Peccaries are characterized by a prominent skin gland, known as scent gland, which is located in the middle of the rump. These animals are able to survive in a great variety of habitats, from humid tropical forests to semi-arid areas. They are omnivorous animals, and their diet includes fibrous material, vegetables, fruits, small vertebrates and insects. Collared peccary hard palate and soft palate tonsils were studied, macroscopic morphometric data were collected and tissue samples were paraffin-embedded. Sections were stained with HE, Gomori's trichrome and von Kossa; the first two were used to study general organization and the latter to detect calcium deposits. The hard palate showed one incisive papilla followed by several rugae united by a distinct raphe. The hard palate is lined by a keratinised squamous epithelium resting on a dense connective, whereas in the soft palate, the epithelium is parakeratinised and showed lymphocyte infiltration. The palate showed several pacinian corpuscles in the propria-submucosa. Two ovoid-shaped tonsils were found in the soft palate, and several crypts were observed on its surface. The epithelium was highly infiltrated by lymphocytes, and within the crypts, tonsilloliths were frequently observed. The study showed that the general organization of collared peccary palate is similar to other species, but in its oropharynx, only the soft palate tonsil was present and the pacinian corpuscles formed small aggregates.

Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888), known as the tropical fowl mite, is a hematophagous mite of domestic and wild birds. This mite can bite humans accidentally, causing “gamasoidosis,” “avian-mite dermatitis,” or “bird-mite dermatitis” in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, O. bursa was previously recorded parasitizing birds of the orders Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867, Columbiformes Latham, 1790, Galliformes Temminck, 1820, Passeriformes Linnaeus, 1758, Strigiformes Wagler, 1830, and Tinamiformes Huxley, 1872. Here, we provide a new association of O. bursa with Harris’s hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus (Temminck, 1824) (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) and the first record of this mite species in the Paraíba State, Brazil.

A 4-mo-old northern red-shouldered macaw ( Diopsittaca nobilis) was admitted to the veterinary hospital of the Arruda Câmara Zoo, in the State of Paraiba, Brazil, for investigation of an orbital mass. Given rapid progression and lack of response to treatment, the bird was euthanized, and an autopsy was performed. Histologically, the mass consisted of a retrobulbar invasive tumor characterized by tubular and rosette-like structures, with interspersed heteroplastic tissues, such as aggregates of neuroglial cells and islands of hyaline cartilage. The tumor was immunopositive for pancytokeratin, GFAP, NSE, and S100. These findings were compatible with an ocular teratoid medulloepithelioma, a neoplasm best described in humans but also reported rarely in young cockatiels and African Grey parrots.

Padrão hematológico, índices hormonais e morfologia gonadal de gaviões-carijó (Rupornis magnirostris

Article historyThe amount of research on metabolic bone diseases in commercial birds is considerable, however, there is a large gap in the knowledge of these diseases in wild birds. Aspects related to diet are the main factors that cause these diseases, such as: vitamin D deficiency, insufficient calcium intake, or imbalance of calcium and phosphorus in the diet, and problems in the absorption and metabolism of these compounds. This study reports two cases of bone diseases in birds of the order Accipitriformes, which are wild in the state of Paraíba, a crab-eating hawk with rickets, and a caboclo hawk with fibrous osteodystrophy. The diagnosis in both cases was based on macroscopic and microscopic findings. These reports are subsidies for the bird clinic of the order Accipitriformes and for the maintenance of these birds in nurseries and zoos. This study demonstrates the need for further studies to assess whether such cases can be used as indicators of environmental imbalance.