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The Iguaçu National Park (INP) is the largest remnant of Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil, representing an ecological continuum with Argentina. The INP harbours a diverse fauna, with ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua Linnaeus, 1976, Carnivora: Procyonidae) in close contact with tourists either begging and/or snatching food from visitors. A potentially novel haemotropic Mycoplasma sp. has been previously detected in the ring-tailed coatis from central-western and southern Brazil. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of haemotropic Mycoplasma sp. and tickborne pathogens in wild ring-tailed coatis from the INP, Foz do Iguaçu municipality, Paraná State, southern Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 18 wild ring-tailed coatis and evaluated by conventional PCR (cPCR) assays for haemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (16S and 23S rRNA), Theileria/Babesia spp. (18S rRNA) and Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. (16S rRNA, sodB, dsb and groEL). Eight out of 18 (44.44%; 95% CI: 24.56%-66.28%) animals were positive for haemotropic Mycoplasma spp. All ring-tailed coatis tested negative for Theileria/Babesia spp. and only one out of 18 (5.56%; 95% CI: 0.99%-25.76%) animals tested positive for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. by the 16S rRNA cPCR. Unfortunately, multiple attempts to sequence the 16S rRNA gene of the Ehrlichia/Anaplasma-positive sample have failed. Phylogenetic and network analysis of the hemoplasma 16S and 23S rRNA gene fragments confirmed that animals were infected by a potentially novel haemotropic Mycoplasma sp. previously reported in ringtailed coatis from Brazil. The name 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematonasua' is proposed for this novel organism.

The black-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) is a South American synanthropic marsupial. The presence of opossums in domestic spaces is relevant in the One-Health context since they are hosts of pathogens and ectoparasites that may affect the health of domestic animals and humans. In this study, we aim to determine the occurrence of hemoplasmas and selected tick-borne pathogens in free-ranging black-eared opossums, along with their molecular characterization, hematological and biochemical evaluation and factors associated with infection, in the municipality of Viçosa, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Thirty black-eared opossums were trapped between March 2021 and June 2022. Ectoparasites were collected. Hematological and biochemical analyses were performed. DNA from EDTA-blood samples were analyzed by PCR and qPCR assays. By molecular analyses, ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemoalbiventris’ was the most prevalent hemoparasite (73.3%), followed by Hepatozoon sp. (22.2%). Significant differences were observed in the number of platelets, and in the concentration of protein and globulins in the animals infected by ‘Ca. M. haemoalbiventris’ when compared with the negative group. This is the first report of ‘Ca. M. haemoalbiventris’ infection in D. aurita.

Hemoplasmas are epierythrocytic bacteria that infect mammals. ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemoalbiventris’ was detected in white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris) from southern and central-western Brazil. The present study aimed at: i) screening opossums for tick-borne (TBP) pathogens (Piroplasmida and Anaplasmataceae) and ii) detecting and characterizing hemoplasma species infecting opossums from Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu cities in the Paraná State, southern Brazil. Thirty blood samples from white-eared opossums were evaluated by PCR assays. Animals were not infested by ectoparasites. The mammalian endogenous gapdh gene was consistently amplified in all samples. All opossums tested negative for Theileria/Babesia spp. and Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. by PCR based on 18S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes, respectively. A genus-specific PCR assay based on the 16S rRNA gene of hemoplasmas showed that three/13 (23.08%; CI 95%: 8.18-50.26%) opossums from Foz do Iguaçu were positive for hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. All opossums from Curitiba tested negative for hemoplasmas. Sequencing of both the 16S and 23S rRNA genes revealed that the animals were infected by ‘Ca. M. haemoalbiventris’. Although ‘Ca. M. haemoalbiventris’ is prevalent in opossums in Brazil, clinical signs associated with its infection and its putative vectors remain unknown.

RESUMO. Na Medicina Veterinária o uso de métodos alternativos tem sido explorado com intuito de substituir a utilização de animais como recurso didático. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a opinião dos estudantes em relação ao uso de um modelo de baixo custo para treinamento de ovariosalpingohisterectomia em pequenos animais antes da realização no animal in vivo. Foram envolvidos 21 estudantes da graduação da disciplina de Técnica Cirúrgica Veterinária, que realizaram o treinamento no modelo, antes de realizar a cirurgia no animal e depois responderam um questionário a respeito do uso do modelo, incluindo organização da equipe, segurança emocional e treinamento da técnica. A maioria dos estudantes (95,2%) consideraram que o treinamento melhorou o fluxo de tarefas, 85,7%sentiram-se mais seguros em realizar a cirurgia no animal vivo após o treinamento com o modelo e 76,2% consideraram que o treinamento acarretou melhora na habilidade cirúrgica para realização da cirurgia. Também houve redução em 23,2% (32 minutos) no tempo cirúrgico no animal vivo, comparado à turma do ano anterior sem treinamento no modelo. A utilização do modelo teve resultados positivos, pois além de ser bem aceita pelos estudantes, trouxe maior confiança e habilidade técnica durante a cirurgia, diminuindo o tempo de procedimento. Palavras chave: cão, cirurgia veterinária, ensino, gato, métodos alternativosPerception of students about a low cost model for training ovariosalpingohisterectomy in small animals ABSTRACT.In Veterinary Education, non-harmful alternatives methods have been explored in order to replace the use of animals as a teaching resource. The objective of this study was to analyze the students' opinion regarding the use of a low cost model for training ovariaosalpingohisterectomy in small animals before in vivo performance. There were 21 veterinary medicine students from a Veterinary Surgical Teaching class enrolled in the study. They underwent training in the model before performing the surgery on the animal and then answered a questionnaire regarding the use of the model, including team organization, emotional safety and technique training. Among the students, 95.2% considered that the training improved the flow of tasks, 85.7% felt safer in performing the surgery on the live animal after training with the model and 76.2% considered that the training resulted in an improvement in the surgical ability to perform the surgery. There was also a 23.2% decrease (32 minutes) in surgical time in the live animal, compared to the previous year's group without training in the model. The use of the model had positive

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Bartonella is an emerging group of facultative intracellular bacteria causing circulatory and systemic disorders. Hosts for Bartonella are mostly mammals, specifically rodents, having a growing number of Bartonella species related to their infection. Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are abundant native rodents of Brazil, commonly found in urban parks. In the present study, we aimed to perform molecular screening of capybaras for Bartonella spp. Blood samples were collected from 17 free-ranging animals captured in Paraná State, Southern Brazil. None of the collected samples tested positive for the Bartonella-nuoG gene by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), although all of them successfully amplified the mammal endogenous glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) gene. Additionally, all animals were infested exclusively by Amblyomma dubitatum ticks at the time of sampling. This study was part of an active surveillance program, which is critical for monitoring animal health status, particularly in capybaras.

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