Maintenance of venomous snakes in captivity for venom production at Butantan Institute from 1908 to the present: a scoping history.

Maintenance of snakes at Butantan Institute started in the last century, intending to produce a different antivenom serum to reduce death caused by snakebites. Through a successful campaign coordinated by Vital Brazil, farmers sent venomous snakes to Butantan Institute by the railway lines with no cost. From 1908 to 1962, the snakes were kept in an outdoor serpentarium, where venom extraction was performed every 15 days.

Intestinal Myxoid Leiomyosarcoma in a Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor).

A 9-year-old male sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) that died during sedation had a large and firm polypoid mass, which expanded the small intestinal wall and partially obstructed the duodenal lumen. Histopathology revealed a pleomorphic sarcoma composed of stellate to spindloid cells loosely arranged in an abundant myxoid matrix. The cytoplasm of the neoplastic cells was strongly immunopositive for vimentin and smooth muscle actin, but negative for c-KIT, desmin and myoglobin.

OSTEODENSITOMETRY AND TOMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN FOUR CAPTIVE GIANT SOUTH AMERICAN TURTLES () WITH METABOLIC BONE DISEASE.

Giant South American turtles () are at a risk of extinction because of the rapid decline in their population over the last few decades. Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is common in captive testudines, but is often not diagnosed until a later stage. The authors present the cases of four captive giant South American turtles with carapace deformity secondary to MBD that underwent computed tomography (CT) scans of the carapace bones and vertebral column.

Hematologic and plasma biochemical values of hyacinth macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).

The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhyncus hyacinthinus), considered the largest psittacine bird species in the world, is an endangered species, with a remaining population of approximately 6500 birds in the wild. To establish hematologic and plasma biochemical reference ranges and to verify differences related to sex, samples from 29 hyacinth macaws (14 males, 15 females) were obtained from birds apprehended from illegal wildlife trade and subsequently housed at the Sorocaba Zoo, Brazil. No significant differences in hematologic or plasma biochemical values were found between females and males.

Ticks infesting wildlife species in northeastern Brazil with new host and locality records.

From September 2008 to March 2010, 397 ticks (315 larvae, 33 nymphs, 23 females, and 26 males) were collected from captive and free-living wildlife species in northeastern Brazil. Six tick species were identified, including Amblyomma auricularium (Conil) on Tamandua tetradactyla (L.), Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann on Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (L.

Ticks on captive and free-living wild animals in northeastern Brazil.

From 2005 to 2009, 147 ticks found on 32 wild animals from or referred to two zoobotanical parks (Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara and Parque Estadual Dois Irmãos) located in northeastern Brazil were identified. Ticks found on two veterinarians working in one of the parks (i.e.