The urban and rural capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) as reservoir of Salmonella in the western Amazon, Brazil

Do Urban Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) Represent a Relevant Source of Zoonotic Diseases?

Urban fauna is defined as animal species that can live in urban environments. Several species, including the western-European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), have now been identified as part of this urban fauna, becoming permanent residents of parks and gardens in different cities across Europe. Due to the importance that this phenomenon represents for zoonotic disease surveillance, several authors have been conducting zoonotic agents' surveys on hedgehog. The aim of this study is to compare zoonotic diseases' prevalence in hedgehogs in urban environments with those from more rural areas. A systematic review with meta-analysis of twelve studied of zoonotic diseases' (in urban and rural areas of Europe) was therefore conducted for this purpose. Fifteen different zoonoses have been assessed in urban environments and six in rural areas. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was the most prevalent zoonotic agent found in urban habitats (96%). Dermatophytosis shows statistically significant differences between locations (p-value < 0.001), with a higher prevalence in urban Poland (55%; n = 182). Our results suggest further research and a standardized monitoring of different hedgehog populations are essential to understanding the epidemiology of several zoonotic pathogens in different habitat types (urban, rural, natural, industrial, etc.) and preventing possible disease outbreaks.

Viral Metagenomics Reveals Widely Diverse Viral Community of Freshwater Amazonian Lake

Despite the importance of understanding the ecology of freshwater viruses, there are not many studies on the subject compared to marine viruses. The microbiological interactions in these environments are still poorly known, especially between bacteriophages and their host bacteria and between cyanophages and cyanobacteria. Lake Bologna, Belém, capital of the Brazilian State of Pará, is a water source that supplies the city and its metropolitan region. However, it remains unexplored regarding the contents of its virome and viral diversity composition. Therefore, this work aims to explore the taxonomic diversity of DNA viruses in this lake, especially bacteriophages and cyanophages, since they can act as transducers of resistance genes and reporters of water quality for human consumption. We used metagenomic sequencing data generated by previous studies. We analyzed it at the taxonomic level using the tools Kraken2, Bracken, and Pavian; later, the data was assembled using Genome Detective, which performs the assembly of viruses. The results observed here suggest the existence of a widely diverse viral community and established microbial phage-regulated dynamics in Lake Bolonha. This work is the first ever to describe the virome of Lake Bolonha using a metagenomic approach based on high-throughput sequencing, as it contributes to the understanding of water-related public health concerns regarding the spreading of antibiotic resistance genes and population control of native bacteria and cyanobacteria.

Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Isolated in Paca (Cuniculus paca) Carcasses from the Belen Market, Iquitos, Perú

The consumption of wildlife meat is traditionally accepted in the Peruvian Amazon; however, little is known about the pathogens present in this type of food. One of the most frequently consumed species is a rodent, the paca (Cuniculus paca) or "majaz" in the Peruvian language. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of Salmonella enterica and its antimicrobial resistance profile in paca carcasses sold in the Belen Market of Iquitos-Peru. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out. Fresh and smoked paca carcasses (72 samples) were evaluated during the low-rain period (July 2019) in the traditional market of Iquitos, in the Amazonian Region. Meat samples were swabbed, and International Standards Organization (ISO) 6579-1: 2017 protocol was followed to Salmonella isolation. Antimicrobial susceptibility analysis was performed by the disk diffusion method. In addition, serotyping was performed by using the Kauffmann-White scheme. A total of 25 strains of S. enterica were isolated in the paca carcasses, mainly in fresh carcasses (48.6%). The serovars isolated were Agona (45.8%), Infantis (41.7%), Wangata (8.3%), and Javiana (4.2%). A considerable number of the isolated strains were multidrug resistant (40%). The highest prevalence of resistance corresponded to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (64%) followed by nitrofurantoin (44%), chloramphenicol (40%), cefotaxime (40%), and nalidixic acid (40%). Ten strains isolated (40%) were identified as producers of extended spectrum beta lactamases, all in S. enterica serovar Infantis. This study describes the presence of Salmonella Infantis with multidrug resistance profiles in wildlife meat carcasses, making the consumption of this type of products a risk factor for the development of foodborne diseases in the Amazon region. Institutional Review Board: Approval Resolution of Thesis Project: N° 024-DACMVZ-DAFCVB-U.CIENTÍFICA-2019.