No abstract

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent in the world. In the state of Acre, Brazil, populations of capybaras have been increasing significantly. The role of capybaras in the transmission of certain bacterial zoonotic infections is not well understood, including bacteria of the genus Salmonella. Salmonella spp. generally cause enteritis or septicemia in mammals, however many mammalian species can carry the bacteria asymptomatically and shed it in their feces. To better understand the possible role of capybaras as reservoirs of Salmonella spp., we conducted a study of Salmonella within fecal samples from capybara in Acre. In a convenience sample, 54 capybaras from two urban and two rural areas of Acre were captured and kept for three to four days for sampling. None of the animals were symptomatic of any intestinal illness. Three separate fecal samples were collected from each animal, during their stays in captivity. Each sample was cultured for the presence of Salmonella spp. at the bacteriology laboratory of the Veterinary College of the Federal University of Acre. Samples were seeded in tetrationate pre-enrichment broth and in pre-enrichment broth peptone. After a 24 hour of incubation all samples were streaked on MacConkey Agar (MC) and Salmonella-Shigella Agar (SS). Suggestive colonies were submitted to biochemical analysis. Salmonella compatible colonies according to biochemical profile were submitted to serotyping (Sorokit for Salmonella - Probac do Brasil). In addition, the first sample from each of the 54 capybara was tested for Salmonella spp. using PCR targeting gene hilA. Eight (5%) of the 162 samples examined by bacterial culture were positive for Salmonella spp., while four (7%) of the 54 examined by PCR were positive. From the eight positive animals on culture, five were from urban area and three from rural area. On PCR, only one positive animal was from urban area and four were from rural area. Overall, by either test, one of the 54 animals was positive. All samples were collected in free - living animals with no apparent clinical signs of salmonellosis, indicating the potential of capybara as reservoir on this ecosystem.

PIRES, G. A.; RODRIGUES, S. F. da C.; MACEDO, K. R.; ANDRADE, A. M. F. de; FARIKOSKI, I. O.; FREITAS, H. J. de; RIBEIRO, V. M. F. Tráfico de animais silvestres e seus produtos no extremo oeste brasileiro. Arq. Ciênc. Vet. Zool. UNIPAR, Umuarama, v. 18, n. 4, p. 241-245, out./dez. 2015.RESUMO: O tráfico de animais silvestres vivos e abatidos no estado do Acre ocorre constantemente. Notadamente a fauna silvestre está perdendo a batalha com a exploração desenfreada nesta região, uma vez que a carne de animais silvestres é importante fonte proteica e muitas pessoas alegam que praticam a caça como forma de subsistência. No entanto, a maioria das apreensões feitas pelos órgãos competentes pertence à avifauna acriana. Estas oriundas de atividades ilícitas, e se não interceptadas iriam abastecer o mercado ilegal, seriam exportadas e vendidas a preços exorbitantes. Diante do acentuado índice de ocorrência de autuações sobre tráfico de animais silvestres, vale ressaltar que a sociedade e as comunidades locais têm papel fundamental na conscientização de que os animais silvestres podem ser extintos devido à caça predatória. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Ambiental. Comércio. Fauna. Ilegalidade. Silvestre. TRAFFICKING OF WILD ANIMALS AND THEIR PRODUCTS IN THE FAR WEST BRAZILIANABSTRACT: Trafficking of live wild animals and slaughtered in Acre occurs constantly. Notably the wildlife is losing the battle with the unbridled exploitation in this region, since the meat of wild animals is important protein source and many people claim that practice hunting for subsistence. But most of the seizures made by the competent bodies belongs to acriana avifauna. These derived from illicit activities, and if not intercepted would supply the illegal market, would be exported and sold at exorbitant prices. Before the sharp assessments of occurrence index on wildlife trafficking, it is noteworthy that society and local communities have a vital role in awareness that wild animals may be extinct due to poaching. KEYWORDS: Environmental. Fauna. Illegality .Trade. Wildlife. TRÁFICO DE ANIMALES SILVESTRES Y SUS PRODUCTOS EN EL EXTREMO OESTE BRASILEÑORESUMEN: El tráfico de animales silvestres vivos y sacrificados en el estado de Acre ocurre constantemente. Especialmente la fauna silvestre está perdiendo la batalla con la desenfrenada explotación en esa región, una vez que la carne de animales silvestres es una importante fuente de proteínas y muchas personas afirman que practican la caza como medio de subsistencia. Sin embargo, gran parte de las incautaciones hechas por los órganos competentes pertenecen a la avifauna del estado de Acre. Estos provienen de actividades ilegales que, si no fuera interceptada, abastecería el mercado ilegal, serian exportadas y vendidas a precios exorbitantes. Dada las altas tasas de ocurrencia de aprehensiones en el tráfico de animales silvestres, se debe destacar que la sociedad y las comunidades locales tienen un papel fundamental en la concientización de que los animales silvestres pueden ser extinguidos debido a la caza depredad...

RESUMO Dentre os crocodilianos com ocorrência no Brasil, o Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus, 1758) é a espécie de maior frequência, porém sua presença em estudos científicos restringe-se a levantamentos faunísticos, na maioria das vezes. O leucismo, também conhecido como albinismo parcial, é uma anomalia cromática ainda pouco conhecida. Indivíduos portadores dos genes que condicionam a doença apresentam ausência de pigmentação em uma parte ou em todo o corpo, porém os olhos não apresentam alteração. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar o primeiro registro de Caiman crocodilus com leucismo no mundo.

Pacas (Cuniculus paca) are highly hunted animals because of the flavor of their meat, and commercial breeding is recommended. However, this species has a relatively low reproductive rate. This study aimed to collect semen from pacas through electroejaculation and obtain the sperm parameters of this species for the first time. Seven male pacas were used, submitted to an anesthetic protocol before stimulation by an electroejaculator appropriate for the species. The stimulus protocol was performed in three series: series I, 10 stimuli with 1 and 2 V; series II, 10 stimuli with 3 and 4 V; and series III, 10 stimuli with 5 V and interval between series of 2 s. The collected material was evaluated for color, volume, motility, vigor, and concentration. The sperm parameters collected showed a mean volume of 0.43±0.33 mL, concentration of 45.5±42.44×106 sperm/mL, motility of 33.33±32.14%, and mean vigor of 2.6±1.15. In this study, the anesthetic protocol did not seem to favor semen collection by electroejaculation in the pacas. The electrical stimulation protocol was able to stimulate all animals in the study; however, there were few samples with sperm cells and a low rate of motility and vigor in most ejaculates.