Resumo O contexto brasileiro de desigualdades sociais e barreiras no acesso aos serviços de saúde pode agravar a situação da pandemia de COVID-19, que já afeta todos os estados da federação, com a curva crescente de aumento de casos confirmados e mortes. O governo dos países e os agentes do campo científico têm buscado evidências para as melhores práticas de prevenção e controle da transmissão, e cuidado da infecção e doença, incluindo medidas de diagnóstico, tratamento e de atenção à saúde. A estratégia de testagem em larga escala, visando o diagnóstico precoce, quarentena dos casos leves identificados, bem como dos contactantes, e cuidado adequado dos casos graves, tem sido revisada e indicada como uma das medidas eficientes para o controle da pandemia em vários países do mundo. O artigo tem como objetivo discutir os desafios da testagem e do diagnóstico de COVID-19 no Brasil.

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important zoonosis in relation to public health systems. Dogs are the main domestic reservoir. This study aimed to investigate occurrences of canine VL in Dias D' Ávila, State of Bahia, Brazil. Methods: The prevalence was evaluated by means of clinical and laboratory tests on a population of 312 domestic dogs from 23 localities in this municipality, using indirect immunofluorescence and immunoenzymatic assays. Results: Among the animals examined, 3.2% and 6.7% showed signs of VL, confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoenzymatic assays, respectively, with a distribution of 29.9% (24 dogs) in the rural zone and 4.9% (288 dogs) in the urban zone (p = 0.001). The clinical evaluation on seropositive dogs showed both asymptomatic animals (2.4%) and symptomatic animals (47.6%), along with other abnormalities (e.g. normocytic and normochromic anemia, with leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia). Observations relating to phenotypic characteristics (e.g. sex, age, breed and hair) did not present statistical significance, although high seropositivity among male, short-haired and mixed-breed dogs was observed. Conclusions: The findings showed that VL was a predominantly rural zoonosis and that close contact between poultry and domestic dogs significantly increased the risk of canine infection in this region.

This study evaluated the effects of homeopathic treatment on control of Haemonchus contortus infection in sheep. Twenty lambs were randomized to three treatments: treated with the homeopathic medicines, Ferrum phosphoricum, Arsenicum album and Calcarea carbonica; treated with a conventional antihelminthic, doramectin, and an untreated control group. Fecal and blood samples were taken from each animal on days 18, 38 and 68 after start of treatment. A significant reduction in number of H. contortus larvae (p<0.01) was observed for animals in the homeopathic treatment group compared to the control group. Fecal egg counts showed negative correlation between haematocrit and haemoglobin concentrations in the homeopathic treatment group (p<0.01); however, the biochemical and immunological parameters showed better correlation, indicating that the homeopathic medicine improved vital functions. Daily weight gain in the homeopathic treatment group was superior to the control and to the antihelminthic groups, 31 and 6.5%, respectively. The cost benefit analysis confirmed that homeopathy group increases economic trend when compared with the other groups.

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