Fatal leptospirosis in endangered Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) kept in captivity: Assessing the role of sympatric rodents.

Between December 2020 and January 2021, an outbreak of acute mortality in endangered Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) kept in captivity was detected in a zoo in Spain. The main findings observed in the two fatally affected animals at post-mortem evaluation were jaundice, renal tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis. Leptospira spp. infection was confirmed by real time PCR (qPCR) in different tissues in both individuals. Analyses of secY gene from a positive individual showed 100% homology with a previously published sequence corresponding to Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni. Free-living sympatric brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the affected zoo were also analyzed, and showed a prevalence and seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. of 18.2% (4/22; 95% CI: 2.1-34.3) and 41.9% (26/62; 95% CI: 29.7-54.2), respectively. We detected seropositive sera to five different serovars of Leptospira spp. (Copenhageni, Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Canicola and Hardjo) in the rodent population, with L. Copenhageni being the predominant one. This study describes for first time an outbreak of fatal leptospirosis in captive non-human primates in Europe. Our results show that Barbary macaques, an endangered species, are highly susceptible to Leptospira spp. infection, with sympatric wild rodents being the most likely reservoir animals involved in transmission in this outbreak. Our results suggest that rodent control could be an effective measure for minimizing exposure to Leptospira spp. in zoological collections. Given the potential implications for conservation, animal and public health, non-human primates and rodents should be included in surveillance programs for Leptospira spp. in zoos.

Microsurgical and endoscopic-assisted supraorbital keyhole approach for intra-suprasellar cysticercosis.

Background: Treatment for intra/suprasellar cysticercosis can be challenging and may result in visual disturbances if not managed properly. Despite its limited knowledge, an effective surgical option exists to treat this condition. This article presents three cases of sellar cysticercosis, comprising one female and two male patients, managed with microsurgical supraorbital keyhole approach (mSKA) and endoscopic-assisted supraorbital keyhole approach (eaSKA). Case Description: The first patient is a 35-year-old man with no prior medical history who suffered from memory deficits and visual disturbances due to a sellar cyst pushing the orbitofrontal gyrus treated with mSKA. The second case involved a 52-year-old man who experienced visual deficits caused by a rostral sellar cyst with posterior displacement of the pituitary gland treated with eaSKA. The third case was a 46-year-old woman who experienced decreased visual acuity and memory loss due to multifocal neurocysticercosis (NCC) with sellarsuprasellar cyst extension treated with mSKA. All case diagnoses were confirmed by neuropathology department. Conclusion: The authors confidently suggest that the SKA is an effective surgical option and could be considered for removing sellar cystic lesions with suprasellar extension. With endoscopic assistance, it improves adequate neurovascular structure visualization.

Equilibration time improves the sperm variables of wild ruminant ejaculated and epididymal sperm cryopreserved by ultra-rapid freezing.

This work examines the effect of equilibration time with extender on ultra-rapidly frozen-thawed wild ruminant epididymal (origin: Iberian ibex) and ejaculated (origin: mouflon) sperm variables. Sperm samples were prepared either without prior equilibration, or equilibrated for 30 min before freezing. Higher quality (p < 0.05) frozen-thawed spermatozoa were obtained when equilibration was allowed, for ejaculated sperm in terms of sperm motility, acrosome apical ridge integrity, sperm viability, and percentage of normal cells, and for epididymal sperm in terms of linearity and straightness of sperm movement. The sperm head area, head perimeter, head length and head width were smaller (p < 0.01) in the equilibrated than non-equilibrated frozen-thawed epididymal sperm; no such dimensional changes were recorded for ejaculated sperm. In conclusion, equilibration prior to ultra-rapid freezing improves the cryoresistance of sperm cells, although viable sperm cells can be obtained without equilibration. The epididymal sperm showed greater cryoresistance, supporting the idea that it is more resistant to freeze-thawing than ejaculated sperm.

A fractional PI observer for incommensurate fractional order systems under parametric uncertainties.

The problem of state observation in incommensurate fractional order systems has been poorly studied. Currently some observers that have been proposed are based on a copy of the system, which causes them to be highly dependent on the system parameters, additionally they are redundant (estimate variables that are available). So this paper proposes a novel fractional observer against parametric uncertainties for a certain type of incommensurate fractional order systems. The fractional observer design is based on a property concerning observability in incommensurate fractional order systems which allows us to construct the observer only considering the available output and its fractional derivatives. On the other hand, the convergence analysis of the observation error is carried out using a particular approach of fractional order systems related to the Global Mittag-Leffler boundedness. We prove that there is a compact set GMLA (Globally Mittag-Leffler Attractive, according to Definition 4) where the system that represents the observation error dynamics is attractive and we also prove that the observation error is uniformly bounded. Additionally, the fractional observer is model-free i.e., a system copy is not required, this gives robustness in spite of parametric uncertainties and it is also reduced order therefore one observer must be designed for each variable that we want to estimate consequently the observer is non-redundant (no estimation of variables that are already available). Moreover, our proposed fractional observer can be designed for commensurate fractional order systems and we also show that if we consider integer derivative order, the proposed fractional observer presents certain properties. Finally, in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed fractional observer, an incommensurate fractional order Rössler hyperchaotic system is considered as a numerical example and an incommensurate fractional model of the COVID-19 pandemic as a real-world application.

One enzyme, many faces: urease is also canatoxin.

Ureases catalyze the hydrolysis of urea into carbamate and ammonia. Well-conserved proteins, most plant ureases are hexamers of a single chain subunit, like the most abundant isoform of the jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) urease (JBU). Canatoxin (CNTX) was originally isolated from these seeds as a neurotoxic protein, and later characterized as an isoform of JBU with lower molecular mass and enzyme activity. Inactive CNTX oligomers form upon storage and stabilization of CNTX was achieved by treatment with low concentration of formaldehyde, avoiding its oligomerization. Here, nano-LC-MS/MS-based peptide analysis of CNTX revealed 804 amino acids identical to those of JBU's sequence (840 amino acids). De novo sequencing of CNTX revealed 15 different peptides containing substitution of amino acid residues, denoting CNTX as a product of a paralog gene of JBU. The MS/MS analysis of formaldehyde-treated CNTX showed that amino acid residues located at the trimer-trimer interface of JBU's hexamer were modified. The data confirmed that CNTX is an isoform of JBU and elucidated that stabilization by formaldehyde treatment occurs by modification of amino acids at the protein's surface that prevents the formation of the hexamer and of higher molecular mass inactive aggregates. HIGHLIGHTSCanatoxin (CNTX) is an isoform of jack bean urease (JBU, hexamer of 90 kDa chains)MS/MS sequencing of CNTX showed 804 amino acids identical in JBU (840 residues)Formaldehyde treatment of CNTX stabilizes its toxicity and avoids oligomerizationModified amino acid residues in CNTX are at the trimer-trimer interface of JBUCommunicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Ancient Lowland Maya neighborhoods: Average Nearest Neighbor analysis and kernel density models, environments, and urban scale.

Many humans live in large, complex political centers, composed of multi-scalar communities including neighborhoods and districts. Both today and in the past, neighborhoods form a fundamental part of cities and are defined by their spatial, architectural, and material elements. Neighborhoods existed in ancient centers of various scales, and multiple methods have been employed to identify ancient neighborhoods in archaeological contexts. However, the use of different methods for neighborhood identification within the same spatiotemporal setting results in challenges for comparisons within and between ancient societies. Here, we focus on using a single method-combining Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) and Kernel Density (KD) analyses of household groups-to identify potential neighborhoods based on clusters of households at 23 ancient centers across the Maya Lowlands. While a one-size-fits all model does not work for neighborhood identification everywhere, the ANN/KD method provides quantifiable data on the clustering of ancient households, which can be linked to environmental zones and urban scale. We found that centers in river valleys exhibited greater household clustering compared to centers in upland and escarpment environments. Settlement patterns on flat plains were more dispersed, with little discrete spatial clustering of households. Furthermore, we categorized the ancient Maya centers into discrete urban scales, finding that larger centers had greater variation in household spacing compared to medium-sized and smaller centers. Many larger political centers possess heterogeneity in household clustering between their civic-ceremonial cores, immediate hinterlands, and far peripheries. Smaller centers exhibit greater household clustering compared to larger ones. This paper quantitatively assesses household clustering among nearly two dozen centers across the Maya Lowlands, linking environment and urban scale to settlement patterns. The findings are applicable to ancient societies and modern cities alike; understanding how humans form multi-scalar social groupings, such as neighborhoods, is fundamental to human experience and social organization.

Biophysical characterisation of the Bcl-x pre-mRNA and binding specificity of the ellipticine derivative GQC-05: Implication for alternative splicing regulation.

The BCL2L1 gene expresses two isoforms of Bcl-x protein via the use of either of two alternative 5' splice sites (5'ss) in exon 2. These proteins have antagonistic actions, Bcl-XL being anti-apoptotic and Bcl-XS pro-apoptotic. In a number of cancers the Bcl-XL isoform is over-expressed, resulting in cancer cell survival and growth, so switching splicing to the Xs isoform could have therapeutic benefits. We have previously proposed that a putative G-quadruplex (G4) exists downstream of the XS 5'ss and shown that the ellipticine derivative GQC-05, a previously identified DNA G4-specific ligand, induces an increase in the XS/XL ratio both in vitro and in cells. Here, we demonstrate that this G4 forms in vitro and that the structure is stabilised in the presence of GQC-05. We also show that GQC-05 binds RNA non-specifically in buffer conditions, but selectively to the Bcl-x G4 in the presence of nuclear extract, highlighting the limitations of biophysical measurements taken outside of a functional environment. We also demonstrate that GQC-05 is able to shift the equilibrium between competing G4 and duplex structures towards the G4 conformation, leading to an increase in accessibility of the XS 5'ss, supporting our previous model on the mechanism of action of GQC-05.

Monitoring of hepatitis E virus in zoo animals from Spain, 2007-2021.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV, family Hepeviridae) is an important emerging and zoonotic pathogen. In recent decades, the number of human cases of zoonotic hepatitis E has increased considerably in industrialized countries and HEV has been detected in an expanding range of mammal species. Although domestic pigs and wild boar are considered the main reservoirs of zoonotic HEV genotypes, the role of other susceptible animals in the epidemiology of the virus is still poorly understood. A large-scale, long-term study was carried out (1) to assess HEV exposure in captive zoo animals in Spain and (2) to determine the dynamics of seropositivity in individuals that were sampled longitudinally during the study period. Between 2007 and 2021, serum samples from 425 zoo animals belonging to 109 animal species (including artiodactyls, carnivores, perissodactyls, proboscideans and rodents) were collected from 11 different zoological parks in Spain. Forty-six of these animals at seven of these zoos were also longitudinally sampled. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 36 (8.5%; 95% CI: 5.8-11.1) of 425 sampled zoo animals. Specific antibodies against HEV-3 and HEV-C1 antigens were confirmed in ELISA-positive animals using western blot assay. Two of 46 longitudinally surveyed animals seroconverted during the study period. Seropositivity was significantly higher in carnivores and perissodactyls than in artiodactyls, and also during the period 2012-2016 compared with 2007-2011. HEV RNA was not detected in any of the 262 animals that could be tested by RT-PCR. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first large-scale, long-term surveillance on HEV in different orders of zoo mammals. Our results indicate exposure to HEV-3 and HEV-C1 in zoo animals in Spain and confirm a widespread but not homogeneous spatiotemporal circulation of HEV in captive species in this country. Further studies are required to determine the role of zoo species, particularly carnivores and perissodactyls, in the epidemiology of HEV and to clarify the origins of infection in zoological parks.

Wound Dehiscence After Occipital Encephalocele Surgical Repair in a Neonate: Management Alternative.

Encephaloceles are congenital malformations of the neural tube, mostly located in the occipital region in the Western world. Its presence is related to many complications, among which cognitive impairment and death are the most important. The diagnosis is usually made in the prenatal period, but sometimes due to poor control, this is not feasible. Surgery is required as early as possible to prevent further damage. Sometimes we can face complications related to the procedure, such as wound dehiscence, which has been the aim of this work. Many different types of treatments have been proposed for this complication: nevertheless, they result in invasive management. We present the case of a neonate's wound dehiscence, managed with potable water washes and a correct sterile technique, shown to be safe, reduce the in-patient costs, as well as improve the patient's and their family's quality of life (QoL).

The "ePTFE Sleeve" for Microvascular Decompression of the Facial Nerve.

Hemifacial spasm is a cranial nerve compression syndrome caused by the anteroinferior cerebellar artery (AICA) and posteroinferior cerebellar artery (PICA), characterized by involuntary tonic/clonic contractions of the muscles. The refractory hemifacial spasm can be treated with microvascular decompression, and multivessel compression could require more than conventional microvascular decompression. Multivessel compression may be challenging, and placement of conventional materials may not be sufficient and risks migration. Some transposition techniques for the vertebral artery may even increase the risk of injuring some perforators. Our circumferential expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) (IMPRA, Tempe, Arizona, USA) sleeve technique is unique and accessible, and it could solve this issue. The 2-dimensional Video 1 demonstrates the case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with debilitating left hemifacial spasm for 11 years. On physical examination, she exhibited involuntary, recurrent twitches of left facial muscles and loss of sensory taste. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed touching of the left dominance dolicoectasic vertebral artery, with compression of the PICA and AICA over cranial nerve VII. Conservative measures were recommended. Nevertheless, progressive worsening symptoms presented despite botulinum toxin injections. Left retrosigmoid craniotomy was performed, first placing a 3/4 ePTFE sleeve for decompression of the cisternal portion and the second ePTFE sleeve at the root entry zone of cranial nerve VII to optimize decompression of the offending vessel. In this case, we decided to use ePTFE prosthetic material. The semirigidity and semielastic property force brings an adequate decompression of the nerve and isolates it from the offending artery (AICA-PICA and vertebral artery). Without an uneventful postoperative course, the patient remained neurologically intact with immediate recovery after surgery without facial spasms or facial paresis. At 14 months' follow-up, the patient was without any alteration. The circumferential ePTFE Sleeve is an effective option for microvascular decompression. This technique offers semielastic continuous isolation of the nerve keeping it away from the offending artery. In addition, the circumferential ePTFE fit between neurovascular structures could avoid migration out of position. No cases using this technique have been reported; beyond that, we would like to illustrate this procedure, which is not widely available as a video article.

Outbreak of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) kept in captivity.

On January 2020, an outbreak of acute mortality was detected in the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) population kept in the Cordoba Zoo Conservation Center (CZCC) in Spain. Morbidity and mortality rates were 71%, and the fatality rate was 100%. Macroscopic examination revealed multifocal nodular lesions with fibrinonecrotic exudate in lungs and mesenteric lymph nodes. Microscopic lesions were characterized as severe acute fibrinopurulent bronchopneumonia and generalized vascular changes. Cultures and biochemical analyses yielded Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (YPT). This species was confirmed by both PCR and MALDI-TOF. This report describes the first outbreak of fatal YPT infection in zoo animals in Spain and confirms that capybaras are highly susceptible to this pathogen, which could be of animal health, conservation, and public health concern. Future studies are warranted to determine potential sources of YTP infection in zoos to prevent future cases in susceptible species, including humans.

Surgical management of a penetrating drill bit injury to the skull base.

BACKGROUND: Low-energy penetrating brain injuries are rarely encountered in neurosurgical practice. Immediate surgical management remains the primary treatment strategy to control potential bleeding and prevents infectious complications. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 28-year-old man presented with an orbital injury with left-sided chemosis, amaurosis, and ophthalmoplegia following an assault. Cranial CT revealed an industrial drill bit causing a penetrating injury to the skull base. The tip of the object reached the petrous apex. CT angiography showed no signs of cerebrovascular damage. The drill bit was visualized through a frontotemporal craniotomy. It was then carefully removed under direct microscopic vision. Postoperative ceftriaxone was administered. The patient was discharged in good condition on postoperative day 6. His vision impairment remained. CONCLUSION: Timely access to neuroimaging diagnostics and microneurosurgical facilities allows for good outcomes in the surgical treatment of low-velocity penetrating brain injuries.

Effect of Canine Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome on a Model of Second-Intention Wound Healing in the Red-Eared Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta).

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) secretome refers to a variety of bioactive compounds that represents the more important pathway by which MSCs participate in tissue regeneration. Many of these compounds have shown variable functional activity even across nonmammalian vertebrate species, although MSCs in turtles have not yet been described. Canine adipose MSC secretome has been successfully used experimentally in skin healing. Our aim was to conduct a blinded controlled study to evaluate the effect of canine adipose MSC secretome (cS-MSC) as an alternative for the healing of soft skin, second intention wounds of red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta). Under general anesthesia, one circular, 6-mm full thickness wound was made in each rear leg of 14 females. After randomization, cS-MSC was injected subcutaneously around one wound at days 1, 7, and 14, whereas the other wound acted as control. Biopsies from three animals' wounds were obtained at days 21, 28, 42, and 63. Differences in mean wound retraction at days 21 (n=14) and 28 (n=11) were statistically nonsignificant. The clinical and histopathologic scores performed blind by two different investigators were similar for treated and control wounds. In conclusion, we could not detect a significant functional activity of cS-MSC on wound healing of Trachemys scripta.

A globally Mittag-Leffler bounded high-gain observer for systems with unknown dynamics and noisy measurements.

In this work, we present a globally Mittag-Leffler bounded high-gain observer for fractional order nonlinear systems with unmodeled dynamics and additive measurement noise at the output. Our proposal starts from an alternative representation of the fractional order system, whose output does not depend on the additive measurement noise and in which the original system's output is treated as an additional state variable. This representation allows us two things: 1) to simultaneously estimate the state variables and the uncertain term and 2) to incorporate into the design scheme a fractional integral-type contribution, which is useful to give robustness against the measurement noise and the unmodeled dynamics, as well as to attenuate the noise amplification, typical of any high-gain observer. Through the corresponding mathematical analysis, we prove that the estimation error of the proposed observer is uniformly bounded and converges asymptotically to a globally Mittag-Leffler compact attractive set, this is, the proposed observer is globally Mittag-Leffler bounded. Additionally, we show that under certain conditions, such as an integer derivation order or the absence of measurement noise, the proposed observer exhibits some particular properties. Finally, we consider a continuously stirred biochemical reactor to exemplify our design methodology. The numerical results confirm that the observer is able to accurately estimate the state variables as well as the uncertainty term of the fractional model. In other words, the globally Mittag-Leffler bounded high-gain observer is robust against measurement noise and uncertainties.

Monitoring of bluetongue virus in zoo animals in Spain, 2007-2019.

Bluetongue (BT) is an emerging and re-emerging communicable vector-borne disease of animal health concern. A serosurvey was performed to assess exposure to BT virus (BTV) in zoo animals in Spain and to determine the dynamics of seropositivity in longitudinally sampled individuals during the study period. Serum samples were collected from 241 zoo animals belonging to 71 different species in five urban zoos (A-E) in Spain between 2007 and 2019. Twenty-four of these animals were longitudinally surveyed at three of the sampled zoos (zoos B, C and E) during the study period. Anti-BTV antibodies were found in 46 (19.1%; 95% CI: 14.1-24.1) of the 241 captive animals analysed by commercial ELISA. A virus neutralization test confirmed specific antibodies against BTV-1 and BTV-4 in 25 (10.7%; 95% CI: 6.7-14.6) and five (3.0%; 95% CI: 0.3-4.0) animals, respectively. Two of the 24 longitudinally sampled individuals (one African elephant (Loxodanta africana) and one aoudad (Ammotragus lervia)) showed anti-BTV antibodies at all samplings, whereas seroconversions were detected in one mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) in 2016, and one Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in 2019. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first large-scale survey on BTV conducted in both artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species worldwide. The results confirm BTV exposure in urban zoo parks in Spain, which could be of animal health and conservation concern. Circulation of BTV was detected in yearling animals in years when there were no reports of BTV outbreaks in livestock. Surveillance in artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species could be a valuable tool for epidemiological monitoring of BTV.

Anterior Fontanelle Dermoid Cyst: Surgical Technique.

Dermoid cysts are benign congenital lesions that usually appear on the surface of the skull, mainly on the anterior fontanelle. Diagnosis is usually made in the first months of life by physical examination and imaging studies such as CT, MRI, or ultra sound (US) Doppler. It is important to distinguish it from other similar lesions that represent greater surgical complexity, morbidity, and mortality. In this work, we show the principle differential diagnoses, the diagnostic approach, and the surgical technique used in the resection of the dermoid cyst located over the anterior fontanelle.

Sulfur isotopes as a proxy for human diet and mobility from the preclassic through colonial periods in the Eastern Maya lowlands.

Maya archaeologists have long been interested in understanding ancient diets because they provide information about broad-scale economic and societal transformations. Though paleodietary studies have primarily relied on stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen to document the types of food people consumed, stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis can potentially provide valuable data to identify terrestrial, freshwater, or marine/coastal food sources, as well as determine human mobility and migration patterns. Here we assess applications of δ34S for investigating Maya diet and migration through stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) from 114 individuals from 12 sites in the Eastern Maya lowlands, temporally spanning from the Late Preclassic (300 BCE-300 CE) through Colonial periods (1520-1800 CE). Results document a diet dominated by maize and other terrestrial resources, consistent with expectations for this inland region. Because δ34S values reflect local geology, our analyses also identified recent migrants to the Eastern lowlands who had non-local δ34S signatures. When combined with other indicators of mobility (e.g., strontium isotopes), sulfur isotopic data provide a powerful tool to investigate movement across a person's lifespan. This study represents the largest examination of archaeological human δ34S isotope values for the Maya lowlands and provides a foundation for novel insights into both subsistence practices and migration.

An algorithm for the robust estimation of the COVID-19 pandemic's population by considering undetected individuals.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, much effort has been put on studying the spread of infectious diseases to propose more adequate health politics. The most effective surveillance system consists of doing massive tests. Nonetheless, many countries cannot afford this class of health campaigns due to limited resources. Thus, a transmission model is a viable alternative to study the dynamics of the pandemic. The most used are the Susceptible, Infected and Removed type models (SIR). In this study, we tackle the population estimation problem of the A-SIR model, which takes into account asymptomatic or undetected individuals. By means of an algebraic differential approach, we design a model-free (no copy system) reduced-order estimation algorithm (observer) to determine the different non-measured population groups. We study two types of estimation algorithms: Proportional and Proportional-Integral. Both shown fast convergence speed, as well as a minimal estimation error. Additionally, we introduce random fluctuations in our analysis to represent changes in the external conditions and which result in poor measurements. The numerical results reveal that both model-free estimators are robust despite the presence of these fluctuations. As a point of reference, we apply the classical Luenberger type observer to our estimation problem and compare the results. Finally, we consider real data of infected individuals in Mexico City, reported from February 2020 to March 2021, and estimate the non-measured populations. Our work's main goal is to proportionate a simple and therefore, an accessible methodology to estimate the behavior of the COVID-19 pandemic from the available data, such that the competent authorities can propose more adequate health politics.

Occurrence and Genetic Diversity of Protist Parasites in Captive Non-Human Primates, Zookeepers, and Free-Living Sympatric Rats in the Córdoba Zoo Conservation Centre, Southern Spain.

Little information is currently available on the epidemiology of parasitic and commensal protist species in captive non-human primates (NHP) and their zoonotic potential. This study investigates the occurrence, molecular diversity, and potential transmission dynamics of parasitic and commensal protist species in a zoological garden in southern Spain. The prevalence and genotypes of the main enteric protist species were investigated in faecal samples from NHP (n = 51), zookeepers (n = 19) and free-living rats (n = 64) by molecular (PCR and sequencing) methods between 2018 and 2019. The presence of Leishmania spp. was also investigated in tissues from sympatric rats using PCR. Blastocystis sp. (45.1%), Entamoeba dispar (27.5%), Giardia duodenalis (21.6%), Balantioides coli (3.9%), and Enterocytozoon bieneusi (2.0%) (but not Troglodytella spp.) were detected in NHP. Giardia duodenalis (10.5%) and Blastocystis sp. (10.5%) were identified in zookeepers, while Cryptosporidium spp. (45.3%), G. duodenalis (14.1%), and Blastocystis sp. (6.25%) (but not Leishmania spp.) were detected in rats. Blastocystis ST1, ST3, and ST8 and G. duodenalis sub-assemblage AII were identified in NHP, and Blastocystis ST1 in zookeepers. Giardia duodenalis isolates failed to be genotyped in human samples. In rats, four Cryptosporidium (C. muris, C. ratti, and rat genotypes IV and V), one G. duodenalis (assemblage G), and three Blastocystis (ST4) genetic variants were detected. Our results indicate high exposure of NHP to zoonotic protist species. Zoonotic transmission of Blastocysts ST1 was highly suspected between captive NHP and zookeepers.

Effect of topical ozonated sunflower oil on second intention wound healing in turtles: a randomised experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Ozone is an antimicrobial agent that in experimental and case-control studies has been found to exert a positive effect on wound healing. Wild and pet chelonians frequently present insidious wounds exhibiting secondary infections and/or delayed healing. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the effects of topical ozonated sunflower oil on second-intention healing of acute experimental skin wounds in red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans). METHODS: Randomised within-subject controlled study; Group 1 (n = 24) was used to assess clinical healing features; Group 2 (n = 12) was used for histological evaluation in which two sets of wounds were biopsied at 2, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days over the course of the cicatrisation process. A single 6 mm diameter wound was made on each rear limb and topical ozonated (950 peroxide value) and non-ozonated sunflower oil were applied daily for one week on treated and contralateral control wounds, respectively. RESULTS: Mean wound size was significantly lower in the ozone-treated group at day 28 (p < 0.0001) with differences of clinical relevance (74.04% vs. 93.05% reduction of initial wound size). Histologically, the acute inflammatory reaction was enhanced in treated wounds, with significantly higher numbers of heterophils (p = 0.0016), lymphocytes (p < 0.001) and fibroblasts (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Daily topical application of ozonated sunflower oil over the course of one week improved the healing of acute, full-thickness skin wounds in chelonians. This clinical outcome was histologically correlated with an enhanced acute inflammatory reaction, as well as the production and remodelling of collagen fibres.