Serum samples were collected from wild boars (Sus scrofa) harvested during the 2005-2006 hunting season in Campania, southern Italy. Samples were tested for antibodies to Leptospira interrogan, Brucella spp., Salmonella spp., Aujeszky disease virus (ADV), porcine reproductive and respiratory stress syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), classical swine fever virus (CSFV), and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV). Of the 342 serum samples tested, 15 (4.4%) were seropositive to Brucella spp., nine (2.6%) were seropositive to L. interrogans, 66 (19.3%) were seropositive for Salmonella spp., 105 (30.7%) were seropositive for ADV, 27 (7.9%) were seropositive for PPV, and 129 (37.7%) were seropositive for PRRSV. All sera tested seronegative for SVDV and CSFV antibodies. These results, recorded for the first time in Campania, support the hypothesis that wild boar are reservoirs of certain infectious agents, but some infections in wild boars originate from their domestic counterparts.

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Caprine herpesvirus type 1 (CpHV-1), like other members of the alpha subfamily of herpesviruses, establishes latent infections in trigeminal ganglion neurons. Our groups previously demonstrated that CpHV-1 induces apoptosis in goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in an epithelial bovine cell line, but the ability of CpHV-1 to induce apoptosis in neuronal cells remains unexplored. In this report, the susceptibility of Neuro 2A cells to infection by CpHV-1 was examined. Following infection of cultured cells with CpHV-1, expression of cell death genes was evaluated using real-time PCR and Western blot assays. Analysis of virus-infected cells revealed activation of caspase-8, a marker for the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis, and caspase-9, a marker for the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis at 12 and 24 h post-infection. Significant increase in the levels of cleaved caspase-3 was also observed at the acme of cytopathic effect at 24 h post-infection. In particular, at 3 and 6 h post-infection, several proapototic genes were under-expressed. At 12 h post-infection several proapototic genes such as caspases, TNF, Cd70, and Traf1 were over expressed while Bcl2a1a, Fadd, and TNF genes were underexpressed. In conclusion, the simultaneous activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9 suggests that CpHV-1 can trigger the death-receptor pathway and the mitochondrial pathway separately and in parallel. Our findings are significant because this is the first published study showing the effect of CpHV-1 infection in neuronal cells in terms of gene expression and apoptosis modulation.

Introduction: The southern region of Brazil leads the statistics of skin cancer in Brazil, and multiple factors are related to this predisposition, such as low phototypes and excessive sun exposure. Ultraviolet radiation is the main modifiable risk factor for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, and the regular use of sunscreens has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of developing these diseases, as well as other photomediated dermatoses. Despite this, the prevalence of non-regular use of sunscreens in cities in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul proved to be above the desired level. In Santa Catarina cities, this prevalence was still undetermined. Objective: To identify the prevalence of non-use of sunscreen regularly and relate it to demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral and health variables. Method: A population-based cross-sectional study carried out in 2019 with individuals aged 18 years or older residing in the urban area of a large municipality in southern Brazil. Crude and adjusted analyzes were performed, using Poisson regression with a significance level of 5%, to assess the association between non-regular use of sunscreen and sociodemographic, behavioral and health variables. Results: 820 individuals were studied. The prevalence of not using sunscreen regularly was 52.8%. Factors associated with increased risk were: male sex (PR 1.57; 95%CI 1.39-1.77); smoking (PR 1.19; 95%CI 1.03-1.37); age, showing a direct linear trend; and schooling, showing an inverse linear trend. Having a supplementary health plan (PR 0.84; 95%CI 0.71-0.99) and walking during leisure time (PR 0.76; 95%CI 0.64-0.90) proved to be protective factors. Conclusion: This study allowed us to identify the profile of individuals at greater risk of not using sunscreen regularly and who, consequently, are at greater risk of developing photo-related skin diseases. It represents a potential benefit to public health insofar as it allows better targeting of prevention strategies.