The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feeding behavior of sheep Santa Ines in semiintensive farming system, fed concentrated and bulky. The experiment was conducted at Fazenda entanglement Latitude, 4th 45'15. 50' '5 S, Longitude 440° 00' 54 85'' The Cajazeiras in district 45 km from the city of Codó -MA. 12 aged male sheep were used at the beginning of the experiment between 4-5 months and at the end with 5-6, which were previously weighed and wormed (Allpar), divided into pasture and housed in open shed, covered with ceramic tiles and concrete floor with individual stalls of 12.00 m2 each, equipped with feeder and drinker. The mass bit and bit rate was no significant difference between treatments, and the supplementation showed a higher average (p<0.05) and the time of idling time was not significantly different between treatments with Mombasa grass grazing ( Panicum maximum cv.) and supplementation nor the treatments with supplementation and napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) chopped, but among grazing treatments Mombasa grass and chopped napier grass and animals subjected to supplementation showed better results in the mass parameters bit and bit rate, under different types of power modifying their feeding behavior according to their nutritional needs and thus presenting better weight gain.

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This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats from micro-regions of the state of Piauí (Brazil). From six randomly selected properties, 145 goats were examined. Serum samples of the animals were analyzed by ELISA for the presence or absence of antibodies against T. gondii. Of these, 22% were seroreactive for T. gondii. Individual records were also taken for each property. These analyses showed that factors such as sex, age, water source, and presence of cats were associated with animal seropositivity. In addition, there was also a positive correlation (p > 0.04) between animal sex and T. gondii contamination. The presence of cats in the facilities and animal pasture fields appeared to be a risk factor for the contamination of goats in the assessed properties (p > 0.03). The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is present in the goat herds of southern Piauí state, and females are more likely to be contaminated.

Article history Due to the increasing importance of cryptosporidiosis in animal productivity, this study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and its association with animal weight development and fecal consistency in crossbred Nellore cattle. Thus, fecal samples of 30 cattle were collected biweekly, and their growth was accompanied by weighing animals from birth to 210 days of age (June 2014 to May 2015). The modified Ritchie and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques were used to screen for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts. The chi-square, Fisher exact, Tukey and Spearman's correlation tests were used for statistical analysis. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. were found in 69 (16.43%) of the 420 samples of cattle feces, and these parasitized animals presented a mean weight gain (4.76 kg) lower than that of non-parasitized individuals (10.58 kg) (p<0.05). The presence of this protozoan was detected in diarrhea and pasty stools (81.78%), indicating an association of the parasite with persistent diarrheal episodes (p<0.001). Among the bovines examined in this study, a higher occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. was observed in lean diarrheic calves, which presented lower weight gain and poor productive performance.

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