Leptospirosis is considered a neglected zoonosis associated with infrastructure problems and low socioeconomic status, particularly slums. Since the disease is mainly transmitted in urban settings by rat urine, this risk factor may be important predictor tool for prompt control and effective prevention at the local level in urban endemic areas. Accordingly, the present study aimed to propose an early spatial predictor tool for human leptospirosis in urban settings, to test the methodology of molecular methods for assessing Leptospira spp. in trapped rats, and report associated environmental data. Official city records and previous study were used to select risk factors for human leptospirosis in an endemic neighborhood of Curitiba, Brazil. Neighborhood census sectors were divided in high- and low-risk areas using 12 selected factors: flood area, water supply, water course, green coverage, afforestation, sewage network, open sewage, open garbage, garbage collection, dumpster, pavement, and rodent complaints. In addition, rats were captured in pre-determined sites from January through March 2017, euthanized, and individual kidneys samples sent for molecular diagnosis. Human cases were obtained from official city records. In total, 95/112 (84.8%) census sectors were classified as low-risk to human leptospirosis. No significant statistical differences were found in human case frequencies between high and low-risk areas. Kidney samples from 17/25 (68.0%) trapped rats were positive for Leptospira spp. The main risk factors associated with rodent presence included inadequate water supply (p = 0.04), sanitary sewage (p = 0.04), unpaved streets (p = 0.04), and complaint of rodents (p = 0.04). This study offers a new approach to score leptospirosis transmission risk, and to compare small areas and their heterogeneity in the same census sector of endemic areas. Environmental risk factors for Leptospira spp. transmission within the neighborhood were mainly due to differences in infrastructure and basic services. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study using Leptospira spp. in rats as predictor for human disease in an urban setting of a major city. Although the number of rats trapped was low, this methodology may be used as basis for early and effective interventions, focused on high risk areas for leptospirosis prior to human cases, and potentially reducing morbidity and mortality in low-income areas of urban settings.

Background and Aim: Hoarding cases have not been researched in depth in developing countries, such as Brazil. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of people with hoarding behavior in Curitiba, Brazil. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on complaints about hoarding situations received by the City Hall. The data on sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior were obtained and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analyses. Results: Out of the 113 hoarding cases reported, 69 (61.06%) were fully assessed. Most of the participants (43; 62.32%) were women, and it was observed that most of the animal hoarding cases were women (p=0.02). The average age was 62.47 years old, and most of them (44; 63.76%) had studied up to the middle school level. People associated with object hoarding belonged to the lower income category (p=0.031). In most cases, the homes had an unpleasant odor (45; 65.21%), and this was prevalent in cases involving women (p=0.004) and animals (p=0.001). The risk of fire (24 [34.78%]) and landslip (9 [13.04%]) was more frequent in the case of object hoarding (p=0.018 and 0.021, respectively). Conclusion: The description of characteristics of individuals with hoarding behavior may assist in understanding the magnitude of this public health problem in Brazil and shed light on the need to develop studies on the health conditions of people and animals that live in these situations.

The present study aimed to assess anti-T. gondii antibodies in sheltered and free-roaming cats within a university campus that has an overlapping population of humans and livestock. A total of 51 cats were tested for anti-T. gondii antibodies using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. Overall, 8/51 cats (15.7%) were seropositive. Cats were more likely to be seropositive when free-roaming (p= 0.008) and with presence of skin lesions (p= 0.042), and less likely with < 1 year of age (p= 0.021), probably due to higher environmental exposure and infected prey consumption. The presence of seropositive free-roaming cats whose areas overlapped those occupied by humans and livestock may suggest an increased on-campus chance of T. gondii occurrence.