Clavicle in Carnivorans: A Forgotten Bone.

The clavicle is a bone whose development is related to the versatility of the thoracic limbs in mammals. Studies with vestigial structures are scarce and controversial, especially in the order Carnivora. The objective of this study was to verify the presence and to investigate the shape and constitution of the clavicle in neotropical carnivores. In order to do this, 108 cadavers of 19 different species were collected dead on highways and were analyzed. The clavicles were submitted to dissections, longitudinal length measurements, radiographs, histological sections and, in some cases, diaphanization. Sixteen of the 19 species had clavicles in both sides, being significantly larger (P < 0.05) and distinctly more radiopaque in the felids than in the other families. There were no macro or microscopic evidence of clavicle in the specimens of Nasua nasua (n = 6), Conepatus semistriatus (n = 2), and Conepatus chinga (n = 1). The clavicle of the males of Lycalopex gymnocercus, Galictis cuja, and Leopardus geoffroyi was significantly larger (P < 0.05). The predominating contour of the clavicles was a thin stick with cranial convexity. The histological sections demonstrated compact bone consisting of trabecula and lamellae filled by bone marrow and different levels of occupation by chondroid matrix. It can be proposed the clavicles of the order Carnivora, although vestigial and rarely absent, have their presence, constitution and shape more associated with the phylogenetic proximity and evolutionary history of the species than to the variety of movements the thoracic limbs perform in free-living conditions. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy Anat Rec, 303:1831-1841, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Molecular identification of bovine papillomaviruses associated with cutaneous warts in southern Brazil.

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are widespread pathogens mainly associated with benign, self-limiting, cutaneous lesions (warts). At least 8 viral types, defined by serology or nucleotide sequences of the L1 gene, have been identified to date. Different serotypes are associated with the specific type and morphology of the lesion and with particular geographical regions. This article describes the molecular identification of papillomaviruses from Brazilian cattle (n = 48) and horses (n = 1) through partial amplification and sequencing of the L1 gene. Bovine papillomavirus-1 (BPV-1) was identified in warts from 29 cattle (59%), BPV-6 from 9 cattle (18%), and BPV-2 in 8 lesions (16%). Warts of 2 cattle harbored L1 sequences of a new BPV type (BAA5), otherwise identified almost exclusively in healthy skin. The newly proposed BPV type "BR-UEL-4" was identified in a sarcoid tumor of a horse. Thus, the present report provides information on the main types of BPV involved in bovine papillomatosis in Brazil and reveals a new viral type associated with equine sarcoid, which to date has been attributed exclusively to BPV-1 and BPV-2.