Molecular investigation of zoonotic genotypes of Giardia intestinalis isolates in humans, dogs and cats, sheep, goats and cattle in Araçatuba (Sãoo Paulo State, Brazil) by the analysis of beta-giardin gene fragments

In the period from July 2009 to October 2010, fecal samples from 61 animals and 154 humans from the municipality of Aracatuba (São Paulo State, Brazil) were studied. Fecal samples from animals were collected in the Municipal Animal Shelter and the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Estadual Paulista. Human fecal specimens were collected in playschools in the outskirts of the city by the private network of clinical analysis laboratories of the municipal. Diagnosis was done by optical microscopy using the Faust and Hoffmann, Pons and Janer techniques. The genotypes of Giardia intestinalis were characterized by PCR-RFLP and confirmed by sequencing the ß-giardin gene. Human specimens were positive in 25.3% (39/154) of the cases with 26.8% (36/134) of the specimens from children and 15% (3/20) from adults being positive. The frequency of G. intestinalis among the animals was 23.0% (14/61). A total of 32 isolates of G. intestinalis obtained from human feces and six from dogs and cats were characteristic of the A genotype (AI and AII/AIII). The results of this study in respect to frequency of giardiasis are similar to reported in most studies in Brazil. The prevalence observed in animal populations conforms to worldwide infection rates. G. intestinalis genotypes considered zoonotic were detected in both pets and humans from the city of Aractuba, suggesting a possible zoonotic transmission of the parasite in the northwestern region of São Paulo State. The absence of these genotypes in farm animals may imply that they are not involved in the chain of transmission to humans in this region.

Ocorrência de Escherichia coli resistente a antimicrobianos em diferentes sítios corporais em uma população diversa de gatos saudáveis

Pós-graduação em Microbiologia Agropecuária - FCAV

Cryptococcus: isolamento ambiental e caracterização bioquímica

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus yeasts, especially C. neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The fungus is found in substrates of animal and vegetable origin, and infection occurs through inhalation and seedlings present in the environment. The present study aimed to investigate the existence of microfocus Cryptococcus sp. from the environmental samples of Araçatuba city, São Paulo, featuring new niches, by decoupling the direct relationship between fungus and host in order to minimize the risk of contamination of man and animals, understanding the ecoepidemiology of Cryptococcus. Fifty samples from hollows and tree trunks were harvested (Cassia sp., Ficus sp., Caesalpinea peltophorides) from ten representatives in the urban perimeter. The samples were immediately sent to the Laboratory of Bacteriology and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Araçatuba - Unesp where they were processed and plated on Petri dishes containing agar seed Niger and Sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol, incubated at 30ºC for a period of no less than 5 days. Afterwards they were subimitted to biochemical tests: urease production, thermotolerance at 37°C and quimiotipagem in CGB agar (L- Canavanine-Glycine-Bromothymol blue). The results showed that 17 (34%) cultures were positive for Cryptococcus, 9 (18%) for Cryptococcus gattii and 8 (16%) for Cryptococcus neoformans. Other yeast correlated as Rhodotorula sp. and Candida sp. were isolated. We conclude that the infectious propagules of Cryptococcus are dispersed in nature and constitute an environmental microfocus, not necessarily being bound to a single host.