Os antimicrobianos são amplamente utilizados na clínica veterinária e o uso indiscriminado destas drogas contribui com o aumento progressivo da resistência bacteriana. A resistência aos antibióticos é um sério problema do ponto de vista clínico e de saúde pública, devido ao tratamento dos animais tornar seus produtos e derivados fonte para resistência bacteriana na espécie humana. A origem da resistência pode ser genética ou não e independente de qual seja a forma de maior importância neste processo, o fato é que o número de novas bactérias resistentes e patogênicas para os animais e humanos cresce mais rápido do que a capacidade dos laboratórios e indústrias produzirem novas drogas.

Here, we assessed outcome of experimental infection by Neospora caninum in goats intravenously inoculated with 106 tachyzoites of the Nc-Spain7 isolate at 40 (G1), 90 (G2) and 120 (G3) days of gestation. Infected goats had fever between 5 and 9 days post inoculation (dpi); all were seropositive at the time of abortion/birth. Foetal death occurred in G1 from 10 to 21 dpi (n = 7) and in G2 from 27 to 35 dpi (n = 4). Goats in G2 also had seropositive stillbirth (n = 1) and healthy kids (n = 2). G3 goats (n = 7) had 3 seropositive and 3 seronegative weak kids, and 2 seronegative healthy kids. Parasite DNA detection in placentomes was 100% in G2, 85.7% in G3 and in G1 was detected only in placentomes from the goats with foetal losses from 17 dpi (100%). Parasites were detected in foetal/kid brain (>85.7%) and liver (≥50%) of G2 and G3, and in G1 after 17 dpi (100%). The highest parasite loads were detected in the placentomes of G1 from 17 dpi and G2, and in foetal tissues of G1 from 17 dpi and G3. Multifocal necrotic lesions were observed in the placentas of the three groups, but they were larger and more frequent in G1 and G2. Similar lesions were observed in foetal tissues, but they were more frequent in G3. These findings suggest that, as observed in cattle and sheep, the clinical consequences of N. caninum in pregnant goats are dependent in part on the time of gestation when animals were infected.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13567-016-0312-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study was conducted to investigate the participation of Toxoplasma gondii in reproductive failure in small ruminants raised in the Litoral/ Zona da Mata and Agreste of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Twelve ϐlocks were selected from which 262 samples were collected, 167 from goats and 95 from sheep. Indirect Imunoϐluorescent Antibody Reaction (IFA) technique was used to detect antibodies anti-Toxoplasma gondii. A questionnaire was applied in ϐlocks to identify risk factors associated with infection. Positive animals were found in 100% of the farms. Among 167 samples of goat serum analyzed, 31.7% were positive, whereas from 95 samples of sheep, 16.9% were positive. Results of brucellosis tests were negative for 100% of analyzed samples. For sheep, no signiϐicant association was found; however, for goats, there was a signiϐicant association (p<0.05) for intensive handling (OR=2.40), milk exploration (OR=2.10), animals originating from other states (OR=7.89) and natural breeding (OR=5.69). It was concluded that infection for T. gondii is spread in studied goat and sheep ϐlocks and that sanitary measures must be adopted to control risk factors for infection.INDEX TERMS: Indirect imunoϐluorescent antibody reaction, Toxoplasma gondii, risk factors.

Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular bacterium, is the agent of Q fever/coxiellosis, a worldwide zoonosis. Dairy animals are the primary reservoirs of C. burnetii, and although the disease is usually asymptomatic or subclinical, abortion is a serious clinical outcome among small ruminants. This study was conducted to investigate C. burnetii seroprevalence and infection In a flock of dairy goats in Brazil. Serum samples from 312 goats collected from a dairy goat flock with a history of reproductive failure were tested by a commercial ELISA (LSIVet Ruminant Q Fever - Serum/Milk; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Lissieu, France) for anti-C. burnetii IgG antibodies. Samples of cotyledons from 23 placentas were analyzed by nested PCR for the presence of the bacterial DNA. ELISA seroreactivity was found in 55.1% (172/312; 95% CI = 49.4%-60.7%) of the serum samples analyzed. C. burnetii DNA was detected in 8.7% (2/23) of the placental samples tested, where both animals were also seropositive. This study reports the first description of C. burnetii infection in an abortion outbreak in goats in Brazil. The results point out to the importance of including this disease in animal and public health surveillance programs as well as into the list of abortive diseases in goats in Brazil.

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ResumoObjetivou-se com este estudo determinar a freqüência de aglutininas anti-B. canis e Brucella abortus, além de identificar possíveis fatores de riscos associados à infecção em cães atendidos nas clínicas veterinárias da Cidade de Maceió, Alagoas. Foram utilizados 90 animais, sendo 28 machos e 62 fêmeas de diferentes raças e faixa etária variável. Para pesquisa de aglutininas anti-Brucella canis utilizaram-se as provas de imunodifusão em gel de agarose (IDGA) e imunodifusão com 2-mercaptoetanol (IDGA/2-ME) e para pesquisa de aglutininas anti-Brucella abortus utilizou-se o teste do Antígeno Acidificado (AAT). Dos 90 animais analisados quatro (4,4%) foram positivos no IDGA, dos quais três (75,0%) foram positivos ao IDGA/2-ME, enquanto um (25,0%) foi negativo. Ao teste do AAT nenhum animal foi soro-reagente. A análise de concordância entre os testes utilizados foi K=0,851. Não foi observada associação significativa para as variáveis faixa etária (p=0,426) e sexo (p=0,678) e apenas a variável raça apresentou associação significativa para infecção por Brucella canis com resultado do odds ratio 0,04 (p=0,025; IC 95% 0,00; 1,01). Os resultados obtidos neste estudo demonstram que a infecção por Brucella canis ocorre na Cidade de Maceió-AL e que medidas de controle e profilaxia devem ser empregadas para evitar a disseminação do agente para criatórios livres da doença.Palavras-chave: brucelose, epidemiologia, animais de companhia. AbstractThis study aimed to determine the frequency of agglutinins against Brucella canis and Brucella abortus, and to identify possible risk factors associated with infection in dogs examined in private veterinary clinics in the city of Maceió-Alagoas. For the purpose of this study we used 90 animals: 28 males and 62 females of various breeds and ages. Immune Diffusion in Gel Agar (IDGA) and immune diffusion with 2-Mercaptoethanol (IDGA/2-ME) were used to investigate the presence of agglutinins against B. canis, and the Acidified Antigen Test (AAT) was used to investigate agglutinins against B. abortus (AAT). Out of 90 animals four (4.4%) had positive IDGA; with three (75.0%) testing positive on the IDGA/2-ME and one was negative on the IDGA/2-ME. No animal tested positive on the AAT. The concordance analysis between the tests was K=0.851. No significant association was noticed for age group (p=0,426) and gender (p=0,678). The only variable with significant association for B. canis infection was breed, with 0.04 odds ratio (p=0.025; IC 95% 0.00; 1.01). The results of this study show that B. canis infection is present in the city of Maceió-AL, and that control and preventive measures must be enforced to prevent dissemination into disease-free populations.Keywords: brucellosis, epidemiology, companion animals. IntroduçãoA urbanização e mudanças sociais da população humana nas últimas décadas favoreceram o aumento da população canina nos países em desenvolvimento. Esse aumento, associado às relações sentimentais/emocionais do homem com esta espécie tem implicações nos problemas de saúde públic...

Normal fungal conjunctiva microbiota of horses remains stable in healthy animals, free from ocular and/or systemic diseases which may, eventually, cause ocular alterations. The knowledge of the fungal microbiota is of great importance due to the reduced number of studies reported in the literature and also to the large occurrence of ocular alterations, mainly keratomycosis, in these animals. The aim of this study was to isolate and to identify the fungi present in the ocular conjunctiva of healthy horses belonging to the Military Police Cavalry of Alagoas. Samples from both conjunctival sacks from 50 horses were taken using a sterile swab and submitted to fungal cultures. These samples were seeded by radial spreading of the swabs on the Sabouraud agar surface with chloramphenicol, at a concentration of 50mg/L, in Petri dishes. Next, dishes were incubated at room temperature (± 28ºC) for 15 days. Horses conjunctival fungal microbiota was found to be composed by Aspergillus spp. (62%), Microsporum gypseum (6%), Penicillium spp. (6%), Curvularia spp. (5%), Candida spp. (3%), Fusarium spp. (3%), Acremonium spp. (2%), Bipolaris sp. (1%), Cladosporium sp. (1%), Chrysosporium sp. (1%), Rhodotorula sp. (1%), Aureobasidium sp. (1%) and Scopulariopsis sp. (1%). There is a wide variety of yeast-like and filamentous fungi colonizing the clinically healthy horses' ocular conjunctiva, out of which Aspergillus sp. is predominant. Although this was a straightforward study and have not recorded any ocular lesions that suggest fungi infections, these fungi might eventually be involved in this type of ocular pathology for the studied species

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution that affects all warm-blooded animals. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and identify the risk factors associated with its occurrence in domestic ruminants raised on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, and to confirm that cattle and sheep raised in Fernando de Noronha Island present statistically different T. gondii prevalence rates. Serum samples were collected from sheep (n=240) and cattle (n=140) for the detection of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Samples were collected from all the animals on all the farms. Risk factors were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression. The prevalence rate of positive sheep was 85.0% while that of cattle was 10.7%. A multivariate analysis revealed that the site of contact of sheep with felines was a risk factor. For cattle, the risk factors identified in this study were: extensive farming system, water source, more than three cats per farm, and the presence of rats in feed storage locations. The findings revealed a significant difference in the prevalence rates in sheep and cattle raised in this insular environment.Keywords: Ruminants, toxoplasmosis, epidemiology. ResumoA toxoplasmose é uma zoonose cosmopolita que acomete animais de sangue quente. Objetivou-se nessa investigação determinar a prevalência e identificar os fatores de risco associados à ocorrência da infecção por T. gondii em ruminantes domésticos criados na Ilha de Fernando de Noronha e demonstrar que bovinos e ovinos criados na ilha de Fernando de Noronha, Brasil, apresentam prevalências estatisticamente distintas. Foram obtidas amostras de soro sanguíneo de todos os ovinos (n=240) e bovinos (n=140) de todas as propriedades da ilha para a pesquisa de anticorpos na Reação de Imunofluorescência Indireta. Os fatores de risco foram analisados por meio da análise univariada e regressão logística. A prevalência de ovinos reagentes foi de 85,0% e 10,7% para bovinos, que foram significativamente diferentes. Na análise multivariada, local de contato de ovinos com outras espécies foi identificado como fator de risco. Para os bovinos, os fatores de risco foram: sistema extensivo, fonte de água, número de gatos nas propriedades e a presença de rato. Os resultados obtidos demonstram diferença significativa nas prevalências em ovinos e bovinos criados neste ambiente insular.Palavras-chave: Ruminantes, toxoplasmose, epidemiologia.