Animal bites are a serious public health issue, and prevention strategies have been consistently documented worldwide. The aim of this study was to characterize human anti-rabies treatment in 11 counties of the Salgado microregion, Pará state, Brazil, which borders the Bragantina microregion, where exposures of human rabies were reported in 2004 and 2005. A descriptive retrospective study was conducted using anti-rabies treatment notifications registered in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN) database of the State Department of Public Health of Pará (SESPA) from January 2000 to December 2014. In this period, 13,403 exposures were reported, with a growing annual trend (Y = 68.571x + 344.96). The years 2012 and 2013 presented the highest exposure incidence. Salinópolis was the county with the highest average annual incidence per 10,000 persons (62.83), followed by São João de Pirabas (43.28) and São Caetano de Odivelas (41.27). Most patients were males (59.6%) and were 1-19 years old (48.7%). The main species involved in aggressions were dogs (74.1%), followed by bats (13.1%) and cats (7.4%). Biting was the most common kind of exposure, mostly on the lower limbs (39.6%). This study shows that aggression by bats was the second most common cause of demand for the service in the region for the past 14 years. The low quality of records may increase the difficulty of rabies surveillance in Pará.

Ticks are known worldwide for parasitizing a number of wild hosts. However, few studies have been conducted on ticks in zoos in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to collect, identify, and report the parasitic tick fauna found on wild Amazon animals received and attended at the Santarém Zoological Park from September 2004 to September 2013. In all, 56 animals, including 26 mammals and 30 reptiles, were sampled, from which 1172 ticks were collected and identified, comprising 862 adults, 284 nymphs, and 26 larvae. Nymphs of Amblyomma geayi on three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), adults of Amblyomma longirostre on black dwarf porcupine (Coendou nycthemera), and nymphs of Amblyomma naponense on southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) were identified for the first time in the country in the present study. Although, the North region is the largest among the five Brazilian regions, this is the first study conducted with ticks and animals attended in a zoo in the Brazilian Amazon.

Strongyloides spp. are intestinal parasites that affect several animal species. Four species of the genus have been reported in domestic cats: S. felis, S. planiceps, S.stercoralis and S. tumefaciens . Reports describing infection by these nematodes in domestic cats in Brazil are scarce. This study aimed to describe the pathological features of Strongyloides spp. parasitism in two cats in the Amazon region, state of Pará, Brazil. During the necropsy of the two cats, numerous whitish nodules approximately 0.2cm in diameter were observed in the wall of the large intestine. The nodules were conspicuous in the colonic mucosa and exhibited a punctate aperture facing the center of the lumen. Microscopically, these nodules were formed by projections of the mucosal epithelium into the submucosa, which formed tubules lined with a single layer of columnar epithelium, with high cellularity and rare goblet cells, characterizing epithelial hyperplasia of the crypts. Adult nematodes and eggs observed in the lumen of the tubules were morphologically compatible with Strongyloides spp. Numerous larvae were also observed in the interstitium adjacent to the nodule. A mild lymphocytic infiltrate was observed neighboring the hyperplastic nodules. The histological changes are consistent with those described for S. tumefaciens infection.

19An outbreak of human rabies transmitted by hematophagous bats occurred in 2018 in the 20 state of Pará, Brazil, eastern Amazon, after 14 years with no record of the disease. It is 21 necessary to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these attacks to protect the 22 local population. This study aimed to characterize attacks of humans by vampire bats in 23 the municipality of São João da Ponta, Pará state, Brazil, from 2013 to 2015. All 24 individuals attacked by bats who sought medical care during the study period (n=5) were 25 identified in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) database and answered 26 a questionnaire about the circumstances of the attack. Using snowball sampling, seed 27 cases identified other individuals who were attacked in the same period but did not seek 28 medical care (n=61), totalizing 66 people attacked in the same period. The interviewees 29 were male (92.4%), adults between 20 and 50 years old (69.6%) and had completed 30 elementary education (86.3%). Most were rural residents (92.4%) and crab fishermen 31 (79.3%). The interviewees (92.4%) identified the mangrove of the Mãe Grande de Curuçá 32 extractive reserve as an area conducive to attacks by vampire bats, where groups of 33 fishermen sometimes concentrate for days for crab fishing, often living in improvised 34 dwellings without walls and covered by tarps or straw (88.8%). The wounds were single 35 bites (71.2%) and were located on the lower limbs (93.9%). Overall, 42.4% of participants 36 had been bitten more than four times throughout their life (range 1-23 attacks). 37Participants were unaware of the risk of contracting rabies by the bite (95.4%). Using São 38 João da Ponta as a model, this study shows that bat attacks are an essentially occupational 39 problem in the study region. Indeed, for each reported attack, there are 12.2 unreported 40 cases. It is necessary to develop strategies to reach this population for prophylactic 41 treatment. 42 43 Author Summary 44 45 Different from which occurs worldwide in relation to rabies transmission, in Amazon 46 region, vampire bat is involved on direct transmission of rabies virus to humans when 47 searching for bloodmeal. It is common in the state of Pará, Eastern Amazon, large areas 48 inhabited near forests and mangroves. People living there use forest natural resources as 49 a way of income and sustenance and these working conditions is what our study points 50 out as an important factor for aggressions predisposition. Here this subject is shown as an 51 occupational problem. This study also quantified for the first time underreported human's 52 aggressions by bats in Amazon, using the snowball sampling, which valued the 53 relationship between individuals to reach the target population. Based on these results, 54 rabies surveillance may direct actions for prevention and health education for these 55 individuals, including changes in notifications forms and suggesting pre-exposure 56 prophylaxis in vaccination calendar of the Brazilian Ministry of Health...

Dogs and cats maintain the urban cycle of rabies, and vaccination is the main form of prevention and control of the disease. Brazil has seen human rabies cases transmitted by dogs and cats infected with the bat variant in regions where annual campaigns no longer take place. Although the municipality of Curuçá has no cases of urban rabies and viral circulation in wild animals is unknown, there are informal reports of contact of animals and people with vampire bats. This study aimed to identify factors associated with immune response against the rabies virus in dogs and cats in this municipality. A total of 352 dogs and 46 cats were randomly selected for blood collection and their owners answered a questionnaire. The animals were mostly males, aged between 1-3 years, and with unrestricted access to the street. A total of 48.8% of dogs and 32% of cats were not vaccinated in the last anti-rabies campaign, and 4.7% of dogs had been attacked by bats. Among the analyzed samples, only 21.1% had a titration ≥ 0.5 IU/mL. Risk factors for not participating in vaccination campaigns included species, presence of veterinary care, and participation in annual vaccination campaigns (OR = 0.46, 2.55, and 15.67 respectively). The animal population was estimated at 18,620 dogs and 4,556 cats. The human:dog ratio was 2.1:1 and the human:cat ratio was 8.7:1. This study revealed that the estimated population of dogs based on the human population was an underestimate for communities in the Amazon region. This was the first time that the number of dogs attacked by bats was determined. Health education with an emphasis on responsible ownership and periodic and biannual rabies vaccinations are recommended for the municipality.

Outbreaks of human rabies transmitted by hematophagous bats occurred in 2018 in Pará state, Brazil, eastern Amazon, after 12 years of no record of the disease. Thus, it is necessary to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these attacks to protect the local population. This study aimed to characterize the bat bite populations in the municipality of São João da Ponta, Pará State, Brazil, in 2013-2015. The Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) database was used to identify the five individuals who sought medical care during the study period (seeds).Other individuals who were attacked during the same period but did not seek medical care (n = 61) were reached by snowball sampling, and a descriptive analysis was performed based on information obtained from questionnaires. Majority of the interviewees were men (92.4%; 61/66) and adults aged 20-50 years (69.9%; 46/66) and had <4 years of formal school education (86.3%; 57/66). Additionally, most of them were rural residents (92.4%; 61/66) and crab fishermen (79.3%; 53/66). The interviewees (92.4%; 61/66) identified mangroves of the Mãe Grande de Curuçá extractive reserve, where groups of fishermen sometimes gather for several days for crab fishing, often living in improvised dwellings without walls and covered by tarps or straw (88.8%; 56/66), conducive to attacks by vampire bats. Overall, 42.4% (28/66) of the participants had been bitten more than four times throughout their life. The median number of attacks over the participant's lifetime was 3.11 (range, 1-23). Participants were unaware of the risk of contracting rabies from the bite (95.4%; 65/66). These results suggest that vampire bat attacks are essentially an occupational hazard in the study region. Moreover, for each reported attack, there were at least 12.2 unreported cases. Thus, the study highlights the need to develop strategies for prophylactic treatment of this population.

tumefaciens (BOWMAN et al., 2002). Embora a identificação específica nesse caso ainda esteja em andamento, este padrão de resposta tecidual não tem sido descrito na infecção por outras espécies de Strongyloides nos gatos domésticos. Os dados do presente estudo indicam que a possibilidade da infecção por essa espécie em felinos no Brasil deve ser investigada.