Molecular diagnosis of Leishmania amazonensis in a captive spider monkey in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

The municipality of Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil, is an area endemic for leishmaniasis. At the zoo, a spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) showed nonpathognomonic symptoms, such as weight loss and pale mucous membranes. Blood was collected from the jugular vein and investigated for the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Parasite DNA was detected, and the pattern observed was identical to Leishmania amazonensis. This study presents molecular evidence of L. amazonensis infection in a captive spider monkey.

An investigation of Leishmania spp. in Didelphis spp. from urban and peri-urban areas in Bauru (São Paulo, Brazil).

Blood and bone marrow samples were taken from 112 Didelphis spp., collected between March 2005 and February 2006, from urban and peri-urban areas of Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil, to evaluate the hypothesis that these animals might constitute a reservoir of Leishmania spp. Anti-Leishmania ssp. antibodies were screened in the serum samples using an enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR was performed on fragments of DNA samples from Leishmania spp. using primers 13A and 13B, and showed a positive outcome in 91.6% of the 112 samples tested. Of the 107 samples analyzed by ELISA, 71% were positive. Evidence of epidemiological risk factors such as a circulating parasite and freely moving vectors suggests that Didelphis spp. may participate in the transmission cycle of Leishmania spp. in Bauru.

Natural canine infection by Leishmania infantum and Leishmania amazonensis and their implications for disease control.

Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem worldwide. Because Leishmania can adapt to new hosts or vectors, knowledge concerning the current etiological agent in dogs is important in endemic areas. This study aimed to identify the Leishmania species detected in 103 samples of peripheral blood from dogs that were naturally infected with these protozoa. The diagnosis of leishmaniasis was determined through parasitological examination, the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Leishmania species were identified by means of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The samples were subjected to PCR using oligonucleotide primers that amplify the intergenic region ITS1 of the rRNA gene in order to identify the species. The amplified DNA was digested using the restriction enzyme HaeIII. A restriction profile identical to L. amazonensis was shown in 77/103 samples and the profile was similar to L. infantum in 17/103. However, a mixed profile was shown in 9/103 samples, which impeded species identification. In conclusion, the infection in these dogs was predominantly due to L. amazonensis, thus indicating that diagnosing of cases of canine leishmaniasis needs to be reexamined, since the causative agent identified is not restricted to L. infantum.

Natural canine infection by Leishmania infantum and Leishmania amazonensis and their implications for disease control / Infecção natural por Leishmania infantum e Leishmania amazonensis e suas implicações para o controle da doença

Abstract Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem worldwide. Because Leishmania can adapt to new hosts or vectors, knowledge concerning the current etiological agent in dogs is important in endemic areas. This study aimed to identify the Leishmania species detected in 103 samples of peripheral blood from dogs that were naturally infected with these protozoa. The diagnosis of leishmaniasis was determined through parasitological examination, the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Leishmania species were identified by means of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The samples were subjected to PCR using oligonucleotide primers that amplify the intergenic region ITS1 of the rRNA gene in order to identify the species. The amplified DNA was digested using the restriction enzyme HaeIII. A restriction profile identical to L. amazonensis was shown in 77/103 samples and the profile was similar to L. infantum in 17/103. However, a mixed profile was shown in 9/103 samples, which impeded species identification. In conclusion, the infection in these dogs was predominantly due to L. amazonensis, thus indicating that diagnosing of cases of canine leishmaniasis needs to be reexamined, since the causative agent identified is not restricted to L. infantum.

Resumo Leishmaniose é um grande problema de saúde pública global. Devido à adaptação de Leishmania a novos hospedeiros ou vetores, conhecimentos sobre o agente etiológico atual em cães é importante em áreas endêmicas. Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar as espécies de Leishmania detectadas em 103 amostras de sangue periférico de cães naturalmente infectados com este protozoário. O diagnóstico de leishmaniose foi determinado por exame parasitológico, ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA) e a reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR). A identificação das espécies de Leishmania foi realizada por PCR – seguido da análise do polimorfismo no comprimento de fragmentos de restrição (PCR-RFLP). As amostras foram submetidas a PCR utilizando-se iniciadores oligonucleotídicos que amplificam a região intergénica ITS1 do gene de rRNA para identificar as espécies, o DNA amplificado foi digerido com a enzima de restrição HaeIII. Observou-se que 77/103 amostras mostraram um perfil de restrição idênticos a L. amazonensis, 17/103 foram semelhantes para L. infantum; 09/103 mostraram um perfil misto, o que impediu a identificação da espécie. Em conclusão, a infecção nestes cães era predominantemente devido a L. amazonensis, indicando que o diagnóstico de casos de leishmaniose canina precisa ser reexaminada, já que o agente causador não está restrito a L. infantum.

Occurrence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in opossums caught in urban areas of Bauru, state of São Paulo, Brazil / Ocorrência de anticorpos para Toxoplasma gondii em gambás capturados na área urbana de Bauru, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common zoonoses worldwide. It was initially described in rodents and rabbits. There are few data on the morbidity and mortality of this disease among Brazilian marsupial fauna, such as opossums. These animals are of great importance regarding the epidemiology of this disease, given that they are prey for felids and other carnivores. With the aim of ascertaining the serological response to Toxoplasma gondii among marsupials (Didelphis spp.), 38 animals that had been caught in 14 districts of the urban area of the municipality of Bauru, state of São Paulo, were evaluated. The modified agglutination test (MAT) showed that 26.3% (10/38) of the samples analyzed were seropositive. It can be suggested that the opossums' behavior and persistent proximity to human housing results in contact with cats and T. gondii infection, based on the frequency found in this study. This was the first study on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in opossums caught in the urban area of the municipality of Bauru, SP, and it highlights the need for environmental and health authorities of the municipality to monitor this zoonosis.(AU)

A toxoplasmose é uma das zoonoses mais comuns no mundo, tendo sido descrita inicialmente em roedores e em coelhos. Todavia, poucos são os dados sobre morbidade e mortalidade da toxoplasmose nos marsupiais da fauna brasileira, como os gambás, sendo de grande importância na epidemiologia da doença, como presas para felídeos e outros carnívoros. Com o objetivo de verificar a resposta sorológica para Toxoplasma gondii em marsupiais (Didelphis spp.), foram avaliados 38 animais capturados em 14 regiões da área urbana do município de Bauru-SP. Foi encontrada uma frequência, de acordo com o teste de aglutinação modificada (MAT), de 26,3% (10/38) nas amostras analisadas. Pode-se sugerir que o comportamento dos gambás e sua permanência próxima a habitações humanas resultam em contato com gatos e infecção por T. gondii, tendo em vista a frequência encontrada neste estudo. Este é o primeiro estudo de soroprevalência de T. gondii em gambás capturados na área urbana do município de Bauru-SP, alertando-se para a necessidade do monitoramento desta zoonose pelas autoridades de vigilância ambiental e sanitária do município.(AU)

Staphylococcus aureus: pesquisa de portadores bovinos em lactaçäo e antibiograma das cepas isoladas / Staphylococcus aureus: search of bovine host during milking period and antibiogram of isolated strains

É discutida a importância da pesquisa de portadores de S. aureus em bovinos, particularmente fêmeas em lactaçäo. As cepas obtidas de diferentes nichos apresentaram-se positivas para S. aureus, considerando-se o teste de coagulase em tubo nas porcentagens de 4,0 (por cento) para as isoladas das fossas nasais; 30,90 (por cento) para as úbere antes do teste da caneca telada e 47,62 (por cento) para as úbere depois do teste. Resultados do antibiograma revelaram altos níveis de resistência principalmente com relaçäo a estreptomicina e a penicilina (au)