Cryptosporidium spp. are opportunistic parasites with zoonotic potential transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water and food, the infection consists of severe diarrhea leading to the death of babies and immunocompromised individuals. In the veterinary, it can generate economic losses due to the death of calves, these animals being a possible source of transmission of the parasite. Nitazoxanide and halofuginone are the only drugs approved for treatment in humans and calves respectively, however there are restrictions on their use. There is still no vaccine against cryptosporidiosis in humans or animals and its development is a great challenge. Our objective with the present work was to write a systematic review of the literature addressing the progress of studies on vaccines against cryptosporidiosis. The recommended guidelines for RSL were used, with the aid of the StArt software (State of the Art through Systematic Rewiews). The research took place in the databases: Lilacs, PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, Embase and Medline. In 30% of the selected articles, the calves were the study animal and in 50% the mice; 40% of the studies were with vaccines derived from recombinant proteins and 30% of the research was aimed at inhibiting the parasite from entering cells and activating the host's protective immunity. So far, a vaccine with no proven efficacy or an ideal cost-benefit has been developed. Many candidate antigenic targets for a vaccine have been characterized, in addition to elucidating the immunogenicity mechanism of Cryptosporidium spp. in the infected individual. However, another antigenic targets for a vaccine can be searched in future studies.
Flying pigeons (Columbia livia) are extensively studied for their physical endurance and superior sense of orientation. The extreme physical endurance of which these birds are capable creates a unique opportunity to investigate the possible impact of long-distance flying on the taxonomy and metabolic function of the gut microbiota. This project was enabled by access to two groups of pigeons raised by the same breeder in the same conditions, except that one group was trained in long-distance flying and participated in multiple races covering a total distance of over 2600 km over a 9-week period. In contrast, the second group did not fly. The fecal microbiota was analyzed using 16S amplicon sequencing, and the taxonomy and metabolic function were inferred from this sequence data. Based on phylogenetic distance and metabolic function, flying and non-flying pigeons were found to harbor distinct bacterial microbiota. The microbiota taxonomy varied extensively between the birds, whereas the inferred metabolic potential was relatively stable. Age was not a significant determinant of the fecal microbiota profile. In flying birds, the metabolic pathways annotated with biosynthesis were enriched, representing 60% of the 20 metabolic pathways that were most closely associated with flying.
Glucocorticosteroids remain the most common pharmaceutical approach for the treatment of equine asthma but can be associated with significant side effects, including respiratory microbiome alterations. The goal of the study was to assess the impact of 2% lidocaine nebulization, a projected alternative treatment of equine asthma, on the healthy equine respiratory microbiota. A prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, 2-way crossover study was performed, to assess the effect of 1 mg/kg 2% lidocaine (7 treatments over 4 days) on the equine respiratory microbiota compared to control horses (saline and no treatment). Clinical assessments and respiratory samples, including nasal wash, endoscopic tracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, were obtained at each sample collection timepoint. The profile of the respiratory bacterial microbiota was evaluated using 16S amplicon sequencing, and clinical data compared using related samples analyses, based on data normality. The treatment did not affect the clinical data or alter the tracheal and nasal microbiota in healthy horses. However, time explained 12.6% of microbiota variation among samples. A significant difference in bacterial composition was observed between nasal and tracheal samples, showing the greatest relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively. Bacterial DNA from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid did not amplify with generic primers targeting the V4 variable region of the prokaryotic small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, despite attempting multiple DNA extraction methods and PCR protocols, and after excluding PCR inhibition. This observation indicates that bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of healthy horses has a low bacterial load.
21 August 2021 in Research, Society and Development
Animals of the primate order are highly susceptible to parasitic infections due to their social organization, often in groups and interaction between individuals, facilitating the transmission of pathogenic agents, and may be even more prevalent in areas modified by anthropic action. The occurrence of the protozoan Cryptosporidium spp. in wildlife animals in captivity or free-living it characterizes great importance of Public Health mainly for its zoonotic potential. This parasite has a cosmopolitan distribution, causes gastrointestinal infection, and its transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route, either through water or through contaminated food. Cryptosporidiosis affects mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, this significant zoonotic potential, in addition to being directly related to the living conditions of the host and the quality of the environment. We investigated the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in primates located at the Tufted Capuchin Monkey Procreation Center (School of Dentistry of Araçatuba - UNESP). Fecal samples from 49 asymptomatic primates of the species Sapajus spp. species were collected below their individual cages, the soil was lined with a plastic bag, thus hindering environmental contamination. The search for oocysts was carried out using the technique of Negative Malachite Green Staining, finding negativity in all samples examined, which suggests the absence of the protozoan Cryptosporidium spp. in primates studied in the breeding center of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.), noting that they were asymptomatic.
3 August 2021 in Research, Society and Development
Enteroparasites can be pathogenic for the rabbit population and for this reason, we have investigated its occurrence in bioterium of rabbits. The sample group was composed of 103 adult males of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus and New Zealand breed. Fecal samples (n = 103) were processed using the Willis Techniques (Fluctuation in saturated sodium chloride solution with specific density of 1.20 g/mL) and Faust (Centrifugal-flotation in zinc sulphate with density of 1.18 g/ml). The diameters of larger and smaller sizes of the sporocysts and sporozoites of the coccidia were measured by means of optical microscopy using the program CellSens 1.17_00_en_Rhine_13Feb2017. The Faust Technique showed positivity of 39.74% (31/78) for Eimeria spp, while in Willis Technique, 35.90% (28/78) was observed for Eimeria spp, being the species Eimeria perforans and in 51.28% (47/78) of them there was no parasitism. We identified, for the first time, the occurrence of the specie E. perforans in rabbits of the species O. cuniculus, New Zealand breed kept in a bioterium. Therefore, it is extremely important for the implantation of parasitic control of rabbits kept in bioterium for scientific purposes, the monitoring of possible infections by means of periodic coproparasitological exams.
14 January 2021 in Journal of Health & Biological Sciences
Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade microbiológica da água, a manutenção e estrutura física de bebedouros públicos localizados no município de Araçatuba - SP. Métodos: Para avaliar a presença ou ausência de Escherichia coli e coliformes totais na água de consumo, 41 amostras foram coletadas aleatoriamente. Treze amostras foram coletadas no ano de 2018 e 28 amostras em 2019. Resultados: Todas as amostras coletadas no ano de 2018 não apresentaram coliformes totais e E. coli. Porém, as amostras coletadas no ano de 2019 apresentaram coliformes em 10% (3/28). Todos os bebedouros analisados demonstraram ser inadequados em pelo menos um dos critérios qualitativos considerados. Conclusão: Nossos resultados indicam que são necessários a manutenção periódica dos bebedouros públicos e o monitoramento de sua água, visto que esses parâmetros servem como indicadores da integridade do sistema de distribuição de água potável.