Ernest Eckehardt Muller

Enterotoxigenicity of Staphylococcus intermedius of canine origin

Seventy-three staphylococcal strains isolated from pyrodermatitis in dogs were classified as Staphylococcus intermedius (52 strains) or Staphylococcus aureus (21 strains) on the basis of acetoin formation, anaerobic mannitol fermentation, aerobic maltose fermentation, pigmentation, coagulation of human plasma, and reaction on crystal violet agar. Enterotoxin was produced by 13 of the 52 S. intermedius strains and 6 of the S. aureus strains. The highest percentage of enterotoxigenic strains produced enterotoxins C (6 strains), D (7 strains), and E (6 strains). Four strains produced the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1. There was little difference in the antibiotic susceptibility between the enterotoxigenic and non-enterotoxigenic strains.

Seroepidemiology and occupational and environmental variables for leptospirosis, brucellosis and toxoplasmosis in slaughterhouse workers in the Paraná State, Brazil

Leptospirosis, brucellosis and toxoplasmosis are widely-distributed zoonosis, being the man an accidental participant of their epidemiological chains. The aim of this paper was to make a seroepidemiological report and identify occupational and environmental variables related to these illnesses in 150 workers in a slaughterhouse in the Northern region of Paraná. For the diagnosis of leptospirosis a microscopical seroagglutination test was applied; for brucellosis, the tamponated acidified antigen test and the 2-mercaptoetanol tests were used, and for toxoplasmosis the indirect immunofluorescence reaction test. For each employee an epidemiological survey was filled, which investigated occupational and environmental variables which could be associated with these infections. Positive results for leptospirosis were found in 4.00% of the samples, for brucellosis in 0.66% of samples and toxoplasmosis in 70.00%. From the three diseases researched, only the results for leptospirosis suggest occupational infection.

Occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in horses of the urban area of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

A total of 320 horses were studied in this paper, both male and female, between two and 17 years of age, which were used for traction of wagons in the urban area of the municipality of Londrina (PR). These animals were kept, after their daily work, in abandoned areas or plots, in the outskirts of the urban area of the city. When these animals were attended by the veterinarians, between 1996 and 2005, none of them presented symptoms suggesting leptospirosis. The most frequent reasons for the visit were loss of weight, unwillingness for work, parasitism, laminess, and wounds. Microscopic Seroagglutination Test (SAM), with 22 Leptospira serovars, was performed in sera sample from all these animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in horses from the urban area of Londrina (PR). From the samples tested, 214 (66.88%) were considered positive, with titers between 100 and 3200, being that 49 (22.90%) presented antibodies against a single serovar of Leptospira, and 165 (77.10%) samples presented antibodies against two or more serovars simultaneously, where in 88 (53.33%) it was possible to characterize the most likely probable serovar. Antibodies against the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae were detected in 32 (23.36%) animals.

Mastite bovina por Mycoplasma bovis em rebanhos leiteiros

In this study 713 cows were examined. The animals were from three dairy farms in northern Parana and the southwest of the State of Sao Paulo. From these cows, 137 had mastitis. On the three farms, 8 cows (1.12%) with Mycoplasma bovis mastitis were detected. Four were treated with tylosin and oxytetracyclin and three with enrofloxacin. There was no response to the treatments, and these animals were culled during the lactation period. One cow treated with enrofloxacin almost totally recovered milk production, but elimination of M. bovis continued during the lactation, and there was no bacteriological cure. This cow had a normal milk production in the next lactation period, without elimination of M. bovis. Culling of positive animals, the bacteriological study and correct application of preventive practices for contagious mastitis controlled the dissemination of M. bovis to other animals.