A cross-sectional study was carried out between January 2012 and May 2014 to estimate the prevalence of bovine brucellosis in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. This study was carried out 11 years after the implementation of the immunization program for heifers with a vaccine derived from the S19 strain of Brucella abortus. The state was divided into two regions. Three hundred farms from each region, with reproductive activity, were randomly chosen and included as primary sample units. A fixed number of cows were randomly selected and tested for antibodies against Brucella spp. A farm was considered to be infected when at least one female tested positive for Brucella spp. In the selected farms, an epidemiological questionnaire based survey, focused on herd traits as well as husbandry and sanitary practices, was conducted, to evaluate the factors associated with the risk of infection. The overall prevalence of infected herds was 9.3% (95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 7.1-11.8%), varying from 8.7% (95% CI = 5.7-12.6%) in region 2 to 9.7% (95% CI = 6.8-13.4%) in region 1. There was no significant difference in the prevalence between the regions. The apparent prevalence of Brucella spp. positive farms across the regions and the state was similar to the prevalence observed 11 years earlier.The prevalence of positive animals was 3.8% (95% CI = 0.9-10.1%), varying from 1.5% (95% CI = 0.8-2.4%) in region 1 to 7.9% (95% CI = 1.9-20.3%) in region 2, without a significant difference between the regions. There was no difference in the number of Brucella spp. positive animals after 11 years of the immunization program. The risk factors associated with brucellosis were (i) more than 10 cows per herd (OR = 5.0; 95% CI =2.5-11.1) and (ii) equipment, feedstock, or personnel sharing (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1-4.2). The state of Espírito Santo should seek systematic vaccination coverage targeting more than 80% of the eligible heifers. An efficient animal health program, which educates the farmers to test replacement animals for brucellosis before introducing them to their herds, to avoid equipment, personnel or feedstock sharing with farms of unknown sanitary conditions, and to increase awareness of the importance of good sanitary procedures during artificial insemination, should be implemented. Anzai, E. K. et al. ResumoPara estimar a prevalência e os fatores de risco da brucelose bovina no Estado do Espírito Santo (Brasil), foi realizado um estudo transversal entre janeiro de 2012 e maio de 2014. Esse estudo foi realizado 11 anos após a implementação de um programa de imunização em novilhas utilizando uma vacina derivada da estirpe S19 de Brucella abortus. O estado foi dividido em duas regiões. Trezentas propriedades com atividade reprodutiva foram aleatoriamente selecionadas em cada região e incluídas como unidades primárias de amostragem. Um número fixo de fêmeas adultas foi aleatoriamente selecionado em cada propriedade. Os animais foram testados para anticorpos contra Brucella spp. Um questionário epidemiológico foi ...

In 2001, 698 urine samples were randomly collected from cattle at a slaughterhouse in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Direct examination using dark field microscopy was carried out immediately after collection. Five putative positive samples were cultured in modified EMJH medium, yielding two positive cultures (LO-14 and LO-10). Typing with monoclonal antibodies revealed that the two isolates were similar to Canicola (LO-14) and Copenhageni (LO-10). Microscopic agglutination test results show that Hardjo is the most common serovar in cattle in Brazil. Rats and dogs are the common maintenance hosts of serovars Copenhageni and Canicola. The excretion of highly pathogenic serovars such as Copenhageni and Canicola by cattle can represent an increasing risk for severe leptospirosis is large populations, mainly living in rural areas.

This is the first case report of NHPs caused by K. pneumoniae displaying a hypermucoviscosity phenotype and belonging to capsular serotypes K1 and ST23.

No abstract

The objective of this trial was to detect leptospires in fragments of kidney, liver and uterus of 96 cows with unknown sanitary status, randomly chosen at slaughter in Paraná, Brazil. All 96 urine samples were submitted to direct examination using dark field microscopy. Positive samples in the direct examination and all kidney, liver and uterus fragments were cultured in EMJH modified medium and Tween 80/40/LH. Sections cut of kidney, liver and uterus were stained by Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and indirect immunoperoxidase with hyperimmune serum against serovar Hardjo (Hardjoprajitno) and strain Londrina 14 (LO14), from serovar Canicola, which was isolated in the northern region of Paraná state, Brazil, used as primary antibodies. Direct examination detected leptospires in the urine of four animals. All attempts to isolate leptospires from urine and kidney, liver and uterus fragments were negative after 16 weeks of incubation. In the HE stain, focal infiltrate of mononuclear inflammatory cells was observed in the renal interstitial area of most animals. In the indirect immunoperoxidase assay using hyperimmune serum against LO14 strain, the kidney of only one animal presented positive results. All fragments of kidney, liver and uterus tested with hyperimmune serum against serovar Hardjo were negative.