No abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Leishmania spp. antibodies, and its association with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV), in domestic cats from an area endemic for canine and human leishmaniasis in Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. Ninety-one cats were subjected to a complete clinical exam, and blood samples were collected. An epidemiological questionnaire was used to investigate the risk factors. IgG anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies were detected by immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), with a cut-off value of 1:40. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect genetic material of Leishmania spp. in the blood samples. The presence of antibodies against FIV and antigens of FeLV was evaluated using an immunochromatographic test. Seropositivity for Leishmania spp., FIV, and FeLV was observed in 14/91 (15.38%), 26/91 (28.57%), and 3/91 (3.29%) cats, respectively. All samples gave negative results on PCR analysis. Based on these data, no significant statistical association was observed between seropositivity for Leishmania spp., and sex, age, presence of clinical signs, evaluated risk factors, and positivity for retroviruses. These findings demonstrated for the first time that cats from Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, are being exposed to this zoonosis and might be part of the epidemiological chain of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.

Mycobacterium leprae is the primary causative agent of Hansen’s disease or leprosy. Besides human beings, natural infection has been described in animals such as mangabey monkeys and armadillos. Leprosy is considered a global health problem and its complete pathogenesis is still unknown. As M. leprae does not grow in artificial media, armadillos have become the primary experimental model for leprosy, mimicking human disease including involvement of the peripheral nervous system. Leprosy transmission occurs through continuous and close contact of susceptible people with untreated infected people. However, unknown leprosy contact has been reported in leprosy-affected people, and contact with armadillos is a risk factor for leprosy. In the USA, leprosy is considered a zoonosis and this classification has recently been accepted in Brazil. This review presents information regarding the role of wild armadillos as a source of M. leprae for human infections, as well as the pathogenesis of leprosy.

Highlights CPPV-1 was found in all females of the study, tested with qPCR. Was found CPPV-1 in fetal/maternal tissue in the post-mortem examination. Feline females (with and without Reproductive Failures) were negative for commonly-occurring RF viruses in the same (FIV, FeLV e FHV-1). Females showed clinical signs only related to RF and abnormalities WBCC. These results provide the first description of an FPV agent causing only RF-related clinical signs in queens.

RESUMO -A hiperplasia fibroepitelial e a displasia cística são proliferações não neoplásicas da glândula mamária felina. Embora sejam benignas, possuem o carcinoma como principal diagnóstico diferencial. Objetivou-se estabelecer o perfil clínico-epidemiológico e terapêutico das neoformações mamárias não neoplásicas de gatas domésticas, no sentido de auxiliar aos clínicos veterinários no manejo destas mastopatias. A obtenção das informações, de forma retrospectiva, ocorreu por meio de fichas do Hospital Veterinário da Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido. Foi colhida informação da anamnese, aspecto clínico das lesões, diagnóstico microscópico, terapia utilizada e resposta clínica. Os dados foram distribuídos em frequências. Verificou-se que a maioria das alterações (91%) correspondia à hiperplasia fibroepitelial, em contraste com apenas um (9%) caso de displasia cística. A citologia confirmou todas as situações de hiperplasia fibroepitelial, enquanto o diagnóstico definitivo da displasia cística foi obtido somente pela histopatologia. Grande parte das gatas estudadas possuía idade inferior a um ano, sendo usualmente não ovariectomizada e já submetida à terapia com progestágenos. O sinal clínico mais comum foi à cianose local. Em 90% das fêmeas com hiperplasia fibroepitelial mamária, o tratamento primário equivaleu à administração de fármaco antiprogestágeno (aglepristone). Após a regressão do tecido mamário, as pacientes foram submetidas à ovariossalpingohisterectomia. Para a displasia cística, estabeleceu-se a associação da esterilização cirúrgica com a mastectomia. Para todas as situações, as distintas terapias promoveram a remissão definitiva das mastopatias. Os dados obtidos tornam-se fundamentais para a abordagem clínica e terapêutica das pacientes felinas acometidas por neoformações não neoplásicas da glândula mamária.Palavras-Chave: Estudo retrospectivo; Felis catus; mastopatias hiperplásicas e displásicas. ABSTRACT -The fibroepithelial hyperplasia and cystic dysplasia correspond to feline mammary gland nonneoplastic proliferations. Although benign, they have the carcinoma as the main differential diagnosis. The study aimed to establish the clinical-epidemiological and therapeutic profile of nonneoplastic mammary neoformations of domestic cats, in order to help veterinary clinicians in the management of feline mastopathies. Information was obtained retrospectively from the Veterinary Hospital of the Semi-Arid Rural Federal University clinical records. Historical information, clinical appearance of the lesions and microscopic diagnosis were collected, besides the therapy used and the respective clinical response. The data were distributed in frequencies. It was found that most disorders (91%) corresponded to fibroepithelial hyperplasia, in contrast with one (9%) case of cystic dysplasia. Cytology was enough to confirm all cases of fibroepithelial hyperplasia, while the cystic dysplasia definitive diagnosis was obtained only by the histopathological exam. Many of the cats studied were under one year old,...

In order to investigate the prevalence of viral diseases in vaquejada horses, samples were collected from Quarter Horse and Paint Horse breeds (males and females, aged between 2 and 15 years) from rural and urban areas of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil were collected. The number of samples collected and tested varied with the techniques used: 132 serum samples were tested for vesicular stomatitis (VS) and equine viral arteritis (EVA), 118 for western and eastern equine encephalomyelitis (WEE/EEE), 114 for equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), and 61 for equine influenza (EI). The techniques used varied according to the disease studied: tests for VS (Ribeirão and Alagoas strains), EVA, EHV-1, and WEE/EEE were performed using the seroneutralization technique in Vero cell cultures, while the test for for EI type-2 (H3N8) was performed using the hemagglutination inhibition technique. The following results were obtained: 39 (29.55%) and 6 (4.54%) VS-positive horses (n=132) harbored the Alagoas and Ribeirão strains, respectively; no animal tested positive for EVA (n=132); 11.01% (n=13) and 0.84% (n=1) animals tested positive for EEE and WEE (total n=118), respectively; and 22 out of 114 (19.29%) horses tested positive for EHV-1. The history of respiratory and reproductive diseases was statistically significantly (p = 0.02) related to the presence of antibodies against EHV-1. This is the first report of the seroprevalence of viral diseases in vaquejada horses in Rio Grande do Norte.

No abstract

RESUMO -Os carcinomas mamários em gatas apresentam alta taxa de malignidade, com comportamento invasivo na maioria dos casos. Há um grande número de informações sobre os tumores mamários em cadelas, porém ainda existem poucos estudos abordando o tema em felinos, principalmente em relação ao padrão metastático destas neoplasias. Objetivou-se caracterizar a distribuição de metástases associada aos carcinomas da glândula mamária felina. Foram analisados, de forma retrospectiva, os prontuários de 24 gatas domésticas portadoras de carcinomas da glândula mamária. Utilizou-se o arquivo do Hospital Veterinário da Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil), compreendendo o período de dezembro de 2004 a agosto de 2009. As informações colhidas corresponderam à disseminação de metástases, detectadas ao exame necroscópico. Todas as proliferações sugestivas de metástases mamárias na inspeção macroscópica foram encaminhadas para análise histopatológica. Houve a possibilidade de realização de necropsia em apenas sete (29%) pacientes. Em todas estas ocorreu infiltração tumoral mamária em mais de um órgão. A avaliação histopatológica das lesões extramamárias revelou similaridade com os padrões dos carcinomas examinados, possibilitando assim a caracterização de metastatização, a partir das neoplasias malignas primárias das glândulas mamárias. O pulmão equivaleu ao sítio de maior comprometimento (86%), seguido da pleura parietal (43%), coração (43%), linfonodos intratorácicos (43%), fígado (43%), ossos (28,6%), diafragma (14,3%), baço (14,3%), rim (14,3%), ovário (14,3%), útero (14,3%) e linfonodos mesentéricos caudais (14,3%). O carcinoma mamário felino demonstra uma ampla distribuição de distúrbios secundários para distintos órgãos e estruturas corpóreas. Palavras-Chave: mama; metastatização; Felis catus.ABSTRACT -The feline mammary carcinomas have a high rate of malignancies with invasive behavior in most cases. There are numerous studies on mammary tumors in female dogs, but there are few studies on feline oncology, especially in relation to metastatic tumor appearance. This study aimed to characterize the distribution of metastases associated with the feline mammary gland carcinomas. Medical records of 24 domestic cats suffering from mammary gland carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. The file from Veterinary Hospital of Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil), comprising the period from December 2004 to August 2009, was used. The information collected corresponded to the metastases distribution detected at autopsy. All disturbances suggestive of metastases in mammary macroscopic inspection were sent for histopathologic analysis. There was the possibility of necropsy in only seven (29%) patients. All cats showed mammary tumor infiltration in more than one organ. Extramammary lesion histopathology revealed similarity to the patterns of the carcinomas examined, thus enabling the characterization of metastases from the mammary gland primary malignant ...