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Infection with bacteria of the genus

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic and often fatal protozoal disease that is endemic in Belo Horizonte (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil). Leishmania sp. is an intracellular obligatory parasite of macrophages that can naturally infect several mammalian species. Non-human primates (NHP) have been used as experimental models for infection with Leishmania of the donovani complex. The present report describes a case of visceral leishmaniasis in a black-fronted titi. Among 41 primates kept in captivity in a zoo in Belo Horizonte (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil), one animal, a black-fronted titi (Callicebus nigrifrons), was positive for Leishmania chagasi infection by PCR and immunohistochemistry, and developed a fatal disease with clinical signs and lesions compatible with VL. Other 17 NHP, including six black-fronted titis (C. nigrifrons), one howler monkey (Alouatta guariba), three golden-bellied capuchins (Cebus xanthosternos), one golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus crysomelas), one black-headed owl monkey (Aotus nigriceps), two Rio Tapajós sakis (Pithecia irrorata) and three emperor tamarins (Saguinus imperator) had blood samples that tested positive for amplification of Leishmania kDNA by PCR, although these NPH had no clinical signs of the disease.

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a causative agent of encephalitis in humans in the Western hemisphere. SLEV is a positive-sense RNA virus that belongs to the Flavivirus genus, which includes West Nile encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Dengue virus and other medically important viruses. Recently, we isolated a SLEV strain from the brain of a horse with neurological signs in the countryside of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The SLEV isolation was confirmed by reverse-transcription RT-PCR and sequencing of the E protein gene. Virus identity was also confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence using commercial antibodies against SLEV. To characterize this newly isolated strain in vivo, serial passages in newborn mice were performed and led to hemorrhagic manifestations associated with recruitment of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system of newborns. In summary this is the first isolation of SLEV from a horse with neurological signs in Brazil.

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ABSTRACT:Human herpesvirus type 1 (HHV-1) is widely dispersed among the human population. Although infection is often asymptomatic in humans, nonhuman primates develop a severe and often fatal infection. In August 2006, 13 black-tufted marmosets (Callithrix penincillata) from a group of 14 presented with clinical apathy, anorexia, and ataxia. Physical examination revealed conjunctivitis, erosive or ulcerative lesions on the skin, and swollen lymph nodes. Of the 14 animals captured, 10 died. Grossly, ulcers and erosions were observed on the skin of face, nasal planum, lips, and oral mucosa. Histologically, superficial vesicular and erosive stomatitis with associated basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the squamous epithelium were observed. Swabs from oral lesions and tissue samples from necropsied animals were positive for HHV-1 by nested polymerase chain reaction for eight animals.

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A nested-PCR (n-PCR) was used to detect feline leukemia virus (FeLV) proviral DNA in blood samples from 464 sick and 608 healthy domestic cats (Felis catus) selected by convenience, and a significantly high prevalence of FeLV infection was observed. n-PCR results revealed the presence of FeLV proviral DNA in 47.2 % of sick cats and 47.4 % of healthy cats. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that FeLV samples from healthy or sick cats were grouped into separate clades. We determined FeLV subgroups by an n-PCR based on the envelope (env) gene. The partial env gene of FeLV Minas Gerais (MG) samples were compared to various exogenous FeLV isolates and endogenous (enFeLV) provirus from the same region. FeLV-B MG samples were more similar to endogenous sequences and to natural FeLV-B isolates than to either FeLV-A or FeLV-C. The results revealed the circulation of FeLV-B in large populations of urban domestic cats in Brazil.Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an exogenous retrovirus, belonging to the genus Gammaretrovirus, which infects domestic and sporadically wild cats (Daniels et al., 1999; Arjona et al., 2007). By comparison of the envelope (env) sequence variation it has been possible to identify four FeLV subgroups: FeLV-A, -B, -C and -T, each of which uses distinct cellular receptors to initiate infection of the host cell (Boomer et al., 1997;Tailor et al., 1999; Anderson et al., 2001;Mendoza et al., 2006;Cheng et al., 2007). FeLV has been associated with fatal neoplasia, degenerative diseases of the haematopoietic system and immunodeficiency (Chandhasin et al., 2004;Hofmann-Lehmann et al., 2006;Collado et al., 2007).Traditionally, FeLV infections are diagnosed by virus isolation (VI), immunofluorescent antibody tests (IFA) or ELISA for the detection of soluble antigens (usually the p27 core protein) in whole blood, serum or plasma (Levy et al., 2008). However, FeLV infections in cats with a weakened immune response are not reliably detected by serological methods . Recently, molecular methods such as PCR assays have been described for the use of detection of FeLV provirus DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), allowing virus detection independently of antibodies presence or viraemia, and enabling detection in latently infected cats (Hofmann-Lehmann et al., 2001;Torres et al., 2005;Tandon et al., 2008). Moreover, a highly sensitive nested-PCR (n-PCR) assay was developed and it is able to distinguish between endogenous and exogenous FeLV by using inner and outer pairs of primers based on the U3 long terminal repeat (LTR) region of FeLV provirus (Miyazawa & Jarrett, 1997 Veterinarians were requested to take EDTA-blood samples (1.0 ml) from the cats regardless of their clinical status. Written consent was obtained from each cat owner, and ethical guidelines were always followed.Statistical analyses were performed using the x 2 or Fisher's exact tests using the GraphPad InStat version 3.05 for Windows (GraphPad Software). Sample prevalence estimates were calculated and reported as the per cent of cats with ...