ABSTRACT. With the objective of characterizing Canine parvovirus (CPV) from some suspected fecal samples of dogs collected from the Veterinarian Hospital in Belém city, five positive samples were found by PCR assay and an update molecular characterization was provided of the CPV-2 circulation in Belém. Through sequencing of the complete DNA sequences (NS1, NS2, VP1, and VP2 genes), the CPV-2 strain was identified as CPV-2b (Asn426Asp) circulating in Belém. The CPV-2b strain with a different change at the position Tyr324Leu was detected in all samples assessed and thus reported for the first time for the scientific community. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Belém CPV-2b and CPV-2a strains would be related to a cluster with samples 2 S.P. Silva et al. Genetics and Molecular Research 16 (3): gmr16039719after the 1990s, suggesting that CPV-2b in Belém originated from CPV2a circulating in Brazil after the 1990s. Potential recombination events were analyzed using RDP4 and SplitsTree4; therefore, results suggest that CPV-2 sequences here described were not potentially recombination events. Continuous monitoring and molecular characterization of CPV-2 samples are needed not only to identify possible genetic and antigenic changes that may interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines but also to bring a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive the evolution of CPV-2 in Brazil.

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Free-living Columbidae are considered the second largest reservoir of Chlamydia psittaci, transmitting the agent to humans and other animals. The present study aimed to identify the presence of Chlamydia spp. in samples of lung and stool collected from free-living domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) captured at the Mangal das Garças Naturalistic Park in Belém, Pará, Brazil, using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction, and also correlate the clinical and post-mortem findings of animals positive for Chlamydia spp. Among the 45 animals analyzed, 10 (22.2%) were positive for Chlamydia spp.; the positive findings originated from 5 (50%) lung samples and 5 (50%) stool samples, with no overlap between animals and samples. None of the animals evaluated in this study showed clinical signs of chlamydiosis; rather, these were only found during necropsy of positive animals, mainly through pulmonary, hepatic, splenic, and intestinal changes. These findings demonstrate that free-living pigeons can be reservoirs of Chlamydia spp. and transmit the agent silently to humans and animals, which is concerning for public and animal health, since these birds are easily found in urban areas cohabitating with humans, other species of birds, and other animals.

Currently, the Milwaukee protocol presents healing results in human beings affected by the rabies virus. However, there are many points to clarify on the action of drugs and the immune mechanism involved in the evolution of the disease. One of the drugs used is biopterin, which is an important cofactor for nitric oxide, important for preventing vasospasm. Thus, we describe the effect of biopterin on some inflammatory factors in a rabies virus infection developed in an animal model. The immunological mediators studied in animals infected with rabies virus submitted to doses of sapropterin were Anti-RABV, IL-6, IL-2, IL-17a, INF-gamma and Anti-iNOS. It is suggested that the medication in the context of a RABV infection already installed, had the effect of modulating the inflammatory mechanisms mainly linked to the permeability of the blood-brain barrier and the migration of cytotoxic cells.

Feline sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous, infectious, and contagious mycosis, with zoonotic characteristics. Until now there are no reports on the isolation of Sporothrix sp. in cats in the state of Pará. The present work aimed to isolate Sporothrix spp. from a cat with possible zoonotic involvement in the city of Belém, Pará. Through the active search for suspected cases of sporotrichosis, carried out by members of the Center for the Control of Zoonoses of Belém (CCZ, Belém) the suspicion of the disease in a feline was reported, with probable transmission to its owner. Clinical evaluation was performed, and biological material was collected from the animal for identifying the agent. Microscopic evaluation of the collected sample and microbial culture confirmed the presence of Sporothrix sp. in the sample. This study is the first to report the microbiological isolation of Sporothrix sp. in a cat in the metropolitan region of Belém, Pará, with possible zoonotic transmission. This indicates a probable underreporting of cases, an unknowing regarding the reality of health conditions and the need for more accurate and comprehensive evaluation of sporotrichosis in this region.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that has a cosmopolitan geographical distribution, reported in domestic and wild animals, which act as reservoirs and contribute to the spread of the microorganism in the environment. In Brazil, studies on the occurrence of leptospirosis in buffaloes in the Amazon biome are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp., including serovar Hardjo (Bolivia), isolated from cattle in Brazil and not yet tested in buffaloes. A total of 387 blood serum samples of animals from nine municipalities in the Marajó Island, state of Pará, northern Brazil, were obtained from a biological sample bank and analyzed using the serum agglutination microscopic test (SAM). Serology revealed 91.5% (387/354) of the animals tested positive for anti-Leptospira antibodies. Among the serovars tested, the serovar Hardjo (Bolivia) was the most prevalent, present in 79.3% of the reactive buffaloes.

Caracterizar antigênica e geneticamente variantes do Rabies lyssavirus, isoladas no Laboratório de diagnóstico da Raiva do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Ananindeua, Pará, Brasil), bem como verificar a distribuição geográfica das amostras positivas, de acordo com as mesorregiões do estado, a partir de amostras oriundas do estado do Pará, recebidas no período de 2010 a 2017. As amostras positivas foram caracterizadas antigenicamente pelo painel de anticorpos monoclonais (MAb), e quando não havia compatibilidade com o painel de MAb, as amostras eram caracterizadas geneticamente, de acordo com a metodologia de Barbosa e colaboradores. As 73 amostras positivas foram submetidas à caracterização antigênica, das quais 72,60% eram compatíveis com algum padrão de leitura do painel de MAb; 63,01% eram compatíveis com a AgV 3; 9,59% eram compatíveis com a AgV 2 e 27,40% não corresponderam a nenhum padrão de leitura e foram encaminhadas para o sequenciamento genético. Todas as 20 amostras submetidas ao sequenciamento parcial do gene N foram agrupadas no grupo da AgV 3, com valor de bootstrap de 99%. No estado do Pará, foi observada uma mudança no ciclo epidemiológico da raiva, por conseguinte, a AgV 3, associada ao morcego hematófago Desmodus rotundus, foi amplamente identificada. Esses dados diferem dos encontrados em outras décadas, nas quais a AgV 2 era predominante. Está mudança é possivelmente um resultado das campanhas de vacinação em massa. Também foi possível observar que a distribuição temporal da raiva no estado sugere possíveis falhas nas ações de controle e prevenção da doença.