Ovine and caprine stockbreeding have been gaining attention in developing countries as an attractive investment. On these animals, infectious diseases of the reproductive tract, such as leptospirosis, can compromise the production leading to economic losses. The present study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with incidental leptospirosis and its influence on the reproductive parameters of ewes and goats of Espírito Santo state, Brazil. A total of 737 animals distributed on 24 herds/flocks were studied, and an overall prevalence of 10.9% seroreactive animals was observed. Serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae was the most frequent in goats (97.0%) as well as in ewes (78.3%). Regarding risk factors related to leptospirosis, the presence of waterholes and the semi-intensive breeding system were the most important associated to seroreactivity. Besides, there was an observed association between seroreactivity and reproductive failures (P < 0.05). Moreover, seroreactive ewes (relative risk (RR) = 1.3) and goats (RR = 1.9) presented more chances to have abortions than seronegative animals. Furthermore, seroreactive ewes presented 11.6 more chances of having premature births when compared to the seronegative ones. It can be concluded that Leptospira infection, mainly those caused incidental strains (such as Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup), is a significant factor to reduce the productivity of small ruminants' herds/flocks in the studied region, and environmental measures must be considered on control programs.

The objective of this study was to verify the efficiency of different additives on chemical composition, pH, ethanol production, content of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), nutritional losses during fermentation, and changes in fibrous fractions, in the levels of non-fibrous and total carbohydrates during the sugar cane silage fermentation process with different additives. The treatments consisted of control (no additive); corn meal, at 10% of natural matter; molasses, at 10% of natural matter; urea, at 2% of natural matter; and microbial inoculant for sugarcane silage (Lactobacillus plantarum, Kera-Sil®) in a proportion of 2 g L -1 of water using a 2 liter solution per ton of ensilage. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with five treatments and five replications. The urea treatment provided the best preparation of silage, taking into account the pH and bromatological composition when compared to silages made with the other tested additives, and the control. The sugarcane silage showed a loss of 5.86% on average of dry matter, not differing from others additives used. There was an increase in crude protein content when urea was used. There was no difference between the treatment for fiber losses in neutral detergent and total digestible nutrients. Key words: Aerobic stability, chemical composition, forage conservation, silage ResumoObjetivou-se com o presente estudo verificar a ação de diferentes aditivos sobre a composição química, pH, produção de etanol, teor de Ácidos Graxos Volateis -AGV's, perdas nutricionais durante a fermentação, as alterações nas frações fibrosas, nos teores de carboidratos não fibrosos e totais durante o processo fermentativo das silagens de cana de açúcar com diferentes aditivos. em controle (sem aditivo); fubá de milho, a 10% da matéria natural; melaço, a 10% da matéria natural; ureia, a 2% da matéria natural e inoculante microbiano para silagem de cana de açúcar (Lactobacillus plantarum -Kera-Sil®), na proporção de 2g L -1 de água, utilizando 2 litros da solução por tonelada ensilada. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado com 5 tratamentos e 5 repetições. O tratamento com ureia proporcionou a confecção da melhor silagem, levando em consideração o pH e composição bromatológica quando comparadas às silagens confeccionadas com os outros aditivos testados e a silagem controle. A cana de açúcar ensilada apresentou perda de matéria seca de 5,86% em média, não diferindo quanto aos aditivos utilizados. Houve acréscimo no teor de proteína bruta quando utilizado o aditivo ureia. Não houve diferença entre os tratamentos para perdas de fibra em detergente neutro e nutrientes digestíveis totais. Palavras-chave: Composição química, conservação de forragem, ensilagem, estabilidade aeróbia