Piranha Attacks on Humans in Southeast Brazil: Epidemiology, Natural History, and Clinical Treatment, with Description of a Bite Outbreak

There are many tales describing ferocious schools of piranha attacking humans, but there are few scientific data supporting such behavior. The very few documented instances of humans attacked and eaten by piranha schools include 3 that occurred after death by other causes (eg, heart failure and drowning). These predaceous fishes, however, do occasionally injure bathers and swimmers in lakes and rivers. The characteristic profile of most injuries is a single bite per victim, generally related to the fish defending its brood. This paper describes an outbreak of piranha bites in a dammed river portion in southeast Brazil. The outbreak was caused by the speckled piranha, Serrasalmus spilopleura, a widespread species which benefits from the growing tendency of damming rivers all over Brazil. This article focuses on the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the injuries, as well as on piranha biology, to gain a better understanding of the natural history of bite outbreaks.

The history and challenges of Latin American development

Foreword Alicia Bárcena and introduction by Jorge Máttar

Inequality, institutions and progress: a debate between history and the present

Includes bibliography

On the history and political economy of small-farmer policies

Includes bibliography

Epigramas de Marcial traduzidos por José Feliciano de Castilho: edição, notas e comentários

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

The Panama Canal turns 100: history and possible future scenarios

This issue of the FAL Bulletin sets out a brief history of the Panama Canal, its construction and its social and political impact on Panama, within the context of international trade at the time. This issue also reviews the recovery of the canal by the Republic of Panama and subsequent major events, including the decision to expand the canal and the start-up of work on the expansion project.

Manoel de Barros e a Oficina de Transfazer Natureza

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

Consciência e crítica da linguagem: Graciliano Ramos / Language awareness and criticism: Graciliano Ramos

Uma leitura atenta da ficção de Graciliano Ramos pode revelar uma forma aguda de refletir o mundo através de uma reflexão anterior sobre a própria linguagem da literatura e da sociedade. É uma leitura desse teor que se pretende mostrar, apoiada na conhecida teoria das funções da linguagem de Jakobson. Num jogo constante entre as funções fática e metalingüística, Graciliano Ramos demonstra visível consciência dos problemas de linguagem, cujo tratamento moderno aponta uma postura bastante crítica (via linguagem) perante o homem e a vida. An attentive of Graciliano Ramos’ fiction reveals a deep form of reflection on the world thorough a previous reflection on the very language of literature and society. Such a reading is here attempted based on Jakobson’s well known theory of language functions. In a constante play between the fatic and the metalinguistic function, Graciliano Ramos demonstrates a clear awareness of the problems of language, whose modern treatment points at a very critical poise (via language) before man and life.

Diversity, natural history, and geographic distribution of snakes in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil

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

Transposição de metros clássicos em língua portuguesa: histórico e estudo do caso das Odes e elegias, de Magalhães de Azeredo

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

Life history and DNA barcode of Oxyurella longicaudis (Birgei, 1910) (Cladocera, Anomopoda, Chydoridae)

Background: Cladocera is an important group of freshwater zooplankton, and the species plays an important role in energy transfer and in aquatic food webs. Oxyurella longicaudis is a Chydoridae species that has been recorded in North and South America. The aim of this study is to investigate the life cycle aspects of parthenogenetic females of O. longicaudis cultured in laboratory under controlled conditions: temperature (23 degrees C +/- 05 degrees C), photoperiod (12 h light/12 h dark), food supply, and reconstituted water.Results: Embryonic development duration (2.3 +/- 0.5 days), post-embryonic development (5.2 +/- 0.69 days), mean fecundity (two eggs female(-1) brood(-1)), total egg production (22.55 +/- 3.98 eggs), average longevity (58 days), and body growth of the species were recorded. We also report the first DNA barcode for O. longicaudis isolated in Brazil, which will allow for easy identification in future zooplankton community studies. The analysis shows a genetic divergence of around 7% between our Brazilian isolate and O. longicaudis isolates from Mexico.Conclusions: The time of embryonic and post-embryonic development of O. longicaudis was higher than that of the other species of the same family, which contributed to lower total egg production throughout its life cycle. The genetic divergence appears to be sufficient to classify the two isolates as different species.

Advertisement call, colour variation, natural history, and geographic distribution of Proceratophrys caramaschii (Anura: Odontophrynidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)