Introduction of Chlamydia psittaci into a hospital area by feral pigeons.

Pigeons are associated with zoonotic pathogens such as Chlamydia psittaci, the main causative agent of avian chlamydiosis, and related to psittacosis cases in humans worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of C. psittaci in feral pigeons (Columba livia) and environmental samples from places frequented by pigeons in a Brazilian hospital area.

Infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) in a colony of Triatoma sherlocki Papa et al. 2002 (Reduviidae: Triatominae) present in a subsistence pig farm in Northeast Brazil.

Triatomines of the species Triatoma sherlocki are considered sylvatic; however, household invasion appears imminent, potentially carrying Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to report the first occurrence of a colony of T. sherlocki infected by T.

Patterns and spatial distribution of sea turtle strandings in Alagoas, Brazil.

This study makes a descriptive analysis of necropsied sea turtles registered in the Biota Conservation Institute database between May 2018 and May 2022 on the coast of Alagoas, Brazil. During this period, 79 animals of four species were necropsied: 87.4 % (69) Chelonia mydas, 6.

Wild mammals involved in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi and food sources of Triatoma sherlocki in an endemic region of northeastern Brazil.

The present study, carried out in the municipality of Gentio do Ouro, Bahia, Brazil aimed to evaluate which wild mammals may be involved in the transmission of T. cruzi and which are the blood sources for triatomines collected in the study area. PCR analysis of 31 wild mammals captured revealed T.

Frequent Infection of Cats With SARS-CoV-2 Irrespective of Pre-Existing Enzootic Coronavirus Immunity, Brazil 2020.

Carnivores such as cats and minks are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Brazil is a global COVID-19 hot spot and several cases of human-to-cat transmission have been documented. We investigated the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by testing 547 domestic cats sampled between July-November 2020 from seven states in southern, southeastern, and northeastern Brazil.

Evidence against Zika virus infection of pets and peri-domestic animals in Latin America and Africa.

Decades after its discovery in East Africa, Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in Brazil in 2013 and infected millions of people during intense urban transmission. Whether vertebrates other than humans are involved in ZIKV transmission cycles remained unclear. Here, we investigate the role of different animals as ZIKV reservoirs by testing 1723 sera of pets, peri-domestic animals and African non-human primates (NHP) sampled during 2013-2018 in Brazil and 2006-2016 in Côte d'Ivoire.

Eco-epidemiology of vectorial Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in a region of northeast Brazil.

Chagas disease (CD) is a parasitic zoonosis endemic in Brazil. Despite virtual control of Triatoma infestans, the main domesticated vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, vectorial transmission by other triatomine species persists in some rural communities. This study aims to characterize triatomines role in transmitting T.

Ecologic Determinants of West Nile Virus Seroprevalence among Equids, Brazil.

Among 713 equids sampled in northeastern Brazil during 2013-2018, West Nile virus seroprevalence was 4.5% (95% CI 3.1%-6.

First record of mass wild waterfowl mortality due to Clostridium botulinum in Brazilian semiarid.

In 2008, 270 wild birds from aquatic environments were found dead or debilitated on the banks of smaller lakes that had been formed due to the decrease in the level of the holding lake of the Sobradinho Dam located on the São Francisco River in the Caatinga of Bahia, Brazil. The outbreak occurred months after the dam's partial drainage, with the formation of puddles that accumulated decomposing organic material. Amongst the 270 individuals examined and/or found dead, the majority (50%) of the birds found belonged to the Anatidae family.

Knowledge, practice and perception of human-marsupial interactions in health promotion.

Introduction: Approximately 60% of emerging pathogens originate from wild animals, with mammals being the main hosts. Among Didelphis, which are restricted to the Americas, the species Didelphis aurita and Didelphis albiventris are particularly widely distributed throughout Brazil, where they act as hosts for several pathogens transmissible to humans. The reduction of their natural habitat has resulted in the adaptation of these species to human environments.

Identification of animal hosts of Fort Sherman virus, a New World zoonotic orthobunyavirus.

An orthobunyavirus termed Fort Sherman virus (FSV) was isolated in 1985 from a febrile US soldier in Panama, yet potential animal reservoirs remained unknown. We investigated sera from 192 clinically healthy peri-domestic animals sampled in northeastern Brazil during 2014-2018 by broadly reactive RT-PCR for orthobunyavirus RNA, including 50 cattle, 57 sheep, 35 goats and 50 horses. One horse sampled in 2018 was positive (0.

A Novel Marsupial Hepatitis A Virus Corroborates Complex Evolutionary Patterns Shaping the Genus Hepatovirus.

The discovery of highly diverse nonprimate hepatoviruses illuminated the evolutionary origins of hepatitis A virus (HAV) ancestors in mammals other than primates. Marsupials are ancient mammals that diverged from other Eutheria during the Jurassic. Viruses from marsupials may thus provide important insight into virus evolution.

A novel hepatitis B virus species discovered in capuchin monkeys sheds new light on the evolution of primate hepadnaviruses.

Background & Aims: All known hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes occur in humans and hominoid Old World non-human primates (NHPs). The divergent woolly monkey HBV (WMHBV) forms another orthohepadnavirus species. The evolutionary origins of HBV are unclear.

Limited Evidence for Infection of Urban and Peri-urban Nonhuman Primates with Zika and Chikungunya Viruses in Brazil.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in the Americas in 2013. Limited antigenic variability of CHIKV and ZIKV may restrict urban transmission cycles due to population protective immunity. In Africa, sylvatic transmission cycles involving nonhuman primates (NHP) are known for CHIKV and ZIKV, causing cyclic reemergence in humans.

TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI AND LEISHMANIA SP. INFECTION IN WILDLIFE FROM URBAN RAINFOREST FRAGMENTS IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL.

:  Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania sp. are important protozoan parasites for humans and animals in the Americas, causing Chagas disease and cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis, respectively. These vector-borne diseases affect permanent and transient populations in developing tropical countries that exhibit favorable conditions for the perpetuation of the parasite cycle.

Association between Leishmania infantum DNA in the hair of dogs and their infectiousness to Lutzomyia longipalpis.

Diagnosis of infection with Leishmania infantum by DNA detection in the hair has been recently demonstrated in dogs and wild animals. Our objective was to investigate if polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in hair might be used to identify infectious dogs. Thus, we assessed the infectiousness to Lutzomyia longipalpis by xenodiagnosis in comparison with the detection of L.

Toxoplasmatinae Parasites in Bats from Bahia State, Brazil.

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are widespread cyst-forming coccidian parasites of the subfamily Toxoplasmatinae that infect a wide range of wild and domestic animals. Whereas T. gondii is a zoonotic disease, N.

Xenodiagnosis on dogs with visceral leishmaniasis: Canine and sand fly aspects related to the parasite transmission.

One of the main limitations for the effective control of canine leishmaniasis in endemic areas is the difficulty in identifying infectious dogs. The objective of this study was to determine factors, related to dogs and to parasite detection in sand flies, which are associated with the positive xenodiagnosis of Leishmania infantum using the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. The xenodiagnosis was performed in 50 owned dogs residing in endemic areas, which were divided into three different groups: G1-26 dogs proved to be infected and classified by severity of VL clinical signs on physical examination; G2-15 dogs proved to be infected and classified by severity of clinical signs and intensity of laboratory abnormalities; G3-nine dogs that were seropositive for anti-Leishmania IgG in ELISA tests.

Trace elements distribution in hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) tissues on the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil.

Concentrations of elements (As, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, V, Zn) were determined in liver, kidneys and bones of Eretmochelys imbricata and Chelonia mydas specimens found stranded along the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil. Results showed that the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn in the liver and kidneys of juvenile C. mydas were the highest found in Brazil.

Identification of biomarkers in the hair of dogs: new diagnostic possibilities in the study and control of visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonosis whose etiologic agent in the Americas is Leishmania infantum, and dogs are the main host. Research and innovation in diagnostic techniques are essential to improve the surveillance and control of VL in endemic areas. The present study investigates the profile of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by healthy dogs and by dogs infected by L.

Bats carry pathogenic hepadnaviruses antigenically related to hepatitis B virus and capable of infecting human hepatocytes.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV), family Hepadnaviridae, is one of most relevant human pathogens. HBV origins are enigmatic, and no zoonotic reservoirs are known. Here, we screened 3,080 specimens from 54 bat species representing 11 bat families for hepadnaviral DNA.

Highly diversified coronaviruses in neotropical bats.

Bats host a broad diversity of coronaviruses (CoVs), including close relatives of human pathogens. There is only limited data on neotropical bat CoVs. We analysed faecal, blood and intestine specimens from 1562 bats sampled in Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil for CoVs by broad-range PCR.

Bats host major mammalian paramyxoviruses.

The large virus family Paramyxoviridae includes some of the most significant human and livestock viruses, such as measles-, distemper-, mumps-, parainfluenza-, Newcastle disease-, respiratory syncytial virus and metapneumoviruses. Here we identify an estimated 66 new paramyxoviruses in a worldwide sample of 119 bat and rodent species (9,278 individuals). Major discoveries include evidence of an origin of Hendra- and Nipah virus in Africa, identification of a bat virus conspecific with the human mumps virus, detection of close relatives of respiratory syncytial virus, mouse pneumonia- and canine distemper virus in bats, as well as direct evidence of Sendai virus in rodents.

Spatial analysis of migrating Apis mellifera colonies in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Beekeeping in Brazil is growing but also associated with an increase in the number of human and animal accidents involved. In particular, bees of the Apis mellifera species (Africanized bees) are known for their aggressive behaviour and frequent swarming activity due to their poor adaptation to the human environment. This study analyzed the spatial distribution of occurrences of migratory swarms of A.