No abstract

In the current study, Isospora sagittulae McQuistion and Capparella, 1992 (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is reported from white-shouldered fire-eyes Pyriglena leucoptera (Vieillot, 1818) in the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. To date, this coccidian species was described from antbirds in Ecuador and Brazilian Amazon. In this sense, oocysts and measurements of the description of I. sagittulae from Amazonian antbirds were required from the deposit for comparison between samples from the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. The morphology was similar in all aspects, despite the polymorphism associated with the oocyst shape. DNA sequences for the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) locus of the oocysts had similarity of 100%. Therefore, these strong morphological, molecular, and ecological equivalences ensure the unique identification of I. sagittulae. Finally, this finding reveals the wide distribution of I. sagittulae in the Neotropical region and indicates that other antbirds in the Brazilian Cerrado should disperse I. sagittulae to the Amazon and Atlantic Forest.

No presente trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar a presença de fungos micotoxígenos em amostras de rações destinadas à alimentação de animais de companhia. Para isso, foram avaliadas 20 amostras de estabelecimentos comerciais do município de Seropédica, localizado na região da Baixada Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro). As amostras foram trituradas, homogeneizadas, diluídas e semeadas em diferentes meios de cultivo, onde foram incubadas durante 5-7 dias a 25° C em estufas microbiológicas. Ao final do experimento, todas as amostras apresentaram crescimento fúngico, com contagens variando de 100 UFC/g a 90000 UFC/g. Foi possível identificar a presença de Aspergillus niger, A. ochraceus, A. fumigatus, A. terreus e Penicillium citrinum, espécies com alto potencial toxígeno. Os fungos são organismos que estão presentes em toda parte, sendo, portanto, importantes contaminantes de tecidos, alimentos, bebidas e até mesmo medicamentos. Dentre os alimentos de fácil contaminação, está a ração de animais de estimação, sobretudo a peletizada vendida a granel. A introdução desses microrganismos e seus possíveis metabólitos como as micotoxinas na dieta dos animais pode ocorrer devido à utilização de rações com grãos já contaminados ou devido ao armazenamento sob temperatura e umidade inadequadas. Considerando os efeitos que os fungos e as micotoxinas podem causar à saúde dos animais, estudos que visem avaliar o risco micológico e mico toxicológico das rações destinadas à alimentação de animais de companhia têm grande importância nesse contexto, fazendo parte de um monitoramento contínuo desses tipos de contaminantes nas rações.

This publication aims to disseminate to the scientific community and society in general, the project of the same title of this publication that is under development by the collaboration of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ) and the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de aneiro (UFRRJ). Briefly, this project aims to quantify and identify parasites of the body surface (ectoparasites) and intestinal parasites (enteroparasites) of wild birds, which should be related to their biological and ecological conditions, and to evaluate the dispersal seed process performed by birds (ornithocoria), the viability and development of these seeds and thus establish the degree of importance of ornithocoria in reforestation at the IFRJ campus of Pinheiral, RJ. The project includes the integration of five doctoral professors, a laboratory technician doctor, as well as a postdoctoral student, four doctoral students, one master student, two undergraduate students and four technical high school students. To date, six expeditions have been made in the reforestation area of the Espaço Ecológico Educativo (EEcoE) of the IFRJ campus in Pinheiral, RJ, where a total of 196 wild birds have been captured, evaluated, ringed and recorded at the Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Aves Silvestres (CEMAVE), of which 29 were recaptured for revaluations. Four articles were published on the themes of parasitology and ornithochory in wild birds. Two practical short courses in the area of study were taught in September 2018 and February 2019 to IFRJ students, but open to the scientific community and society at large. Currently the project is not expected to end, since there are plenty of unpublished and relevant results in both the area of parasitology and ornithochory of wild birds.

A new species of coccidia (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) found parasitizing the yellow-legged thrush Turdus flavipes (Vieillot, 1818), the pale-breasted thrush Turdus leucomelas Vieillot, 1818 and the creamy-bellied thrush Turdus amaurochalinus Cabanis, 1850 in Southeastern Brazil is described. Isospora brasilsatoae n. sp. has oocysts that are ovoidal to pyriform, 26.8 × 21.1 μm, with smooth, bilayered wall, ~1.6 μm thick. Micropyle present. Oocyst residuum absent, but one to three polar granules are present. Sporocysts are elongate ovoidal, 18.1 × 10.5 μm. Stieda body knob-like and sub-Stieda body trapezoidal. Sporocyst residuum is composed of granules that appear to be membrane-bounded. Sporozoites are vermiform with refractile bodies and striations. This is the ninth description of an Isospora sp. parasitizing a New World thrush.