Mário Carlos Araújo Meireles

Aspergillosis: a limiting factor during recovery of captive magellanic penguins

The article describes the epidemiology, macroscopic and histological lesions as well as the isolation of Aspergillus flavus and A. fumigatus from Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) during recovery in the Center for Recovery of Marine Animals (CRAM - 32oS/52oW), over a period of two years. From January 2004 to December 2005 the Center received 52 Magellanic penguins, and 23% (12/52) died. Necropsies were performed and tissue samples were collected for histological and microbiological examination. From 12 dead animals, aspergillosis was confirmed in five animals, corresponding to 42% of the mortality. Granulomatous nodules were observed mainly on air sacs and lungs. Histologically, septate and branching hyphae, measuring 3-5 µm and PAS positive were found. Two of these cases were caused by A. fumigatus, two other by A. flavus, and in one the diagnostic was established by macroscopic lesions observed in the necropsy without sample collection for fungal isolation and identification. The five aspergillosis cases occurred in the first year of the study, when a disinfection program was not yet established in the CRAM. This paper points out the importance of aspergillosis in the rehabilitation process of captive penguins, and emphasize the necessity of an environmental disinfection on the aspergillosis prevention, mycosis that caused a high rate of mortality of the seabirds found on the Brazilian coast and admitted in the CRAM.

Epidemiological Findings and Laboratory Evaluation of Sporotrichosis: A Description of 103 Cases in Cats and Dogs in Southern Brazil

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis, which affects mainly small animals, and is considered an important public health disease. This paper describes the epidemiological and laboratory characteristics of 103 clinical cases of sporotrichosis diagnosed over a 10-year period in southern Brazil. The 92 cats and 11 dogs from eight municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul State developed especially the disseminated cutaneous and fixed cutaneous forms of the disease. Respiratory signs such as sneezing, serous nasal discharge and dyspnea were found in about 57% of the animals. The detection of Sporothrix schenckii in different clinical samples showed highest isolation in testicles (46.6%), oral cavity (45.2%) and conjunctival mucosa (38.1%). A differentiated histological pattern was found between the fixed cutaneous and disseminated cutaneous (DC) manifestations of the disease; well-organized granulomas of nodular distribution and various fungal structures prevailed in the DC form in cats. Melanin detection in S. schenckii cells by the Fontana–Masson technique was positive in 45.4% of the samples. The study revealed that the State of Rio Grande do Sul is an endemic sporotrichosis area and demonstrated the possibility of involvement of other pathways in the infection and spread of the disease. In addition, it emphasized the importance of laboratory tests for mycosis confirmation, especially in dogs that develop clinical manifestations without the presence of cutaneous lesions.

DROGAS ANTIFÚNGICAS PARA PEQUENOS E GRANDES ANIMAIS

The antifungal drugs are classified in classic and current chemical agents and in antibiotics. The chemists classic agents are those medicines that present in a general way reduced action spectrum against fungi, having a fungistatic effect in an indirect way when modifying the local conditions, as for instance the iodine, acids fat and derived, acid salicilic, tolnaftate and tolciclate. The current chemical agents are represented by imidazole and triazole, flucytosine and allylamines and the antibiotics represented by the polyene (amphotericin B, nystatin and natamycin) and the griseofulvin. The discretion of each antifungal drug will be presented in the work.

Feline Sporotrichosis in the Southern Region of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil: Clinical, Zoonotic and Therapeutic Aspects

Clinical cases of feline sporotrichosis, originating in the Pelotas region and diagnosed at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (UFPel), were studied in the period from 2002 to 2006. The animals were evaluated according to the clinical forms of the mycosis, time of lesion appearance, severity of the clinical diagnosis and evolution of cutaneous lesions throughout the treatment period. Mycological analyses, carried out through direct examination, cultivation of tissue samples and exudates of feline lesions all confirmed the diagnosis of sporotrichosis in the 15 animals under study. The cutaneous dissemination form was observed in 10 animals, of which three showed prostration, anorexia and dehydration. The zoonosis occurred in 20% of case studies, and the pet owners and one attendant at a veterinary clinic were infected, developing the fixed and disseminated cutaneous forms. The treatment of mycosis was carried out with itraconazole, 10 mg kg−1, once a day, on 12 animals. The cure of the clinical symptoms was observed on 50% of the felines. This study demonstrates a good clinical response of felines with sporotrichosis, when they were treated itraconazole and calls the attention for the incidence of human sporotrichosis on people related to the veterinary activity as well as for pet owners.

In vitro activity of Origanum vulgare essential oil against Candida species

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the essential oil extracted from Origanum vulgare against sixteen Candida species isolates. Standard strains tested comprised C. albicans (ATCC strains 44858, 4053, 18804 and 3691), C. parapsilosis (ATCC 22019), C. krusei (ATCC 34135), C. lusitaniae (ATCC 34449) and C. dubliniensis (ATCC MY646). Six Candida albicans isolates from the vaginal mucous membrane of female dogs, one isolate from the cutaneous tegument of a dog and one isolate of a capuchin monkey were tested in parallel. A broth microdilution technique (CLSI) was used, and the inoculum concentration was adjusted to 5 x 10 6 CFU mL -1 . The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography. Susceptibility was expressed as Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). All isolates tested in vitro were sensitive to O. vulgare essential oil. The chromatographic analysis revealed that the main compounds present in the essential oil were 4-terpineol (47.95%), carvacrol (9.42%), thymol (8.42%) and �-terpineol (7.57%). C. albicans isolates obtained from animal mucous membranes exhibited MIC and MFC values of 2.72 �L mL -1 and 5 �L mL -1 , respectively. MIC and MFC values for C. albicans

Suscetibilidade in vitro de isolados de Sporothrix schenckii frente à terbinafina e itraconazol

The study objective was to determine the in vitro activity of terbinafine and itraconazole through the microdilution technique in broth (NCCLSM27-A2), adapted for dimorphic fungus, in relation to 12 isolates of Sporothrix schenckii. Six were from feline sporotrichosis, three from human sporotrichosis, one from a dog and two from human isolates originating from Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. The inoculum and antifungal concentrates were distributed on microplates that were incubated at 35 degrees C for five days. Minimum inhibitory concentration readings were made at the end of this period. The MIC for terbinafine ranged from 0.055 microg/ml to 0.109 microg/ml, and the MIC for itraconazole ranged from 0.219 microg/ml to 1.75 microg/ml. For both drugs, the MIC from the isolates from IOC was 0.875 microg/ml. The present study demonstrates the high susceptibility of Sporothrix schenckii to terbinafine. Further studies to correlate the in vitro susceptibility tests with the clinical response of patients with sporotrichosis are needed.

Cutaneous pythiosis in horses from Brazil.

Summary. Equine pythiosis was studied in five animals from two farms located in a swampy region of southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul State). Granulomatous lesions exuding necrotic material and containing a central yellow and firm tissue core, the ‘kunker’, were observed on the top of the nose of one horse, on the abdomen of two horses and on the hind limbs of two other animals. Direct microscopic preparations, histo‐pathological examination of lesion material, and macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the isolates confirmed the diagnosis of pythiosis. Surgical intervention of the inflammatory processes, intravenous potassium iodide and topical appiication of copper sulphate were used without success.

Mycoflora of the toxic feeds associated with equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) outbreaks in Brazil

The mycoflora of 39 feed samples associated with 29 Equine Leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) outbreaks was studied from 1988 to 1990, in Brazil. Microbiological examination indicatedFusarium spp. as the most frequent mold which occurred in 97.4% of samples followed byPenicillium spp. in 61.5% andAspergillus spp. in 35.9%. The moisture content of feed implicated in death of horses was above 15% which can favor the development ofFusarium spp. From the genus,F. moniliforme was the predominant species with an occurrence of 82.0%. Two additional species, not commonly associated with animal toxicosis, were isolated in low frequency,F. proliferatum (12.8%) andF. subglutinans (2.6%). It is important to emphasize that the isolation ofF. proliferatum andF. subglutinans from feed obtained from the epizootic areas has not been documented previously in Brazil.

Role of melanin in the pathogenesis of cutaneous sporotrichosis.

In this study, we evaluate the clinical, histopathological and ultra structural aspects of the infection by field strain (MEL(+)) and mutated strain (MEL(-)) of Sporothrix schenckii. The development of sporotrichosis at the inoculation sites was similar for both groups of animals after the second week of the experimental period. Statistical differences appeared only at weeks 3 and 5. The pigmented isolate had greater tissue invasive capacity, promoting the formation of multifocal granulomas, whereas the albino isolate induced an enhanced inflammatory response, restraining the agent to the core of the granulomas.

Occurrency of Malassezia pachydermatis and other infectious agents as cause of external otitis in dogs from Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil (1996/1997)

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the frequency of Malassezia pachydermatis infection and other infectious agents in dogs with external otitis and with healthy auditory tubes. Clinical manifestations of external otitis were evaluated. Samples from the auditory tube of 102 dogs with otitis and from 32 healthy dogs were submitted to direct microscopic examination and cultured in blood agar and Sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide. Direct examination showed more than ten cells of M. pachydermatis in 52.0% of the samples from dogs with otitis, but in only 21.8% of the healthy auditory tube samples. M. pachydermatis was isolated in 37.5% of the samples from dogs with healthy auditory tube and 76.5% (p 0.05). Infection by M. pachydermatis was prevalent in the following breeds: Cocker Spainel, German Shepherd and Brazilian Fila. No differences were found in frequency of the infection in relation to age, sex and ear anatomy of the dogs. Otomycosis were predominantly ceruminous and erythematous. M. pachydermatis was the most frequent agent in external otitis.