New occurrence of Kudoa orbicularis parasitizing the freshwater catfish Trachelyopterus galeatus (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) in the Brazlian Amazon region / Nova ocorrência de Kudoa orbicularis parasitando peixe de água doce Trachelyopterus galeatus (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) na região Amazônica brasileira

Abstract The aim of this was describe an infection by Kudoa orbicularis in freshwater catfish Trachelyopterus galeatus. A sample of 80 specimens of T. galeatus was collected in the municipality of Cachoeira do Arari, Marajó Island, in the state of Pará, Brazil. Pseudocysts were found in the muscle fibers of the epaxial and hypaxial regions of 85.0% of the specimens analyzed, reflecting a high infection rate. The pseudocysts contained spores that were pseudo-square in shape, with a mean length of 4.65 µm (range: 4.04-5.54) and mean width of 1.53 µm (1.56-1.74). Analyses on the morphology of the spores and a partial 934-bp sequence of the SSU rDNA gene confirmed that the microparasite was Kudoa orbicularis. This is the second record of this microparasite in a siluriform host in the Brazilian Amazon region.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a infecção por Kudoa orbicularis em Trachelyopterus galeatus. Foram analisados 80 espécimes de T. galeatus capturados no município de Cachoeira do Arari, ilha de Marajó, estado do Pará, Brasil. A presença de pseudocistos nas fibras musculares das regiões epiaxial e hipoaxial em 85,0% dos exemplares analisados, mostra alto grau de infecção. Os pseudocistos continham esporos de formato pseudoquadrado, medindo 4,65 (4,04-5,54) µm de comprimento e 5,25 (4,78-5,98) µm de largura, com quatro cápsulas polares de tamanho iguais medindo 2,22 (2,05-2,32) µm de comprimento e 1,53 (1,56-1,74) µm de largura. Através das análises morfológicas dos esporos e molecular de uma sequência parcial de 934bps do gene SSU rDNA, confirma que o microparasito é Kudoa orbicularis, sendo este o segundo registro desse microparasito em hospedeiro da ordem Siluriformes da Amazônia brasileira.

Prevalence of hereditary risk factors for thrombophilia in Belém, Brazilian Amazon

Different risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been identified, including hereditary abnormalities in the mechanisms of coagulation and fibrinolysis. We investigated five genetic polymorphisms (FVL G1691A, FII G20210A, MTHFR C677T, TAFI A152G and TAFI T1053C) associated with VTE in individuals from the city of Belém in the Brazilian Amazon who had no history of VTE. No significant difference was found between the observed and expected genotype frequencies for the loci analyzed. We found high frequencies of MTHFR C677T (33.9 percent) and TAFI T1053C (74 percent) and low frequencies of FVL (1.6 percent), FII G20210A (0.8 percent) and TAFI A152G (0.8 percent). The FVL G1691A, FII G20210A and MTHFR C677T frequencies were similar to those for European populations and populations of European descent living in the city of Ribeirão Preto in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The frequency of the two TAFI mutations in the Belém individuals was not significantly different from that described for individuals from Ribeirão Preto. We suggest that the risks for VTE in the population of Belém are of the same magnitude as that observed in European populations and in populations with an expressive European contribution.