Neosporosis primarily affects cattle and dogs and is not currently considered a zoonotic disease. Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis with a worldwide distribution that is asymptomatic in most cases, but when acquired during pregnancy, it can have serious consequences. The seropositivity rates determined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test for Neospora caninum (N. caninum) and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) were 24.3% (49 samples) and 26.8% (54 samples), respectively. PCR positivity for N. caninum was observed in two samples of cord blood (1%) using the Nc5 and ITS1 gene, positivity for T. gondii was observed in 16 samples using the primer for the B1 gene (5.5% positivity in cord blood and 2.5% positivity in placental tissue). None of the samples showed structures characteristic of tissue cysts or inflammatory infiltrate on histopathology. Significant associations were observed only between N. caninum seropositivity and the presence of domestic animals (p = 0.039) and presence of dogs (p = 0.038) and between T. gondii seropositivity and basic sanitation (p = 0.04). This study obtained important findings regarding the seroprevalence and molecular detection of N. caninum and T. gondii in pregnant women; however, more studies are necessary to establish a correlation between risk factors and infection.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) on different animal species. Experimental infestations were induced in five specimens each of seven species of possible hosts: rabbits, horses, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, birds and dogs. Rabbits were infested in the ear using artificial feeding chambers, and the horses, sheep, cows and dogs were infested in the ear without feeding chambers. For the infestation of guinea pigs, artificial feeding chambers were fixed on the back. Birds were infested by placing larvae on the back and under the wings without the use of chambers. All animals were inspected daily until the end of the parasitic phase (when the engorged females detached). The average period of engorgement was 25.1days on a horse, with larvae requiring 8days and nymphs 9days to reach engorgement; the average weight of engorged females was 271.4mg; the average weight of egg batches produced was 159.3mg, and the feed conversion rate was 56.8%. On rabbits, the average engorgement period was 27.6days, larvae and nymphs reached engorgement after 7.4 and 11days, respectively, the average weight of an engorged female was 108.4mg and the egg mass was 30.6mg. The feed conversion rate on rabbits was 30%. Cows, sheep, guinea pigs, dogs and birds were not competent hosts, since no engorged females were recovered. Rabbits, when artificially infested, can be used as an alternative host for the maintenance of these ticks in the laboratory. The parasitic specificity of D. nitens for horses was demonstrated in this study.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the diversity of ticks associated with free-living animals and to investigate new host records for ticks. Ticks were collected from animals rescued during the flood of the Jamari River in the municipality of Ariquemes, state of Rondônia, North Region of Brazil. A total of 39 animals were captured, out of which 10 were amphibians, 19 were reptiles and 10 were mammals. A total of 127 ticks of the Amblyomma genus were collected from these animals, distributed among seven species: Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma geayi, Amblyomma humerale , Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma nodosum , Amblyomma rotundatum and Amblyomma varium. In addition, one specimen of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus was collected. Among these specimens, 85 were adults and 42 were nymphs, with A. rotundatum being the most prevalent species. An Amblyomma spp. larvae was also collected from a lizard (Uranoscodon superciliosus), and one Amblyomma calcaratum and one Amblyomma dubitatum were recovered from the environment, thus totaling 130 ticks. Among the Ixodidae collected from different hosts, we provide the first report for the species A. rotundatum parasitizing Rhinella major, U. superciliosus, Leptophis ahaetulla, Chironius multiventris, and Mastigodryas boddaerti, as well as of A. humerale parasitizing U. superciliosus, A. geayi parasitizing Choloepus didactylus, and Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus parasitizing Alouatta puruensis.

The origin of the hepatitis B virus is a subject of wide deliberation among researchers. As a result, increasing academic interest has focused on the spread of the virus in different animal species. However, the sources of viral infection for many of these animals are unknown since transmission may occur from animal to animal, human to human, animal to human, and human to animal. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepadnavirus circulation in wild and farm animals (including animals raised under wild or free conditions) from different sites in Brazil and Uruguay using serological and molecular tools. A total of 487 domestic wild and farm animals were screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological markers and tested via quantitative and qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect viral DNA. We report evidence of HBsAg (surface antigen of HBV) and total anti-HBc (HBV core antigen) markers as well as low-copy hepadnavirus DNA among domestic and wild animals. According to our results, which were confirmed by partial genome sequencing, as the proximity between humans and animals increases, the potential for pathogen dispersal also increases. A wider knowledge and understanding of reverse zoonoses should be sought for an effective One Health response.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of two cypermethrin-and chlorpyrifos-based acaricides in controlling Rhipicephalus microplus in a naturally infested bovine herd and in in vitro tests, as well as to monitor the animals for tick fever. Male bovines in the rearing phase were used, with 30 Brangus and 30 Nellore animals naturally infested. The groups were composed as follows: 15 Nellore treated, 15 Nellore control, 15 Brangus treated and 15 Brangus control. Every 18 days, the animals were monitored for tick count, acaricide treatment, weight, blood pack cell volume, and clinical signs. For in vitro tests, the larval packet test, adult immersion test and DNA amplification for tick fever diagnosis were performed. In the first animal treatment period, product 1 (cypermethrin, 15 g + chlorpyrifos, 25 g + citronellal, 1 g) was used; in the second period, product 2 (cypermethrin, 15 g + chlorpyrifos, 30 g + fenthion, 15 g) was used. In Brangus animals, the mean efficacy was 35.1% and 95.8% in the first and second periods, respectively, for the same animals. For Nellore animals, the efficacy in periods one and two was 51% and 97.1%, respectively. The in vitro results showed efficacy above 95% for the two challenged acaricides. The Brangus animals showed a high production of ticks associated with the presence of tick fever agents, which could generate risks for the disease's enzootic stability

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Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular protozoan with canids (Canis domesticus, Canis lupus dingo, Canis latrans, Canis lupus) as its definitive hosts. The objective of this study was to detect anti-N. caninum antibodies in pregnant women seen at referral center for prenatal screening in the state of state Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A total of 188 serum samples from pregnant women provided by the Instituto de Pesquisa, Ensino e Diagnósticos da APAE de Campo Grande (IPED/ APAE) were subjected to IFA test and western blot analysis. The samples were divided into three groups: 23/99 samples from the seropositive group for toxoplasmosis were positive for anti-N. caninum IgG antibodies, and 9/99 positive for IgM; in the HIV group, 7/33 were positive for IgG; and in the HIV+toxoplasmosis group, 13/56 were positive for IgG and two positive for IgM. The seropositivity for IgG was assessed by western blot by testing 43 IFA test positive samples using rNcSRS2 (Nc-p43) as antigen. The serological results of the present study suggest that exposure of these pregnant women to the parasite N. caninum and presence of IgM antibodies are indicative of recent infection. Further studies are needed to establish the possibility of active infection.