Publications by authors named "Kelly Keller"

Sporotrichosis is a widespread fungal infection that affects skin and subcutaneous tissues in humans and animals. In cats, it is displayed as nodules, ulcers and lesions on the nasal and respiratory mucosa. Antifungal treatment of cats is crucial but many cases are difficult, thus resulting in discontinue of the treatment, with disastrous consequences for the animal, encouraging contamination of the environment, other animals and people.

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Diagnosis and management of fungal infections are challenging in both animals and humans, especially in immunologically weakened hosts. Due to its broad spectrum and safety profile when compared to other antifungals, itraconazole (ITZ) has been widely used in the treatment and prophylaxis of fungal infections, both in human and veterinary medicine. The dose and duration of management depend on factors such as the type of fungal pathogen, the site of infection, sensitivity to ITZ, chronic stages of the disease, the health status of the hosts, pharmacological interactions with other medications and the therapeutic protocol used.

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In equine ophthalmology, ulcerative keratitis is among the most common conditions and, in general, arises as a consequence of some trauma suffered. Secondarily, subsequent contamination by pathogenic or resident bacteria of the horse's ocular microbiota may have undesirable consequences. Under physiological conditions, the normal microbiota coexists with the immune status of the host, serving as a barrier, ensuring the health of the ocular surface, and inhibiting the proliferation of pathogens.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease affecting both humans and animals, particularly in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where a study aimed to examine its spread and the species of *Sporothrix* involved in recent outbreaks.
  • - The research found a notable rise in sporotrichosis cases among animals, mostly affecting cats, with *Sporothrix brasiliensis* identified as the primary pathogen in all tested cases over four years.
  • - Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the strains found in Belo Horizonte likely originated from earlier outbreaks in Rio de Janeiro, suggesting interconnected outbreaks in Brazil, which highlights the need for genetic monitoring to manage and control the disease effectively.
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Nanoparticles (NPs) are nanoscaled particles sized from 1-100 nm, which can be composed of inorganic or organic compounds. NPs have distinctive morphology, size, structure, and surface features, which give them specific properties. These particular attributes make them interesting for biological and medical applications.

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Demand for low lactose milk and milk products has been increasing worldwide due to the high number of people with lactose intolerance. These low lactose dairy foods require fast, low-cost and efficient methods for sugar quantification. However, available methods do not meet all these requirements.

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Sporotrichosis is a superficial fungal disease that can affect animals and humans. The high number of infected cats has been associated with zoonotic transmission and contributed to sporotrichosis being considered by the World Health Organization as one of the main neglected tropical fungal diseases for 2021-2030. Oral administration of itraconazole (ITZ) is the first choice for treatment, but it is expensive, time-consuming, and often related to serious adverse effects.

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The effect of essential oils (obtained using hydrodistillation) and plant extracts (ethanolic, aqueous, and hexanic extractions) of 10 different plants cultivated in Brazil were tested using the diffusion agar method, with the objective of evaluating the inhibitory effect of the oils and extracts on the mycelial growth of NRRL 3174 and RC 2054 (UNRC). Of the 40 essential oils and plant extracts analyzed, oregano essential oil and plant extract, rosemary essential oil, and the clove ethanolic extract were the best choice to obtain the growth parameters (radial growth rates (mm day) and lag phase (h)) due the good results presented and the volume of oil/extract obtained. Comparing all the essential oils and plant extracts that were tested for growth parameters, the best results were obtained for the clove ethanolic extract for both strains assayed.

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Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a variety of fungi, which when ingested can cause several deleterious effects to the health of humans and animals. In this work, the detection and quantification of six major mycotoxins (aflatoxins-AFLA, deoxynivalenol-DON, fumonisins-FUMO, ochratoxin A-OTA, T-2 toxin-T-2 and zearalenone-ZON) in 1749 samples of feed and feed ingredients for cattle, collected in Brazil between 2017 and 2021, was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In total, 97% of samples were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin, yet, very few samples exceeded the lowest European Union guidance values for cattle, and the estimated daily intake also showed a low risk for the animals.

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Although sporotrichosis requires a broad approach for control, few reports have described the relationship between the index case and secondary contacts. In the present work, we report an outbreak involving a woman, a dog, and two cats from the same household environment, including the clinical and epidemiological aspects and outcomes, and discuss the importance of a One Health approach to face this neglected disease. The joint efforts of professionals such as veterinarians and physicians are essential for early diagnosis and surveillance, which contributes to the rapid identification and control of zoonotic sporotrichosis outbreaks.

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An epidemiological characterization of animal sporotrichosis was carried out between 2017 and 2018, in a highly urbanized area in Brazil, including outcomes and the spatial distribution of the cases according to the health vulnerability index (HVI) of the study territory. One hundred and sixty-five cats and four dogs suspected of sporotrichosis were identified by a surveillance and control program previously implemented in the study area. One hundred and five of these animals (62.

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The present report describes the clinical and pathological changes induced by the consumption of oats contaminated with Crotalaria spectabilis seeds by horses. Eighty horses were exposed to oats containing 10 g/kg of C. spectabilis seeds with 0.

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We report the implementation of an animal sporotrichosis surveillance and control program that evaluates strategies to identify suspected and infected cats in a municipality in southeastern Brazil. All adopted measures reinforced the program, although strategies had different abilities to detect the presence of infection.

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Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous granulomatous disease caused by the fungus Sporothrix spp. In Brazil, S. brasiliensis is reported in regions of outbreaks and epidemics in the zoonotic form of the disease where cats play an important role in the transmission of the disease to humans.

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, a fern of the species complex found in South America, is responsible for several different syndromes of poisoning. Cases of bovine enzootic hematuria and upper alimentary squamous cell carcinoma are both frequent occurrences in Brazil, whereas only bovine enzootic hematuria is noted with any frequency around the world. The reason for the high frequency of upper alimentary squamous cell carcinoma in Brazil is not currently known.

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An epidemiological characterization of human and feline sporotrichosis was carried out between 2016 and 2018, in a high density-populated area in Brazil. Professionals were trained to identify suspect cats and notify vets to interview the owners and collect swabs of the wounds from these animals. Mycological cultures were performed, and colonies identified as Sporothrix spp.

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is a saprobic filamentous fungus, food spoiling fungus and a producer of ochratoxin A (OTA) mycotoxin. In this study, the in vitro antifungal activity of neem oil (0.12% p/p of azadirachtin) was evaluated against the growth of six strains of and the production of OTA.

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This work aimed to develop and validate a method to detect and quantify protodioscin in Brachiaria grasses using ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Samples were extracted by acetonitrile-water 50:50 v/v mixture and ultrasonication. The mobile phase consisted of 5 mM ammonium acetate in water-methanol and acetonitrile containing 0.

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The aim of this study was to select S. cerevisiae strains able to exert probiotic and antimycotoxin effects plus antibiotics resistance properties for use in animal production. S.

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The fourth-generation fluoroquinolones are widely used as ophthalmic antimicrobials. This study aimed to validate a new analytical technique for simultaneous quantification of gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, and besifloxacin concentrations in the cornea and aqueous humor by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF/MS) at 10min and 1h after instillation of topical ophthalmic antimicrobial suspensions. It was used twenty-two male dogs without ocular lesions verified by ophthalmic and histologic examinations.

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Pollen is used in the human diet as a food supplement because of its high nutritional value; however, this product is prone to fungal contamination that could potentially generate toxins that are harmful to human health. This study aimed to verify the floral diversity of commercial brands of bee pollen and their mycotoxicological safety for human consumption. A total of 27 bee pollen samples were analyzed; these samples represented commercial brands, either showing an inspection seal or not, marketed in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

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Zearalenone (ZEA) and its derivatives are mycotoxins with estrogenic effects on mammals. The biotransformation for ZEA in animals involves the formation of two major metabolites, α- and β-zearalenol (α-ZOL and β-ZOL), which are subsequently conjugated with glucuronic acid. The capability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from silage to eliminate ZEA and its derivatives α-ZOL and β-ZOL was investigated as, also, the mechanisms involved.

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The aims of the current study were to monitor the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in the serum of slaughtered swine and to investigate its distribution in 4 major geographical regions of Brazil. A total of 400 samples of serum were collected from 4 major states of Brazil (100 samples each). Ochratoxin A concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.

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Chinchillas (Chinehilla lanigera) are known to be very sensitive to aflatoxins, and often a large number of animals die if toxicosis occurs. An outbreak of acute aflatoxicosis on a chinchilla farm in Argentina is described in the present study. A commercial feed suspected of causing the death of 200 animals was sampled.

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