Knowledge and use of wild edible plants in rural communities along Paraguay River, Pantanal, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Bartonella clarridgeiae and Bartonella vinsonii subsp berkhoffii exposure in captive wild canids in Brazil

Wild canids are potential hosts for numerous species of Bartonella, yet little research has been done to quantify their infection rates in South America. We sought to investigate Bartonella seroprevalence in captive wild canids from 19 zoos in São Paulo and Mato Grosso states, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 97 wild canids belonging to four different native species and three European wolves (Canis lupus). Indirect immunofluorescent antibody testing was performed to detect the presence of B. henselae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, B. clarridgeiae, and B. rochalimae. Overall, Bartonella antibodies were detected in 11 of the canids, including five (12·8%) of 39 crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), three (11·1%) of 27 bush dogs (Speothos venaticus), two (8·7%) of 23 maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and one (12·5%) of eight hoary foxes (Lycalopex vetulus), with titres ranging from 1:64 to 1:512. Knowing that many species of canids make excellent reservoir hosts for Bartonella, and that there is zoonotic potential for all Bartonella spp. tested for, it will be important to conduct further research in non-captive wild canids to gain an accurate understanding of Bartonella infection in free-ranging wild canids in South America.

Amblyomma yucumense n. sp (Acari: Ixodidae), a parasite of wild mammals in Southern Brazil

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

Molecular detection of Leishmania spp. in road-killed wild mammals in the Central Western area of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

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

Hemoplasmas in wild canids and felids in Brazil

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

Hemoculture and polymerase chain reaction using primers TCZ1/TCZ2 for the diagnosis of canine and feline trypanosomiasis

Introduction. American trypanosomiasis, also known as Chagas disease, is a zoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). Dogs and cats participate actively in this parasite's transmission cycle. This study aimed at evaluating the occurrence of T. cruzi in dogs and cats from Botucatu, SP, Brazil, as well as at evaluating the technique of hemoculture in LIT (liver infusion tryptose) medium by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods. Blood samples were collected from 50 dogs and 50 cats in Botucatu-SP, Brazil. For hemoculture, the samples were inoculated in LIT medium, and readings were performed for four months. Upon completion of such period, all the hemocultures were processed for parasitic DNA extraction. The PCR reactions were performed by using primers TCZ1/TCZ2. Results. Ten dogs and ten cats (20%) were positive to PCR, and four dogs and three cats (7%) were positive to hemoculture. Only in a one cat sample (1%) there was confirmation of positive hemoculture by PCR for T. cruzi. Conclusions. Results showed that PCR was a suitable tool for the confirmation of the parasite detection in hemoculture samples, and that dogs and cats from Botucatu, SP, Brazil, are maintaining the role of household reservoirs of T. cruzi, which reinforces the need for constant epidemiologic surveillance for this zoonosis.

Genetic diversity strategy for the management and use of rubber genetic resources: more than 1,000 wild and cultivated accessions in a 100-genotype core collection

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

Evaluation of short-interfering RNAs treatment in experimental rabies due to wild-type virus

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

Serological evidence of Infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (Synonym: Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi) in free-ranging wild mammals in a nonendemic region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

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

Evaluation of prognostic factors and survival rates in malignant feline mammary gland neoplasms

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

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of feline leishmaniasis in Brazil

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

Using captive sentinels to collect wild triatomines in the region of Marília-SP, Brasil

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

Metabolic parameters of rats prone to display wild-running of the audiogenic crisis and fighting induced by REM-sleep deprivation

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

Spatial and Temporal Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Wild White-Tailed Deer in Michigan

In 1975, a wild white-tailed deer infected with bovine tuberculosis was shot in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, Michigan. The shooting of a second infected deer in the same area in 1994 triggered ongoing disease surveillance in the region. By 2002, bovine tuberculosis had been confirmed in 12 Michigan counties: from 449 deer; two elk; 41 non-cervid wildlife; one captive cervid facility and 28 cattle herds. We analyzed geographic spread of disease since the surveillance began and investigated factors influencing the prevalence of disease within the infected area. These analyses reveal that 78 percent of tuberculous deer came from within a 1560 km2 'core' area, within which the prevalence of apparent disease averaged 2.5 percent. Prevalence declined dramatically outside of the core and was an order of magnitude lower 30 km from its boundary. This prevalence gradient was highly significant (P<0.0001) and did not alter over the 6 year surveillance period (P= 0.98). Within the core, deer density and supplemental feeding by hunters were positively and independently correlated with tuberculosis prevalence in deer. Together, these two factors explained 55 percent of the variation in prevalence. We conclude that bovine tuberculosis was already well established in the deer population in 1994, that the infected area has not expanded significantly since that time, and that deer over-abundance and food supplementation have both contributed to ongoing transmission of disease. Managers are currently enforcing prohibitions on deer feeding in the core and are working to lower deer numbers there through increased hunting pressure.