Seroepidemiological investigation of animal leptospirosis and molecular characterization of the first Leptospira strain isolated from Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil.

Leptospirosis has been widely reported in insular environments worldwide, characterizing a major public health threat. Although low-genetic biodiversity is expected in these regions, the introduction of domestic and synanthropic mammals may contribute to the wider diversity of leptospiral strains in insular settings. This study proposes a large-scale seroepidemiological investigation of Leptospira infection in animals from Fernando de Noronha archipelago and describes the characterization of the first leptospiral strain ever isolated from an insular setting in Brazil. A total of 1,265 blood samples from domestic (n = 682), synanthropic (n = 133) and wild (n = 450) animals were collected between 2007 and 2014, totalling 12 species. The presence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies was investigated by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and kidney samples from 20 synanthropic rodents were collected for the isolation of Leptospira spp. The leptospires recovered were further characterized by serogrouping with polyclonal antibodies, whole-genome sequencing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The MAT results revealed the presence of agglutinins in 90 samples (7.1%) and the most frequently found serogroup was Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 57) in practically all species included. Viable leptospires were recovered from one brown rat, and characterization revealed that the isolate belongs to L. interrogans serogroup Pyrogenes. The results suggest that synanthropic rodents might play an important role in leptospiral infection among wildlife and domestic species in the archipelago.

First record of Desmodus rotundus in urban area from the city of Olinda, Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil: a case report.

The objective of this report is to describe the first record of Desmodus rotundus in urban area from the city of Olinda, Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, and to draw attention to the possible risk of rabies transmission in this place. After the complaint of a dog owner who observed three bats attacking his dog, images registering attacks of D. rotundus were captured with a video camera. From 09:00 p.m. on 13 February 2004 to 04:00 a.m. of the next day, a high frequency of haematophagic activity and the presence of several bites on the dog's body were observed. This finding represents a serious risk to public health. Thus, it is necessary to further study the bat fauna, with special attention to their feeding behaviour in this place, in order to better know their biology and to adopt pertinent control measures. This is, to our knowledge, the first record of D. rotundus in urban area of Olinda.

First record of Desmodus rotundus in urban area from the city of Olinda, Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil: a case report

O objetivo deste relato é descrever o primeiro registro de Desmodus rotundus na área urbana da cidade de Olinda, estado de Pernambuco, Nordeste do Brasil, e chamar atenção para o possível risco de transmissão da raiva nesta localidade. Após a queixa de um proprietário que observou três morcegos atacando um de seus cães, foram capturadas imagens com auxílio de uma câmara de vídeo que registram ataques de D. rotundus ao referido cão. No período das 21:00h do dia 13 de fevereiro de 2004 às 4:00h da manhã do dia seguinte, foram observados nove ataques de D. rotundus e também a presença de mordidas em várias partes do corpo do cão. Esse achado representa um sério risco para saúde pública. Conseqüentemente, faz-se necessária a realização de novos estudos a fim de conhecer melhor a biologia desta população de morcegos, com atenção especial para o comportamento alimentar, e adotar as medidas de controle pertinentes. Este é, para o nosso conhecimento, o primeiro relato da presença de D. rotundus em área urbana de Olinda.