Wild species are susceptible to several typical domestic animal pathogens, and the increasingly close contact between these groups is a predictive factor for disease exposure. Some viruses are important and old‐known, and others are emerging or reemerging for domestic carnivorans and have been identified as threats to the conservation of wild mammals. The purpose of the study was to investigate the occurrence of bocaparvoviruses (BoVs, Parvoviridae family, Parvovirinae subfamily, Bocaparvovirus genus), parvoviruses (Parvoviridae family, Parvovirinae subfamily, Protoparvovirus genus, Protoparvovirus carnivoran1), hepadnaviruses (Hepadnaviridae family), coronaviruses (Coronaviridae family, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily), paramyxoviruses (Paramyxoviridae family) and canine distemper virus (Orthoparamyxovirinae subfamily, Morbillivirus genus, Morbillivirus canis), poxviruses (Poxviridae family), feline herpesvirus (Orthoherpesviridae family, Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, Varicellovirus genus, Varicellovirus felidalpha1), feline calicivirus (Caliciviridae family, Vesivirus genus, FCV), feline immunodeficiency virus (Retroviridae family, Orthoretrovirinae subfamily, Lentivirus genus, FIV), feline leukemia virus (Retroviridae family, Orthoretrovirinae subfamily, Gammaretrovirus genus, FeLV), and gammaherpesviruses (Orthoherpesviridae family, Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily) in wild carnivorans. A total of 30 biological samples from the families Canidae, Felidae, Mephitidae, Mustelidae, and Procyonidae were evaluated. All animals were victims of vehicular collisions in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Canine parvovirus (CPV‐2) DNA was detected in the spleen of a bush dog (Speothos venaticus), a jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi), and a jaguar (Panthera onca), FeLV proviral DNA was found in the spleen of an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis); while CDV RNA was detected in the liver of a jaguarundi. Phylogenetic analysis carried out with the partial sequence of the CPV‐2 VP2 gene and the U3 (LTR) gag region of FeLV showed 100% identity with strains obtained from domestic dogs and cats, respectively. The approximation between wild and domestic animals favors the transmission of pathogens, especially between phylogenetically close species, such as members of the Canidae and Felidae families. Identification of the DNA and RNA of potentially fatal viruses such as CPV‐2, FeLV, and CDV in four wilds endangered to extinction and understudied species contributes to our understanding of the pathogens circulating in this free‐ranging and vulnerable population.

Brazilian porcupinepox virus (BPoPV) is a recently described pathogen associated with severe cutaneous and systemic disease in Coendou spp. porcupines, posing potential conservation and zoonotic risks. Given the solitary behavior of porcupines and the unclear mechanisms of BPoPV transmission, this study investigated the presence of BPoPV DNA in porcupines and their associated ectoparasites (ticks and lice). We analyzed ticks and lice collected from 17 porcupines (C. longicaudatus and C. spinosus), with or without clinical signs of BPoPV infection. Ectoparasites were identified morphologically, separated into distinct pools for ticks and lice by host, and screened by PCR. BPoPV DNA was detected in all symptomatic porcupines and their ectoparasites—including Amblyomma longirostre, A. sculptum ticks, and Eutrichophilus spp. lice—except for one tick pool. Notably, an asymptomatic, BPoPV-negative porcupine harbored A. longirostre ticks that tested positive for the virus. Sequencing confirmed 100% identity with the BPoPV reference strain. These findings suggest that Eutrichophilus lice, A. sculptum, and particularly A. longirostre ticks may play a role in BPoPV transmission. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether these ectoparasites act as biological or mechanical vectors and to assess the zoonotic potential of BPoPV in contact with humans and domestic animals.

The aim of this study was the ultrasonographic evaluation of the organs in the middle third and caudal coelomic cavity of healthy snakes in the Boidae family. For such, 15 adult snakes from five species were evaluated: Boa constrictor amarali, Boa constrictor constrictor, Eunectes murinus, Epicrates assisi and Epicrates crassus. The animals were physically restrained for examination. After the application of acoustic gel over the scales the transducer was positioned in the frontal plane of the coelomic cavity. Microconvex and linear transducers at 10MHz were used. The ultrasound examination was conducted in the craniocaudal direction, with longitudinal and transversal sections to assess syntropy, echogenicity and echotexture of the organs. The liver was bilobulated, hyperechoic, homogeneous echotexture, hyperechoic capsule, with a hepatic lobe measuring 1.15±0.64cm wide, and the presence of a central hepatic vein, measuring 0.44±0.21cm in diameter. The gallbladder was characterized as an anechoic structure with echogenic walls and dimensions of 2.91±1.18cm x 1.38±0.84cm (length x width). The stomach showed a pleated and linear texture, echogenic, with hypoechoic walls measuring 0.3±0.07cm wide. The splenopancreas was a circular and echogenic structure, homogeneous echotexture and measuring 1.18±0.62cm in width and 1.56±0.88cm in length. The kidneys were characterized by elongated, lobulated, hypoechoic structures, an echogenic capsule and an echogenic central line, measuring 1.05±0.7cm in width. The testis were characterized by fusiform, hypoechoic structures, homogeneous echotexture, measuring 2.31±0.79cm in length and 0.6±0.23cm in width. Ovarian follicles were seen in different stages, 0.67±0.39cm wide and 0.73±0.38cm long. No differences were found between species of syntropy, echogenicity and echotexture of the organs of the coelomic cavity. The ultrasound examination proved to be a safe, non-invasive and efficient technique for characterizing the organs of the coelomic cavity of snakes.

Background: Liver performs several important functions to the maintenance of physiological mechanisms. Some liver diseases may directly affect anatomical and physiological aspects of this organ, and may lead to a permanent liver injury. In snakes, the most common causes of liver disease are infections, however, approaches on non-infectious liver diseases are scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe macroscopically and microscopically liver alterations in a Boa constrictor amarali snake.Case: A adult male boa (Boa constrictor amarali) snake of 110 cm of length and weight of 3.270 kg from free-living conditions, and without previous history was rescued in an urban area and taken by the Environmental Police to the Laboratory for Teaching and Research in Wild Animals (LAPAS) of the Federal University of Uberlândia’s (UFU) Veterinary Hospital, in Uberlândia MG, Brazil. The animal died and a significant amount of adipose tissue was found throughout the extension of the coelomic cavity at necropsy, limiting the visualization of its internal organs. Fragments of altered organs were collected and packed in a universal collector containing a 10% buffered formalin solution. These samples were sent to the Animal Pathology Laboratory (LPA) of the UFU. Macroscopically, the stomach presented a reddish mucosa, and mucous contents. The liver was pale, with a yellowish color and a friable consistency. Microscopically, dilated hepatic sinusoids filled with red blood cells were observed; the hepatocytes were enlarged, and its cytoplasm were filled with vacuoles ofvaried sizes that did not stain (severe diffuse lipidosis). It was also found occurrence of multifocal areas with loss of tissue architecture, and hepatocytes in karyolysis, charactering necrosis; and a discrete amount of multifocal mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate (multifocal hepatitis).Discussion: Obesity is connected to the occurrence of hepatic steatosis, since snakes are ectothermic animals that depend on environmental factors to maintain their metabolic rates. Obesity is a common problem in reptiles kept in captivity because they usually have constantly available food and little space to move. However, this was also observed in this study in a free-living animal found in an urbanized environment. Urbanization provides greater availability of food, and the animal does not need to go long distances to find a pray; this causes greater gain of body weight. Reptiles subjected to hot environments lose weight rapidly due to their relatively high metabolic rates. However, when subjected to low temperatures, they have a decrease in metabolism, compromising absorption, digestion, and liver metabolism, which causes fat accumulation. The animal under study is sedentary and it is a marked characteristic of this species; this strengthen the hypothesis that the animal moved little to feed because it was in an environment with high availability of prey. The animal presented accumulation of fat throughout the coelomic cavity, causing the rate of accumulation of triglycerides in the hepatocytes to exceed its metabolic degradation rate, resulting in steatosis. The early diagnosis of hepatic alterations favors the appropriatetreatment, allowing the prevention of irreversible damage to this organ, and avoid the animal’s death.Keywords: ectotherm, hepatocellular lipidosis, snakes, amaral’s boa, hepatic steatosis.

The goal of this study was to describe the gastrointestinal transit technique in the Boa constrictor amarali. For that purpose, we obtained simple radiographic images of seven serpents, subsequently administering a 25mL/kg dose of barium sulfate and establishing a radiographic sequence at the following times: 5 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, extending to 120 and 126 hours for one animal. The mean esophageal transit was 26.71±19.48 hours; the mean gastric filling time was 28.57±27.22 minutes and the emptying time was 60±12 hours; the mean filling time of the contrast medium in the small intestine was 3±2.16 hours and the emptying time was 97±15.65 hours. We also obtained the mean filling time of the large intestine, which was 40±11.31 hours. We found that the mean passage time of the contrast medium through the cranial gastrointestinal tract - until the complete elimination of barium sulfate from the small intestine -was 97±15.65 hours. In addition to determining the gastrointestinal transit time, the technique used allowed for the morphological identification of the alimentary canal.