This study aimed to detect parasites from Leishmania genus, to determine the prevalence of anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies, to identify circulating species of the parasite, and to determine epidemiological variables associated with infection in rats caught in urban area of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Animal capture was carried out from May to December 2006, serological and molecular methods were performed. DNA was extracted from total blood, and nested-PCR, targeting SSu rRNA from Leishmania genus, was performed in triplicate. The positive samples were sequenced twice by Sanger method to species determination. In total, 181 rodents were captured, all were identified as Rattus rattus and none showed clinical alterations. Forty-one of the 176 (23.3%) animals were positive for Leishmania by ELISA and 6/181 (3.3%) were positive by IFAT. Nine of 127 tested animals (7.1%) were positive by PCR; seven were identified as L. (L.) amazonensis, one as L. (L.) infantum. Four rats were positive using more than one test. This was the first description of synanthropic rodents naturally infected by L. (L.) amazonensis (in the world) and by L. (L.) infantum (in South Brazil). Regarding L. (L.) amazonensis, this finding provides new evidence of the urbanization of this etiological agent.

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of scientific papers that used spatial analysis tools in cases of leishmaniasis, in Brazil. The search for articles was carried out in PubMed, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science databases. The keywords used in the identification of the articles were Thematic map AND Leishmaniasis, Spatial analysis AND Leishmaniasis, and Geoprocessing AND Leishmaniasis, in English language. A total of 360 articles were found, and 11 of them were analyzed after screening by title and abstract as well as reading of the full articles. The States studied were Sao Paulo, Acre, Maranhao, Piaui, Minas Gerais, Parana and Tocantins. Cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred predominantly in rural areas, with clusters in forest reserve regions or modified forest areas. Conversely, visceral leishmaniasis mainly occurred in peripheral and central urban areas associated with poorer environments and urban infrastructure, including worse sanitation. We conclude that the spatial distribution of leishmaniasis is closely related to the living environment of the risk population. The analyzed articles associated geospatial data with some risk factors for the disease, pointing out the locations where most cases occur, creating a relevant source to define control strategies.

The role of Mycoplasma bovirhinis in the development of pulmonary disease in cattle is controversial and was never evaluated in cattle from Latin America. This study investigated the respiratory infection dynamics associated with M. bovirhinis in suckling calves from 15 dairy cattle herds in Southern Brazil. Nasal swabs were obtained from asymptomatic (n = 102) and calves with clinical manifestations (n = 103) of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and used in molecular assays to identify the specific genes of viral and bacterial disease pathogens of BRD. Only M. bovirhinis, bovine coronavirus (BCoV), ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvGHV2), Histophilus somni, Pasteurella multocida, and Mannheimia haemolytica were detected. M. bovirhinis was the most frequently diagnosed pathogen in diseased (57.8%; 59/102) and asymptomatic (55.3%; 57/103) calves at all farms. BCoV-related infections were diagnosed in diseased (52%; 53/102) and asymptomatic (51.4%; 53/103) calves and occurred in 93.3% (14/15) of all farms. Similarly, infectious due to OvGHV2 occurred in diseased (37.2%; 38/102) and asymptomatic (27.2%; /28/103) calves and were diagnosed in 80% (12/15) of all farms investigated. Significant statistical differences were not identified when the two groups of calves were compared at most farms, except for infections due to OvGHV2 that affected five calves at one farm. These results demonstrated that the respiratory infection dynamics of M. bovirhinis identified in Southern Brazil are similar to those observed worldwide, suggesting that there is not enough sufficient collected data to consider M. bovirhinis as a pathogen of respiratory infections in cattle. Additionally, the possible roles of BCoV and OvGHV2 in the development of BRD are discussed.

Neosporosis, caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, has been widely reported and discussed as a major disease associated with reproductive problems in herds of various animal species. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence and risk factors associated with ovine neosporosis worldwide. This is the first systematic review, which was performed according to the established preferred reporting items in systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to address ovine neosporosis. Four databases were used in this study: PubMed, SciELO, Web of Science, and Scopus. The selected keywords were “neospora AND sheep,” “neosporosis AND sheep,” “neospora AND lamb,” “neosporosis AND lamb,” “neospora AND ewe,” and “neosporosis AND ewe.” The meta-analysis calculations were performed with random-effects models for proportions, and heterogeneity was tested using the I2 test. This study identified 24 studies on ovine neosporosis, nine of which evaluated the factors associated with the risk of seropositivity. After meta-analysis, the pooled estimated prevalence was 12% (95% CI, 8-16%; I² p-value < 0.01). The evaluation of the included studies allowed the identification of ovine neosporosis distribution in continents according to demonstrated prevalence rates. We confirmed via metaanalysis that the use of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFAT) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the diagnosis of ovine neosporosis was not a source of data heterogeneity. The presence of dogs on the properties was reported as the main risk factor associated with the occurrence of ovine neosporosis; however, this was not confirmed by the meta-analysis.