The present study contributed to the establishment of an inventory of plants used in ethnoveterinary practices in this region of the Brazilian eastern Amazon. Future phytochemical and pharmacological studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of the identified plants, enabling communities to use them in a more economic, effective and safe manner.

SummaryWe tested the possible diagnostic utility of five Taenia saginata oncosphere-derived synthetic peptides in T. solium neurocysticercosis (NC). The five peptides correspond to protein sequences with high antigenic indexes that were cloned from a T. saginata oncosphere cDNA library. The test samples consisted of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples randomly collected from patients referred from Mexican and Brazilian neurological institutes. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were carried out with the peptides either unconjugated or coupled to carrier proteins, and were compared with results obtained using T. solium cyst fluid as a positive control. For active inflammatory NC, the higher sensibility (93%) and specificity (85%) was obtained with peptides HP6-2 and Ts45W-1, respectively, coupled to ovalbumin, in both Mexican and Brazilian patients. Examining the results of the individual peptide assays in combination, in some instances, improved the sensitivity to 100%.

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RESUMOO objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos dos méto-dos de abate de bovinos com insensibilização prévia através de marreta e pistola pneumática de penetração e sem insensibilização, realizada pelo método kasher, na eficiência da sangria. A eficiência da sangria foi avaliada pela determinação da hemoglobina no sangue e na carne. Foram utilizados 240 bovinos sãos, da raça Nelore, abatidos em matadouro-frigorífico sob Serviço de Inspeção Federal, sendo 60 animais abatidos pelo método judaico (kasher), 60 animais insensibilizados através de marreta, 60 animais insensibilizados através de pistola pneumática de penetração e 60 animais insensibilizados através de pistola pneumática de penetração seguida por estimulação elétrica. Foram colhidas amostras de sangue após a sangria dos animais e de carne, na porção torácica do músculo Longus colli, imediatamente após a chegada da carcaça à câmara frigorífica. Os animais abatidos pelo método kasher apresentaram menor teor de hemoglobina residual na carne e melhor eficiência da sangria. A utilização da estimulação elétrica imediatamente após a sangria dos animais atordoados por pistola pneumática, afetou negativamente a eficiência da sangria.Palavras-chave: abate de bovinos; abate kasher; eficiência da sangria. SUMMARYEFFECTS OF SLAUGHTER METHODS ON EFFICIENCY. The objective of this work was to evaluate the bovine slaughter methods, with previous stunning through stone-hammer, pneumatic powered stunners and no stunning, carried out the kasher method on bleeding efficiency. Bleeding efficiency was evaluated through muscle haemoglobin/blood haemoglobin ratio using blood taken at bleeding and muscle samples taken before chilling. Two hundred and forty Nelore steers were slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse under Federal Inspection Service, where 60 animals were slaughtered by the Jewish method (kasher), 60 animals were stunned through stone-hammer, 60 animals were stunned through the pneumatic powered stunners and 60 animals were stunned through pneumatic powered stunners followed by electrical stimulation. The animals slaughtered by the kasher method showed less residual haemoglobin retained in the muscle and better bleeding efficiency. Electrical stimulation utilization after animal bleeding were stunned by the pneumatic powered stunners had a negative effect on bleeding efficiency.Keywords: slaughter; kasher; bleeding efficiency. 1-INTRODUÇÃOA eficiência da sangria pode ser definida como o volume de sangue residual ou retido nos músculos após o abate. Considerando uma variação individual muito acentuada no teor de hemoglobina sangüínea, a relação entre a hemoglobina sangüínea e a hemoglobina residual no músculo é uma forma segura de avaliação da eficiência da sangria, cujos resultados são expressos em mL de sangue retido no músculo por 100g de músculo [26].O volume de sangue de bovinos é estimado em 6,4 a 8,2 litros/100kg de peso vivo [3, 16]. A quantidade de sangue obtida na sangria com o animal deitado é aproximadamente de 3,96 litros/100kg de peso v...

SummaryWe compared saline (S) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) extracts from Taenia solium (homologous species ± HO) and Taenia crassiceps (heterologous species ± HE) metacestodes in order to detect IgG by ELISA and immunoblot assay (IBA) in cerebrospinal¯uid (CSF) for the diagnosis of human neurocysticercosis (NC). CSF samples were obtained from 93 patients. Of these, 40 had NC, ®ve had a diagnosis of probable NC, nine had central nervous system schistosomiasis or strongyloidiasis and 39 had other neurological alterations. Samples were analysed by ELISA and the results were compared with IBA in all samples with con®rmed and probable NC diagnosis, in all samples with other central nervous system parasitic infection, and in 10 of those with another neurological alterations. ELISA sensitivity was 100%, 85%, 95% and 87.5% for the S-HO, S-HE, SDS-HO and SDS-HE extracts, respectively, and ELISA speci®city was 100% for S-HO, S-HE, SDS-HO extracts and 97.9% for SDS-HE antigen. Immunodominant peptides detected by IBA were, by decreasing percentage of recognition: 64±68 and 45 kDa for S-HO; 108±114, 92±95, 64±68, 83 and 88 kDa for S-HE; 64±68, 108±114, 77 and 86 kDa for SDS-HO; and 108±114, 88 and 92±95 kDa for SDS-HE. Overall the homologous antigenic extracts showed higher sensitivity than the heterologous extracts in the diagnosis of NC in CSF samples. The heterologous extracts contained most of the immunodominant peptides presented in the homologous extracts, which are recognized by IgG antibodies in CSF samples.

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BackgroundCysticercosis and hydatidosis seriously affect human health and are responsible for considerable economic loss in animal husbandry in non-developed and developed countries. S3Pvac and EG95 are the only field trial-tested vaccine candidates against cysticercosis and hydatidosis, respectively. S3Pvac is composed of three peptides (KETc1, GK1 and KETc12), originally identified in a Taenia crassiceps cDNA library. S3Pvac synthetically and recombinantly expressed is effective against experimentally and naturally acquired cysticercosis.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn this study, the homologous sequences of two of the S3Pvac peptides, GK1 and KETc1, were identified and further characterized in Taenia crassiceps WFU, Taenia solium, Taenia saginata, Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. Comparisons of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences coding for KETc1 and GK1 revealed significant homologies in these species. The predicted secondary structure of GK1 is almost identical between the species, while some differences were observed in the C terminal region of KETc1 according to 3D modeling. A KETc1 variant with a deletion of three C-terminal amino acids protected to the same extent against experimental murine cysticercosis as the entire peptide. On the contrary, immunization with the truncated GK1 failed to induce protection. Immunolocalization studies revealed the non stage-specificity of the two S3Pvac epitopes and their persistence in the larval tegument of all species and in Taenia adult tapeworms.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results indicate that GK1 and KETc1 may be considered candidates to be included in the formulation of a multivalent and multistage vaccine against these cestodiases because of their enhancing effects on other available vaccine candidates.

Zoonotic parasites can infect fish and be a serious threat to human health. The objective of this research was to estimate the prevalence for the main fish-borne zoonotic parasitic diseases of freshwater fish marketed in Colares Island and Vigia, Pará, Brazil. In February, 2012, 85 (40 of Colares and 45 of Vigia) fish were randomly sampled by means of net fishing. Eighty and 76% of fish sampled were parasitized, being silver croacker (Plagioscion squamosissimus), kumakuma (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum), and gilded catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii) the species most parasitized. The most prevalent parasites were Anisakis (50% in Colares and 49% in Vigia) and Contracaecum (60% in Colares and 40% in Vigia), followed by Pseudoterranova (2% in Colares and 11% in Vigia), Eustrongylides (10% in Colares and 0% in Vigia) and Hysterothylacium (2% in Colares and 7% in Vigia) in the species: silver croacker, kumakuma and gilded catfish, in both cities. Mesentery (55%) was the organ with highest level of intense infestation. A greater proportion of massive infestation was observed in females (57%) than in males (12%). Results of this study indicate that fish caught in Colares and Vigia could be of high risk for consumer.Keywords: Anisakidae, Eustrongylides, zoonosis, Public Health, Amazonia. ResumoParasitos zoonóticos podem infectar peixes e causar sérios agravos à saúde humana. O objetivo do presente estudo foi estimar a prevalência e identificar os fatores de risco para doenças parasitárias veiculadas por peixes de água doce comercializados na ilha de Colares e Vigia, Pará, Brazil. Em fevereiro de 2012, 85 peixes (40 de Colares e 45 de Vigia) foram coletados de forma aleatória com redes de pesca. Oitenta por cento e 76% dos peixes amostrados estavam parasitados, sendo a corvina (Plagioscion squamosissimus), piramutaba (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) e dourada (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), as espécies mais parasitadas. Os parasitos mais prevalentes foram: Anisakis (50% em Colares e 49% em Vigia) e Contracaecum (60% em Colares e 40% em Vigia), seguido pelo Pseudoterranova (2% em Colares e 11% em Vigia), Eustrongylides (10% em Colares e 0% em Vigia) e Hysterothylacium (2% em Colares e 7% em Vigia) nas espécies: corvina, piramutaba e dourada, em ambos os municípios. O mesentério (55%) foi o órgão que apresentou infestação maciça em maior quantidade. A infestação maciça também foi observada com maior proporção em fêmeas (57%) do que em machos (12%). Os resultados deste estudo indicam que o peixe capturado em Colares e Vigia pode ser de alto risco para a o consumidor.