Renata de Pino Albuquerque Maranhão

Detection of A/B toxin and isolation of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens from foals

REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY Toxin detection and screening could contribute to knowledge of the transmission patterns, risk factors and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens. OBJECTIVE To isolate C. difficile and C. perfringens and to detect A/B toxins in faecal samples from diarrhoeic and nondiarrhoeic foals. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional observational study. METHODS A total of 153 samples from foals were collected: 139 samples from farms and 14 samples from diarrhoeic foals admitted to a veterinary hospital. The A/B toxins were detected by cytotoxicity assay. All suspected colonies of C. perfringens were subjected to polymerase chain reaction for detection of the major toxin genes (α, β, ε and ι) and for detection of β2-, NetB- and enterotoxin-encoding genes. Furthermore, C. difficile and C. perfringens isolates were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility. RESULTS Seven of 153 (4.6%) samples, all from diarrhoeic foals, were positive for C. difficile A/B toxin. Of these, 5 of 14 (35.7%) were from hospitalised foals, and only 2 of 63 (3.2%) diarrhoeic foal samples were from farms (P = 0.002). Clostridium perfringens was isolated from 31 (20.3%) foals, of which 21 of 76 (27.6%) were diarrhoeic and 10 of 76 (13.2%) were nondiarrhoeic, demonstrating a difference between these 2 groups (P = 0.045). Only 4 strains were positive for the β2-encoding gene (cpb2). All C. difficile and C. perfringens isolates were susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin. CONCLUSIONS The present report highlights the need for laboratory diagnostics to differentiate C. difficile-associated infection in foals from other causes of diarrhoea to facilitate adequate antimicrobial therapy. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE More studies are needed to clarify the role of C. perfringens as a primary agent of diarrhoea in foals.

Afecções mais freqüentes do aparelho locomotor dos eqüídeos de tração no município de Belo Horizonte

The most common conditions of the musculoskeletal system of draft equidae in the city of Belo Horizonte were determined. Fifty-eight animals (42 horses and 16 mules) were randomly examined, being 31 males and 27 females. Diagnosis was based on history, clinical and radiological examinations. The frequency observed for tenosynovitis in the fore and hindlimbs was 55.2%, 81.0%, for tendinitis in the forelimbs, 58.6% for tendinitis in the himblimbs, and 77.6% for suspensory ligament desmitis in the forelimbs. The results showed 13.8%, 12.1%, 27.6% and 12.1% of osteoarthritic lesions for distal interphalangeal joint of fore and hindlimbs and proximal interphalangeal joint of fore and hindlimbs, respectively. In the fetlock joints of the forelimbs, the incidence was 41.4%, and 39.7% in the hindlimbs. The incidence increased in the carpal joints, reaching 62.1% and it was even higher in the tarsal joints, reaching 96.6%. Findings in soft tissues indicated an overloading of both suspensory and flexor apparatus. Osteoarthritis was a common finding in draft equine, especially in tarsal joint. In both cases, the activity developed by those animals seems to be the main related cause.

First evidence of autochthonous cases of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in horse (Equus caballus) in the Americas and mixed infection of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.

This study reports the first evidence of infection by Leishmania infantum in Equus caballus in Americas and the first mixed infection of L. infantum/Leishmania braziliensis on this mammalian species in the world. The diagnoses was based on presence of parasites in lesions and bone marrow aspirates, their identification by using specific primers for L. infantum and L. braziliensis complexes and also serological methods IFAT and ELISA. The analysis of the PCR products suggested mixed infection in three animals. Further studies involving equine leishmaniasis are carrying out in order to clarify the dynamic of Leishmania sp. in this mammalian specie and their role in the transmission of those parasites in urban endemic area of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

West Nile virus associated with equid encephalitis in Brazil, 2018

Mosquito-borne arboviruses are a major public health concern worldwide and are responsible for emerging and re-emerging diseases. Taken together, the arboviruses have a strong impact on public health and are the most common causes of equine encephalitis. In-depth diagnostic investigation of equine viral encephalitis is of utmost importance for the epidemiological surveillance and control of this disease. Regarding neurological disorders in equids, in April-May 2018, at least 12 cases of equid mortality with acute neurological signs were reported in six farms from Espirito Santo state, Brazil. To investigate the aetiological agent of this neurological disease outbreak, central nervous system (CNS) fragments from two horses and two donkeys were submitted for virologic diagnosis. Rabies, equine herpesvirus-1, and arbovirus-associated encephalomyelitis were investigated using differential diagnosis techniques. West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by nested RT-PCR in CNS fragments from each of the four animals in the study and confirmed by nucleotide sequencing. This is the first case of neurological disease in equids confirmed to be associated with WNV infection in Brazil. This finding unveils a new and urgent field of research and the need to understand the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the disease and the risk to public health.