The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of experimental infection by Trypanosoma vivax in different stages of pregnancy, determining the pathogenesis of reproductive failure, and confirming transplacental transmission. We used 12 pregnant ewes distributed into four experimental groups: G1, was formed by three ewes infected with T. vivax in the first third of pregnancy (30 days); G2 comprised three infected ewes in the final third of pregnancy (100 days); G3 and G4 were composed of three non-infected ewes with the same gestational period, respectively. Each ewe of G1 and G2 was inoculated with 1.25 × 105 tripomastigotes. Clinical examination, determination of parasitemia, serum biochemistry (albumin, total protein, glucose, cholesterol, and urea), packed cell volume (PCV), serum progesterone, and pathological examination were performed. Placenta, amniotic fluid, blood and tissues from the fetuses and stillbirths were submitted to PCR. Two ewes of G1 (Ewe 1 and 3) presented severe infection and died in the 34th and 35th days post-infection (dpi), respectively; but both fetuses were recovered during necropsy. In G2, Ewe 5 aborted two fetuses on the 130th day (30 dpi) of pregnancy; and Ewe 6 aborted one fetus in the 140th day (40 dpi) of gestation. Ewes 2 and 4 delivered two weak lambs that died five days after birth. Factors possibly involved with the reproductive failure included high parasitemia, fever, low PCV, body score, serum glucose, total protein, cholesterol, and progesterone. Hepatitis, pericarditis, and encephalitis were observed in the aborted fetuses. The presence of T. vivax DNA in the placenta, amniotic fluid, blood, and tissues from the fetuses confirms the transplacental transmission of the parasite. Histological lesion in the fetuses and placenta also suggest the involvement of the parasite in the etiopathogenesis of reproductive failure in ewes.

Comunicação (Wozniak et al., 1994; Smith, 1996), e seu ciclo biológico requer dois hospedeiros: um invertebrado para a reprodução sexuada e outro vertebrado para a assexuada (Biasi et al., 1989). Os gametócitos desses protozoários, nos répteis, são observados parasitando os eritrócitos (Smith, 1996).A identificação de espécies de Hepatozoon baseia-se principalmente na caracterização morfológica dos gametócitos em sangue periférico dos hospedeiros vertebrados e também dos cistos encontrados em órgãos internos de hospedeiros vertebrados e invertebrados (Moço et al., 2002). A descrição da ocorrência de Hepatozoon spp. em serpentes brasileiras é de fundamental importância para o conhecimento desse grupo de parasitos.Hepatozoon juxtanuclearis (Pessoa, 1967), H. fusifex (Ball et al., 1969) e H. terzii (Sambon, 1909;Moço et al., 2002) Foram utilizadas amostras de sangue de Jabutipiranga, Geochelone carbonaria (n = 6), Jabutitinga, Geochelone denticulata (n = 4), jiboia, Boa Constrictor (n = 7) e teju comum, Tupinanbis teguixim (n = 10), mantidas em cativeiro no Parque Zoobotânico Onélio Porto, em Mossoró, RN. A colheita de sangue foi feita por punção da veia jugular em G. carbonaria e G. denticulata, e por punção da veia caudal em B. Constrictor e T. teguixim. Imediatamente após a colheita, procedeu-se à confecção do esfregaço sanguíneo, e lâminas foram coradas pelo método de Giemsa e analisadas em micrômetro ocular na objetiva de imersão (aumento de 1000x) e microscópio Olympus CX31. Foram observados, em média, 120 campos microscópicos por lâmina, cerca de 10.000 hemácias (O'Dwyer et al., 2004), atentando-se para a detecção da presença de gametócitos de Hepatozoon spp.Todas as jiboias apresentaram eritrócitos infectados com Hepatozoon spp. (Fig. 1)

Acupuncture is a therapy of the traditional Chinese medicine technique, which over the years has been widespread in the West. Defined as a needle-point treatment technique (acupoints), exactly preconfigured in the body to produce a specific physiological reaction to restore the balance between the function of conflicting states and homeostasis, alternating states of energy and thus maintain the ideal organ and body organization. Thus, the objective of this study was to map and describe the main points of acupuncture in the species Boa constrictor , and their indications to promote the balance of this species. The unprecedented result of the mapping was the discovery of specific acupoints with individual location indications without distribution in specific meridians and dispersedly distributed in the body.

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The present study was aimed to assess the clinical changes and reproductive indices of dairy cows naturally infected with Trypanosoma vivax in a herd located in the Central Sertão of Ceará, Brazil. For the study, 40 animals were selected from a herd consisting of 210 dairy cows, and subdivided into two groups: group I, consisting of 20 cows naturally infected with T. vivax, and group II, consisting of 20 uninfected cows. Data on the parameters of reproductive efficiency were evaluated using a farm database (Propad Profissional GP®), in which the individual reproductive characteristics of the animals were stored. Data collected both before and after the outbreak were compared. The cows from group I showed a sudden drop in milk production, mucosal pallor, depression, anorexia, and a significant increase in rectal temperature and decreased hematocrit during the parasitemia outbreak. These clinical signs of the disease disappeared over time. However, T. vivax was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in animals with a negative parasitological test one year after the occurrence. Comparison of the reproductive index data for cows from groups I and II before and after the outbreak showed significant differences in first postpartum estrus, service period, and intervals between deliveries. In addition, repetition of estrus and abortion were significantly associated with T. vivax infection. Analysis of the reproductive indices of cows in groups I and II suggests that T. vivax infection decreased the reproductive efficiency of the study cows. animais eram armazenadas em software Propad Profissional GP®, sendo as informações obtidas, comparadas tanto no período em que antecedeu o surto, quanto no que ocorreu após ele. As vacas do grupo I apresentaram durante o surto alta parasitemia, queda brusca da produção de leite, palidez de mucosas, depressão, anorexia, aumento significativo da temperatura retal e redução do hematócrito. Observou-se o desaparecimento dos sinais clínicos da enfermidade ao longo do tempo, no entanto, houve a confirmação do diagnóstico de T. vivax, através da Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase (PCR) em animais com exame parasitológico negativo um ano após a ocorrência. Quando comparados os dados dos índices reprodutivos das vacas do grupo I e do grupo II, no período em que antecedeu o surto, e no que ocorreu após o surto, verificou-se diferenças significativas para as variáveis: primeiro estro pós-parto (PCPP/dias), período de serviço (PS-dias) e intervalo entre parto/dias (IEP). Houve associação significativa das variáveis, repetições de estro e abortamento com a infecção por T. vivax. A análise dos dados dos índices reprodutivos das vacas dos grupos I e II sugere que T. vivax diminuiu a eficiência reprodutiva dos animais avaliados. Palavras-chave: Bovino. Eficiência reprodutiva. Tripanossomose.