Toxoplasmose canina: aspectos clínicos e patológicos

Inquiries about toxoplasmosis are essential because its zoonotic potential and pathogenicity in pets and production animals. The dog can be involved in the mechanical transmission of the infection by Toxoplasma gondii and in spite of not being the definitive host, it has an epidemiological role in this disease. The high rate of dogs naturally infected by T gondii and the great possibility of adquiring this protozoan, justify the importance of attempting against for the occurrence of this illness. The aim of this article was to demonstrated through literature revision, some clinical aspects, epidemic and pathological of the toxoplasmosis in the canine species.

Pigeons (Columba livia) are a suitable experimental model for Neospora caninum infection in birds

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo epidemiológico da Toxoplasmose em gestantes atendidas na Maternidade Escola Januário Cicco, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

Congenital Toxoplasmosis results in severe systemic disease. If mother is infected for the first time during gestation, she can infect the fetus causing substantial damage. However, relatively little is known about the seroprevalence and epidemiological and economic factors of Toxoplasmosis infection in pregnancy in the most state in northeastern Brazil and knowledge about this can be essential in determining effective and acceptable prevention strategies. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of Toxoplasmosis in pregnant woman consulted by reference Maternity Escola Januário Cicco in Natal, a city in Northeastern Brazil, which belongs to the public health system, correlating to the risk factors involved in the infection and to accomplish active Search in the Hospital of Pediatrics Profº Heriberto Bezerra of the damages caused by the Toxoplasmic infection in children up to 12 years of age. The study was conducted from March to December 2007 and sera obtained from 190 pregnant women were tested for IgM and IgG antibodies avidity to Toxoplasma by Microparticle enzyme immunoassay (Abbott AxSYM system - Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL, USA). Data were examined with univariate analysis. Chi-squared (x2) and Odds ratio was calculated (IC 95% p 0,05). Of these women, 126 (66,3%) had only IgG antibodies high-avidity against T. gondii; 01 (0,52%) had a IgM and IgG high-avidity antibodies against T. gondii and 63 (33,1%) have neither IgM nor IgG against T. gondii. Our studies shown that the direct contact with cats or dogs was highly associated with the Toxoplasma gondii infection (OR, 2.72, p<0.001, 95% CI 1.46 5.02). The years school (p<0,001), socioeconomic status and knowledge about the disease (both p value 0.05) also were associated with Toxoplasmosis. The pattern of risk factors for infection presents regional variations, however our data corroborate others studies in Brazil. In children up to 12 years, one case of Congenital Toxoplasmosis was just registered in seven years (2000 - 2006). There were several suggestive cases, with signs and characteristic symptoms, but that the infection was not confirmed due to lack in the researches through laboratorial and images exams that addressed that it zoonosis

Does toxoplasmosis cause DNA damage? An evaluation in isogenic mice under normal diet or dietary restriction

Toxoplasmosis is an anthropozoonotic widespread disease, caused by the coccidian protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Since there are no data regarding the genotoxicity of the parasite in vivo, this study was designed to evaluate the genotoxic potential of the toxoplasmosis on isogenic mice with normal diet or under dietary restriction and submitted to a treatment with sulfonamide (375 mug/kg per day). DNA damage was assessed in peripheral blood, liver and brain cells using the comet assay (tail moment). The results for leucocytes showed increases in the mean tail moment in mice under dietary restriction; in infected mice under normal diet; in infected, sulfonamide-treated mice under normal diet; in infected mice under dietary restriction and in infected sulfonamide-treated mice under dietary restriction. In liver and brain cells, no statistically significant difference was observed for the tail moment. These results indicated that dietary restriction and T. gondii were able to induce DNA damage in peripheral blood cells, as detected by the comet assay. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental risk factors for canine toxoplasmosis in a deprived district of Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii that can infect a large variety of animals, including humans. The present study aimed to evaluate the frequency of anti-T. gondii antibodies in dogs from a peripheral district of Botucatu and to establish the association among some epidemiological variables in order to evaluate risk factors for toxoplasmosis infection. Serum samples from dogs were screened using an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Anti-T. gondii antibody prevalence was 56%. The highest titer was 1024 (1.79%) and the most frequent titers were 16 (57.14%) and 64 (33.93%). The chi-square (X-2) test revealed significant association among variables such as dog access to street, ingestion of raw meat and presence of synantropic animals in the domestic environment. These results demonstrate that toxoplasmosis is present in dogs from Jardim Santa Elisa district.

Epidemiological and Serological Aspects in Canine Toxoplasmosis in Animals with Nervous Symptoms

The presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibodies was studied in samples of blood serum taken from eighty dogs with nervous symptoms at the Serviço de Enfermidades Infecciosas dos Animais, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Unesp, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. The frequency of IgG titers were 16 (13.7%), 64 (13.7%), and 256 (5%), and for IgM titers were 16 (7.5%), 64 (15%), and 256 (8.7%). Positive reactions were more frequent in the older animals, males, from a rural environment, in constant contact with small animals, principally birds and rodents. There was a higher frequency of a positive reaction in dogs fed with kitchen food, especially in those fed with raw ingredients. The most common neurological pictures were alterations in consciousness, in movement, and in the hand-cart test. The percentage of reagents with specific IgM antibodies was high, indicating active infections, but the possibility of co-infection with the distemper virus can not be discarded, and this may be a predisposing factor for toxoplasmosis infection, once the distemper virus has a potent immunosupressive action.

Toxoplasmose em ovinos e caprinos: estudo soroepidemiológico em duas regiões do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil

Com o objetivo de comparar variáveis epidemiológicas na toxoplasmose em ovinos e caprinos, amostras de soro de animais de propriedades localizadas em duas regiões do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, foram testadas pela reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI) para detecção de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii. Dos 173 soros ovinos testados, em 35,3% foram encontrados resultados positivos, enquanto 40,4% dos 213 soros caprinos foram positivos à RIFI. em ovinos, associações significativas foram encontradas para sexo e raça, mas não para região, tipo de manejo ou falha reprodutiva. Os resultados da RIFI para os caprinos foram significativamente associados ao sexo, raça, região, tipo de manejo e de exploração, mas não com a ocorrência de falhas reprodutivas.

First identification of Sarcocystis tenella (Railliet, 1886) Moule, 1886 (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) by PCR in naturally infected sheep from Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Use of crude, FML and rK39 antigens in ELISA to detect anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies in Felis catus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Seasonal variation of Hepatozoon spp. (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) parasitemia from Boa constrictor amarali (Serpentes, Boidae) and Hydrodynastes gigas (Serpentes, Colubridae)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the parasitemia variation of three Hepatozoon species in Brazilian snakes. This study was conducted between 2001 and 2003 and included Hepatozoon terzii from Boa constrictor amarali, and Hepatozoon migonei and Hepatozoon cyclagrasi from Hydrodynastes gigas. It was observed that the parasitemia tended to decrease in all three Hepatozoon species but the parasites were not eliminated. This data suggest that Hepatozoon infection may be similar to Toxoplasma gondii infection, in that it persists throughout host life.

Emerging infectious diseases in cetaceans worldwide and the possible role of environmental stressors

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Clinical, parasitological and obstetric observations in pregnant bitches with experimental toxoplasmosis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Toxoplasmose em animais silvestres e domésticos da região de Botucatu, estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Os Autores analisaram soros de 47 Cannis familiaris, de 9 Felis cattus, de 64 Didelphis marsupialis aurita, de 9 Dasypus novemcinctus, de 4 Cabassous tatouay e de 29 Rattus rattus, através da reação de imunofluorescência indireta, para pesquisar a presença de anticorpos anti Toxoplasma gondii. Estes foram encontrados apenas em C. familiaris (63,8%) e em D. m. aurita (4,7%). Frente aos resultados obtidos, os Autores sugerem que novas pesquisas nesta área sejam realizadas, para que se conheça melhor a importância epidemiológica de várias espécies animais na disseminação da toxoplasmose.

Toxoplasmosis in naturally infected deer from Brazil

Serum samples from 107 cervids were examined for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using indirect hemagglutination (IHA), indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Dot-ELISA. Samples were obtained from 66 marsh deer (Blastocerms dichotomus) in the State of São Paulo (Brazil) and from 41 pampas deer (Ozotocerus bezoarticus) in the State of Goias (Brazil). Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 23 (22%) of the deer, with 18 and 5 positive samples, respectively, for B. dichotomus and O. bezoarticus. The highest prevalence of T. gondii antibodies were young adults (32%), following by adults (27%) and fawns (13%). Only one serum sample (8%) from a newborn fawn was positive in the serological tests. The convenience of the Dot-ELISA test is obvious when compared with other serological tests for both laboratory or field surveys, mainly due to its features of practicability and reagent stability.

Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle in Bahia, Brazil

Sera collected from 447 dairy cattle on 14 dairy farms were tested for Neospora caninum antibodies by use of an immunofluorescent antibody technique. Positive reactions with titres greater than or equal to 1:200 were found in 63 (14.09%) of animals. Neospora positive sera were also tested for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies by using a commercial latex agglutination test. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 3 (4.76%) of 63 N. caninum positive sera. These results indicate that N. caninum infection is widespread among dairy cattle in Bahia state. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.