Diagnóstico molecular da infecção por hemoplasmas em gatos domésticos naturalmente infectados da cidade de Belém, Pará / Molecular diagnosis of haemoplasmas infection in naturally infected domestic cats from Belém, Pará

Mycoplasma haemofelis, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' e 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' são os agentes causadores da micoplasmose felina, que podem causar anemia aguda ou crônica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a ocorrência de hemoplasmas em gatos domésticos de Belém, Pará. Para isso, 201 gatos foram divididos em três grupos: Grupo A foi composto por 101 gatos de rua capturados pelo Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, o grupo B foi composto por 62 gatos domiciliados e saudáveis e o grupo C foi composto por 38 gatos domiciliados que apresentavam alguma afecção clínica. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue para a realização de Reação em Cadeia pela Polimerase (PCR) para detectar o DNA destes agentes, os quais foram sequenciados e alinhados. A análise estatística foi realizada para detectar a associação entre a infecção, o sexo dos animais e os grupos experimentais. O DNA de pelo menos uma das espécies de hemoplasmas pesquisados foi detectado em 19,9% (40/201) das amostras, sendo o DNA de 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' encontrado em 7,96% (16/201) das amostras, M. haemofelis em 1,49% (3/201) das amostras, enquanto que o DNA de 'Candidatus M. turicensis' foi detectado em 12,93% (26/201) das amostras. O DNA destes três agentes foi detectado em gatos dos grupos A e C, enquanto que no grupo B foi detectado apenas 'Candidatus M. turicensis' e 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' Foi detectada a influência do sexo sobre a infecção hemoplasmas apenas entre 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' e machos. Estes resultados mostraram que os hemoplasmas circulam entre os gatos domésticos em Belém e 'Candidatus M. turicensis' e 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' foram mais comuns do que M. haemofelis, especialmente em gatos vadios.

Mycoplasma haemofelis, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' are the causative agent of the feline mycoplasmosis, which could cause acute or chronic anemia. The aim of this work was to determine the occurrence of hemoplamas in domestic cats from Belém, Pará. To this, 201 cats were divided into three groups: Group A were composed by 101 stray cats captured by Zoonosis Control Center, group B were composed by 62 owners healthy cats and group C were composed by 38 owners cats that were suffering by some medical condition. Blood samples were collected to perform Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect the DNA of these agents, which were sequenced and aligned. Statistical analysis was performed to detect association between the infection, the sex of the animals and experimental groups. The DNA of at least one of the hemoplasmas studied were detected in 19,9% (40/201) of the samples, being the DNA of 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' was found in 7.96% (16/201) of samples, M. haemofelis in 1.49% (3/201) of samples, while 'Candidatus M. turicensis' in 12.93% (26/201) of the samples. The DNA of these three agents was detected in cats from groups A and C, while in Group B was detected only 'Candidatus M. turicensis' and 'Candidatus M. haemominutum'. The influence of sex on hemoplasma infection was detected only between 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' and males. These findings showed that hemoplasma circulate among domestic cats in Belém, and 'Candidatus M. turicensis' and 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' were more common than M. haemofelis, especially in stray cats.

A new species of Mesocoelium (Digenea: Mesocoeliidae) found in Rhinella marina (Amphibia: Bufonidae) from Brazilian Amazonia

Mesocoelium lanfrediae sp. nov. (Digenea: Mesocoeliidae) inhabits the small intestine of Rhinella marina (Amphibia: Bufonidae) and is described here, with illustrations provided by light, scanning electron microscopy and molecular approachs. M. lanfrediae sp. nov. presents the typical characteristics of the genus, but is morphometrically and morphologically different from the species described previously. The main diagnostic characteristics of M. lanfrediae sp. nov. are (i) seven pairs of regularly-distributed spherical papillae on the oral sucker, (ii) ventral sucker outlined by four pairs of papillae distributed in a uniform pattern and interspersed with numerous spines, which are larger at the posterior margin and (iii) small, rounded tegumentary papillae around the opening of the oral sucker, which are morphologically different from those of the oral sucker itself, some of which are randomly disposed in the ventrolateral tegumentary region of the anterior third of the body. Addionally, based on SSU rDNA, a phylogenetic analysis including Brachycoeliidae and Mesocoeliidae taxa available on GenBank established the close relationship between M. lanfrediae sp. nov. and Mesocoelium sp.

Genetic structure of red-handed howler monkey populations in the fragmented landscape of Eastern Brazilian Amazonia

We genotyped 15 microsatellite loci in order to evaluate the effects of habitat fragmentation, caused by flooding of the Tucuruí reservoir, on the genetic structure of Alouatta belzebul in eastern Amazonia. The analysis included two populations sampled in 1984, representing both margins of the Tocantins river, and three populations sampled 18 years later. Minimal differences in the diversity levels between present-day (Ho = 0.62-0.69 and A R = 6.07-7.21) and pre-flooding (Ho = 0.60-0.62 and A R = 6.27-6.77) populations indicated there was no significant loss of genetic variability, possibly because of successful management strategies applied during the flooding. The changes observed were limited to shifts in the composition of alleles, which presumably reflect the admixture of subpopulations during flooding. Given this, there were significant differences in the Rst values (p = 0.05) in all but one between-site comparison. Both present-day and original populations showed a deficit of heterozygotes, which suggests that this may be typical of the species, at least at a local level, perhaps because of specific ecological characteristics. The relatively large number of private alleles recorded in all populations may be a consequence of the Wahlund effect resulting from population admixture or a process of expansion rather than the loss of rare alleles through genetic drift. Additionally, the levels of genetic variability observed in this study were higher than those reported for other species of Neotropical primates, suggesting good fitness levels in these A. belzebul populations. Regular genetic monitoring of remnant populations, especially on islands, should nevertheless be an integral component of long-term management strategies.

Genetic variability and efficiency of DNA microsatellite markers for paternity testing in horse breeds from the Brazilian Marajó archipelago

In this study, 15 microsatellite DNA loci used in comparative tests by the International Society for Animal Genetics were applied to the evaluation of genetic diversity and management, and the efficiency of paternity testing in Marajoara horses and Puruca ponies from the Marajó Archipelago. Based on the genotyping of 93 animals, mean allelic diversity was estimated as 9.14 and 7.00 for the Marajoara and Puruca breeds, respectively. While these values are similar to those recorded in most European breeds, mean levels of heterozygosity were much lower (Marajoara 49 percent, Puruca 40 percent), probably as a result of high levels of inbreeding in the Marajó populations. The mean informative polymorphic content of this 15-marker system was over 50 percent in both breeds, and was slightly higher in the Marajoara horses. The discriminative power and exclusion probabilities derived from this system were over 99 percent for both populations, emphasizing the efficacy of these markers for paternity testing and genetic management in the two breeds.