Virulence attenuation and phenotypic variation of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates obtained from armadillos and patients

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most important systemic mycosis in Latin America. The virulence profiles of five isolates of P. brasiliensis were studied in two different moments and correlated with some colonial phenotypic aspects. We observed a significant decrease in the virulence and an intense phenotypic variation in the mycelial colony. The recognition of all ranges of phenotypic and virulence variation of P. brasiliensis, as well as its physiological and genetic basis, will be important for a better comprehension of its pathogenic and epidemiological features.

Relaçäo entre comprimento craniocaudal e diâmetro da vesícula embrionária/fetal com idade de gestaçäo por meio de avaliaçäo ultra-sonográfica em ovino da raça Bergamácia / Relationship between crown-rump length and embryonic/fetal vesicle diameter with gestational age in ovine of Bergamácia breed by ultrasonography

Este trabalho objetivou relacionar o diâmetro da vesícula embrionária/fetal (DVE) e comprimento craniocaudal do embriäo/feto (CCC) do 15§ ao 45§ dia de gestaçäo com a idade de gestaçäo em ovelhas. Utilizaram-se 19 ovelhas adultas da raça Bergamácia, com cio sincronizado e cobertas por um mesmo reprodutor. A avaliaçäo ultra-sonográfica foi realizada diariamente do 15§ ao 30§ dia após a cobriçäo e a cada cinco dias do 30§ ao 45§ dia, utilizando-se aparelho com transdutor linear de 5,0 e 7,5MHZ. O crescimento diário médio do DVE e CCC foi de 1,40mm e 1,33mm, respectivamente. A calibragem inversa obtida para DVE foi: Dias = -11 + 50(0,1 + 0,04log DVE sobrescrito) 1/2(sobrescrito), com R2(sobrescrito) = 0,85 e para CCC foi: Dias = 13,63 + 12,5(-0,71 + 0,l6CCC)1/2(sobrescrito), com R 2 sobrescrito = 0,93. Tanto o DVE como o CCC obtidos por ultra-sonografia säo medidas pelas quais se pode prever a idade de gestaçäo em ovelhas da raça Bergamácia

Synchronization of ovulation in crossbred dairy heifers using gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist, prostaglandin F2alpha and human chorionic gonadotrophin or estradiol benzoate

Girolando (Gir x Holstein) is a very common dairy breed in Brazil because it combines the rusticity of Gir (Bos indicus) with the high milk yield of Holstein (Bos taurus). The ovarian follicular dynamics and hormonal treatments for synchronization of ovulation and timed artificial insemination were studied in Girolando heifers. The injection of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist was followed 6 or 7 days (d) later by prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2alpha). Twenty-four hours after PGF2alpha injection either human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, GPh-d6 and GPh-d7 groups) or estradiol benzoate (EB, GPE-d6 and GPE-d7 groups) was administered to synchronize ovulation and consequently allow timed artificial insemination (AI) 24 and 30 h after hCG and EB injection, respectively. Follicular dynamics in Girolando heifers was characterized by the predominance of three follicular waves (71.4 percent) with sizes of dominant follicles (10-13 mm) and corpus luteum (approximately 20 mm) similar to those for Bos indicus cattle. In the GnRH-PGF-hCG protocol, hCG administration induced earlier ovulation (67.4 h, P<0.01) compared to the control group (GnRH-PGF) and a better synchronization of ovulation, since most of it occurred within a period of 12 to 17 h. Pregnancy rate after timed AI was 42.8 (3/7, GPh-d6) to 50 percent (7/14, GPh-d7). In contrast, estradiol benzoate (GnRH-PGF-EB protocol) synchronized ovulation of only 5 of 11 heifers from the GPE-d7 group and of none (0/7) from the GPE-d6 group, which led to low pregnancy rates after timed AI (27.3 and 0 percent, respectively). However, since a small number of Girolando heifers was used to determine pregnancy rates in the present study, pregnancy rates should be confirmed with a larger number of animals