RESUMOA urolitíase obstrutiva em pequenos ruminantes é uma doença metabólica de etiologia multifatorial com distribuição mundial. A elevação da concentração urinária de solutos, minerais ionizados (cristaloides) que formam cristais insolúveis é citada por alguns autores como o fator mais importante. Assim, o conhecimento do perfil mineral dos animais submetidos a dietas calculogênicas e a composição química dos urólitos tornam-se ferramentas eficazes na prevenção da doença. Neste estudo, foram utilizados 14 ovinos hígidos, machos (não castrados), da raça Santa Inês, com idade aproximada de 90 dias, distribuídos em dois grupos (G1 -sem vitamina C e G2 -com vitamina C) e alimentados com dieta calculogênica. A análise dos perfis minerais, séricos e urinários revelou completo desbalanceamento na relação entre concentrações de cálcio, fósforo e magnésio, havendo elevação expressiva do fósforo e do magnésio e diminuição substancial do cálcio. Com isso, a análise bioquímica dos urólitos demonstrou que o cálcio esteve presente em 50% das amostras analisadas.Palavras-chave: doença de ovinos, mineral, trato urinário, urolitíase (Guimarães et al., 2007;Riet-Correa et al., 2008;Vinodhkumar et al., 2010). Em regiões áridas, onde o consumo de água é fator limitante, a incidência é maior. Embora apresente caráter esporádico, pode http://dx ABSTRACT Urolithiasis in small ruminants is a metabolic disease of multifactorial etiology with worldwide distribution. Increased urinary concentration of solutes, ionized minerals (crystalloid) that form insoluble crystals is cited by some authors as the most important factor. Thus, knowledge of mineral profile of the animals fed calculogenic diets and chemical composition of uroliths becomes an effective tool in preventing the disease. In this study, we used 14 healthy, male, non-neutered sheep, of the Santa Ines breed, aged approximately 90 days, divided into two groups (G1-without vitamin C and G2-with vitamin C) fed calculogenic diet. Analysis of mineral profiles in serum and urine revealed complete imbalance in

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The transplacental transmission is the primary route of Neospora caninum infection in bovine herds around the world. This study aimed to determine the frequency of transplacental transmission of the parasite in dairy cattle of Agreste region of Pernambuco through serological tests (IFAT and ELISA). Three hundred sixteen serum samples from cows and heifers and their offspring were analyzed. The transplacental transmission rate was 72.22% (13/18) for cows and 69.23% (9/13) for heifers by IFAT. ELISA test showed transplacental transmission rate of 43.58% (17/39) for cows and 50% (9/18) for heifers. The transplacental transmission rates were similar, in both groups in test, but a higher seropositivity was found in cows by IFAT. Data were statistically analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher's exact test. A significant relationship of dependence between seropositivity of mothers and their offspring was found. The more frequent IFAT antibody titers and ELISA levels for N. caninum were, respectively, 200 and between four (cows) and five (heifers and offspring). In the Spearman correlation, no association was found between the magnitude of antibody titers for N. caninum between mothers and their offspring. The kappa test showed an index of 0.35, indicating a mild correlation between the serological tests used. The study suggests that cows and heifers are the main transmitters of N. caninum in the studied region and that vertical transmission is the major form of transmission in dairy herds of the Agreste region of Pernambuco.Keywords: Neosporosis, dairy cows, IFAT, ELISA, Northeastern Brazil. ResumoA transmissão transplacentária é a principal via de infecção do Neospora caninum nos rebanhos bovinos em todo o mundo. O presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar a frequência da transmissão transplacentária do parasita em bovinos leiteiros do Agreste Pernambucano, por meio de testes sorológicos (RIFI e ELISA). Foram analisadas 316 amostras de soro de fêmeas bovinas (vacas e novilhas) e de suas crias. A taxa de transmissão transplacentária pela RIFI foi de 72,22% (13/18) para vacas e 69,23% (9/13) para as novilhas. O ELISA teste mostrou taxa de transmissão transplacentária de 43,58% (17/39) para as vacas e 50% (9/18) para as novilhas. As taxas de transmissão transplacentária foram similares para os dois testes em geral, porém uma maior soropositividade foi encontrada nas vacas pela RIFI. Os dados foram estatisticamente analisados pelo teste de qui-quadrado e teste exato de Fischer. Foi encontrada uma relação significativa de dependência entre a soropositividade das mães e de suas crias. Os títulos de anticorpos anti-N. caninum foi de 200 na

Background: Urolithiasis is an economically important disease that has considerable significance for sheep farming. With the tissue and biochemical changes resulting from the development of this disease, metabolic disorders and immune response are established. Hemogasometric evaluation allows the identification of systemic acid-base imbalances quickly. Acute phase proteins (AFP) have in the last two decades become the biomarkers of choice in human and veterinary medicine. To date, no biomarker studies have been published for sheep with obstructive urolithiasis. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the hemogasometric kinetics in obstructive urolithiasis in sheep and the AFP that can be used as early biomarkers in this disease.Materials, Methods & Results: In this study, 14 healthy male Santa Inês sheep, aged approximately 90 days, fed on calculogenic diet for 120 days. The animals were examined weekly, including observation of clinical signs, and blood and urine analysis were performed. For comparative analysis purposes, at the end of the experiment, sheep that developed obstructive urolithiasis were extracted from the initial experimental group D1 (without urolithiasis) and became part of the second experimental group D2 (with urolithiasis). In the pre-experimental period and on the day of slaughter, venous blood samples were harvested for hemogasometric tests, with a maximum time of 15 minutes between collection and analysis, to ensure the reliability of the results obtained. The pH, pCO2, pO2, EB, tCO2, HCO3-, stHCO3-, tHb, sO2 and Hct, Na+, K+ and Ca2+ ions were quantified. To identify and measure immunoglobulins (A and G) and AFP, samples from sheep that developed obstructive urolithiasis (D2) were analyzed. Blood samples were harvested weekly until the clinical manifestation of the disease, totaling 16 samples, when IgA, IgG, ceruloplasmin, transferrin, albumin, α1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin and α1-acid glycoprotein concentrations were measured. Elevation of pCO2 was observed between D1 and D2, but there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) only in the final moments (FMs). Although EB, tCO2, HCO3-, stHCO3- increased between moments in the same group and between groups at the same time, significant differences were recorded only in the FMs. Higher values were observed for Na+, K+ in the FMs. The AFP of sheep that developed the disease oscillated between moments, however, significant difference (P < 0.05) over time was observed only in haptoglobin and transferrin.Discussion: The disease occurred in five of the 14 animals studied, demonstrating the effectiveness of the formulated diet in inducing the disease. Through the analysis of blood gases, plasma bicarbonate concentration and excess base or deficit it was possible to diagnose disturbances in acid base balance, characterizing a picture of metabolic alkalosis in animals with urolithiasis. Mean pH was not significantly different between groups, but sheep that developed urolithiasis had alkalosis. Final values of tCO2 and HCO3- indicate the compensatory organic response, which, together with the analysis of the averages of HCO3- and EB, reflect the metabolic alkalosis picture. The AFP have different responsiveness among them. Haptoglobin and transferrin were the most reliable biomarkers among the studied AFP to predict obstructive urolithiasis, with transferrin showing atypical behavior, characteristic of positive AFP.

A cérvice ovina tem formato irregular, tornando um desafio transpassá-la durante a inseminação artificial. Logo, este trabalho teve por objetivo descrever as características morfológicas da cérvice de ovelhas da raça Santa Inês, comparando-se as fases do ciclo estral. Foram coletados 112 úteros de ovelhas adultas não gestantes e silicone foi injetado no lúmen da cérvice obtendo-se um molde do canal cervical. O comprimento médio foi de 41,33± 16,38 mm e o tipo de óstio cervical mais frequente foi o bico-de-pato (46%). O número mínimo de anéis encontrados nas cérvices foi de dois e o máximo de sete, com média de 4,70 ± 1,05 anéis. A morfometria de cada anel cervical indica que a circunferência interna se afunila na porção média e em seguida torna a aumentar. Não houve diferença significativa (p>0,05) quando se compararam as fases luteínica e folicular e entre os tipos de cérvice quanto ao diâmetro das dobras, altura das dobras, circunferência interna, ponto médio entre as dobras e distância do orifício para as dobras. Nas condições estudadas, concluiu-se que o desenvolvimento de um aplicador de sêmen deve levar em consideração os limites morfométricos encontrados, embora a morfologia e morfometria da cérvice da espécie ovina seja bastante variada, não havendo uma forma padrão para a espécie, inclusive quando são comparadas as fases luteínica e folicular.

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Background: Soft tissue injuries are common in sport horses, especially those involving tendons, with few current reports in the literature on the diagnosis of extensor injuries, especially with regard to ultrasound characteristics, being essential for the diagnosis of these injuries. The objective of the study is to characterize the clinical signs and the alterations of images, especially ultrasound, in the diagnosis of these lesions of the dorsal radiocarpal region, through case reports of horses seen at the Medical Clinic of Large Animals of the Federal University of Campina Grande (MCLA/UFCG), Patos-PB, Brazil.Cases: The study includes five “vaquejada” competitions horses, of which two were active and the others were away from the sport before the onset of the problem, with injuries to the extensor tendons in the radiocarpal region. Two of the animals had involvement of the common digital extensor muscle tendon (CDEMT), with acute and chronic tenosynovitis, and three with involvement of the extensor carpi radialis muscle tendon (ECRMT), presenting acute tendonitis, septic tenosynovitis and rupture, all of traumatic etiology, except for one whose cause has not been determined. On physical examination, the affected tendon was noticeable in three cases, and two had other injuries associated with the tendons. Bone alteration in the radiographic examination was observed in two cases, however, one of them related to another disease in the radiocarpal palmar region. Ultrasound images, performed in all cases, showed different characteristics and degrees of the involvement of the tendon and its sheath.Discussion: The scarcity of current reports of extensor tendon injuries in horses can be attributed to the fact that they do not suffer as much overload or effect from biomechanics compared to flexor tendons, in addition to being an area of little soft tissue covering these tendons. Although the involvement of the extensor tendons is more frequent in the pelvic limbs, due to lacerations, the occurrence of lesions in the dorsal radiocarpal region may be related to excess flexion, being easily susceptible to trauma to solid objects. The specific clinical examination, associated with a well-explored anamnesis, can allow us to locate the lesion and achieve a presumptive diagnosis. In three cases, tendon injuries were noticeable on inspection and palpation, important points to guide the diagnosis. However, in two cases with associated injuries this perception became difficult. Regardless of the clinical diagnosis, imaging diagnosis in lesions of the locomotor system was essential, as it allowed us to assess bone involvement, accurately determine the location of the lesion, its extent and prognosis, which would not be possible only in the clinic. Through ultrasonography it was possible to classify the lesions into acute (hypoechoic areas) and chronic (hyperechoic areas or with heterogeneous pattern of variable echogenicity), in addition to the thickness and characteristic of the liquid in the tendon sheath, which are also important aspects for lesion classification. Thus, we conclude that the dorsal region at the carpal level is susceptible to trauma and can easily compromise the extensor tendons. And for the diagnosis and adequate conduct, it is necessary to determine ultrasound image regarding the different types of lesions, which is provided in the present study.

Urolithiasis affects the urinary tract of small ruminants, thereby requiring the animal to prematurely terminate breeding. Morphometric study of organs can be used as a diagnostic method. Thus, this study aimed to describe the macroscopic, histopathological, and histomorphometric changes in the urinary tract of sheep with urolithiasis. For this purpose, 14 healthy male Santa Inês sheep, approximately 90 days old, were studied and fed an experimental diet. After the development of urolithiasis, the animals were reorganized into two groups, D1 (without urolithiasis) and D2 (with urolithiasis) for comparative data analysis. Sheep were necropsied to evaluate the pathological changes, followed by macroscopic morphometric analysis, and the histopathological and histomorphometric characteristics were described. Urethral necrosis and a full urinary bladder were observed in all animals that developed the disease. The comparison between sheep with and without urolithiasis showed no significant difference (P < 0.05) in the evaluated macroscopic morphometric variables, except for the right ureter width. Regarding the histopathological evaluation, multifocal areas of mild to moderate congestion within the glomerular tufts and protein in the tubular lumen of the kidneys were observed. In the liver, mild to moderate fatty degeneration was noted in the centrolobular regions, and an ulcerated focal area in the bladder mucosa was observed in only one animal. The present study demonstrated that the formulated diet was effective in inducing clinical disease. In acute obstructive urolithiasis in sheep tissue, lesions in the liver and urinary tract were observed, although there were no significant histomorphometric changes.