Geese, ducks, mallards, and swans are birds of the order Anseriformes, which are found in the wild, in zoos and parks, and raised for meat consumption. Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp., and Neospora caninum are protozoans of several species of animals. Wild and domestic birds can serve as intermediate hosts, disseminators and potential sources of infection of these protozoa to humans through contaminated meat. The aims of this study were: (i) to perform a serological survey of T. gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and N. caninum in geese (Anser sp.) from public parks and from captivity and (ii) to compare seroprevalence between these two locations. Antibodies were detected by Immunofluorescence antibody test using the serum of 149 geese. Antibodies to Sarcocystis sp., T. gondii, and N. caninum were detected in 28.18%, 18% and 0.67% of geese, respectively; 57% of geese from urban parks and 26.53% of geese from captivity were seropositive for at least one protozoa. The results indicate environmental contamination, particularly for the occurrence of antibodies against T. gondii – a zoonosis that causes toxoplasmosis and is transmitted through oocyte ingestion. This is the first serological survey of T. gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and N. caninum in geese from urban parks in Curitiba, Brazil.
In South America, fascioliasis caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica is an anthropozoonosis disease associated with significant economic losses and poor animal welfare. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of F. hepatica in the liver of buffaloes slaughtered from 2003 to 2017 in Brazil, and to perform a forecast analysis of the disease for the next five years using the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Data analysis revealed an incidence of 7,187 cases out of 226,561 individuals. The disease presented a considerable interannual variation (p<0.005). Fasciola hepatica was more prevalent in the southern states of Brazil; Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina, presenting 11.9, 7.7, and 3.2% of infected livers, respectively. The high frequency of liver condemnation in Paraná was influenced by weather conditions. The ARIMA models calculated a constant trend of the disease, depicting an average of its future prevalence. The models also described a worse-case and a positive-case scenario, calculating the effects of intervention measurements. In reality, there is an urgent need for regular diagnostic in the animals (fecal and immune diagnose) and in the environment (intermediate host), in order to avoid the high rates of infection.
Tick control represent a great challenge to animal health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acaricidal compounds against Rhipicephalus microplus from dairy cattle systems in Paraná State, Brazil. Six farms (PR1-PR6) were selected, where anti-tick products were applied at fixed intervals. Two other farms that adopted alternative protocols; target selective treatment (PRS), and individual-based agroecological protocol (PRA) were also included in the trial. Fully engorged R. microplus were collected for the in vitro adult immersion test (AIT), and the egg hatch test (EHT) in all eight populations. The larval packet test (LPT) was used on PR6 and PRA tick populations. The treatment groups were composed of G1: dichlorvos 45% plus cypermethrin 5%, G2: deltamethrin 2.5%, G3: cypermethrin 15%, chlorpyriphos 25%, plus citronellal 1%, and G4: amitraz 12.5%. The efficacy at PR1 to PR6 revealed that G3 and G4 achieved moderate to high efficacy, from 75.0 to 100.0% and 73 to 98%, respectively. In the LPT, the efficacy at PR6 was 76.0, 67.0, 93.0 and 30.6%, while PRA presented 100.0, 100.0, 100.0, and 54.0%, for G1, G2, G3 and G4, respectively. Sustainable parasite control strategies are discussed.
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