Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats

Abstract: Tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite well known for its significance as a venereally transmitted pathogen in cattle, has been identified as a cause of chronic large bowel diarrhea in domestic cats in many countries of the world. In Brazil, several studies on the diagnosis of bovine trichomoniasis have been performed, but until now, no study was made regarding feline trichomoniasis. Thus, this is the first study to report the occurrence of T. foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in cats using morphological and molecular analysis. Feces from 77 cats were examined, four of which (5.2%) were positive for the presence of parabasalids. Morphological analysis of stained smears revealed piriform trophozoites showing the three anterior flagella, elongated nucleus and axostyle ending abruptly in fillet, characteristic of T. foetus. In scanning and transmission electron microscopy, identification characters similar to those previously reported for T. foetus were observed. The cultures containing trophozoites were submitted for molecular analysis, which resulted positive for T. foetus DNA using specific primers (TFR3 and TFR4), and all samples were positive and subjected to sequencing in which they showed 99.7-100% similarity with another isolate sequencing of T. foetus (JX960422). Although no trophozoite with consistent morphology of P. hominis has been visualized in the samples, differential diagnosis was performed using specific primers for P. hominis (TH3 and TH5) amplicon. In three of the four samples (3.89%) sequencing revealed 100% similarity when compared with another sequence of P. hominis deposited in Genbank (KC623939). Therefore, the present study revealed through the diagnostic techniques employed the simultaneous infection by T. foetus and P. hominis in the feces of cats. However, it was necessary to use more than one technique for the diagnosis of the co-infection. These results demonstrate the importance of a correct diagnosis to allow an appropriate treatment by the veterinarian.

An experimental investigation of the effects of nozzle ellipticity on the flow structure of co-flow jet diffusion flames

The flow structure of cold and ignited jets issuing into a co-flowing air stream was experimentally studied using a laser Doppler velocimeter. Methane was employed as the jet fluid discharging from circular and elliptic nozzles with aspect ratios varying from 1.29 to 1.60. The diameter of the circular nozzle was 4.6 mm and the elliptic nozzles had approximately the same exit area as that of the circular nozzle. These non-circular nozzles were employed in order to increase the stability of attached jet diffusion flames. The time-averaged velocity and r.m.s. value of the velocity fluctuation in the streamwise and transverse directions were measured over the range of co-flowing stream velocities corresponding to different modes of flame blowout that are identified as either lifted or attached flames. On the basis of these measurements, attempts were made to explain the existence of an apparent optimum aspect ratio for the blowout of attached flames observed at higher values of co-flowing stream velocities. The insensitivity of the blowout limits of lifted flames to nozzle geometry observed in our previous work at low co-flowing stream velocities was also explained. Measurements of the fuel concentration at the jet centerline indicated that the mixing process was enhanced with the 1.38 aspect ratio jet compared with the 1.60 aspect ratio jet. On the basis of the obtained experimental data, it was suggested that the higher blowout limits of attached flames for an elliptic jet of 1.38 aspect ratio was due to higher entrainment rates.

Resistência de populações de capim-colchão (Digitaria ciliaris) aos herbicidas inibidores da Acetil Co-A Carboxilase

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar as populações com suspeita de ocorrência de biótipos resistentes de Digitaria ciliaris aos herbicidas inibidores da AcetilCoA Carboxilase (ACCase), por meio de curvas de dose-resposta, bem como estabelecer o grau de resistência cruzada aos herbicidas cicloexanodionas (CHD) e ariloxifenoxipropionatos (APP) desses biótipos. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, utilizando-se quatro populações com suspeita de resistência (R1, R2, R3 e R4) e uma população suscetível (S). O delineamento experimental adotado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, sendo os tratamentos resultado da interação fatorial entre cinco populações, três herbicidas (fluazifop-p-butil, sethoxydim e tepraloxydim) e oito doses de herbicidas (0C, 0,06C, 0,125C, 0,5C, 1C, 2C, 4C e 10C), em que C é a dose comercial recomendada para cada produto. Foram realizadas avaliações de porcentagem de controle aos 28 dias após a aplicação (DAA). A partir dos resultados obtidos, conclui-se que as populações R1, R2, R3 e R4 apresentaram-se como biótipos resistentes aos herbicidas inibidores da ACCase, com diferentes níveis de resistência cruzada aos herbicidas com esse mecanismo de ação.