Mitochondrial Genome and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Narrownose Smooth-Hound Shark Springer, 1939.

Southern Brazil is home to a large biodiversity of elasmobranchs from the Brazilian coast. Several genera and species of small sharks of the Triakidae family live in this marine environment. Studies on these shark species are scarce, with few genetic data and little information on animal population structures.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV): Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical findings in domestic cats (Felis catus) from southern Brazil.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a retrovirus affecting domestic cats worldwide and causing immunosuppression and reduced quality of life. The prevalence of FIV infection varies according to geographic regions / countries and it is associated with domestic cat health managements (vaccination, neutering, basic health care, etc.).

Evolution and genomic profile of serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum isolates from Brazil.

subspecies serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum ( Pullorum) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes Pullorum disease (PD). PD is an acute systemic disease that affects young chickens, causing white diarrhea and high mortality. Although many sanitary programs have been carried out to eradicate Pullorum, PD outbreaks have been reported in different types of birds (layers, broilers, breeders) worldwide.

Epidemiological Insights into Feline Leukemia Virus Infections in an Urban Cat () Population from Brazil.

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus distributed worldwide in domestic cats and with different outcomes (progressive, regressive, abortive, focal). The present study reports an epidemiological survey of FeLV frequency and the evaluation of some risk factors and the two main disease outcomes (progressive and regressive) in an urban cat population from Brazil. A total of 366 cats with sociodemographic information and p27 FeLV antigen test performed were included in the study.

Evolution and Epidemic Spread of the Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) GI-23 in Brazil.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a pathogen affecting poultry flocks worldwide. GI-23 is an IBV lineage with a rapid spread into different continents of the world, and it was reported for the first time in South American/Brazilian broiler farms last year. This study aimed to investigate the recent introduction and epidemic spread of IBV GI-23 in Brazil.

Emergence and molecular characterization of the avian infectious bronchitis virus GI-23 in commercial broiler farms from South America.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the etiological agent of a highly contagious disease in the poultry industry. The spike protein (S1 subunit) is responsible for the molecular diversity of the virus and many genetic types, and lineages are described worldwide. IBV genetic type I-strain 23 (GI-23) has spread across different continents (including Asia, Europe and Africa), causing multiple outbreaks and severe economic losses throughout the poultry industry in the last decade.

Emergence, Dissemination and Antimicrobial Resistance of the Main Poultry-Associated Serovars in Brazil.

infects poultry, and it is also a human foodborne pathogen. This bacterial genus is classified into several serovars/lineages, some of them showing high antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The ease of transmission in farms, slaughterhouses, and eggs industries has made controlling it a real challenge in the poultry-production chains.

Clonality of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in swine farms from Brazil.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes enzootic pneumonia (EP) in swine, a disease related to high economic losses in production systems. Epidemiological spread of M. hyopneumoniae clones was studied by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) in several swine production regions but so far not in South America.

Salmonella serotype assignment by sequencing analysis of intergenic regions of ribosomal RNA operons.

Salmonella laboratorial detection is usually carried out by bacteriological culture and serological methods. Salmonella isolates are then classified into more than 2,650 serotypes with different somatic (O) and flagellar (H) antigenic combinations. More recently, DNA analysis methods were developed and applied for the identification of Salmonella serotypes, including intergenic spacer regions (ISRs) that separates DNA-encoding ribosomal subunits (rRNA gene) in Salmonella genomes.

Phylodynamic analyses of Brazilian antigenic variants of infectious bursal disease virus.

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a very important pathogen to poultry production and it is classified into three main groups: classical virulent (cvIBDV), very virulent (vvIBDV) and antigenic variants (avIBDV). This last group is composed by five different genetic lineages (recently classified in genogroups G2, G4, G5, G6, and G7) distributed in specific regions around the world. Brazil is one of the biggest poultry producers in the world and the present study aimed to investigate the evolutionary history of avIBDVs of the genogroup G4 in Brazil.

Phylodynamic analysis and molecular diversity of the avian infectious bronchitis virus of chickens in Brazil.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the etiological agent of a highly contagious disease, which results in severe economic losses to the poultry industry. The spike protein (S1 subunit) is responsible for the molecular diversity of the virus and many sero/genotypes are described around the world. Recently a new standardized classification of the IBV molecular diversity was conducted, based on phylogenetic analysis of the S1 gene sequences sampled worldwide.

Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of Salmonella Gallinarum trace the origin and diversification of recent outbreaks of fowl typhoid in poultry farms.

Fowl typhoid (FT) and pullorum disease (PD) are two important poultry infections caused by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum).

A Real-Time Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction for Differentiation of Massachusetts Vaccine and Brazilian Field Genotypes of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus.

The avian infectious bronchitis virus is classified into serotypes or genotypes (or both) in different poultry-producing countries of the world. In Brazil, Massachusetts type (Mass), used as a live vaccine, and local field Brazilian variants (genotypes; BR) predominate in the commercial poultry flocks. This study describes the development and validation of two real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCR) for the specific detection of Mass and BR genotypes in allantoic fluids and clinical samples.

Virulence gene content in Escherichia coli isolates from poultry flocks with clinical signs of colibacillosis in Brazil.

Escherichia coli is a commensal bacterium of the bird's intestinal tract, but it can invade different tissues resulting in systemic symptoms (colibacillosis). This disease occurs only when the E. coli infecting strain presents virulence factors (encoded by specific genes) that enable the adhesion and proliferation in the host organism.

Taqman real-time PCR assays for rapid detection of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolates are currently differentiated from nonpathogenic strains by classical PCR of virulence genes. This study improves the detection of the five main virulence genes used for APEC detection with the development of duplex and single Taqman real-time PCR to these targets. Primers and probes targeted to ompT, hlyF, iroN, iutA, and iss genes were designed and used in the implementation of single (iss) and duplex (hlyF/ompT and iroN/iutA) Taqman PCR assays.

A complete molecular biology assay for hepatitis C virus detection, quantification and genotyping.

Introduction: Molecular biology procedures to detect, genotype and quantify hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in clinical samples have been extensively described. Routine commercial methods for each specific purpose (detection, quantification and genotyping) are also available, all of which are typically based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the HCV 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). This study was performed to develop and validate a complete serial laboratory assay that combines real-time nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques for the complete molecular analysis of HCV (detection, genotyping and viral load) in clinical samples.

Emergence of a new genotype of avian infectious bronchitis virus in Brazil.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the agent of a highly contagious disease that affects domestic fowl (Gallus gallus). Recent reports showed a high prevalence of one main IBV genotype (Brazil or BR-I) with low genetic diversity in commercial poultry flocks from Brazil. This research analyzed IBV positive poultry flocks from different rearing regions to verify the S1 gene variability and geographic distribution of variant IBV strains in recent years (2010 and 2011).

A Multiplex real-time PCR for detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae in clinical samples from Brazilian commercial poultry flocks.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MS) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) are important avian pathogens and cause economic losses to the poultry industry. Molecular biology techniques are currently used for a rapid detection of these pathogens and the adoption of control measures of the diseases. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a technique for simultaneous detection of MG and MS by multiplex real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Detection and differentiation of field and vaccine strains of canine distemper virus using reverse transcription followed by nested real time PCR (RT-nqPCR) and RFLP analysis.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the cause of a severe and highly contagious disease in dogs. Practical diagnosis of canine distemper based on clinical signs and laboratory tests are required to confirm CDV infection. The present study aimed to develop a molecular assay to detect and differentiate field and vaccine CDV strains.

Oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in southern Brazil.

The neuraminidase (NA) genes of A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus isolates from 306 infected patients were analysed. The circulation of oseltamivir-resistant viruses in Brazil has not been reported previously. Clinical samples were collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) from 2009-2011 and two NA inhibitor-resistant mutants were identified, one in 2009 (H275Y) and the other in 2011 (S247N).

Human papillomavirus detection and typing using a nested-PCR-RFLP assay.

Background: It is clinically important to detect and type human papillomavirus (HPV) in a sensitive and specific manner.

Objectives: Development of a nested-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (nested-PCR-RFLP) assay to detect and type HPV based on the analysis of L1 gene.

Methods: Analysis of published DNA sequence of mucosal HPV types to select sequences of new primers.

Role of plasma DNA as a predictive marker of fatal outcome following severe head injury in males.

The prediction of outcome is one of the major problems associated with traumatic brain injury. Recently, investigations have been performed on the potential use of circulating cell-free DNA in plasma for clinical diagnosis and prognosis of a variety of conditions. In this study, we investigated DNA plasma concentrations after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its correlation with primary outcome.