Genotypic characterization and molecular evolution of avian reovirus in poultry flocks from Brazil.

Avian reovirus (ARV) is one of the main causes of infectious arthritis/tenosynovitis and malabsorption syndrome (MAS) in poultry. ARVs have been disseminated in Brazilian poultry flocks in the last years. This study aimed to genotype ARVs and to evaluate the molecular evolution of the more frequent ARV lineages detected in Brazilian poultry-producing farms.

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.

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).

Phylogenetic analysis of canine distemper virus in South America clade 1 reveals unique molecular signatures of the local epidemic.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly contagious pathogen for domestic dogs and several wild carnivore species. In Brazil, natural infection of CDV in dogs is very high due to the large non-vaccinated dog population, a scenario that calls for new studies on the molecular epidemiology. This study investigates the phylodynamics and amino-acid signatures of CDV epidemic in South America by analyzing a large dataset compiled from publicly available sequences and also by collecting new samples from Brazil.

Draft Genome Sequence of a Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Gallinarum bv. Gallinarum Isolate Associated with Fowl Typhoid Outbreaks in Brazil.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum bv. Gallinarum strains are bird pathogens causing fowl typhoid (FT).

Performance of direct immunofluorescence assay for the detection of human metapneumovirus under clinical laboratory settings.

Introduction: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is an emergent human respiratory pathogen. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of direct immunofluorescence (DIF) to detect hMPV in a clinical laboratory setting.

Methods: Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples (448) of children and adults with respiratory illness were used to detect hMPV by using DIF and real time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays.

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.

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).