ABSTRACT. The diet of tadpoles of 13 anuran species was determined to verify whether food resource partitioning occurs and whether the degree of diet similarity is related to taxonomic affinity. Tadpoles of all species studied were mainly herbivorous, except for these of Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) which were mycophagous. Although some species had exclusive items in their diet, most tadpole species ingested the same items, but differed in the amount of each item consumed. Two guilds were found: tadpoles that feed on diatoms on the pond bottom, and tadpoles that feed on Oedogonium Link, 1820 algae in midwater. Diet similarity was related to the taxonomic relationship, microhabitat and feeding behavior of tadpoles indicating that the community organization is complex and resulting from the interaction of several parameters. KEY WORDS. Community ecology, food partitioning, microalgae.RESUMO. Dieta dos girinos de um açude temporário no sudeste do Brasil (Amphibia, Anura). Determinou-se a dieta dos girinos de 13 espécies de anuros, com o objetivo de verificar se ocorre partilha de recursos alimentares e se o grau de similaridade na dieta é relacionado ao parentesco, inferido pela proximidade taxonômica. Os girinos de todas as espécies estudadas foram preponderantemente herbívoros, exceto os de Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) que foram micófagos. Embora algumas espécies tenham apresentado itens exclusivos em sua dieta, os girinos da maioria das espécies ingeriram os mesmos itens, diferindo na quantidade consumida de cada item. Duas guildas foram encontradas: girinos que se alimentam de diatomáceas no fundo do corpo d'água e girinos que se alimentam de algas do gênero Oedogonium Link, 1820 à meia-água. A similaridade na dieta foi relacionada à proximidade taxonômica, ao microhabitat e ao comportamento de alimentação, indicando que a organização desta comunidade é complexa e resultante da interação entre vários fatores. PALAVRAS CHAVE. Ecologia de comunidade, partilha de alimento, microalgas, sudeste do Brasil.

ABSTRACT:The present work aimed to determine the oral microbiotic composition of snakes from São José do Rio Preto city, São Paulo State, Brazil. Ten snake species, comprising the families Boidae, Colubridae, Elapidae and Viperidae, were submitted to microbiological examination of their oral cavity, which indicated positivity for all buccal samples. Gram-negative bacilli, gram-negative cocci bacilli, grampositive bacilli and gram-positive cocci were isolated from the snakes. Among isolated bacterium species, the occurrence of coagulase-negative staphylococci in the buccal cavity of Crotalus durissus (Viperiade), Eunectes murinus (Boidae), Mastigodryas bifossatus (Colubridae) and Bacillus subtilis, common to oral cavity of Bothrops alternatus (Viperidae) and Phalotris mertensi (Colubridae), was detected. It was observed higher diversity of isolated bacteria from the oral cavity of Micrurus frontalis (Elapidae) and Philodryas nattereri (Colubridae), as well as the prevalence of gram-positive baccillus and gram-positive cocci. The composition of the oral microbiota of the studied snakes, with or without inoculating fangs, is diverse and also related to the formation of abscesses at the bite site in the victims of the ophidian accidents, and to pathogenic processes in the snakes that host these microorganisms.

No abstract

The geographic distribution of Sphaenorhynchus lacteus comprises Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, Guianas, eastern Brazil and Trinidad. Herein, we report for the first time the occurrence of Sphaenorhynchus lacteus and of the genus for the state of Piauí.

The genus Physalaemus is widely distributed over South America, east of Andes. Physalaemus cicada belongs to the Physalaemus cuvieri group, is widely distributed over the Caatinga and is usually found in lentic and/or temporary water bodies. Herein, we extend its geographical distribution providing the first record of Physalaemus cicada for Piauí state, in the municipality of Picos.

The objective of this study was to detect the presence of local edema and hemorrhage caused by Crotalus durissus terrificus envenoming using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Six patients bitten by Crotalus durissus terrificus snakes were treated at the Emergency Unit and Tropical Diseases Unit of Botucatu School of Medicine, UNESP, São Paulo State, Brazil. After receiving specific serotherapy, the patients were submitted to MR of the bite site. Post contrast T1 and T2 spin-echo MRI were obtained revealing the following lesions: edema associated with hemorrhage in subcutaneous and muscular tissue (n=3), edema in subcutaneous tissue (n=2), and perimuscular hemorrhage (n=1). In this study, MR demonstrated a local effect of Crotalus durissus terrificus envenoming in inducing edema and hemorrhage, mainly in muscular tissues and perimuscular areas. These results indicate that Crotalus durissus terrificus venom cause a local muscular tissue damage in human envenoming represented by edema and hemorrhage

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar un caso de alto nivel de infección con acantocéfalos para comprender si el patrón de infección está relacionado con las características biológicas de los hospederos. Se recolectaron acantocéfalos de 33 ejemplares de Rhinella marina (Linnaeus, 1758) de Huanuco, Perú, y luego se utilizó la prueba de rango de Spearmans (r ) para calcular posibles correlaciones entre el tamaños del cuerpo del hospedero y la abundancia de parásitos, y el tamaño del cuerpo del parásito y la abundancia de parásitos. Los helmintos fueron identificados como Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi (Hamann, 1891). La prevalencia de infección fue del 97,1%. Se recuperó un total de 874 helmintos, con una abundancia media de 24,1 ± 4,7 y una intensidad media de infección de 24,8 ± 4,8. El tamaño del cuerpo del huésped y el tamaño del cuerpo del parásito no se correlacionaron significativamente con la abundancia del parásito. El presente estudio, además de contribuir a nuestro conocimiento de la fauna helmíntica de anfibios en Perú, ha demostrado que R. marina tiene una alta tasa de infección por helmintos con P. lutzi en esa región.

The objective of this clinical study was to evaluate local tissue damage caused by Bothrops sp envenoming in relation to lesion type and damaged tissues using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fifteen patients bitten by Bothrops snakes were treated at the Emergency Unit of the Tropical Diseases Unit at the University Hospital, Botucatu School of Medicine, UNESP, São Paulo State, Brazil. After receiving specific serotherapy, the patients were submitted to MR of the bite site. T1 spin-echo MRI were obtained revealing the following lesions: edema (n=9), edema associated with hemorrhage (n=5), and hemorrhage (n=1). Perimuscular areas (n=6) and subcutaneous tissues (n=5) were the most affected, followed by muscular tissues (n=4). It is important to mention that MRI did not show myonecrosis of the bite site, a widely reported finding in anatomical and histopathological experimental studies