Pitiose em ovinos nos estados de Pernambuco e Bahia

A pitiose é uma doença infecciosa causada pelo oomiceto aquático P. insidiosum que acomete animais e o homem, especialmente habitantes de áreas úmidas. A enfermidade apresenta como característica principal a formação de lesões com aspecto granulomatoso nos hospedeiros. Neste trabalho, relatou-se a ocorrência da pitiose em ovinos nos estados de Pernambuco (PE) e Bahia (BA), Nordeste do Brasil, bem como foi avaliada a eficácia de um imunoterápico frente a esta enfermidade. Amostras de sangue de 53 ovinos foram coletadas, sendo 49 animais oriundos de propriedades localizadas em PE e quatro animais provenientes da BA. Sete ovinos demonstraram sinais clínicos de pitiose ovina. Um dos animais foi submetido à eutanásia e sua cabeça e linfonodo submandibular foram coletados e enviados para análises laboratoriais. Seis ovinos foram submetidos à imunoterapia, sendo mantidos nas instalações do setor de ovinocultura da Univasf/Petrolina-PE durante o tratamento. As técnicas de ELISA, cultura fúngica e reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) foram utilizadas como métodos diagnósticos da pitiose ovina, sendo eficientes para confirmação dos casos clínicos no rebanho. Ao exame microscópico do material coletado da cavidade nasal de um animal eutanasiado, observou-se uma área focalmente extensa de necrose com presença de infiltrado difuso de neutrófilos íntegros e degenerados margeando a cartilagem. Somente um animal apresentou cura clínica, indicando uma eficiência no tratamento da pitiose de 16,7% (1/6). O aumento de casos de pitiose tem sido denotado em diversos municípios de PE e da BA. Neste contexto, o emprego do imunoterápico pode ser uma alternativa a ser pesquisada. Portanto, estudos futuros devem ser realizados para investigar o efeito da imunoterapia aplicada à pitiose em ovinos.

Pythium insidiosum: morphological and molecular identification of Brazilian isolates

Pythium insidiosum is an oomycete belonging to the kingdom Stramenipila and it is the etiologic agent of pythiosis. Pythiosis is a life-threatening infectious disease characterized by the development of chronic lesions on cutaneous and subcutaneous, intestinal, and bone tissues in humans and many species of animals. The identification of P. insidiosum is important in order to implement a rapid and definitive diagnosis and an effective treatment. This study reports the identification of 54 isolates of P. insidiosum of horses, dogs and sheep that presented suspicious clinical lesions of pythiosis from different regions in Brazil, by using morphological and molecular assays. Throughout the PCR it was possible to confirm the identity of all Brazilian isolates as being P. insidiosum.

Phylogenetic relationships of Brazilian isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on ITS rDNA and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences

Pythium insidiosum is an aquatic oomycete that is the causative agent of pythiosis. Advances in molecular methods have enabled increased accuracy in the diagnosis of pythiosis, and in studies of the phylogenetic relationships of this oomycete. To evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among isolates of P. insidiosum from different regions of Brazil, and also regarding to other American and Thai isolates, in this study a total of thirty isolates of P. insidiosum from different regions of Brazil was used and had their ITS1, 5.8S rRNA and ITS2 rDNA (ITS) region and the partial sequence of cytochrome oxidase II (COX II) gene sequenced and analyzed. The outgroup consisted of six isolates of other Pythium species and one of Lagenidium giganteum. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS and COX II genes were conducted, both individually and in combination, using four different methods: Maximum parsimony (MP); Neighbor-joining (NJ); Maximum likelihood (ML); and Bayesian analysis (BA). Our data supported P. insidiosum as monophyletic in relation to the other Pythium species, and COX II showed that P. insidiosum appears to be subdivided into three major polytomous groups, whose arrangement provides the Thai isolates as paraphyletic in relation to the Brazilian ones. The molecular analyses performed in this study suggest an evolutionary proximity among all American isolates, including the Brazilian and the Central and North America isolates, which were grouped together in a single entirely polytomous clade. The COX II network results presented signals of a recent expansion for the American isolates, probably originated from an Asian invasion source. Here, COX II showed higher levels bias, although it was the source of higher levels of phylogenetic information when compared to ITS. Nevertheless, the two markers chosen for this study proved to be entirely congruent, at least with respect to phylogenetic relationships between different isolates of P. insidiosum.

Biochemical changes in cats infected with Trypanosoma evansi

This study aimed at evaluating biochemical changes of cats (Felis catus) experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi. Seven animals were infected with 10(8) blood trypomastigotes per animal and six were used as controls. Blood smears were performed daily for 56 days and the hepatic, renal and muscular parameters in blood serum were evaluated at days 0, 7, 21, 35 and 49. The protozoan was found in the bloodstream 24-48 h post-inoculation (PI) and irregular peaks of parasitemia were observed throughout the experiment. Muscular enzymatic activities (aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase) were increased in infected cats compared to controls. Increased concentrations of total proteins and globulins and decreased levels of albumin and albumin/globulin ratio were observed in infected group versus the controls values (P<0.05). No alteration in serum activity of alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, creatinine and urea was observed in both groups.

In vitro activity of terbinafine associated to amphotericin B, fluvastatin, rifampicin, metronidazole and ibuprofen against Pythium insidiosum

We evaluated the in vitro activities of terbinafine alone and in combination with amphotericin B, fluvastatin, rifampicin, metronidazole or ibuprofen against 17 clinical isolates of Pythium insidiosum. The assays were based on technique M38-A2, as well as the checkerboard microdilution method. The main synergism observed was by combination of terbinafine plus amphotericin B (41.18%). Antagonisms were observed in combinations of terbinafine with fluvastatin (35.30%) or rifampicin (5.88%).

Surto de pitiose cutânea em bovinos

Setenta e seis bovinos, sem raça definida, jovens, de ambos os sexos, apresentaram lesões cutâneas multifocais nodulares, ulceradas e crostosas nas faces medial e lateral dos membros anteriores e posteriores, região ventral do pescoço, esterno e cauda. A doença ocorreu no verão e as lesões foram observadas nas regiões do corpo que ficavam grande tempo em contato com a água em canais de irrigação. Histologicamente observaram-se múltiplos granulomas e piogranulomas contendo escassas imagens negativas de hifas na área central, as quais foram melhor evidenciadas através da técnica de metenamina nitrato de prata de Grocott. O diagnóstico etiológico definitivo foi baseado na técnica de imuno-histoquímica com anticorpo policlonal anti-Pythium insidiosum. Adicionalmente, foi realizado o teste de ELISA indireto. Surtos de pitiose cutânea bovina são incomuns e, particularmente neste relato, todos os animais afetados tiveram cura espontânea das lesões dentro de duas a três semanas.

Gastrointestinal parasites of owls (Strigiformes) kept in captivity in the Southern region of Brazil

The aim of this research was to study the gastrointestinal parasitism in 12 adult owls kept in captivity in the Southern region of Brazil. Cloacal contents of the species Rhinoptynx clamator, Tyto alba, Athene cunicularia, Megascops spp., and Bubo virginianus were evaluated. Feces and urine were collected and analyzed by the zinc sulfate centrifugal-flotation method and stained by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique. Eggs of Capillaria spp. and Strongylida, oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp., and Isospora spp. were observed. The birds showed no clinical signs, probably due to the mild nature of the infection.

Occurrence of gastrointestinal protozoa in Didelphis albiventris (opossum) in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul state

The aim of this study was to evaluate the parasitism by gastrointestinal protozoa in Didelphis albiventris (opossum) in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul state. Fecal samples from six free living opossums were collected for research of parasites. Samples were analyzed by the centrifugal-flotation method with zinc sulfate and parasites were identified microscopically based on (oo)cyst size and morphology. Cysts of Giardia sp. and oocysts of Cryptosporidium sp. and Eimeria sp. were observed in four of the six opossums. All four infected marsupials showed mild infection by protozoa. This is the first report of Giardia sp. in D. albiventris.

Enzymatic and hemolytic activities of Candida dubliniensis strains

Candida dubliniensis is an opportunistic yeast that has been recovered from several body sites in many populations; it is most often recovered from the oral cavities of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Although extensive studies on epidemiology and phylogeny of C. dubliniensis have been performed, little is known about virulence factors such as exoenzymatic and hemolytic activities. In this study we compared proteinase, hyaluronidase, chondroitin sulphatase and hemolytic activities in 18 C. dubliniensis and 30 C. albicans strains isolated from AIDS patients. C. albicans isolates produced higher amounts of proteinase than C. dubliniensis (p < 0.05). All the tested C. dubliniensis strains expressed hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase activities, but none of them were significantly different from those observed with C. albicans (p > 0.05). Hemolytic activity was affected by CaCl2; when this component was absent, we did not notice any significant difference between C. albicans and C. dubliniensis hemolytic activities. On the contrary, when we added 2.5 g% CaCl2, the hemolytic activity was reduced on C. dubliniensis and stimulated on C. albicans tested strains (p < 0.05).

In vitro activities of new and conventional antimycotics against fluconazole-susceptible and non-susceptible Brazilian Candida spp. isolates

The substantial increase in the rate of azole resistant Candida spp. yeast infections has become a serious treatment problem requiring new and more active antifungal agents. In this study, the in vitro activities of ravuconazole and albaconazole were compared with those of amphotericin B, flucytosine, itraconazole and fluconazole against 162 Brazilian isolates of Candida spp. from which 48 isolates had previously shown lower susceptibility or resistance to fluconazole. Ravuconazole susceptibility ranged from 84.6% (Candida albicans) to 100% for other species and albaconazole MIC(90) was < or =1.0 microg ml(-1) for all the species emphasising the potent activity of these triazoles. To our knowledge this is the first study evaluating the susceptibility of C. dubliniensis to albaconazole.

Teste de ELISA indireto para o diagnóstico sorológico de pitiose

A pitiose, doença granulomatosa de eqüinos causada pelo oomiceto Pythium insidiosum, tem como característica a evolução rápida seguida de morte dos animais. Estas mortes muitas vezes são causadas por diagnósticos errôneos ou demorados quando os doentes já não respondem ao tratamento. Este trabalho teve por objetivo a padronização do ensaio imunoenzimático indireto (ELISA) para diagnóstico sorológico de pitiose em eqüinos e coelhos, visando a diminuição de erros e de tempo necessário para o diagnóstico. Para o desenvolvimento e validação do teste foram utilizadas 72 amostras de soro de eqüinos saudáveis e 44 soros de eqüinos com pitiose confirmada. Os resultados da validação do ELISA para eqüinos foram: sensibilidade 97,72%, especificidade 90,27%, valor preditivo positivo 86%, valor preditivo negativo 98,4% e eficiência de 93,1%. Para coelhos, o teste foi padronizado com 48 amostras de soro de animais saudáveis e 24 amostras de coelhos imunizados com antígenos de P. insidiosum. Os resultados foram: sensibilidade 91,66%, especificidade 95,83%, valor preditivo positivo 91,66%, valor preditivo negativo 95,83% e eficiência de 94,44%. Os resultados deste trabalho demonstram que o ensaio imunoenzimático indireto é um método seguro e eficaz para o diagnóstico sorológico da pitiose.

Utilização do ágar suco de tomate (ágar V8) na identificação presuntiva de Candida dubliniensis

Avaliou-se a capacidade do ágar suco de tomate (ágar V8) em diferenciar Candida dubliniensis de Candida albicans com base na produção de clamidoconídios. Noventa e três isolados de Candida albicans e vinte e seis de Candida dubliniensis foram incluídos; 100% de Candida dubliniensis formaram clamidoconídios e 92,5% de Candida albicans não evidenciaram estas estruturas. Estes resultados permitem sugerir este meio como recurso alternativo na identificação presuntiva de Candida dubliniensis.

Carbohydrate assimilation profiles of Brazilian Candida dubliniensis isolates based on ID 32C system

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the identification of 19 Brazilian C. dubliniensis based on the biochemical profile exhibited when tested by the commercial identification kit ID 32C (bioMerieux). Thirteen of the isolates were rigorously identified as C. dubliniensis and the remaining isolates (six) were considered as having a doubtful profile but the software also suggested that there was 83.6% of chances for them to be C. dubliniensis. As well as pointed by the literature the identification obtained by phenotypic tests should be considered presumptive for C. dubliniensis due to variability of this new species.

Subcutaneous bilateral sporotrichosis : A rare presentation

Sporotrichosis is the most common subcutaneous mycosis observed in Brazil as well as in different regions of the world. We report a rare case of sporotrichosis in a Caucasian male agricultural worker whose lesions occurred bilaterally and simultaneously on the upper limbs.

Pulmonary aspergillosis outbreak in Rhea americana in southern Brazil

Commercial raising of rheas is currently in expansion in the south of Brazil, and many diseases previously restricted to other avian species are currently emerging on rhea farms, especially as a result of careless management of these animals. The objective of the present article is to report a pulmonary aspergillosis outbreak that occurred in great rhea (Rhea americana) in the south of Brazil. About 50 birds aged 30 to 60 days died suddenly and one of them was submitted to autopsy which revealed the presence of white caseous nodules 0.5 mm in diameter occupying 95% of the lung area. One lung was sent to the Federal University of Santa Maria for histopathological and mycological analyses. Histopathological analysis revealed multifocal areas with necrosis and inflammatory infiltrates and the presence of fungal hyphae, giant cells and fibrous tissue proliferation at the periphery. Aspergillus fumigatus was recovered as pure culture from all culture media. This appears to be the first report of aspergillosis among great rhea in Brazil and the second in the world.

Three types of immunotherapics against pythiosis insidiosi developed and evaluated

Pythiosis is a granulomatous disease of horses, cattle, dogs, cats and humans identified in tropical and subtropical areas and caused by Pythium insidiosum, a zoosporic fungus. Experimental models of pythiosis in naturally infected species have not yet been reported but, rabbits may be inoculated with zoospores as an experimental model for studying the disease. The present study evaluates the efficacy of three different of immunotherapics in the rabbit model. Approximately 17500 zoospores of oomycete P. insidiosum (CBS 101555 strain) were inoculated in each animal to generate the disease. Immunotherapics were produced from vortexed or sonicated cultures of the same strain. Four groups of five animals were employed: group 1, placebo; group 2, sonicated immunotherapic; group 3, mixed immunotherapic; and group 4, vortexed immunotherapic. All rabbits were inoculated with viable zoospores one month before administration of the immunotherapics. Eight doses of immunotherapic or placebo were used in each animal with a 14 day interval between injections. Rabbits receiving the vortexed immunotherapic were most effectively protected (P<0.05), showing a decrease in the area of coastal nodules due to Pythiosis insidiosum by 71.8% after 26 weeks of evaluation. Moreover, two animals in this group showed complete remission of the infection at the end of the 26 weeks. In contrast to these findings, rabbits given the sonicated immunotherapic did not show any protection and had an increase of 211.8% in the size of lesions. This failure of sonicated immunotherapic may reflect denaturation of protective antigens due to the sonication method.

Agalactia in mares fed with grain contaminated with Claviceps purpurea

This article reports an outbreak of intoxication of female horses with Claviceps purpurea in southern Brazil. The outbreak affected twelve pregnant mares which were fed with black oat (Avena strigosa) during the pre-delivery period. Underdevelopment of the mammary gland in the pre-delivery period resulting in post-delivery agalactia was the most pronounced finding. These mares delivered weak and unviable foals, which showed no suckling reflex and died within a few hours of birth. Laboratory analysis of oat samples fed to the animals resulted in the identification of Claviceps purpurea sclerotia. The fungus was identified in 0.22% of the examined seeds.

Hypertonic sabouraud broth as a simple and powerful test for Candida dubliniensis screening

We developed a new screening test for C. dubliniensis based on its inability to grow on Sabouraud dextrose broth with 6.5% NaCl. A total of 266 clinical yeast isolates and 3 reference strains were tested, including 250 C. albicans and 19 C. dubliniensis strains. All C. albicans isolates tested exhibited significant growth on hypertonic Sabouraud broth up to 96 h, while, all C. dubliniensis isolates did not exhibit any visually detectable growth during the same period.

Pitiose eqüina no Pantanal brasileiro: aspectos clínico-patológicos de casos típicos e atípicos

A pitiose eqüina é doença endêmica no Pantanal Brasileiro e causa prejuízos significativos a eqüinocultura. Neste trabalho são relatados 16 casos de pitiose subcutânea em eqüinos no Pantanal Sul-Matogrossense, que foram divididos em onze casos típicos e cinco casos atípicos, de acordo com o quadro clínico e o tempo de duração das lesões. O diagnóstico foi confirmado pela detecção de anticorpos específicos pelo teste ELISA, isolamento do agente e histopato-lógico. A duração da doença variou entre 1 e 6 meses nos casos típicos e superior a 12 meses nos casos atípicos. As lesões dos casos típicos caracterizavam-se por granulomas subcutâneos, ulcerados, com abundante secreção serossangui-nolenta e prurido. Nos casos atípicos foram observadas lesões subcutâneas caracterizadas por grandes massas "tumorais" circunscritas, recobertas por pele escura, sem ulcerações e com pouca secreção. Os animais estavam em bom estado nutricional e as lesões apresentavam-se de aspecto organizado, às vezes pedunculadas. Histologicamente, foi observado tecido de granulação com muitos eosinófilos nos casos típicos, enquanto os atípicos, se caracterizaram por hiperplasia pseudo-epiteliomatosa da epiderme e infiltrado eosinofílico. As características clínicas e histopato-lógicas completas das duas formas clínicas e os possíveis fatores responsáveis pelas diferenças entre as duas formas são apresentados e discutidos.

Prominent animal mycoses from various regions of the world

The mycoses selected for presentation in this section are relatively common diseases of companion animals or livestock in certain areas of the world. Malasseziosis is arguably the most frequent mycosis of dogs (as otitis externa and dermatitis) throughout the world, although its diagnosis is often overlooked. Protothecosis is also geographically widespread, particularly in cattle where severe mastitis is a result of adventitious infection from the environment. In contrast, coccidioidomycosis and pythiosis are geographically limited in their occurrence (coccidioidomycosis by geographic region and pythiosis by climate), but within regions where they do occur, their presence in animals is not unusual. It was our intention to review recent developments in each of these diseases.

Micotoxinas e Micotoxicoses na Avicultura

Esta revisão tem como objetivo principal mostrar, baseado em dezenas de pesquisas realizadas, os efeitos tóxicos das micotoxinas aflatoxinas, tricotecenos, zealenona e fumonisinas sobre o desempenho das aves. O descobrimento das propriedades hepatotóxicas e hepatocarcinogênicas de algumas linhagens de Aspergillus flavus e A. parasiticus em perus, na Inglaterra, no início da década de 1960, seguida pela elucidação da estrutura de seus metabólitos tóxicos, as aflatoxinas, deu novo enfoque e prioridade para a pesquisa sobre micotoxinas. Análises de aflatoxinas realizadas no Laboratório de Análises Micotoxicológicas (LAMIC) da Universidade Fedaral de Santa Maria, entre os anos de 1986 e janeiro de 2000, em 15.600 amostras de alimentos destinados principalmente ao consumo animal, demonstram que no milho analisado, 41,9% das amostras estavam contaminadas por aflatoxinas. Em surtos de aflatoxicose no campo, uma das características mais marcantes é a má absorção que se manifesta como partículas de ração mal digeridas na excreta das aves. Também observa-se, em frangos e poedeiras que recebem AFL, extrema palidez das mucosas e pernas. Dietas deficientes em riboflavina ou colecalciferol (vit. D) tornaram frangos sensíveis, nos índices de desenvolvimento corporal, a concentrações muito baixas de AFL. O efeito aflatoxina nos frangos é maior na fase inicial de crescimento, ou seja, quando as aves ingeriram aflatoxina nos primeiros 21 dias de vida, e quanto maior o nível de stress do lote, menor a quantidade de AFL para afetar negativamente seu desempenho, seja na produção de carne ou de ovos. As principais micotoxinas do grupo dos tricotecenos são: toxina T-2; deoxynivalenol (DON); diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), todas produzidas através de diversas espécies de fungos do gênero Fusarium. Além dos tricotecenos, o fusarium também pode produzir zearalenona e fumonisinas. Dessas fusarium-toxinas, somente toxina T-2 gera patologias sérias nas aves, como lesões orais e imunodepressão. As fumonisinas afetam o desempenho de frangos de corte a partir de uma ingestão de 75 ppm. Já zearalenona e DON são inócuas quando ingeridas por aves. Para o controle de contaminação de micotoxinas nos alimentos, o melhor método é prevenir o crescimento de fungos, apertando-se no controle de qualidade da matéria prima. Métodos alternativos podem ser usados, utilizando-se antifúngicos ou adsorventes na ração. O monitoramento dos grãos recebidos ou a receber é o ponto fundamental num programa de controle de micotoxinas. Isso deve ser feito através de um programa amostral consistente da massa de grãos recebida ou a ser adquirida, com análises periódicas das micotoxinas.

Equine leukoencephalomalacia associated with ingestion of corn contaminated with fumonisin B1

This article describes clinical, etiologic and pathologic diagnosis of an outbreak of equine leukoencephalomalacia. Two samples of the corn consumed by the affected horses contained fumonisin B1 at levels of 46 and 53 µg/g and Fusarium moniliforme, a good in vitro mycotoxin producer.

Isolation of Prothoteca zopfii from a case of bovine mastitis in Brazil

The isolation of Prothoteca zopfii, an algae lacking chlorophyll, from bovine mastitic milk, is described herein. The isolation was performed on 8% sheep blood agar, following incubation at 37 circC for 48 h. Based on biochemical tests, susceptibility to clotrimazole, and light and electron microscopic observation of cellular morphology the algae was identified as P. zopfii. The affected animal did not improve following treatment and had to be eliminated.

Effect of sodium bentonite on the performance and blood variables of broiler chickens intoxicated with aflatoxins

1. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of natural sodium bentonite (NaB) in the prevention of toxic effects of aflatoxins. Five hundred and twenty-eight 1-d-old Ross male broiler chickens were housed in pens (22 chickens per pen) for 42 d. There were 3 inclusion rates of NaB (0, 2.5, and 5 g/kg) and 2 of aflatoxins (0 and 3 mg/kg food). Each treatment had 4 replicates of 22 chickens. 2. All chickens treated with aflatoxin and without bentonite were adversely affected. NaB treatment at 5.0 g/kg improved body weights at 42 d of age by 31.3%, increased food intake by 23.8% and improved productive efficiency by 40.1%. Weights of liver, heart, pancreas and crop and biochemical variables were not affected by dietary NaB. However, serum phosphorous concentration was reduced by 30% compared with chickens that received aflatoxin. 3. NaB caused no adverse effects on chickens that did not receive aflatoxin. 4. It is concluded that NaB at pH 7.9 partially neutralises the effects of aflatoxins on broiler chickens when included at 5.0 g/kg in the diet.

Cutaneous Pythiosis insidiosi in calves from the Pantanal region of Brazil

Two cases of cutaneous Pythiosis insidiosi were diagnosed in cattle from the Pantanal region, Brazil. The lesions were observed in the limbs of two 8-month-old beef calves. Close examination showed local swelling and focal ulceration of the skin. Microscopically, there was multifocal granulomatous dermatitis with intralesional Pythium insidivosum hyphae. The diagnosis was based on the morphological aspects, immunohistochemical findings and culture of the etiologic agent.

[Aflatoxicosis in Antwerp bearded bantams (Gallus gallus)]

Aflatoxicosis is a worldwide disease especially of poultry and swine. The toxin is found frequently in different kinds of nuts and cereals from tropical areas. In the present report the cause of disease in "Antwerpener Bartzwergen" after unsuccessful treatments could be correlated with Aflatoxine in the amounts of 1629, 759, 5 and 5 micrograms/kg resp. for Aflatoxin B1, Aflatoxin G1, Aflatoxin B2 and Aflatoxin G2 in the groundnuts.