Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution in which the agent can infect several animal species and accidentally humans. In view of the limited number of studies on anti-Leptospira antibodies in wild animal species, especially those living in aquatic environments, we sought in this study to investigate the presence of these antibodies in the spot-legged turtle (Rhinoclemmys punctularia) maintained in captivity in the Rodrigues Alves Botanical Garden-Amazon Zoobotanical Park, located in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. Serum samples were collected from 31 turtles, and identification of anti-Leptospira antibodies was performed using the microscopic agglutination test, using a collection of 31 live antigens which represent 19 serogroups of Leptospira. Among the analyzed samples, 54.83% (17/31) were observed to be reactive, and co-agglutination was detected in a further six samples which were not accounted for in the frequency of serogroups. The most frequently detected serogroups were Tarassovi 72.72% (8/11), Celledoni 18.18% (2/11), and Pomona 9.09% (1/11)], with titers ranging from 200 to 400, being this the first study to report infection of these serogroups in this species of chelonios. The animals were kept in water tanks, which probably favored the transport of the agent and allowed its transmission to the spot-legged turtle. We thus confirmed presence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in chelonians maintained in the Rodrigues Alves Botanical Garden.

We describe anti-Leptospira spp. agglutinin in yellow-spotted river turtles (Podocnemis unifilis)in the Amazon region. Ninety-eight serum samples from individuals housed at the Bosque Rodrigues Alves Zoobotanical Garden of Amazonia, Belém, PA, Brazil, were subject to the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using 19 different Leptospira spp. antigen serogroups. Thirty-four of the 98 samples (35%) were reactive, with titers ranging from 100 to 3200, and eight 8 reactive samples (23.5%) co-agglutinated under two or more serovars.The most common serogroup was Hebdomadis (26.9%, 7/26), followed by Semaranga (23%, 6/26), Shermani (19.2%, 5/26), Djasiman (11.5%, 3/26), and Australis (7.7%, 2/26); Bataviae, Javanica, and Sejroewere represented by a single sample each (3.9%). The presence of turtles reactive to anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies implies exposure to the pathogen.

ABSTRACT Leptospirosis is a zoonosis transmitted by contact with infected urine or water contaminated with the agent. Searches for Leptospira spp. in reptiles are scarce although most species have contact with aquatic environments. We evaluated the presence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies in Podocnemis expansa housed at the Amazonian Zoobotanical Garden, in Belém, Pará state, Brazil. We analyzed 74 serum samples through the microscopic agglutination test using 31 live antigens from different Leptospira spp. serogroups. Thirty samples (40.5%) were positive against Leptospira spp., with titrations between 100 and 3,200 for one or more serogroups. The Hebdomadis serogroup was the most prevalent, with 26 (87%) out of the 30 positive samples, followed by Djasiman, with two (7%) and Celledoni and Bataviae with one (3%) sample each. The detection of anti-Leptospira spp. agglutinins in P. expansa suggests that the aquatic environment is a transmission route for this pathogen among chelonians.

As aves de rapina são aves predadoras, exuberantes e estão presentes em todos os estados do Brasil, especialmente o Rupornis magnirostris também conhecido como gavião-carijó, pega pinto. Esta ave possui uma alimentação bastante diversificada e também apresenta um comportamento extremante territorialista, haja vista que quando retirados da natureza e criados em cativeiro, eles alteram seu comportamento para que sejam capazes de se adaptar ao novo meio.  Dessa forma, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo a elaboração de etograma de Rupornis magnirostris cativos a fim de acrescentar mais informações disponíveis sobre a biologia e comportamento desta espécie em cativeiro. Para isto, foi executado um etograma utilizando a técnica ad libitum realizada em 3 turnos diários com duração de 30 minutos cada para identificação dos comportamentos, e posteriormente foi utilizada a técnica animal-focal dividida em 3 turnos, com duração de 30 minutos realizada em 21 sessões, durante 10 dias, obtendo-se como resultado o comportamento posição neutra o mais expressado, resultado da falta de enriquecimento ambiental e estímulo. Portanto, as condições de ambiência e física dos gaviões são de extrema importância para compreender o comportamento desta espécie em cativeiro.