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A total of 192 samples of illegal cheese from different regions of the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil, were analyzed for the isolation and detection of Brucella spp. DNA by means of microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Samples that yielded positive results were submitted to the analysis of the occurrence of Brucella abortus (biovars 1, 2 e 4), as well as to the differentiation of DNA in B19 vaccinal strain or Brucella abortus field strain using PCR. Although the microorganism was not isolated from any sample, PCR detected 37 positive samples (19.27%) using genus-specific primers. From these, all (100%) were Brucella abortus. Differentiation of the strain showed that 30/37 samples (81.08%) were vaccinal strain B19 and seven (18.92%) were Brucella abortus field strains. Results showed that diagnostic sensitivity of PCR was greater than that of microbiological culture. The standardization of the reaction for the differentiation of vaccinal and field strains enabled the analysis of all samples positive for Brucella abortus. It is, therefore, a reliable method, also applicable to natural infections caused by the microrganism.

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Campylobacteriosis is a worldwide distributed zoonosis. One of the main virulence factors related to Campylobacter spp. in animals and humans is the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), encoded by three adjacent genes (cdtA, cdtB, cdtC). The occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in samples of vegetables has not been reported in Brazil yet, and has seldom been described in the international literature. The detection of CDT in these strains has not been reported, either. The objectives of the present study were to determine the occurrence of Campylobacter spp. strains carrying virulence factors in samples of poultry and vegetables (lettuce and spinach) from different points of sale, thus verifying if vegetables are as an important vehicle for potentially virulent Campylobacter spp. strains as poultry. Twenty four strains were identified as Campylobacter jejuni by phenotypic and genotypic methods: 22 from broiler carcasses and two from lettuce samples. Three strains were identified as Campylobacter coli: two from broiler carcasses and one from lettuce. The presence of the cdt genes were detected in 20/24 (83.3%) C. jejuni strains, and 3/3 (100%) C. coli strains. The isolation of Campylobacter spp. strains with the cdt gene cluster in lettuce samples points to a new possible source of contamination, which could have an impact in the vegetable production chain and risk to public health. Results show that potentially virulent C. jejuni and C. coli strains remain viable in samples of broiler carcasses and vegetables at the points of sale.

This study was conducted to determine leptospirosis seroprevalence in sheep and their spatial distribution as well as identify risk factors associated with seropositivity in sheep from 37 herds and 11 municipalities in the Presidente Dutra microregion, Maranhão state, Brazil. We analyzed 379 blood serum samples using a Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). The individual seroprevalence was 32%. Of the 37 herds studied, 30 (81%, 95% CI 69-94%) had at least one seropositive animal. In seven municipalities, we observed infection in 100% of the herds. The serovars recorded were Grippotyphosa (67%), Wollfi with Hardjo (9%), Bratislava (9%), Hardjo (5%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (5%), Pomona (2%), Castellonis (2%) and Copenhageni (0.8%). We concluded that the Leptospira spp. in sheep is widespread in the area of sheep farms in Maranhão state, and a risk factor is the animals' water source.

Leptospirosis is a widely distributed zoonosis that affects domestic and wild animals, and that has the man as the end point of its epidemiological chain. Leptospirosis diagnosis in primates is more difficult than in other animal species, as clinical signs and lesions are less evident and antibody response is detected only for short periods. The aim of this article was to describe the detection of Leptospira spp using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in clinical samples from one captive black-capped Capuchin monkey (Cebus apella), which presented characteristics compatible with leptospirosis (jaundice and haemorrhagic kdney) in the macroscopic post-mortem examination. A friable kidney fragment and urine sample were cultured and submitted to experimental inoculation in guinea pigs and PCR using genus specific primer pair targeting the 16S rRNA region from Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola. Isolation of the agent was negative both in culture and experimental inoculation. The PCR amplification of the clinical samples showed a 330 pb amplified fragment that corresponds to the Leptospira genus. Based on these results PCR was considered an important tool for leptospira detection in nonhumam primates, more sensitive and specific than other techniques, especially considering that the viability of the pathogen was not possible. These advantages enable the detection of the leptospiras in urine and kidney, even when autolysed, frozen or badly conserved, which prevented the isolation and experimental inoculation from positive results.