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The genus Babesia comprises protozoa that cause diseases known as babesiosis. Dogs are commonly affected by Babesia canis or Babesia gibsoni. Babesia canis is divided into the subspecies Babesia canis canis, Babesia canis vogeli and Babesia canis rossi. Among these, Babesia canis vogeli predominates in Brazil. The objective of this study was to conduct a phylogenetic analysis on Babesia isolates from dogs in Goiânia, Goiás. Blood samples were obtained from 890 dogs presenting clinical signs suggestive of canine babesiosis that were attended at a veterinary hospital of Goiás. Only samples presenting typical intraerythrocytic parasites were used in the study. These were subjected to DNA extraction and amplification of a fragment of the 18S rRNA, by means of PCR. The PCR products were purified and sequenced. Sequences were obtained from 35 samples but only 17 of these were kept after quality assessment. Similarity analysis using BLASTn demonstrated that all 17 sequences corresponded to B. canis vogeli. Analysis using the Mega4 software showed that the isolates of B. canis vogeli from dogs in Goiânia present a high degree of molecular similarity (99.2 to 100%) in comparison with other reference isolates from other regions of Brazil and worldwide, deposited in GenBank.Keywords: Babesia canis vogeli, canine babesiosis, molecular characterization, phylogeny. Resumo

A babesiose canina é uma enfermidade causada por hematozoários intraeritrocitários obrigatórios do gênero Babesia. As espécies Babesia canis e Babesia gibsoni apresentam ampla distribuição geográfica. Mundialmente são reconhecidas três subéspecies de B. canis: B. canis canis, B. canis vogeli e B. canis rossi. A caracterização morfológica observada no exame direto de esfregaços sangüíneos permite a diferenciação entre B. canis e B. gibsoni, mas não entre as subespécies de B. canis. B. gibsoni é um parasito pequeno, normalmente encontrado em formas isoladas no interior das hemácias. B. canis é um parasito do grupo das grandes babesias, que geralmente se apresenta aos pares. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar, por meio de estudos morfológicos e moleculares, as espécies e subespécies de Babesia envolvidas nos casos clínicos de babesiose canina na cidade de Goiânia. Amostras de sangue foram colhidas para a preparação de esfregaços sangüíneos e apenas as amostras positivas foram encaminhadas para a extração de DNA, totalizando 30 amostras. A avaliação microscópica dos esfregaços revelou formas intra-eritrocitárias variadas de trofozoítos e merozoítos e, em algumas amostras, prevaleceram formas com valores próximos a B. gibsoni; em outras, formas equivalentes a B. canis. O diagnóstico subespécie-específico por PCR confirmou a identidade molecular de B. c. vogeli nas 30 amostras avaliadas. Dessa forma foi possível concluir que, apesar das diferenças morfométricas verificadas entre as amostras procedentes da cidade de Goiânia, todas foram identificadas como subespécie B. c. vogeli.

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Conventional bacteriology techniques and quantitative polymerasechain reaction (qPCR) were applied to the eggshell, albumen, and yolk of washed and unwashed commercial white and brown eggs, to detect Salmonella spp. Pooled samples of eggshells, albumen, and yolk of white and brown eggs were collected at the poultry house and at the egg-storage room. Salmonella spp. was detected by conventional bacteriology in 5.4% (21/387) of analyzed samples and in 16% (68/387) by qPCR. In the 114 unwashed white eggs samples of eggshell, albumen and yolk, the bacterium was identified in 2.6% of the eggs (3/114) by conventional bacteriology and in 13.2% (15/114) by qPCR. In the 90 samples of washed eggs, 6.7% (6/90) were contaminated as detected by conventional bacteriology and 10.0% (9/90) by qPCR. In the 81 samples of unwashed brown eggs, Salmonella spp. was detected in 6.1% of the eggs (5/81) by conventional bacteriology and 27.2% (22/81) by qPCR. In the 102 samples of brown washed eggs, 6.9% (7/102) where positive by conventional bacteriology and 35.3% (16/102) by qPCR. All samples detected as positive by conventional bacteriology were also positive by qPCR. Salmonella Agona represented 18.2% (4/22) of identified serovars, Salmonella enterica subs. enterica O: 4.5 18.2%

The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Salmonella spp. in samples collected from beef meat at three points of the slaughter line (after skinning, washing and cooling) at three slaughterhouses in Brazil that export meat. Detection was based on ISO 6579:2002 and confirmed by PCR and qPCR. The isolates were typified using slide agglutination tests and PFGE. The antibiotic sensitivity profile was determined using the disk diffusion method. Contamination was detected in only one slaughterhouse. The overall frequency of contamination by Salmonella spp. was 6.7% of carcasses (6/90) and 2.6% of carcass surface samples (7/270). All isolates were confirmed by PCR and qPCR. The serological analysis and the PFGE showed a single profile: Typhimurium. The strains demonstrated 100% susceptibility to ampicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin and tetracycline. Positive carcasses after cooling pose a direct risk to consumers, since the meat is considered ready to be marketed after this process.

This present study was developed with the objective of detect Salmonella sp. by conventional bacteriology and qPCR techniques in samples of flooring material from transport crates (meconium); raising environment (swab of cages and drinking fountains); cloacal swab; food and insects from growing, rearing and production phases in a commercial group of laying hens. A total of 864 samples were collected, among whom 248 originated from growing, 392 from rearing and 224 from production phase. Among the 864 samples, 2,8% where positives in bacteriologic technique and 15.3% in qPCR. Contamination was higher in growing and rearing phases and declined in production phase. Twenty four isolations of Salmonella where typified as Salmonella Agona (41.7%), Salmonella Livingstone (33.3%), Salmonella Cerro (16.7%), Salmonella Senftenberg (4.2%) and Salmonella Schwarzengrund (4.2%). During growing phase Salmonella Livingstone was identified. These findings suggest vertical contamination in the group. During rearing and production phases, isolated materials belong to serovars Agona, Cerro, Senftenberg and Schwarzengrund, pointing to horizontal contamination. It is possible to conclude that both vertical and horizontal contaminations are important during the cycle of commercial egg production and contamination in rearing phase is higher than in growing and production phases.

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