Feline sporotrichosis due to Sporothrix brasiliensis: an emerging animal infection in São Paulo, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Sporotrichosis is a mycotic infectious disease that is generally acquired by traumatic inoculation of contaminated materials especially from plant debris or through bites and scratches from diseased animals, such as domestic cats. It affects the skin, lymphatic system, and other organs in the warm-blooded host. Etiological agents are embedded in the plant-associated order Ophiostomatales. With essential differences between possible outbreak sources and ecological niche, host-environment interactions are classic determinants of risk factors for disease acquisition. Sporotrichosis outbreaks with zoonotic transmission, such as those that are ongoing in southern and southeastern Brazil, have highlighted the threat of cross-species pathogen transmission. Sporothrix brasiliensis has emerged as a human threat owing to the intimate contact pattern between diseased cats and humans in endemic areas. RESULTS: We describe the recent emergence of feline sporotrichosis in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil, with an overwhelming occurrence of S. brasiliensis as the etiological agent. A phylogenetic and a haplotype approach were used to investigate the origin of this epidemic and the impact of feline transmission on genetic diversity. During the last 3-year period, 163 cases of feline sporotrichosis were reported in São Paulo with proven S. brasiliensis culture. The haplotype diversity of feline S. brasiliensis isolates revealed the expansion of a clonal population with low genetic diversity. Haplotype analysis confirmed that isolates from São Paulo shared the haplotype originated in the long-lasting outbreak of cat-transmitted sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro, which differed from the haplotype circulating in the Rio Grande do Sul epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: The fast spread of sporotrichosis in a short period of time highlights the potential for outbreaks and suggests that the mycosis may affect an urban population with a high concentration of susceptible felines. The feline sporotrichosis epidemic shows no signs of slowing, and this epidemiological pattern may require specific public health strategies to control future outbreaks.

[Africanized bees in a metropolitan area of Brazil: shelters and climatic influences]. / Abelhas africanizadas em área metropolitana do Brasil: abrigos e influências climáticas.

OBJECTIVE: Africanized bees are the most aggressive bees, form swarms several times a year and build their nests in a great variety of places different from European bees. This behavior brings them into closer contact with human populations, thus giving rise to a larger number of injuries. A study was carried out to gain greater knowledge on these bees' behavior and thus create more efficient strategies for dealing with them and educating the population on this regard. METHODS: Data consisted of 3,061 registries of requests to the Center for the Control of Animal Diseases of S o Paulo for removing bee colonies and wandering swarms in the period between 1994 and 1997. An evaluation of the most frequent nesting sites and their correlation with climatic variables was conducted using Pearson's coefficient. RESULTS: There were 3,061 requests in the study period and the daily volume had a positive correlation with average temperature and degree of insolation and a negative correlation with relative humidity and rainfall. The colonies showed a likelihood for nesting in artificial constructions and the wandering swarms for nesting in trees. CONCLUSIONS: Those periods of the year characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall are related to greater activity of bees and a larger number of wandering swarms, thus giving rise to increased contact with human populations. Items such as boxes and oil-drums should not be left outdoors and ceilings and walls should be sealed off, as they are potential nesting sites for colonies and swarms. Wooded areas may harbor swarms, thus care should always be taken when in the proximity of such areas. No attempt should be made to handle swarms.