Researchers have long appreciated the role of climate in vector-borne diseases, including the resurgence of boutonneuse fever (BF). Portugal usually is classified as having temperate Mediterranean climate. In this new century, in analyzing the data from the Meteorology Institute, this pattern has changed and an accentuated variability in climate is being observed. BF (febre escaro nodular) is endemic and high season is from late spring and summer. The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. is the vector and reservoir of Rickettsia conorii complex strains: R. conorii Malish and Israeli spotted fever strain. To assess the influence of climate change in BF seasonality our aim was to compare the human sera samples received at CEVDI-INSA for laboratory diagnosis of MSF for 5 months per year from October to February, ("off-season") from 2000 to 2005. Of 1,299 sera samples in persons with suspected clinical diagnosis of MSF, 45 (3.4%) were considered positive cases and the number of positive cases has doubled in the last 2 years. BF epidemiology clearly appears to be associated with climate change, especially with low precipitation values. Physicians should be aware of increasing off-season BF cases.

Toscana virus (TOSV) is an emerging Phlebovirus of growing interest as a human pathogen in the Mediterranean Basin. In Portugal, however, little is known about the prevalence of TOSV infection. The aim of this work was to perform a seroprevalence study in patients with requests for laboratory diagnosis of vector-borne viruses. A total of 538 patients with and without neurological signs from 2004 to 2008 were studied by in-house indirect immunofluorescence assay and commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A prevalence of 4.2% for IgG antibodies was found in the group of patients with neurological signs. Five (3%) of these had recent infections. In the group with no neurological signs, the IgG prevalence was 1.3%. Two samples, belonging to two patients, were also confirmed with plaque reduction neutralization tests with the TOSV ISS. Phl.3 Italian strain. This work showed that TOSV is present and causing disease from north to south in Portugal. The probable circulation of different phlebovirus serotypes in Portugal emphasizes the need for further studies.

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The Mundaú-Manguaba Estuary Lagoon Complex is located on the coast of Alagoas state in Northeastern Brazil, and consists of two shallow lagoons, Mundaú and Manguaba, that form a system of choked lagoons which are connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a series of narrow channels with a single outlet which dynamically alters its position. This study uses the Hydrodynamic Environmental System, SisBaHiA® to investigate how variations in river discharge and wind influence hydrodynamic circulation, water renewal, salinity and temperature in the lagoons. The free surface positions, obtained by model, were compared with the free surface positions measured at two points of the complex, showing good agreement. The analyses were carried out for dry and wet seasons and extreme events with very high freshwater discharge. The channel system of the lagoons is an efficient filter in reducing tidal variability inside the lagoons. The tidal ranges in the Manguaba and Mundaú Lagoons are 90% and 80% lower, respectively, as compared with the values in the open boundary. The residence time calculated varied between 11 and 365 days and between 2 and 180 days for the Manguaba and Mundaú Lagoons, respectively, making it possible to identify possible stagnation areas. The results from the salt and heat transport model show a prolonged period with low salt concentrations and slow salinity recovery after the rainy season; the water temperature in the lagoons shows little spatial and temporal variation.

A case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection was reported in the Algarve region, Portugal, in the first week of September 2015. WNV is known to circulate in Portugal, with occasional reports in horses and birds (2004 to 2011) and very sporadically human cases (in 2004 and in 2010). Here we present the clinical and laboratory aspects related to the first human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease reported in Portugal.

O presente trabalho analisa as alterações morfológicas ocorridas no Complexo Estuarino Lagunar Mundaú-Manguaba (CELMM), através de técnicas de geoprocessamento e da modelagem computacional. Inicialmente realizou-se uma análise multitemporal das variações das linhas de costa entre o período de 1986 até 2017 a partir de imagens dos satélites Landsat 5-TM e Landsat 8-OLI. As imagens foram vetorizadas em ambiente de Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) para a posterior realização do cálculo das taxas de erosão e acreção. Após isso, algumas simulações foram realizadas com o auxílio do Sistema Base de Hidrodinâmica Ambiental (SisBaHiA®) para os parâmetros tempo de residência e idade da água, considerando três cenários com configurações de embocaduras distintas (2006, 2014 e 2017). Os resultados indicaram o predomínio da deposição de sedimentos na região da embocadura, com a dinâmica migratória no sentido sudoeste-nordeste. O tempo de residência apontou possíveis áreas de estagnação na região noroeste da laguna Manguaba e nas porções noroeste e sudeste da laguna Mundaú. O cenário de 2014 apresentou menores idades das águas, mostrando que as diferentes configurações de embocaduras interferem na renovação das águas do complexo estuarino lagunar.

The Mundaú-Manguaba Estuary Lagoon Complex (CELMM), located on the coast of Alagoas state in Northeastern Brazil, consists of two choked coastal lagoons connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a series of narrow channels, establishing a single tidal inlet, which dynamically alters their position. This study uses the modeling system SisBaHiA® (in Portuguese, Sistema Hidrodinâmico Ambiental) and Trophic Index (TRIX) to evaluate how morphological changes in the CELMM can influence the water quality of the lagoons. The results showed that water quality is mainly influenced by river discharge regimes, with no major changes in the region of the tidal inlet for the three simulated years (2006, 2014 and 2017). Trophic index showed greater changes in the rainy season, with a decline in values as river discharge increases, mainly in the northwest and central portions of the Mundaú Lagoon. In the Manguaba Lagoon an opposite pattern was found, namely a rise in the Trophic index with increased river discharges.

A modificação de ligantes asfálticos é uma prática que visa aumentar a resistência às deformações permanentes, como trincas ocasionadas por fadiga ou por variações térmicas, além de, consequentemente, melhorar as condições de segurança e conforto das rodovias e reduzir custos com manutenções. Assim, este trabalho tem o objetivo de estudar a modificação do ligante asfáltico 50/70 por dois tipos de lignina, provenientes de espécies diferentes, folhosa (Pinus) e coníferas (Eucalipto), nos teores de 3%, 6% e 9%. Nesta pesquisa foram realizados o procedimento de envelhecimento RTFO e o ensaio químico FTIR. Os resultados indicaram que a incorporação da lignina ao CAP 50/70 pode reduzir o processo de envelhecimento, através da redução da oxidação do ligante, principalmente no teor de 6% de lignina de Eucalipto, porém é necessário a realização de outros ensaios químicos que atestem as indicações verificadas neste trabalho. Dessa maneira, a utilização desse polímero natural pode ser uma alternativa viável para o aproveitamento do excedente de lignina das indústrias de papel e celulose, evitando o descarte inadequado no meio ambiente, como também, economicamente por poder substituir uma porcentagem em peso do ligante utilizado na pavimentação, gerando uma fonte de renda extra para as indústrias produtoras de papel e celulose, além de ser utilizada no lugar de polímeros sintéticos com custos elevados.