Tetanus is characterized by high case fatality rates in horses. Comprehensive case series studies involving equine tetanus from different geographic areas enable the evaluation of prognosis, efficacy of treatment, and control measures. We retrospectively investigated some selected epidemiological data (breed, age, gender, use of the horses, history of vaccination, seasonality, presence of wound/history of surgical procedures, clinical outcomes) and main clinical aspects (clinical signs, incubation period, length of hospitalization, and period between onset signs and hospitalization) in 70 cases of equine tetanus over 1990-2015, with emphasis in the association between these data and the clinical outcomes. High mortality rate (72.9%) was observed in this study. Forty (57.1%) horses presented history of wounds or surgical procedures related with tetanus, represented mainly by lesions in the hind limbs (42.5%), front limbs (15.0%), umbilical infections (7.1%), castration (4.3%), and face wounds (4.3%). Hyperesthesia, limb spasticity, cervical stiffness, tetanic spasms, and restriction of jaw movement were the main consistent clinical signs. Besides no statistical association, all the horses with umbilical infections, wounds in face, prolonged recumbency, sweating, dysphagia/aphagia died, and together with delay between onset of first clinical signs and prompt veterinary assistance (< 5 days) were considered indicative of poor prognosis; whereas there was a significant association (p=0.001) between survival and length of hospitalization > 7 days, seemed as an evidence of good prognosis. The high mortality rate of tetanus, even in horses under specific treatment, highlight the need for early diagnosis, prompt veterinary assistance, and establishment of prophylatic measures in equine farms.

Biopsy by fine needle aspiration together with microbiological examination and scanning electron microscopy were evaluated in diagnosis of clinical bovine mastitis in a Prototheca zopfii outbreak. Fine needle aspiration was performed in 21 mammary quarters from ten Holstein cows presenting clinical mastitis caused by P. zopfii. The algae were previously identified in the microbiological examination of milk collected from these cows. Material aspirated from these 21 mammary glands was submitted to cytological staining (Gram, Giemsa and/or Shor staining). Fine needle aspiration enabled cytological identification of the algae in these 21 mammary glands, from which P. zopfii was isolated in the milk. Simultaneously, five mammary fragments collected by fine needle aspiration from these 21 mammary glands presenting clinical mastitis were also submitted to microbiological examination. P. zopfii was also isolated from these five fragments. Scanning electron microscopy technique also identified three of these five P zopfii strains isolated from mammary fragments collected by cytological aspiration. These results suggest that fine needle aspiration may be an alternative method for the diagnosis of clinical mastitis.

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O presente estudo investigou o uso da cito-(73,0%), Arcanobacterium pyogenes (6,0%), Streptococlogia aspirativa com agulha fina no diagnóstico da lin-cus spp. β hemolítico (5,0%) e Escherichia coli (4,0%) fadenite em ovinos e a ocorrência de microrganismos foram os microrganismos mais frequentes nos animais nos linfonodos com lesões, com ênfase no isolamento de com linfadenite. Streptococcus spp. (21,0%) e Staphylo-Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Foram utilizados coccus spp. (7,0%) foram as bactérias isoladas com 100 linfonodos de ovinos com aumento de volume su-maior frequência nos linfonodos sem lesões colhidos em gestivos de linfadenite e 100 linfonodos de ovinos sem abatedouro. A punção aspirativa com agulha fina perlesões, colhidos em abatedouro. C. pseudotuberculosis mitiu identificar microrganismos "corineformes" em 79 (79,0%) animais com linfadenite e, destes, 73 (73,0%) foram identificados como C. pseudotuberculosis. Nenhuma linhagem de C. pseudotuberculosis foi isolada dos linfonodos dos animais sem lesões. Concluiu-se que C. pseudotuberculosis foi o microrganismo mais freqüente nos ovinos com linfadenite, e que a citologia aspirativa pode ser utilizada como método de triagem no diagnóstico da linfadenite caseosa ovina

Rhodococcus equiis responsible for infections in multiple-host animals. In humans, the prevalence of rhodococcus has increased worldwide and represents an emergent risk.R. equiis a soil-borne opportunistic bacterium isolated from feces of a wide variety of domestic species, except cats; thus, there is no known potential risk of its transmission from humans. Here, the mono- and cooccurrence ofRhodococcus equiand other bacteria and selected virulence markers were investigated in feces of nondiarrheic cats from urban (n=100) and rural (n=100) areas. Seven (7/200=3.5%)R. equiisolates were recovered in ceftazidime, novobiocin, and cycloheximide (CAZ-NB) selective media, exclusively of cats from three distinct farms (p=0.01), and these cats had a history of contact with horses and their environment (p=0.0002). None of theR. equiisolates harbored hosted-adapted plasmid types associated with virulence (pVAPA, pVAPB, and pVAPN). One hundred seventy-fiveE. coliisolates were identified, and 23 atypical enteropathogenicE. coli(aEPEC), 1 STEC (Shiga-toxin producingE. coli), and 1 EAEC (enteroaggregativeE. coli) were detected. Eighty-sixC. perfringenstype A isolates were identified, and beta-2 and enterotoxin were detected in 21 and 1 isolates, respectively. FiveC. difficileisolates were identified, one of which was toxigenic and ribotype 106. The main cooccurring isolates in cats from urban areas wereE. coliandC. perfringensA (26/100=26%),E. coliandC. perfringenstype Acpb2+(8/100=8%), and aEPEC (eae+/escN+) andC. perfringenstype A (5/100=5%). In cats from farms, the main cooccurring isolates wereE. coliandC. perfringenstype A (21/100=21%),E. coliandC. perfringenstype Acpb2+8/100=8%), andE. coliandR. equi(4/100=4%). We identified, for the first time,R. equiin nondiarrheic cats, a finding that represents a public health issue because rhodococcus has been reported in both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent humans, particularly people living with HIV/AIDS.