The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens (Ehrlichia canis, Babesia vogeli, Hepatozoon spp. and Rickettsia spp.) in dogs in Vila de Jericoacoara, coastal region of Ceará, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 153 animals and analyzed using molecular and serological methods. Sixty animals were found to be infected or exposed to at least one of the pathogens studied. Babesia vogeli was the most prevalent pathogen (15%), followed by E. canis (13.7%) and Hepatozoon spp. (11.8%), which was identified as Hepatozoon canis through sequencing. Twenty dogs (13%) were seroreactive to Rickettsia spp. Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato was observed on 11.8% of the animals. There were associations between age (< 3 years old) and positivity for B. vogeli, and between habitation (stray dogs) and positivity for H. canis. There were also associations between anemia and infection with H. canis, and between leukopenia and exposure to Rickettsia spp. No association was detected between clinical alterations and infection with or exposure to the pathogens studied. The results confirmed that pathogens of veterinary importance are circulating in northeastern Brazil and showed that dogs are exposed to Rickettsia species with zoonotic potential, thus indicating a need for vector control measures.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of nanoemulsions using combined synthetic anthelmintics, thiabendazole (TBZ), levamisole (LEV), and ivermectin (IVM), with carvacryl acetate (CA) against Haemonchus contortus, and also tested the presence and absence of alginate (ALG). The anthelmintic effect of the CA/TBZ nanoemulsion was evaluated in the egg hatch test (EHT). The effects of CA/IVM and CA/LEV nanoemulsions were evaluated in the larval development test (LDT). The emulsions CA/TBZ/ALG and CA/TBZ showed a multimodal profile, with most particles on the nanometric scale. The encapsulation efficiency in CA/TBZ/ALG was 80.25%, and that in CA/LEV/ALG was 89.73%. In the EHT, CA/TBZ and CA/TBZ/ALG showed mean combination indices (CIs) of 0.55 and 0.36, respectively, demonstrating synergism in both. In LDT, CA/IVM had an average CI of 0.75, and CA/LEV and CA/LEV/ALG showed CI values of 0.4 and 0.93, respectively. It was concluded that CA/TBZ showed a synergistic interaction, and CA/TBZ/ALG showed an enhanced effect. In addition, the matrix brought stability to the product, encouraging its improvement to obtain higher efficacy.

Gastrointestinal nematode infections significantly impact small ruminant production, causing substantial economic losses worldwide. The rising resistance to anthelmintics has led to the search for alternative treatments, including phytotherapeutic approaches. This study investigates the chemical composition and anthelmintic activity of crude extracts and fractions from Simarouba berteroana, an endemic plant from Hispaniola, against a multidrug-resistant isolate of Haemonchus contortus. Chemical analyses revealed high contents of phenolic compounds, tannins, and flavonoids and confirmed the presence of 22 quassinoids, 5 phytosterol lipids, 3 terpenoid quinones, 3 alkaloids, and 1 naphthoquinone. The hydroalcoholic and iso-butanol fractions showed the strongest egg hatching inhibition (IC₅₀ = 0.93 and 1.21 mg/mL, respectively), while hexane fractions were less effective (p < 0.05). Fluorescence microscopy showed that the extracts and fractions adhered to eggshells, causing evisceration and cuticle detachment in hatched larvae. All extracts, except for hexane fractions, inhibited larval exsheathment at 0.3 mg/mL, with phenolic compounds being responsible for this effect. These results provide the first evidence of the ovicidal and larval exsheathment inhibition activities of S. berteroana extracts and fractions against H. contortus, highlighting their potential in managing gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants. Further in vivo studies are needed to confirm these findings.