Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii which infects all warm-blood vertebrates. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in a population of domestic cats seen at a major cat-only veterinary clinic in Curitiba, Paraná State, Southern Brazil. Serum samples were processed by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) for the detection of IgG. Antibody titers were found in 16.3% (46/282) of sera analyzed, with titers to T. gondii of 16 in eight cats, 64 in 23 cats, 256 in 14 cats and 1024 in one cat. Statistical differences were not found regarding the association with age, gender and different areas of the city (p > 0.05). No significant differences were found in any variable when comparing seropositivity with potential risk factors. The seroprevalence was relatively lower when compared to other Brazilian regions, probably due to the fact that the cats studied were owned, domiciled with restricted dietary habits based on processed foods, restricted access to the street and no prey access. In conclusion, low feline toxoplasmosis seroprevalence may be associated to owned cats due to adequate dietary care and restricted outdoor access, as well as low local environmental exposure.

Tupinambis merianae is a species of lizard distributed in Brazil, northern Argentina and Uruguay. In Brazil this reptile is widely distributed in several biomes such as Atlantic Forest, Amazon, Cerrado and Caatinga. These animals have diurnal habits and feeds on vegetables and animals, such as eggs, fruits and other invertebrates, and it is one of the main targets of predatory hunting in the Brazilian semiarid lands, where there is a habit of consuming these animals.

The emergence of the new Brazilian variant of concern, P.1 lineage (Gamma), raised concern about its impact on the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 cases due to its higher transmissibility rate and immune evasion ability. Using 272 whole-genome sequences combined with epidemiological data, we showed that P.1 introduction in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, was followed by the displacement of eight circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and a rapid increase in prevalence two months after its first detection. Our findings support that the P.1 variant is associated with an increase in mortality risk and severity of COVID-19 cases in younger aged groups, which corresponds to the unvaccinated population at the time. Moreover, our data highlight the beneficial effects of vaccination indicated by a pronounced reduction of severe cases and deaths in immunized individuals, reinforcing the need for rapid and massive vaccination.

The DNA polymorphisms are changes in the sequence of nucleotide bases that result in genetic differences among two or more individuals. These polymorphisms have been used as molecular markers and contribute to studies in swine related to genetic diversity, pedigree analysis, selection, and discovery of genomic regions controlling economically important traits. Among the molecular markers, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Copy Number Variations (CNVs) have been most studied in pigs mainly due to their greater abundance in the genome, ease of detection and possibility of automation. The knowledge and application of information from molecular marker shave contribute to a more efficient and competitive pig production. Furthermore, in pig breeding programs, the molecular markers are especially important to allow higher efficiency in selection for traits with low heritability, difficult or expensive to measure, sex-limited, and that express later in the animal’s life, resulting in a higher prediction accuracy for these traits. Considering the relevance of DNA molecular markers for the development of pig production and the advances in research in this area, we aimed to present an overview of the main research results related to the discovery, contribution and implementation of molecular markers in pig breeding and production. This review contextualizes and summarizes important results and recent findings in order to update the reader and stimulate future research based on the identification and relevance of molecular markers applied to pig production.

Studying animal diets can be of great value to conservation biology; however, identifying diet items by observation can be challenging, constrained by factors like habitat structure, observer distance, and climatic conditions. Our aim was to evaluate the diet of the free-living Blue-and-yellow Macaw in an urban area of Central-West Brazil, using DNA metabarcoding. Cloacal swab samples were collected in nests during the nestlings’ monitoring season. After eDNA extractions, the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the chloroplast psbA–trnH intergenic regions were amplified and sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION. Blastn was performed using a local database to analyze our sequences. The most abundant taxa detected included pink ipê ( Handroanthus impetiginosus), amate ( Ficus obtusifolia), and mango ( Mangifera indica) at central nest; and queen’s crape myrtle ( Lagerstroemia speciosa), java plum ( Syzygium cumini), pequi ( Caryocar brasiliense), peterebi ( Cordia trichotoma), and mango at peripheral nest. Our findings showed that DNA metabarcoding provides a more comprehensive and detailed assessment of the diet of Blue-and-yellow Macaw, complementing traditional methods and underscoring its value as a powerful and sensitive tool for advancing ecological and conservation studies.