (13/26) were seropositive, with titers ranging from 100 to 1600 (cutoff ≥100). The Enzyme Immunoassay (ELISA) of the entire herd was carried out in 2017, with 26.54% (43/162) of seropositivity, 8.02% (13/162) suspect, and 30.4% (17/56) had reproductive disorders. It was observed that only animals born on the property were used for replacement, there was less possibility of direct contact between dogs on the property with milking facilities, placental and fetal remains, properly disposing of these, incinerating or burying. Thirty animals were discarded from the property, 25 of which had reproductive disorders. All young female daughters of seropositive cows remained on the property for replacement. During the evaluation period, all dogs were eliminated.Discussion: In this study, the diagnosis of neosporosis was made through epidemiology, histopathological lesions characterized by mononuclear encephalitis, myocarditis and myositis, and detection of the agent by PCR, associated with serological techniques. The lesions observed are indicative of N. caninum infection and are compatible with lesions observed in other studies. Serological screening is important to complement the diagnosis of abortion by N. caninum and to help control the agent in herds. From this report it is concluded that N. caninum is an important agent of reproductive disorders in cattle in the southern region of Santa Catarina, the different serological analyzes showed a good screening index for the inclusion of control strategies. In addition, the monitoring of reproductive rates of affected properties becomes necessary over the years, allowing better observation of control strategies.Keywords: reproductive disorder, fetal death, protozoan, parasitology.Descritores: distúrbio reprodutivo, morte fetal, protozoário, parasitologia.

Anatomopathological Evaluation of Young Bulls (Bos taurus) Testicles Submitted to Immunocastration

Background: Immunocastration is a less invasive and painless procedure compared to surgical castration, which causes greater stress to animals, especially when performed improperly. Immunocastration stimulates the production of antibodies against Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH), temporarily blocking the hormone production by the male gonads. Anatomopathological evaluation of animals submitted to immunocastration with the establishment of different degrees of testicular degeneration helps to evaluate the efficacy of the different dose ranges used for this procedure. Because of the scarcity of information about this procedure in young bulls, the study aimed to compare the immunocastrated and non-castrated animals.Materials, Methods & Results: Eighteen Angus-Limousin bulls were used from weaning (7 ± 1 months) to slaughtering (15 ± 1 months) with the establishment of two groups composed of nine non-castrated (NC) and nine immunocastrated (IC) animals. In the IC group, three doses of GnRH synthesis inhibitor vaccine (Bopriva®) were applied on days 0 (weaning), 87 and 223. At slaughter, scrotal circumference, weight (kg), width (cm), length (cm) and total size (width x length) of the testicles were obtained, then were routinely processed for histopathological analysis. Four degrees of testicular degeneration was established: grade 0 (no changes), grade 1 (mild), grade 2 (moderate) and grade 3 (severe). Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test to compare the means of macroscopic variables. The scrotal circumference started to decrease in the IC animals on day 132, with a certain growth from day 194. There was a significant difference between the two groups for width (P = 0.001), length (P = 0.004), total size (P = 0.003) and scrotal circumference (P = 0.04). Testicles of the IC group tended to be lighter (P = 0.06). The final difference between the groups was 6.3 cm for scrotal perimeter, with respective averages of 27.44 cm and 33.77 cm for the IC and NC group, respectively. In the microscopic evaluation, NC animals obtained grade 0. In the IC animals, 33.33% (3/9) had degeneration grade 1 with slight basement membrane tortuosity and Sertoli cell atrophy, 33.33% (3/9) obtained grade 2 with moderate tortuosity and thickening of seminiferous tubules, Sertoli and Leydig cell atrophy, and absence of spermatogenesis and 33.33% (3/9) reached grade 3, with decreased seminiferous tubules and a severe and diffuse atrophy of Leydig and Sertoli cells and complete absence of spermatogenesis, with a 1:5 ratio in seminiferous tubule diameter between NC and IC grade 3 animals, respectively.Discussion: There was a significant difference in several testicular macroscopic aspects between the two groups, similar to values using eight months old field-bred animals, with a difference of 8.78 cm between groups, also with the use of three doses of Bopriva. The only macroscopic variable that showed just a tendency of difference between the groups was testicular weight, whereas, in a study with crossbred animals with nine months old, there was a difference of 152 g in testicular weight between groups. Histologically, in immunocastrated two-year-old Nelore cattle, 85% demonstrated a total absence of spermatogenesis and 15% had a partial reduction, suggesting functional recovery of Sertoli cells after the last vaccination booster or partial inhibition of spermatogenesis. In this study, 90-day dose intervals produced effective immunization during 105 days, which is the suggested period for the third dose. The anatomopathological analysis proved to be effective for the comparison between the groups and the degree of the promoted degeneration