Leishmania presence in bats in areas endemic for leishmaniasis in central-west Brazil.

Leishmaniasis involves the participation of several species of both wild and domestic mammal hosts and sandfly vectors, which demonstrates the eco-epidemiological complexity observed in this disease. Bats are among the most abundant types of mammals and the scarcity of research on Leishmania infection in these animals gives evidence of the importance of new studies that aim to clarify this relationship. This study aimed to detect the Leishmania spp. in bats. 146 bats, representing 16 different species belonging to the Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, and Phyllostomidae families, were received and processed for collection of tissues. Skin samples were collected from 100% of the bats, and liver samples were collected from 87% (n = 127). After evaluating the quality of the DNA extracted by means of PCR directed to the IRBP gene, the samples considered suitable for the Leishmania detection test were submitted for PCR directed to Leishmania kDNA, and to confirm positivity, were tested to the SSUrRNA gene-directed Nested-PCR. The Leishmania presence in the species Molossus pretiosus, Nyctinomops macrotis, and Lasiurus cinereus are the first reports this encounter in these species of bats in Brazil. Furthermore, new species of bats as possible hosts for L. infantum are reported, such as Molossus pretiosus, Myotis nigricans, Nyctinomops laticaudatus, Nyctinomops macrotis, and, for L. braziliensis, Lasiurus cinereus and Cynomops planirostris. These findings in bats in an area endemic for leishmaniasis indicate that these animals may be involved in sustaining the disease cycle in this location.

Neotectonics as a structural control of the boundaries of the Pantanal Matogrossense Sub-Regions.

Characterized by fluvio-alluvial sedimentation processes, the heterogeneity in the Pantanal Basin allows its division in several sub-regions, which present natural characteristics of their own. It is possible to find in the literature different proposals to subdivide the Pantanal plain, which vary in total area and number of sub-regions. Each author uses specific criteria - mainly vegetation, soil and humidity - in his delimitation, but does not consider the tectonic aspects of the basin. In this sense, we intend to analyze three Pantanal delimitations from the literature and to relate them to the neotectonic context of the Pantanal plain by comparing the boundaries proposed in the delimitations to structural lineaments present in the basin. As a result, we observe that the comparison of the Pantanal boundaries with the lineaments shows a high compatibility between them, suggesting the influence of these structures in the development of the sub-regions.

The expression of neotectonics in the Pantanal da Nhecolândia, State of Mato Grosso do Sul - Brazil.

Pantanal da Nhecolândia is one of the most well-preserved areas in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Located in the southern part of the Taquari River megafan, it is in tectonic contact with the fault escarpments of the Maracaju-Campo Grande plateaus to the east and with the fault escarpments of the Bodoquena plateau to the west, which continue to north. To the south and to the north, the limits are marked respectively by the lineaments of the Negro and Taquari Rivers. Nhecolândia is characterized by the existence of at least 17,631 lagoons, 17,050 (96.70 %) of which are of fresh water (baías) and 577 (3.3 %) of salty water (salinas). Studies based on (Landsat) satellite images and use of free software (QGIS, version 2.8.3) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) revealed that the major axes of the lagoons are aligned along two directions, NE (62.49 %) and NW (37.51 %), with modes concentrated between N30-40E and N30-40W, suggesting in both cases the role played by tectonic control (neotectonics) in their formation. Evidences of fluvial origin are presented for these groups of lagoons, as well as for their tectonic alignment.