Background Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that affects humans and warm‐blooded animals. This study describes an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in howler monkeys (Alouatta sp.) and survival of capuchins (Sapajus apella), under the same environmental conditions. Methods Howler monkeys were submitted to post‐mortem examination. Tissue samples were processed to histopathology and immunohistochemistry to detect lesions and tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii. Tissue samples were also frozen and submitted to PCR and genotyping of T. gondii. Results Typical lesions were observed in several organs including the liver, lymph node, and brain, with intralesional cysts and tachyzoites of T. gondii demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. T. gondii genomic sequences were amplified by PCR, and genotyping characterized the same T. gondii clone in all howler monkeys. Conclusions Our results support the notion that some species of neotropical primates are highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis and the hypothesis that capuchins (S. apella) may be resistant.

The levels of infection by Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina were estimated by absolute quantification through the quantitative PCR technique (qPCR). Fifty-one contemporaneous Angus cattle were evaluated on two occasions. The number of standard female Rhipicephalus microplus ticks present on the left side of the body was counted and blood samples were drawn from the tail vein into tubes containing the anticoagulant EDTA. The blood samples were submitted to DNA extraction and used to quantify the number of copies (NC) of DNA from B. bovis and B. bigemina by qPCR. The data on tick count and number of DNA copies were transformed for normalization and analyzed by a mixed model method. A multivariate model with repeated measures of the same animal, including the effects of collection, parasite species and their interaction, was used. The repeatability values were obtained from the matrix of (co)variances and were expressed for each species. The correlations between the counts of different species on the same animal, in the same collection or different collections, were also estimated. The results showed the qPCR could distinguish the two between infection by the two Babesia species. Infection levels by B. bovis and B. bigemina were detected in 100% and 98% of the animals, respectively. Significant differences were found (P<0.05) between the NC of the two Babesia species, B. bovis 1.49±0.07 vs. B. bigemina 0.82±0.06. Low repeatabilities were found for the counts of R. microplus and NC of B. bovis and B. bigemina: 0.05, 0.10 and 0.02, respectively. The correlations between R. microplus count and NC of B. bovis and B. bigemina were both very near zero. However, an association was observed between the NC of the two species, with a correlation coefficient of 0.30 for measures from the same collection. The absence of associations between the quantity of DNA from B. bovis and B. bigemina and the tick counts suggests that the variation of parasitemia by the hemoparasites did not depend on the tick infestation levels at the moment of each collection. The repeatability values estimated indicate that under the study conditions, the variations in the tick infestation levels and of parasitemia by B. bovis and B. bigemina depend more on factors related to each collection than on intrinsic factors of the animal.

With the aim of finding quantitative phenotypic traits that can be used to discriminate the levels of resistance/susceptibility to Babesia bovis, we estimated the repeatability and correlation between the level of infection, determined by the number of copies of a fragment of the gene that encodes cytochrome B (NC mt-cyB) of B. bovis, and the levels of the anti-B. bovis antibodies, in blood samples collected from 51 Angus cattle on two different occasions. Samples with the anticoagulant EDTA were used for DNA extraction and without anticoagulant for separation of the blood serum. The quantification of the NC mt-cyB of B. bovis was carried out by the quantitative PCR technique (qPCR), while the anti-B. bovis IgG antibody titers (S/P) were quantified by the ELISA method. The NC and S/P data were log10-transformed to improve the approximation to the normal distribution and were analyzed using mixed models. The correlations between NC mt-cyB and S/P were estimated, as well as the repeatability values for each trait. The results obtained showed the high sensitivity of the techniques, with 100% of the animals being positive for B. bovis, detected by both the serological and molecular tests. The correlations estimated between NC and S/P were low, 0.10 and 0.12, in the first and second collection, respectively. The repeatability estimated for NC was 0.06, whereas for the S/P it was 0.42. The low correlations between S/P and NC in the two collections demonstrated that the variation in the NC value is independent of the level of antibodies. This results indicated that animals with a higher levels of antibodies against B. bovis in the first collection continued to have a higher levels in the second one. However, the very low values for the repeatability value of NC, and for the correlations between S/P and NC, demonstrates that neither NC or S/P could be used to discriminate animals for resistance/susceptibility to B. bovis.

The present report describes the clinical, macroscopic and histologic findings associated with Halicephalobus gingivalis infection in a male Arab horse, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The animal presented with acute neurologic signs that quickly progressed to a comatose status. Due to the lack of response to therapy, rapid progression of signs and poor prognosis, the horse was euthanized. Post-mortem examination revealed large granulomatous nodules in the kidneys. Renal and internal iliac lymph nodes were enlarged and with loss of corticomedullary distinction. Histopathology revealed granulomatous encephalitis, nephritis, lymphadenitis and focal granulomatous pneumonia associated with marked and chronic infection caused by H. gingivalis. This is the first report of H. gingivalis infection in horses in Minas Gerais. H. gingivalis infection should be included in the list of differential diagnosis of equine neurologic diseases in the state of Minas Gerais.

In horses, there is an increasing interest in developing long-lasting drug formulations, with biopolymers as viable carrier alternatives in addition to their use as scaffolds, suture threads, screws, pins, and plates for orthopedic surgeries. This communication focuses on the prolonged biocompatibility and biodegradation of PLA, prepared by hot pressing at 180 °C. Six samples were implanted subcutaneously on the lateral surface of the neck of one horse. The polymers remained implanted for 24 to 57 weeks. Physical examination, plasma fibrinogen, and the mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) were performed. After 24, 28, 34, 38, and 57 weeks, the materials were removed for histochemical analysis using hematoxylin-eosin and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There were no essential clinical changes. MNT decreased after the implantation procedure, returning to normal after 48 h. A foreign body response was observed by histopathologic evaluation up to 38 weeks. At 57 weeks, no polymer or fibrotic capsules were identified. SEM showed surface roughness suggesting a biodegradation process, with an increase in the median pore diameter. As in the histopathological evaluation, it was not possible to detect the polymer 57 weeks after implantation. PLA showed biocompatible degradation and these findings may contribute to future research in the biomedical area.