Ejaculate characteristics over seasons in five species of lancehead pitvipers (Bothrops spp) kept in captivity.

Due to their major medical importance in Latin America, lancehead pitvipers are frequently kept and bred in captivity for venom extraction to the production of antivenom serums. Nevertheless, despite the great contribution given to captive breeding, much of the knowledge of Bothrops' reproductive biology derived from sporadic and insufficient data provided by zoological collections. Thus, we aimed to investigate seasonal changes in gonadosomatic index (GSI) and seminal parameters (e.g., volume, concentration, motility, viability, and acrosome integrity) of five species of lancehead pitvipers from different biomes and phylogenetic groups, maintained in the indoors serpentarium at Butantan Institute (Brazil). Patterns of variation in GSI and semen parameters differed from one species to another, suggesting that captive populations should perhaps be managed distinctly to maximize reproductive success. Furthermore, in none of the studied species did changes in GSI occur concomitantly with seminal variations. GSI remained unaltered year-round for Jararaca (Bothrops jararaca) and Brazilian lancehead (Bothrops moojeni), whereas it peaked in the autumn for Common lancehead (Bothrops atrox), Jararacussu (Bothrops jararacussu), and Whitetail lancehead (Bothrops leucurus). But surprisingly, the scenario was inverted when we estimated the total number of motile spermatozoa per season, as Jararaca and Brazilian lancehead displayed seasonal differences and the other species did not vary throughout the year. Potential ecological and evolutionary factors underlying these differences were also discussed in the present article. Together, these findings can help to better define breeding management strategies for each species in captivity, in addition to optimizing the future use of artificial insemination and semen cryopreservation.

Genomic features of a multidrug-resistant Enterobacter cloacae ST279 producing CTX-M-15 and AAC(6')-Ib-cr isolated from fatal infectious stomatitis in a crossed pit viper (Bothrops alternatus).

OBJECTIVES: The widespread dissemination of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae has become a major issue in veterinary medicine. However, until now, there has been no report of bacteria with such a phenotype in infected snakes. The aim of this study was to report the first draft genome sequence of an Enterobacter cloacae isolate (SERP1) recovered from a snake with infectious stomatitis. METHODS: The whole genome of E. cloacae strain SERP1 was sequenced on an Illumina NextSeq platform and was de novo assembled using CLC NGS Cell v.10. Data analysis was performed using online tools from the Center of Genomic Epidemiology. RESULTS: The genome size was calculated at 4966856bp, containing a total of 4796 protein-coding sequences. The strain was assigned to sequence type 279 (ST279) and, besides the clinically relevant blaCTX-M-15 and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes, it also presented resistance genes to ß-lactams, aminoglycosides, phenicols, sulphonamides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim, quinolones and fosfomycin. CONCLUSION: These data offer novel information regarding multidrug-resistant E. cloacae dissemination in wild animals and might contribute to further comparative genomic analysis.

Unusual In2N4 cores in complexes containing triazole-based chalcogen-phosphoranyl ligands.

The 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphoranyl)-1,2,3-triazole [4,5-(P(E)Ph2)2tz] derivatives of indium {kappa3-N,N',E-[4,5-(P(E)Ph2)2(mu-tz)]InMe2}2 (E = O2, S3, Se4) were prepared in good yield. In addition, compound 5 (E = O, E' = Se) was obtained from 4 through the replacement of a selenium atom in the P-Se(In) moiety by an oxygen atom, giving the mixed-chalcogen complex. The crystal structures of 2 and 5 exhibit a central C4In2N6O2P4core with an almost planar arrangement (mean deviation = 0.019 and 0.042 A for 2 and 0.100 A for 5), while the C4In2N6S2P4 core in 3 is nonplanar (mean deviation = 0.223 A).