Epidemiologia descritiva da raiva dos herbívoros notificados no estado do Paraná entre 1977 e 2012

Epidemiology and Control of Rabies in Cattle and Equines in Rondônia State, a Brazilian's Legal Amazon Area

Rabies is a fatal neglected tropical zoonosis, and its significance for domestic herbivores in the rural cycle is probably associated with rainforest deforestation, livestock, and agricultural expansion. This epidemiological survey aimed to study the occurrence of rabies in bovines and equines in the state of Rondônia, located in the Brazilian's Legal Amazon, between the years 2002 and 2021, correlating these findings with the prophylactic strategies adopted by the local sanitary agency for rabies control. During this period, 201 cases were observed in bovines and 23 in equines. A downward trend in rabies incidence was observed for both domestic herbivores. Rabies did not show a higher occurrence in any specific time of the year, and epidemic periods varied during some years for bovines and equines. Using the Generalized estimating equations (GEE) method, a multiple model approach was obtained with the explanatory variables significantly associated with the decrease in rabies incidence in cattle and horses during the study period: the ratio of treated bats and ratio of vaccine doses sold. Furthermore, the ratio of printed educative material was positively associated with rabies incidence. Despite a decreasing trend in rabies occurrences in this Amazon rainforest area, likely due to the actions taken by the animal sanitary agency, rabies remains endemic and requires monitoring, as well as prophylactic strategies to control this disease.

Defining New Pathways to Manage the Ongoing Emergence of Bat Rabies in Latin America

Rabies transmitted by common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) has been known since the early 1900s but continues to expand geographically and in the range of species and environments affected. In this review, we present current knowledge of the epidemiology and management of rabies in D. rotundus and argue that it can be reasonably considered an emerging public health threat. We identify knowledge gaps related to the landscape determinants of the bat reservoir, reduction in bites on humans and livestock, and social barriers to prevention. We discuss how new technologies including autonomously-spreading vaccines and reproductive suppressants targeting bats might manage both rabies and undesirable growth of D. rotundus populations. Finally, we highlight widespread under-reporting of human and animal mortality and the scarcity of studies that quantify the efficacy of control measures such as bat culling. Collaborations between researchers and managers will be crucial to implement the next generation of rabies management in Latin America.

Cattle diseases in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: a 24-year survey (1995-2018)

ABSTRACT: We reviewed the records of 5,083 cattle necropsies performed from January 1995 to December 2018 and filed at the Laboratory of Anatomic Pathology (LAP) of the “Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul” (UFMS). These necropsies were performed either by LAP-UFMS faculty (22.33%) or by field veterinary practitioners (77.67%) who subsequently submitted material for histological evaluation at the LAP-UFMS. Conclusive diagnoses were reached in 46.21% of the protocols (2,349 cases), and approximately 65% of the cases were classified as inflammatory or parasitic diseases, with rabies being the most diagnosed disease (20.82% of total conclusive diagnosis). There were a large number of protocols in which the diagnosis was of nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis of unknown cause (NSMUC). Those were the main differentials for rabies and bovine herpesvirus-5 necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME); that is, the number of rabies cases may be even higher if one considers that many cases of NSMUC might be undiagnosed rabies cases. Toxic and toxic-infectious diseases were the second most prevalent category, and botulism cases represented 41% of this category. The other categories corresponded to less than 20% of the total diagnoses and were distributed in decreasing order of frequency as degenerative diseases (9.79%), diseases caused by physical agents (3.87%), other diseases (2.13%), neoplasms and tumor-like lesions (1.79%), metabolic or nutritional disorders (1.75%) and congenital malformations (0.64%). The large number of inconclusive diagnoses was mainly due to improper conditions of mailed-in material for histopathological evaluation, namely, nonrepresentative samples of all organs, autolysis, and the absence of epidemiological and clinical-pathological information.

Epidemiological study of rabies in cattle in southern Brazil: spatial and temporal distribution from 2008 to 2017

ABSTRACT: Rabies affects several domestic species, causing significant economic losses due to the death of animals in characteristic areas of the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. In this context, this work aimed to study the epidemiology of rabies outbreaks observed in cattle from January 2008 to December 2017, through its space and time distribution in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. We performed an observational and ecological retrospective through the analysis of data recorded in necropsy protocols performed in cattle at the “Laboratório Regional de Diagnóstico” of the “Universidade Federal de Pelotas” (LRD-UFPel). A descriptive data analysis aimed at evaluating the distribution of cases over time. The statistical analysis was performed with Gretl statistical software 1.9.12 (GNU Regression, Econometric, and Time-series Library). To the existence of stationarity was verified with the Dickey-Fuller test, considering a value of p<0.05. From January 2008 to December 2017, 1418 bovine diagnostic materials were received at the LRD-UFPel, and 160 outbreaks of rabies were confirmed in 160 farms located in the 24 municipalities of the LRD-UFPel area of influence. We observed 591 cattle out of a total of 25,886 infected with the virus. We conclude that rabies does not exhibit seasonality in the study region, with a tendency to decrease in frequency in the next years. The disease has an epidemic characteristic in most of the analyzed months (2012-2014), remaining endemic in the remaining period (2011, 2015 and 2016) with sporadic episodes of epidemics in these years. We also observed that as the incidence of the disease increased in the animals and in the properties, there was a geographical spread of the virus for the majority (54.16%) of the municipalities in the area of influence of the LRD-UFPel.

Bovine rabies: economic loss and its mitigation through antirabies vaccination

ABSTRACT: Rabies is among the most common neurological disease in cattle in Brazil, causing significant economic losses. Data on the economic impact of rabies in livestock are available in several countries. However, in Brazil, these data focus mainly on the public health point o view, emphasizing the costs related to the prevention of rabies in humans, in dogs, or wildlife. Specific studies carried out in different regions of Brazil indicate critical economic losses caused by rabies in cattle in this country. However, the studies on the losses caused by the disease in cattle lack a detailed analysis of the affected rural properties based on data from official disease control agencies. The objective of this work was to evaluate the economic impact of bovine rabies, and its mitigation through antirabies vaccination in rural properties in Mato Grosso do Sul, Midwestern Brazil.

Diagnóstico diferencial das doenças neurológicas dos bovinos no estado do Paraná

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar as doenças neurológicas que acometeram bovinos no estado do Paraná entre os anos de 2009 e 2015. A investigação aconteceu, preferencialmente, nas propriedades rurais onde os casos ocorreram. Foram registradas as informações sobre a evolução das doenças nos bovinos afetados do rebanho, e os prováveis fatores de risco foram identificados. Todos os procedimentos de exame físico geral e neurológico foram realizados sistematicamente para a caracterização da síndrome neurológica presente. Amostras de sangue e de líquor foram colhidas para a realização de exames laboratoriais. De acordo com o tempo de evolução e com a gravidade dos sinais clínicos observados, os bovinos doentes eram mantidos vivos para acompanhamento da evolução ou da resposta ao tratamento, ou eram submetidos à eutanásia seguida de necropsia. Fragmentos do sistema nervoso e dos demais órgãos foram colhidos para exame histopatológico. O exame de imunofluorescência direta e a prova biológica em camundongos foram realizados em todos os bovinos que morreram, com a finalidade de confirmar ou descartar o diagnóstico de raiva. Métodos laboratoriais específicos das rotinas de virologia, bacteriologia e toxicologia foram empregados, como complementares, para o estabelecimento do diagnóstico diferencial. Foram investigados 236 bovinos com doença neurológica, sendo 85 casos de ocorrência individual e 151 casos distribuídos por surtos que ocorreram em 79 rebanhos. As encefalopatias (180/236; 76,2%) predominaram sobre as mielopatias (27/236; 11,4%). As doenças inflamatórias determinadas por infecções (98/236; 41,5%) e as doenças tóxicas (91/236; 38,6%) foram as principais, enquanto as causas degenerativas (10/236; 4,2%), metabólicas (9/236; 3,8%), físicas (9/236; 3,8%), neoplásicas (4/236; 1,7%), e os defeitos congênitos (1/236; 0,4%) ocorreram menos frequentemente. Os casos inconclusivos somaram 5,9% (14/236). A meningoencefalite por BoHV-5 e a raiva foram as doenças de frequência maior e podem ser consideradas as mais importantes. Dentre as causas tóxicas, as intoxicações por plantas se destacaram (63/91; 69,2%) e foram responsáveis por 26,6% de todos os casos. Destacaram-se ainda a polioencefalomalácia, a meningoencefalite trombótica por Histophilus somni e o botulismo. Essas informações contribuem para que os médicos veterinários adotem condutas mais efetivas de diagnóstico e de prevenção, e são valiosas para o sistema oficial de vigilância epidemiológica do estado.