Regina Celia Rodrigues da Paz

Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in wild canids kept in captivity in the State of Mato Grosso

INTRODUCTION Visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonosis that affects many mammals, and domestic canids are the main reservoirs in urban environments. This note describes infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi among wild canids kept in captivity in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. METHODS Skin, bone marrow and lymph node samples were collected from six crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) and one bush dog (Spheotos venaticus), in order to detect and characterize Leishmania using the PCR-RFLP technique. RESULTS All the animals studied were positive for Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of adequate monitoring of these animals, as well as greater control of this disease, given that these animals are in a public recreation environment.

Evaluation of Glucocorticoid Faecal Monitoring as a Non-Invasive Assessment of Stress in Captive Crab-Eating Fox (Cerdocyoun thous) After ACTH Stimulation

Blood sampling is a common method in biological research of domestic animals for studying hormone mechanisms. However, this approach can be stressful for wild species, and compromise research concerning animal welfare. The crab-eating fox (Cerdocyoun thous) is a medium-sized canid found in South America and a popular zoo species in that region. However, almost nothing is known of their biology or what factors impact captive welfare. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure adrenal activity and stress was developed for quantifying fecal glucocorticoids non-invasively in this species. The physiological relevance of the cortisol immunoassay was demonstrated by injection of exogenous ACTH into two males and one female, which led to a significant increase in fecal glucocorticoid metabolites within 24-48 h. From these findings we conclude that fecal samples can be used for the non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical status in crab-eating fox.

Seasonal variation in serum testosterone, testicular volume and semen characteristics in coatis (Nasua nasua)

The objective was to characterize seasonal changes in serum testosterone concentration, testicular volume and sperm quantity and quality in captive coatis (Nasua nasua) from Pantanal, MT, Brazil. Sampling was done once monthly for 1 y. Mean (± SEM) serum testosterone concentrations (767.37 ± 216.2 ng/ml) and total and progressive sperm motility (79.6 ± 3.9%; 3.8 ± 0.3, on a scale of 0 to 5) peaked in July. The highest combined testis volume (10.3 ± 0.4 cm(3)) and sperm concentration (403 million ± 102 sperm/ml) occurred in August, at the peak of the winter breeding season. No seasonal effects on percentages of morphologically normal sperm, acrosome integrity, or live sperm were detected; however, the percentage of secondary sperm defects was higher in the winter. In conclusion, intricate relationships between testosterone concentration, testis volume, semen concentration and total and progressive sperm motility with high levels of breeding activity were observed during the dry season in the winter (June, July, August), followed by a subsequent decline in these activities during the wet season (i.e., summer: December, January, February). There was no seasonal pattern for production of functionally intact and morphologically normal sperm.

Ultrassonografia abdominal de tamanduás-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) mantidos em cativeiro

Ultrasonography is a method of non-invasive imaging and an important tool for diagnosing a variety of animal diseases. In this paper the technique of transabdominal ultrasonography in five anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), two males and three females, belonging to the Federal University of Mato Grosso Zoo and a necropsy of an animal dead for natural cause were performed. The Zoo animals were anesthetized with tiletamine and zolazepan (Zoletil®) and maintained with isoflurane. Linear multifrequency transducer (LA 332) of the 3.0 to 11 MHz scans of the liver, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, kidneys, bladder and testes. There are similarities between the splenic architecture, the liver texture and echogenicity and the gallbladder ultrassonografic position and appearance when compared to the canines. Differences exist as renal and testes location, stomach wall thickness and presence of free anechoic fluid among the stomach, spleen and left kidney in all animals studied.

Metabolitos fecais de cortisol como indicadores de estresse em cachorro-do-mato (Cerdocyoun thous) em cativeiro

Blood samples collection is a common method in biological research using domestic animals. However, most blood sampling techniques are complicated and highly invasive and may therefore not be appropriate for wildlife animals in research concerning stress. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure steroid hormones is critically needed. The first goal of this study was to determine how glucocorticoids concentrations are impacted by translocation and reproductive activity in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity. The physiological relevance of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites was further validated by demonstrating: (1) The translocation of a male to a females enclosure resulted in a 3.5-fold increase compared to baseline concentrations, (2) changes in adrenocortical activity, as reflected in concentrations of fecal cortisol metabolites during reproduction, gestation and lactation in females foxes, indicating that social interactions resulted in large increases of fecal glucocorticoids metabolites during the reproductive season. From these findings we conclude that fecal samples can be used for the non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical status in crab-eating-fox.

Detecção de estro em jaguatirica (Leopardus pardalis) utilizando citologia vaginal

Utilizou-se a citologia vaginal por meio de diferentes metodos de coloracao para deteccao de cio em jaguatirica, Leopardus pardalis, pela estimulacao hormonal exogena e pela avaliacao das estruturas ovarianas por videolaparoscopia. Cinco femeas foram tratadas com eCG/hCG e FSH/LH a cada quatro meses pelo periodo de dois anos. Videolaparoscopia foi realizada apos cada tratamento utilizando-se cetamina-xilazina e isoflurano. Esfregacos vaginais foram obtidos 15 dias antes e apos a videolaparoscopia. As lâminas foram analisadas ao microscopio de luz quanto aos tipos celulares predominantes. Todos os animais apresentaram foliculos maduros (>2mm) e corpos luteos recentes em todas as intervencoes. Nao houve diferenca significativa entre os resultados obtidos na mesma coloracao de acordo com os tratamentos utilizados. Todas as tecnicas mostraram-se eficientes na deteccao de celulas superficiais queratinizadas anucleadas e nucleadas, intermediarias, parabasais e basais. Foi possivel determinar a fase de estro em Leopardus pardalis por meio da citologia vaginal

Morfologia dos testículos e ductos epididimários do gato-palheiro Leopardus colocolo (Molina, 1782)

Mehanna M., Ferreira A.L.S., Ferreira A. & Paz R.C.R. 2016. Morphology of the testes and epididymal ducts in the Pampas cat Leopardus colocolo (Molina, 1782). Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 36(10):1014-1020. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Animais de Zoológico, Faculdade de Agronomia, Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Avenida Fernando Corrêa da Costa 2367, Bairro Boa Esperança, Cuiabá, MT 78060-900, Brazil. E-mail: reginacrpaz@gmail.com The pampas cat Leopardus colocolo (Molina, 1782) is a species of the Felidae family, widely distributed in South America, included on CITES Appendix II and classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, with population trend decreasing. Based on this information, the objective of this study is to describe morphologically the testes and epididymal ducts of pampas cat. The animal, coming from the Federal University of Mato Grosso Zoo, Brazil, had died after anesthesia procedure and the male reproductive system was dissected to collect the testicles. The samples taken were fragmented and histologically examined. From the microscopic analysis of the testes were identified: vaginal and tunica albuginea, formed by dense connective tissue modeled with large amount of collagen fibers. The tunica albuginea fibrous septa emits into the body. The seminiferous tubules are coiled and coated internally by spermatogenic epithelium consisting of Sertoli cells, surrounded by a basement membrane in the presence of myoid cells. The interstitial tissue between the seminiferous tubules, is composed of loose connective tissue, blood and lymph vessels, and Leydig cells in polyhedral shape. The epididymal ducts showed pseudostratified columnar epithelium with secretory cells of which stereocilia design, situated on a basement membrane filled by myoid cells. This epithelium has principal and basal cells, the main cell design stereocilia toward the lumen of the epididymal duct.

Estradiol and progesterone fecal metabolites analysis in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous)

In this study, four crab-eating fox females (Cerdocyon thous) maintained at the Federal University of Mato Grosso Zoo, Cuiaba, Brazil, were investigated for 12 months, using feces measurement of estradiol and progesterone concentrations. Fecal collections were performed three times a week for hormone extraction. Two methods of analysis, Elisa (EIA) and Radioimmunoassay (RIA), were used in the measurement of progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) metabolites. The aim of this study was to compare and validate two different methods of hormone measurement for C. thous. There were no differences regarding the method used. The Radioimmunoassay technique proved to be more sensitive, however, both showed similar results.