Fabiano Montiani Ferreira

Cryptococcus neoformans Isolated from Passerine and Psittacine Bird Excreta in the State of Paraná, Brazil

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic basidiomycete yeast that causes life-threatening infections as meningoencephalitis primarily in immunocompromised hosts, generally associated with AIDS. The source of this organism is mainly pigeon excreta; however, other avian species’ excreta are implicated as a source of this yeast. The occurrence of C. neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii in bird excreta in the state of Paraná in Brazil was determined in this study. A total of 141 samples of Passerine and Psittacine excreta from captive birds were collected. Additionally, 25 clinical samples from Hospital de Clínicas, in the state of Paraná were also analyzed. The determination of molecular and mating type of the isolates was performed by PCR fingerprinting, multiplex PCR, and mating type PCR. Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii (VNI) was isolated from 36 (25.53%) of Passerine and Psittacine excreta samples. Almost all clinical samples, except one (C. gattii VGI), were classified as C. neoformans var. grubii (VNI). All environmental and clinical isolates were mating type α. These findings reinforce that, besides pigeon excreta, the excreta of these birds can also be a reservoir of C. neoformans in domestic and public environments and is of zoonotic importance to immunocompromised patients.

Conjunctival changes induced by prostaglandin analogues and timolol maleate: a histomorphometric study

PURPOSE To compare histological changes induced by antiglaucoma medications in the rabbit conjunctiva. METHODS Fifty New Zealand rabbits were divided in 5 groups of 10 animals. The left eyes were treated daily with one drop of bimatoprost 0.03%, travoprost 0.004%, latanoprost 0.005%, timolol maleate 0.5% or artificial tears containing benzalkonium chloride (BAK) for 30 days. The right eyes served as controls. Superior limbic conjunctival biopsies were performed at the 8th and 30th day in 5 rabbits of each group. The conjunctiva was fixed with 10% formaldehyde, followed by HE and PAS staining. Morphohistometric quantitative analyses were performed to evaluate the following parameters: inflammatory infiltrate, epithelial thickness, number of goblet cells, diameter and number of blood vessels. RESULTS At the 8th and 30th posttreatment days, all groups, except one that received artificial tears, exhibited a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate, composed by lymphocytes and neutrophils, which was denser in the timolol group than in the prostaglandin (PG) analogues groups. At the 30th day, the timolol group also showed an increased subepithelial collagen density and a significant increase in epithelial thickness (p=0.0035). The goblet cell density was significantly increased at the 8th day in the group treated with travoprost (p=0.0006), and at the 30th day in those treated with bimatoprost (p=0.0021) and latanoprost (p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS Although a moderate, diffuse inflammatory infiltrate was observed in PG-treated eyes, no changes in conjunctival epithelial thickness or subconjunctival collagen density were observed with these medications, suggesting that these drugs induce fewer changes than timolol maleate in the rabbit conjunctiva.

Occurrence of antibodies against Neospora caninum and/or Toxoplasma gondii in dogs with neurological signs

This study aimed to evaluate occurrences of antibodies against Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in dogs with neurological signs. Blood samples from 147 dogs were collected: 127 from owned dogs (attended at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Paraná (HV-UFPR) and at private veterinary clinics in the city of Curitiba), and 20 from stray dogs found in Curitibas metropolitan region. The dogs presented one or more of the following neurological signs: seizures, paresis or paralysis, ataxia, behavioral abnormalities, sensory and somatic disorders and chorioretinitis. The samples were analyzed by means of the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), at a cutoff dilution of 1:50. Out of the 147 samples obtained, 17 (11.56%) were seropositive for N. caninum, 31 (21.08%) for T. gondii and four (2.72%) for both protozoa. Serum titration on the positive animals showed that 54.83% (17/31) and 41.18% (7/17) had titers ≥ 1:200 against T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively. A significant difference in seropositivity for T. gondii (P = 0.021; OR = 2.87; CI = 1.1 > 2.8 > 7.4) was observed between owned dogs (18.11%) and stray dogs (40%). Inclusion of serological tests for neosporosis and toxoplasmosis is recommended in diagnosing neurological diseases in dogs.

Body measurements and serum lipid profile of overweight adult dogs fed diet with containing conjugated linoleic acid

Estudos em humanos e animais tem demonstrado que o uso do acido linoleico conjugado (ALC) promove alteracoes na composicao corporal, principalmente reduzindo a deposicao de gordura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as alteracoes sobre o peso corporal, tecido adiposo subcutâneo, gordura corporal e concentracao serica de lipideos (triacilglicerol, colesterol total, LDL e HDL) de caes com sobrepeso alimentados com ALC (60% de acido linoleico conjugado metil ester, na proporcao de 1:1 de 9, 11: 10, 12 isomeros) na dieta. Duas dietas foram fornecidas por quatro meses, para 14 caes com sobrepeso (16,85±7,13) de diferentes racas: dietas controle (-ALC) e teste (+ALC, 0,3%). O experimento seguiu delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Nao houve diferenca entre os grupos para peso corporal e nivel serico de triacilglicerol, colesterol total e LDL. No entanto, foram observadas diferencas significativas entre os periodos final e inicial para tecido adiposo subcutâneo, gordura corporal e nivel serico de HDL nos caes que receberam ALC. A suplementacao de 0,3% de ALC na dieta de caes com sobrepeso diminuiu a deposicao de lipidios no tecido subcutâneo e a gordura corporal total, mas aumentou os niveis sanguineos de HDL.

AVALIAÇÃO ULTRA-SONOGRÁFICA DE ALTERAÇÃO NO TAMANHO DA GLÂNDULA ADRENAL EM FERRET (Mustela furo) - RELATO DE CASO

ALESSANDRA QUAGGIO AUGUSTO; FABIANO MONTIANI FERREIRA ; RAFAEL CARTELLI 3 Mestranda do Curso de Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Veterinarias da Universidade Federal do Parana; Vettech Servico Autonomo na Area de Ultra-sonografia Animal; Professora auxiliar da disciplina de Diagnostico por Imagem do Curso de Medicina Veterinaria da Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana-PUC Campus 2 (Sao Jose dos Pinhais) e da UNIPAR Umuarama. Professor Assistente da Disciplina de Clinica Medica de Pequenos Animais do Curso de Medicina Veterinaria da Universidade Federal do Parana. Mestrando na area de Patologia Animal do Curso de Pos Graduacao em Ciencias Veterinarias da Universidade Federal do Parana; Veterinario Encarregado pelo AMASOV (Ambulatorio de Medicina de Animais Selvagens e Odontologia Veterinaria do Hospital Veterinario Universidade Federal do Parana).

AVALIAÇÃO ESTRUTURAL DO PARÊNQUIMA HEPÁTICO ATRAVÉS DA HISTOLOGIA E TOMOGRAFIA COMPUTADORIZADA EM CÃES INTOXICADOS EXPERIMENTALMENTE PELO TETRACLORETO DE CARBONO

Atualmente, ha varios metodos de exame estrutural e/ou funcional do figado. Nao existem trabalhos publicados a respeito das alteracoes observadas na tomografia computadorizada do figado de caes apresentando insuficiencia hepatica aguda induzida experimentalmente. O presente trabalho tem por objetivos determinar a media dos valores de radiodensidade obtidos por tomografia computadorizada do tecido hepatico normal de caes alem de determinar as correlacoes entre alteracoes observadas nos exames histologico do tecido hepatico, analise dos niveis sericos de alanina aminotransferase e tomografia computadorizada do figado apos a administracao do tetracloreto de carbono (CCl4). Em todos os procedimentos os animais foram anestesiados com propofol na dose de 9,0 mg/kg por via intravenosa. O tecido hepatico foi obtido atraves da realizacao de biopsias percutâneas transtoracicas. Antes da administracao do CCl4 (T-0), foram realizados exames histologicos e tomograficos do tecido hepatico, alem da determinacao dos niveis sericos de alanina aminotransferase (ALT). Nesta fase do experimento, foi determinada a radiodensidade normal do tecido hepatico que foi de 81,31 ± 6,98 Unidades Hounsfield (UH). Subsequentemente, uma unica dose de 1,5 ml/kg de tetracloreto de carbono foi administrada via sonda oro-gastrica e todos os exames foram realizados novamente 24, 48, 96 e 192 horas mais tarde. A necrose centrolobular com sutil transformacao gordurosa resultante correlacionou-se com maiores niveis de ALT no soro (5330,304 U/I) e menores valores numericos de radiodensidade (68, 275 ± 12,02 UH). Os primeiros sinais de regeneracao hepatica foram observados apos 96 horas da administracao do CCl4 conjuntamente a diminuicao dos niveis sericos de ALT e aumento da radiodensidade do tecido hepatico. Houve correlacao positiva entre o grau de necrose do tecido hepatico e os niveis de ALT no soro e correlacao negativa entre os niveis de ALT no soro e os valores de radiodensidade. Adicionalmente, observou-se que o agente anestesico propofol, alem de ser seguro para hepatopatias, provavelmente nao e metabolizado exclusivamente pelo figado. Unitermos: tetracloreto de carbono, insuficiencia hepatica, biopsia hepatica, alanina aminotransferase, radiodensidade, tomografia computadorizada.