Antibodies against rickettsiae from spotted fever groups in horses from two mesoregions in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil / Anticorpos contra rickettsias do grupo da febre maculosa em equinos de duas mesorregiões de Santa Catarina, Brasil

Bacteria of the Rickettsia genus are agents of Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF), a zoonotic disease which is difficult to diagnose, evolves quickly and can result in death. Antibodies against Rickettsia spp. in horses were studied, by means of Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFAT ≥64), in 150 blood samples taken from animals in two Santa Catarina mesoregions (Planalto Serrano and Vale do Itajaí). The overall occurrence of Rickettsia spp. antibodies in horses was 18.66%, with cross-reactivity occurring in all positive samples for at least two of the species tested. Separately, according to the species, 25 (16.66%) samples were positive for R. rickettsii, 15 (10%) for R. parkeri, 22 (14.66%) for R. amblyommii, 23 (15.33%) for R. rhipicephali, 16 (10.66%) for R. bellii and 19 (12.66%) for R. felis. Only two animals resulted in a conclusive serodiagnosis, one for R. bellii and the other for R. rickettsii, at maximum dilutions of 1:4096 and 1:512, respectively. The occurrence of antibodies against Rickettsia spp. in horses from two mesoregions in the state of Santa Catarina indicates the movement of BSF agents in these sentinel animals and confirms the importance of studying spotted fever in the state of Santa Catarina.

Bactérias do gênero Rickettsia são agentes da Febre Maculosa Brasileira (FMB), uma doença zoonótica, de difícil diagnóstico, rápida evolução e que pode levar o indivíduo à morte. Anticorpos contra Rickettsia spp. em equinos foram pesquisados, por meio da Reação de Imunofluorescência Indireta (RIFI≥64), em 150 amostras de sangue colhidas de animais em duas mesorregiões de Santa Catarina (Planalto Serrano e Vale do Itajaí). A ocorrência de anticorpos contra Rickettsia spp. observada em equinos de duas mesorregiões de Santa Catarina foi de 18,66%, ocorrendo reações cruzadas em todas as amostras positivas para, no mínimo, duas das espécies testadas. Isoladamente, de acordo com as espécies, 25 (16,66%) amostras foram positivas para R. rickettsii, 15 (10%) para R. parkeri, 22 (14,66%) para R. amblyommii, 23 (15,33%) para R. rhipicephali, 16 (10,66%) para R. bellii e 19 (12,66%) para R. felis. Somente dois animais resultaram em um sorodiagnóstico conclusivo, um para Rickettsia bellii e outro para R. rickettsii, nas diluições máximas de 1:4096 e 1:512, respectivamente. A ocorrência de anticorpos contra Rickettsia spp. em equinos de duas mesorregiões de Santa Catarina indica a circulação de agentes da FMB nestes animais sentinela e ratificam a importância do estudo da febre maculosa no estado de Santa Catarina.

Validity of the 'protocol of oro-facial myofunctional evaluation with scores' for young and adult subjects.

UNLABELLED: The aims of this study were to analyse the validity, sensitivity and specificity of the protocol of oro-facial myofunctional evaluation with scores (OMES) for oro-facial myofunctional disorder (OMD) diagnosis in young and adult subjects. Eighty subjects were examined. The OMES was validated against the Nordic orofacial test-screening (NOT-S) protocol (criterion validity) (Spearman correlation test). The construct validity was tested by analysis of the ability of the OMES (i) to differentiate healthy subjects (n = 22) from temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients (n = 22), which frequently have OMD (Mann-Whitney test) and (ii) to measure the changes that occurred in a subgroup with TMD between the period before and after oro-facial myofunctional therapy (T group, n = 15) (Wilcoxon test). Two speech therapists trained with the OMES participated as examiners (E). There was a statistically significant correlation between the OMES and NOT-S protocols, which was negative because the two scales are inverse (r = -0·86, P < 0·01). There was a significant difference between the healthy and TMD subjects regarding the oro-facial myofunctional status (OMES total score, P = 0·003). After therapy, the T group showed improvement in the oro-facial myofunctional status (OMES total score, P = 0·001). Inter- and intra-examiner agreement was moderate, and the reliability coefficients ranged from good to excellent. The OMES protocol presented mean sensitivity and specificity = 0·80, positive predictive value = 0·76 and negative predictive value = 0·84. CONCLUSION: The OMES protocol is valid and reliable for clinical evaluation of young and adult subjects, among them patients with TMD.

Agonistic and reproductive behaviors in males of red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) x O. mossambicus (Peters, 1852) (Osteichthyes: Cichlidae)

The red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) x O. mossambicus (Peters, 1852) is a fertile hybrid used in the semi-intensive level of fish culture in the Northeast of Brazil. It is a territorial cichlid and is highly aggressive towards conspecifics during the breeding season. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the aggressive behaviour displayed by the males of this hybrid in non-reproductive and reproductive contexts. Behavioural observations revealed that aggression displayed by the reproductive males of red hybrid tilapia included threatening, undulation, parallel, lateral and frontal attacks, chasing, escape and submission. Possession of a territory influenced male aggressiveness, which was more intense in their own territory than that observed in a neutral situation. The males built nests, irrespective of female presence. All the behavioural patterns were in accordance with those previously described for one parental species, the Nile tilapia, O. niloticus.

O híbrido vermelho de tilápia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) x O. mossambicus (Peters, 1852) é um híbrido fértil utilizado na piscicultura numa escala semi-intensiva no Nordeste brasileiro. É um ciclídeo territorial e altamente agressivo frente a coespecíficos na época reprodutiva. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar e descrever os comportamentos agressivos exibidos pelos machos deste híbrido em contextos não-reprodutivos e reprodutivos. As observações comportamentais mostraram que as agressões exibidas pelos machos de híbrido vermelho de tilápia incluíram ameaça, ondulação, confronto paralelo, lateral e frontal, perseguição, fuga e submissão. A posse do território influenciou a agressividade dos machos, cuja intensidade foi maior no próprio território em relação àquela observada em situação neutra. Os ninhos foram escavados pelos machos independente da presença das fêmeas. Todos os padrões comportamentais descritos estavam de acordo com os padrões previamente descritos para uma das espécies parentais, a Tilápia do Nilo, O. niloticus.

Agonistic and reproductive behaviors in males of red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) x O. mossambicus (Peters, 1852) (Osteichthyes: Cichlidae).

The red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) x O. mossambicus (Peters, 1852) is a fertile hybrid used in the semi-intensive level of fish culture in the Northeast of Brazil. It is a territorial cichlid and is highly aggressive towards conspecifics during the breeding season. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the aggressive behaviour displayed by the males of this hybrid in non-reproductive and reproductive contexts. Behavioural observations revealed that aggression displayed by the reproductive males of red hybrid tilapia included threatening, undulation, parallel, lateral and frontal attacks, chasing, escape and submission. Possession of a territory influenced male aggressiveness, which was more intense in their own territory than that observed in a neutral situation. The males built nests, irrespective of female presence. All the behavioural patterns were in accordance with those previously described for one parental species, the Nile tilapia, O. niloticus.