BackgroundInfluenza A viruses circulating in pigs in Brazil are still not characterized, and only limited data are available about swine influenza epidemiology in the country. Therefore, we characterized the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of influenza viruses isolated from Brazilian pigs. We also evaluated one case of probable swine‐to‐human transmission.MethodsTwenty influenza viruses isolated from pigs during 2009–2010 in five Brazilian states (Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso) were used. One human isolate, from a technician who became ill after visiting a swineherd going through a respiratory disease outbreak, was also used in the study. Phylogenetic analysis for the HA and NA genes and hemagglutinin amino acid sequence alignment were performed.ResultsAll isolates clustered with pandemic H1N1 2009 (pH1N1) viruses and appeared to have a common ancestor. Genetic diversity was higher in the HA than in the NA gene, and the amino acid substitution S203T in one of HA's antigenic sites was found in most of the samples. The human isolate was more related to swine isolates from the same herd visited by the technician than to other human isolates, suggesting swine‐to‐human transmission.ConclusionOur results show that pH1N1 was disseminated and the predominant subtype in Brazilian pigs in 2009–2010.

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Please cite this paper as: Rajão et al. (2013). Serological evidence of swine influenza in Brazil. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(2), 109–112.The aim of this work was to detect serum antibodies specific to influenza viruses in swine in Brazil. Serum samples of 355 pigs from 17 herds in Minas Gerais state were tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) for antibodies against H1N1 swine (SIV) and human influenza viruses, and H3N2 SIV. HI revealed that 158 animals (44·5%) and 11 herds (64·7%) were positive for H1N1 SIV, 36 animals (10·1%) and four herds (23·5%) were positive for H3N2 SIV, and 136 animals (38·3%) and 10 herds (58·8%) were positive for H1N1 human. This study indicates that swine influenza is disseminated throughout Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

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This study presents the first description of Bovine herpesvirus 6 (BoHV-6) that was isolated from buffaloes of Amazon region in Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the BoHV-6 Brazilian strains clustered with the sequence of BoHV-6 from elsewhere available at the GenBank. It was observed in some buffaloes with lymphoproliferative disease in one herd, thus the animals were also tested for Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), which has been associated to lymphoma in bovines. All animals were negative to BLV. These results indicate that BoHV-6 is present in buffaloes in Brazil, but the importance and impact of this infection and its association with any illness is still undefined.

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a transmissible and incurable disease caused by a lentivirus, the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). There are no reports in the literature of this infection in Equidae on Marajo Island. The objective of this study was to diagnose the disease in the municipalities of Cachoeira do Arari, Salvaterra, Santa Cruz do Arari and Soure, on Marajó Island, state of Pará, Brazil. For serological survey samples were collected from 294 horses, over 5-month-old, males and females of puruca and marajoara breeds and from some half-breeds, which were tested by immunodiffusion in Agar gel (AGID). A prevalence of 46.26% (136/294) positive cases was found. EIA is considered endemic in the municipalities studied, due to the ecology of the region with a high numbered population of bloodsucking insect vectors and the absence of official measures for the control of the disease.

Os medicamentos inibidores da bomba de prótons (IBP) surgiram na década de 1980, com o intuito de tratar distúrbios gástricos, reduzindo a produção de ácido clorídrico. Os medicamentos desta classe disponíveis no Brasil incluem o Omeprazol, Lansoprazol, Pantoprazol, Rabeprazol, Dexlansoprazol e Esomeprazol. Estudos apontam ligação entre o uso prolongado de omeprazol e algumas doenças podendo desencadear nefrite intersticial aguda, evento adverso potencialmente grave e que pode cursar com lesão renal aguda. Além disso, pesquisadores têm observado que o uso prolongado de IBP pode também aumentar o risco de progressão da doença renal crônica (DRC). Com o crescimento da prescrição e o uso inadequado dessa classe de medicamentos, torna-se importante o estudo dos efeitos do uso prolongado dos IBP sobre a função renal em usuários de medicamentos de uso contínuo no tratamento da Hipertensão Sistêmica Arterial.

To evaluate the Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) protocols, two different kits commercially available in Brazil were used: an imported kit (kit A) and a domestically produced kit (kit B). Kit A was submitted to the protocols recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the protocol recommended by the Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). Kit B, the Brazilian kit, was submitted only to the MAPA-recommended protocol and was used as a reference in this study. A total of 345 equid serum samples, including field samples, serum sets from official laboratories and a weak positive serum control from National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL, USA), were used. Parameters such as the sensitivity of kit A in the two protocols, the detection limit of kits and the occurrence of nonspecific reactions or nonidentity were evaluated. When Kit A was used for an AGID procedure performed according to the OIErecommended protocol, the kit demonstrated good agreement with kit B and 99 % relative sensitivity. However, when kit A was processed according to the MAPA-recommended protocol, it failed to detect 1.16 % of weak positive samples and its relative sensitivity decreased to 96 %. The detection limit of kit A was lower than the detection limit of kit B for weak positive samples in both protocols. The occurrence of non-identity reactions was higher with kit B than with kit A. The training of veterinarians to ensure the correct execution of the AGID test protocol should be intensified in Brazil.