Apesar de estar entre os maiores produtores de leite do país, o Estado de Goiás não tem estudos abrangentes e atualizados relativos à qualidade do leite. Objetivou-se com o presente estudo avaliar a relação existente entre a contagem celular somática (CCS) e os teores de gordura, proteína, lactose e sólidos totais do leite cru armazenado em tanques de refrigeração por expansão direta de uso individual, no Estado de Goiás, além de verificar a influência do período do ano sobre a CCS. Os dados utilizados pertencem ao arquivo de resultados do Laboratório de Qualidade do Leite do Centro de Pesquisa em Alimentos da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Goiás. Foram tabulados os dados da CCS e composição centesimal referentes ao período de outubro de 2002 a setembro de 2003. A CCS foi determinada através de citometria de fluxo e a composição centesimal através da absorção diferencial de ondas infravermelhas. Foram considerados dois períodos distintos no ano: período das chuvas, de novembro a abril, e período das secas, de maio a outubro. A concentração de proteína, lactose e sólidos totais foi inversamente correlacionada com a CCS. A temperatura ambiente apresentou correlação positiva e significativa com o escore de células somáticas, sendo que as maiores médias da CCS ocorreram no período das secas.

Ranaviruses (Iridoviridae) are increasingly associated with mortality events in amphibians, fish, and reptiles. They have been recently associated with mass mortality events in Brazilian farmed tadpoles of the American bullfrog Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802. The objectives of the present study were to further characterize the virus isolated from sick R. catesbeiana tadpoles and confirm the etiology in these outbreaks. Sick tadpoles were collected in 3 farms located in Goiás State, Brazil, from 2003 to 2005 and processed for virus isolation and characterization, microbiology, histopathology, and parasitology. The phylogenetic relationships of Rana catesbeiana ranavirus (RCV-BR) with other genus members was investigated by PCR with primers specific for the major capsid protein gene (MCP) and the RNA polymerase DNA-dependent gene (Pol II). Sequence analysis and multiple alignments for MCP products showed > 99% amino acid identity with other ranaviruses, while Pol II products showed 100% identity. Further diagnostics of the pathology including histology and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the viral etiology of these mass deaths. As far as we know, this is the first report of a ranaviral infection affecting aquatic organisms in Brazil. Additionally, our results suggest that American bullfrogs may have served as a vector of transmission of this virus, which highlights the potential threat of amphibian translocation in the world distribution of pathogens. KEY WORDS: Iridovirus · FV3 · Ranavirus · Rana catesbeianaResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

The purpose of this survey was to describe the occurrence of bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca zopfii in Goiás State, Brazil. Samples of milk, environment and udder were taken from a herd of 120 Holstein cows. Sabourauds dextrose agar plates were incubated under aerobic conditions at 37 degrees C/96 h, for microbiological analysis. Somatic cell count and milk composition were also determined. Histological sections from two udders were stained with HE and PAS. Prototheca zopfii was identified in six cows whose milk had a watery appearance. They also showed a pronounced decrease in milk yield, fat and lactose. Pronounced infiltration of mononuclear cells, atrophy of alveoli and fibrosis were observed. The presence of this agent in other herds in the State is highly likely.

Apesar de estar entre os maiores produtores de leite do país, o estado de Goiás não tem estudos abrangentes e atualizados relativos à qualidade do leite. Objetivou-se com o presente estudo avaliar a relação existente entre a contagem bacteriana total (CBT) e os teores de gordura, proteína, lactose e sólidos totais do leite cru armazenado em tanques de refrigeração por expansão direta de uso individual, no estado de Goiás, além de verificar a influência do período do ano sobre a CBT. Os dados utilizados pertencem ao arquivo de resultados do Laboratório de Qualidade do Leite do Centro de Pesquisa em Alimentos da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Goiás. Foram tabulados os dados da CBT e composição centesimal referentes ao período de outubro de 2002 a setembro de 2003. A CBT foi determinada pela citometria de fluxo e a composição centesimal, pela absorção diferencial de ondas infravermelhas. Foram considerados dois períodos distintos no ano: período das chuvas, de novembro a abril, e período das secas, de maio a outubro. Observou-se correlação positiva entre a concentração de proteína e a CBT, enquanto a concentração de lactose apresentou correlação negativa. A precipitação pluviométrica e umidade ambiente apresentaram correlação positiva com o log da CBT, sendo que as maiores médias da CBT ocorreram no período das chuvas. Palavras-chave: contagem bacteriana, qualidade do leite, tanque de expansão. Abstrat Milk quality is a crescent concern in Brazil and the Goiás State does not have any current studies on this subject, although it is among the major producers in the country. The aim of this survey was to verify the relationship between total bacterial count (TBCC) and milk composition (fat, protein, lactose and total solids content) and the influence of year period in TBC in Goiás State, Brazil. Data were obtained from October 2002, to September 2003 in the Laboratory of Milk Quality of the Center of Food Research in the Veterinary School of the Federal University of Goiás. TBC was analyzed through flow citometry and milk composition by infrared differential absorption. The year period was divided in two seasons: a rainy season, from November to April, and a dry season, from May to October. Only lactose content decreased as TBC elevated. The environmental humidity and rainfall showed positive and significant correlation to log of TBC, and the highest averages of TBC occurred in the rainy season.

The spreading of diseases through foods is a worldwide concern. Here, molecular and in vitro cell-culture assays were employed to characterize 63 Brazilian Listeria monocytogenes isolates (food, 47; clinical, 16). Serotype 4b was the most predominant (49%) followed by (1/2)b (30%), (1/2)a (10%), (1/2)c (6%), 3c (3%) and 3b (2%). Ribotyping yielded 17 ribopatterns, which were grouped into four phylogenetic clusters. Cluster A comprised of 39/63 isolates primarily of food origin, and clusters B, C and D contained both food and clinical isolates. Isolates were positive for virulence determinants prfA, hlyA and inlA: clinical isolates were more invasive to Caco-2 cells and expressed high levels of inlA transcripts than the food isolates. Highly invasive isolates also provoked more Ped-2E9 cells to die by apoptosis than the weakly-invasive strains. These data demonstrate a strong genetic relatedness among clinical and food isolates and suggest transmission of a subset of L. monocytogenes strains from food to humans.