Naturally Acquired Rabies in White-Eared Opossum, Brazil.

Opossums are considered resistant to rabies. Nonhematophagous bats are reservoirs of rabies in urban areas of South America. We analyzed bats and opossums tested for rabies during 2021 in a highly urbanized city in Brazil to understand spillover in an urban setting. Wildlife surveillance is necessary to prevent rabies in humans and domestic animals.

De CCZ a UVZ: mudança de paradigma no controle de zoonoses / From CCZ to UVZ: paradigm shift in the control of zoonoses

O controle de zoonoses é atribuição dos municípios que, por meio de normativas legais, devem adotar políticas públicas sobre o tema. Em Campinas, as estratégias de vigilância das zoonoses foram desenvolvidas por diferentes serviços. A partir da década de 2000, o serviço municipal responsável pelo controle das zoonoses acumulou demandas referentes à proteção animal. A complexidade das duas áreas (controle de zoonoses e proteção animal) fez com que o município, em 2014, realizasse dicotomia entre estes serviços. As ações de controle de zoonoses passaram a ser realizadas pela Unidade de Vigilância de Zoonoses; as de proteção animal, pelo Departamento de Proteção e Bem-Estar Animal. Este artigo descreve os fatores que levaram o município a fazer esta dicotomia. A experiência de Campinas indica que a divisão entre as ações de saúde pública e de proteção animal é exequível e pode ser um exemplo de política pública para outros municípios...

Dog and cat management through sterilization: Implications for population dynamics and veterinary public policies.

The present study aimed to compare different sterilization scenarios allowing the adoption of the most adequate strategy to control owned dog and cat population sizes as the official veterinary public policy for animal control in an urban area of Campinas municipality, Brazil. To achieve this goal, the vital parameters of the owned pet population were measured in a neighborhood of Campinas called Jardim Vila Olimpia through questionnaires used in two census studies performed in February 2012 and June 2013. Different hypothetical sterilization scenarios were compared with the scenario of a single sterilization campaign performed in the study area between the census studies. Using a deterministic mathematical model, population dynamics were simulated for these different scenarios. We have observed that for both owned dogs and cats, the impact on the population size achieved by a single sterilization campaign would be diluted over the years, equating to the impact achieved by the usual sterilization rate practiced before the sterilization campaign yearly. Moreover, using local and global sensitivity analyses, we assessed the relative influence on animal population evolution of each vital parameter used in the mathematical models. The more influential parameters for both species were the carrying capacity of the environment and sterilization rates of males and females (for both species). We observed that even with sterilizing 100% of the intact animals annually, it would not be possible to obtain proportions greater than 86% and 88% of sterilized dogs and cats, respectively, after 20 years due to the high introduction of new intact animals. There is no public dog and cat sterilization service in place in the city, and sporadic and local sterilization campaigns are performed with a prior communication to the owners to bring their animals to be sterilized in a selected veterinary facility. If a sterilization campaign was performed annually in the study area, it would have the most favorable cost effectiveness ratio after 20 years compared to the scenarios of 50% and 100% sterilization of intact animals annually. These results allowed the veterinary public policy stakeholders to make decisions based on scientific evidence to implement adequate control of dog and cat populations in urban areas, aiming to reduce zoonosis transmission to humans and other problems associated with uncontrolled animal populations.

Assessing the rabies control and surveillance systems in Brazil: an experience of measures toward bats after the halt of massive vaccination of dogs and cats in Campinas, Sao Paulo.

Bats are less vulnerable to forest fragmentation than any other mammal, and for that reason, some species can disperse to peri-urban or urban areas. Insectivorous bats are abundant in urban areas due to the density of artificial roosts and insects attracted by city lights. Inter-species transmission of the rabies virus between bats can occur, and this is the most probable mechanism of virus circulation in bat populations. Bats can also transmit the rabies virus to other mammal species, like dogs and cats. With the halt of dog and cat vaccination campaigns in 2010, the importance of rabies surveillance in bats has increased in Brazil. A cross-sectional study performed in Campinas, Sao Paulo State, using data from the passive surveillance system for bats showed that rabies-positive bats from the families Molossidae, Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae were found in a peri-urban area. In these areas, dog and cat emergency vaccination (vaccination blockage) was recommended after the halt of the massive vaccination campaign in 2010. This control strategy was able to increase the proportion of vaccinated animals around a critical value of 50% and even with a higher probability of infectious contact between bats and dogs or cats in the vaccination blockage areas, no dog or cat rabies case was observed, evidencing the importance of the implementation of strategic rabies control measures in this new epidemiological scenario.

Caracterização de casos de agressão canina em Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil / Characterization of cases of canine aggression in Campinas, SP, Brazil

Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo com os dados sobre casos de agressão canina notificados em 2009 em Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram obtidas informações de 87 (3,8%) entre 2.281 casos. A incidência acumulada de agressões foi de 2,42% por ano (IC95%: 2,32-2,51) para cada mil habitantes. A maior parte das vítimas de cães agressores eram homens (53,0%), adultos (72,0%) e os próprios proprietários (52,9%). Os ataques ocorreram principalmente na rua (55,2%), enquanto a vítima interagia com o cão (79,3%) e os membros superiores foram a parte do corpo mais acometi- da (49,4%). Os cães eram majoritariamente machos (74,7%), adultos (74,3%), sem raça definida (65,5%), não castrados (98,9%), domiciliados (55,2%), sem adestramento (98,1%) e a metade deles já havia causado agressão com mordedura. A agressão canina não foi atribuída a sexo, raça, estado reprodutivo, tipo de restrição, ou adestramento dos animais, pois a distribuição da frequência destas variáveis na população canina do município era desconhecida. Para desenvol- ver protocolos de prevenção de mordeduras, devem ser realizados estudos populacionais para avaliar as características e a prevalência da agressão canina.

A retrospective study was conducted with information on the cases of canine aggression notified in 2009 in the municipality of Campinas, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Information was obtained from 87 (3.8%) out of 2,281 cases. Cumulative incidence of canine aggression was 2.42% per year (CI95%: 2.32-2.51) per 1000 inhabitants. Most victims of aggressive dogs were men (53.0%), adults (72.0%), and owners (52.9%). The attacks occurred mainly in the street (55.2%), while the victim was interacting with the dog (79.3%), and the upper limbs were the most affected part of the body (49.4%). Most of these dogs were males (74.7%), adults (74.3%), mixed-breed (65.5%), not castrated (98.9%), restricted (55.2%), without training (98.1%), and half of them had already bitten. Canine aggression was not associated to sex, breed, reproductive status, type of restrain, and training, because frequency distribution of these variables among the canine population of Campinas is unknown. In order to develop preventive protocols for dog bites, populational studies assessing the characteristics and prevalence of dog aggression are needed.

First occurrence of an autochthonous canine case of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in the municipality of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil.

An autochthonous case of visceral leishmaniasis is reported in a dog (Canis familiaris) as an apparently natural infection in a non-endemic area. DNA obtained from spleen and liver samples produced the expected fragment in a Leishmania-specific rDNA-based nested-PCR assay. The PCR product, a 490 bp fragment, was sequenced and the nucleotide sequence was identical to that of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. These results are surprising since no autochthonous human or canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis have ever been reported in this municipality. This case suggests that natural transmission of this disease is occurring in this area.

First occurrence of an autochthonous canine case of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in the municipality of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil / Ocorrência do primeiro caso autóctone canino por Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi no Município de Campinas, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

An autochthonous case of visceral leishmaniasis is reported in a dog (Canis familiaris) as an apparently natural infection in a non-endemic area. DNA obtained from spleen and liver samples produced the expected fragment in a Leishmania-specific rDNA-based nested-PCR assay. The PCR product, a 490 bp fragment, was sequenced and the nucleotide sequence was identical to that of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. These results are surprising since no autochthonous human or canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis have ever been reported in this municipality. This case suggests that natural transmission of this disease is occurring in this area.

Caso autóctone de leishmaniose visceral é relatado em cão (Canis familiaris), aparentemente em área não endêmica. DNA obtido a partir de amostras do baço e fígado foram submetidos a nested-PCR baseada no rDNA específico de Leishmania. Os produtos das PCR foram sequenciados e os 490 pares de base foram idênticos a Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. Esses resultados são surpreendentes, uma vez que, nenhum caso autóctone canino ou humano de leishmaniose visceral havia sido relatado neste município. Esse caso sugere que a transmissão natural da doença está ocorrendo nesta área.

Resposta imune humoral de cäes à vacina inativada, de cérebro de camundongos lactentes, utilizada nas campanhas anti-rábicas no Brasil / Humoral immune response of dogs to the inactivated suckling mouse brain vaccine utilized in anti-rabies campaigns in Brazil

A campanha anti-rábica no Brasil é realizada anualmente utilizando a vacina de cérebro de camundongos lactentes Fuenzalida-Palacios. A resposta imune humoral de cäes vacinados durante as campanhas foi analisada objetivando avaliar se os cäes apresentavam título protetor (0,5 UI/ml), 12 meses após a vacinaçäo, e quantos deles alcançam esse título 30 dias após o reforço vacinal. Foram analisadas 341 amostras de soro de cäes domiciliados (259 do município de Säo Paulo e 82 do município de Paulínia), através da Técnica de Inibiçäo de Focos de Fluorescência Rápida. A resposta imune foi avaliada considerando o estado nutricional do animal e o número de vacinaçöes anteriores. A maioria dos cäes näo tinha título de 0,5 UI/ml após 12 meses, independentemente do estado nutricional, e a resposta humoral ao reforço vacinal mostrou-se melhor em cäes com duas ou mais vacinaçöes prévias. Säo discutidos o referencial de 0,5 UI/ml como título protetor para a espécie canina e a influência do estado nutricional e condiçäo de saúde do animal como responsável pela resposta imune humoral