Introduction: Goats are considered very susceptible to infection by Toxoplasma gondii and when this occurs during pregnancy, it may cause fetal death with subsequent fetal resorption, abortion, mummification, stillborn or the birth of weak goats. The objective of this work was to determine the occurrence of and identify risk factors for T. gondii infection in goats in different mesoregions in the State of Alagoas. Methods: The research was conducted on 24 goat breeding farms in 10 municipalities. A total of 454 blood samples were examined for anti-T. gondii antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. To evaluate the risk factors of toxoplasmosis in goats, questionnaires were applied analyzing the farm's production system and nutritional, reproductive and sanitary management. Results: Disease occurrence was 39% with 95.8% of farms presenting seropositive animals. Significant associations were observed for mesoregion (OR = 0.23; 95%CI = 0.09 -0.57), age (OR = 0.36; 95%CI = 0.20 -0.64), semi-intensive herd management (OR = 8.70; 95%CI = 1.87 -40.43), access of cats to water provided for goats (OR = 3.38; 95%CI = 1.89-6.02) and cats feeding on placental remnants (OR = 2.73; 95%CI = 1.38 -5.40). Conclusions: Toxoplasma gondii infection is disseminated in the State of Alagoas and the adoption of a program that monitors infection foci is required to reduce the risk factors identified in the present study.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar a frequência de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii e anti-Neospora caninum, bem como identificar fatores de risco em cães do município de Natal, Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil. Para tanto, foram colhidas amostras de sangue de 476 cães atendidos em clínicas veterinárias no período de março de 2011 e maio de 2012. Para o diagnóstico sorológico das infecções, foi utilizada a reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI), adotando-se como pontos de corte as diluições 1:64 (T. gondii) e 1:50 (N. caninum). Das 476 amostras, 55 (11,5%; IC 95%=8,8%-14,8%) foram soropositivas para T. gondii, e 31 (6,5%; IC 95%=4,5%-9,1%) para N. caninum. As variáveis idade > 48meses (OR=4,68) e acesso à rua (OR=4,91) foram identificadas como fatores de risco para T. gondii, enquanto que para N. caninum, os fatores de risco foram limpeza semanal/quinzenal/mensal do ambiente onde o animal vive (OR=2,77) e presença de ratos (OR=2,34). Conclui-se que as infecções por T. gondii e N. caninum, detectadas por sorologia, estão presentes em cães atendidos em clínicas veterinárias do município de Natal, bem como se recomenda a correção dos fatores de risco identificados.

The aim of this study was to detect the IS900 region of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in bovine milk samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and conventional PCR, and to study the agreement between these tests. A total of 121 bovine milk samples were collected from herds considered positive for MAP, from the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. MAP DNA was detected in 20 samples (16.5%) using conventional PCR and in 34 samples (28.1%) using qPCR. MAP DNA was detected in all of the 6 animal farms studied. Moderate agreement was found between qPCR and conventional PCR results, where the sensitivity and specificity of conventional PCR in relation to qPCR were 50% and 96.6%, respectively. Thus, the IS900 region of MAP was found in bovine milk samples from the State of Pernambuco. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of MAP DNA found in bovine milk in Northeast Brazil. We also demonstrated the qPCR technique is more sensitive than conventional PCR with respect to detection of MAP in milk samples.

The aim of the present study was to investigate antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in the serum of mules and donkeys bred in the northeast of Brazil. In total, 483 samples were used (395 mules and 88 donkeys) from 4 states (Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, and Sergipe). The indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IFI) technique was used to investigate antibodies to T. gondii with a cut-off point of 64. Positive frequencies of 23.8% and 43.2% were recorded for mules and donkeys, respectively. The state of Pernambuco had the highest prevalence of positive samples (29%) with statistically significant differences for species (P < 0.001) and state (P = 0.048). This is the first study of antibodies to T. gondii in mules and donkeys in these 4 states of the northeastern region of Brazil and serves as a warning to health authorities regarding the risks of ingesting equine meat.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii in backyard pigs destined for human consumption in Pernambuco state, Brazil. Blood and tissue samples (liver, heart, brain, lung and diaphragm) were collected from 224 pigs from legal slaughterhouses and tested for T. gondii infection. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in the sera of 37.9% (85/224) by using the immunofluorescence antibody test (cut-off - 1:64). Tissue samples from seropositive pigs were bioassayed in mice. Tissue samples from seropositive pigs and from mice of the bioassay were submitted to histopathology, immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing; 14.1% of pig tissue samples and 27.7% of bioassayed mouse samples were positive for T. gondii DNA, but all pig and mouse tissues were negative in histopathology analysis and immunochemistry. By using a risk assessment questionnaire, there was significant difference (p<0.001) in seroprevalence of 21.2% (reproducer) and 3.1% (finishing pig). These data serve as indicative of the sanitary conditions and risk of T. gondii infection for backyard pigs. Preventive measures must be implemented by health services to avoid toxoplasmosis human cases due to ingestion of pig meat.