No abstract

There is great diversity in swine coccidia, which are responsible for causing intestinal disorders ranging from sporadic diarrhea to severe cases of hemorrhagic enteritis. Thus, determining the species of coccidia that affect the animals of a region and associating them with the characteristics of the farms become extremely important. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of coccidia parasites in pigs reared in a family farming production system in the Semiarid Region of the State of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil. Fecal samples for analysis were collected from 187 pigs on 51 farms. For morphological analysis, 1,590 sporulated oocysts were used. The prevalence of oocysts in fecal samples was 56.6% (106/187). The most prevalent species were Eimeria suis (21.9%), followed by Eimeria neodebliecki (16.6%), Eimeria perminuta (14.9%), Eimeria polita (12.8%), Eimeria debliecki (10.6%), Eimeria porci (10.1%), Cystoisospora suis (3.7%), Eimeria scabra (1.6%) and Eimeria cerdonis (0.5%). It can be concluded that pigs from the Semiarid Region of the State of Paraíba were parasitized by a diversity of coccidia species, mainly of the genus Eimeria, and predominantly presented with mixed infections occurring in the subclinical form.

No abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the use of a sodium alginate matrix-pelletized formulation of Duddingtonia flagrans for biological control of gastrointestinal nematodiasis in feedlot goats in the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil. We used 20 Saanen female goats (age, 4 months; average weight, 12 kg) that did not receive anthelmintic treatment and had counting of eggs per gram of faeces (EPGs) ? 500. The animals were divided into two groups: in group 1 (D. flagrans group), each animal received 3 g of pellets (0.6 g of D. flagrans mycelium) per 10 kg of body weight, twice a week, over 4 months; and in group 2 (control group), each animal received 3 g of pellets without fungus per 10 kg of body weight, twice a week, over 4 months. Each group was maintained in a separate 15-m2 stall. Larval cultures and measurements of weight, EPG, and packed cell volume (PCV) were performed every 15 days. We observed low EPG levels in the D. flagrans group throughout the experimental period, with a significant difference (p < 0.05) on day 30 and from day 60, having, at the end of the experiment, average OPG values of only 150, reduction of 92.3% when compared to control group. Haemonchus sp. was the most prevalent helminth in all larval cultures. The D. flagrans group showed a mean weight gain of 8.8 kg at the end of the experiment (p < 0.05), while the control group showed a mean weight gain of 4.8 kg. The best PCV results (p < 0.05) were also observed in the D. flagrans group from day 30. Thus, the use of D. flagrans pellets in a sodium alginate matrix was effective in controlling gastrointestinal nematodiasis of feedlot goats in the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil.

No abstract

The effectiveness of four anthelmintic classes on cattle gastrointestinal nematodes in the semi-arid region of Paraiba State, Brazil, was evaluated. Twenty farms were used, testing 40 animals in each one, totaling 800 animals. Cattle were divided into four groups composed with ten animals: I, treated with albendazole sulfoxide 15%; II, treated with ivermectin 1%; III, treated with closantel 25%; IV, treated with levamisole hydrochloride 7.5%. All treatments were administered subcutaneously. For the Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT), individual fecal samples were collected on days 0 and 14, and sent for analysis of egg count per gram of feces (EPG) and larval cultures. It was observed that multiresistance was present in 95% (19/20) of the farms. Resistance to ivermectin and albendazole was observed in 95% (19/20), to closantel in 75% (15/20) and to levamisole in 20% (4/20). The most used management system was semi-intensive (75%; 15/20) and the ivermectin was the most reported drug for controlling helminths (65%; 13/20). Haemonchus spp. was the most prevalent helminth genus. It was concluded that the anthelmintic resistance of bovine gastrointestinal nematodes is high in the semi-arid of Paraíba State, Brazil, with multiresistance observed mainly to ivermectin, albendazole and closantel.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite capable of infecting almost all warm-blooded animals. Currently, studies assessing the viability of cysts present in sheep meat are still scarce, especially in the northeastern region of Brazil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies, isolate the parasite from tissue samples, and determine factors associated with infection of sheep intended for human consumption in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Serum samples from 205 sheep slaughtered in Paraíba were tested using the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT ≥ 64) for the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies. Among the animals sampled, 30.7% (63/205) were seropositive, with antibody titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:16384. Sixty-one bioassays were performed in mice, and an isolation rate of 47.5% (29/61) was obtained. The infection was lethal to at least one infected mouse in 24.1% (7/29) of the bioassays. The mean length of survival of infected mice was 36.4 days. Females (OR = 3.183; CI = [1.452-6.976]), extensive breeding system (OR = 2.612; CI = [1.120-6.094]), and purebred animals (OR = 2.157; CI = [1.009-4.612]) were considered to be factors associated with infection. These results revealed that the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies and the percentage of viable cysts recovered from sheep destined for human consumption in Paraíba, northeastern Brazil, were high.

Aimed with this study to evaluate vertical transmission of Neospora caninum in naturally infected sheep and to monitor the kinetics of antibodies against this protozoon in their lambs. Therefore, 48 pregnant ewes, from five herds, were divided into two groups: G1 - positive for anti-N. caninum antibodies, with 19 animals; and G2 - seronegative, with 29 animals. Blood samples were taken from the ewes and their lambs, immediately after birth, before ingesting colostrum, and 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days after birth. Analysis on serum antibodies was performed using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. Among the 19 seropositive mothers, six (31.6%) gave birth to lambs seropositive before ingesting colostrum and it was found that these lambs remained positive until the end of the study (56 days). Only one of the lambs, from a ewe that presented an antibody titer of 200, seroconverted after ingestion of colostrum. All the lambs that had been born from negative mothers remained negative throughout the experimental period. It was concluded that transplacental transmission was an important form of diffusion of N. caninum in the herds studied and that seropositive lambs maintained circulating antibodies during the period analyzed.