The reproductive cycle, sexual maturity, fecundity, and sexual dimorphism of Helicops infrataeniatus Jan, 1865, were inferred from the analysis of 374 preserved specimens (110 males, 140 females) from the eastern Central Depression of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. There was no statistical difference between the SVL of newborn males and females, but mature females attained greater length than mature males. The tail of mature individuals was proportionally longer in males than in females. Males matured at a smaller size than females. The reproductive cycle of this species was longer than what is known for oviparous colubrids from subtropical and temperate zones of Brazil. In the studied population, vitellogenesis occurred from , and occurred in two peaks. Litter size ranged from 5 to 22 offspring. The differences between the number of vitellogenic follicles and embryos, and between embryos and newborns were not significant, thus practically all follicles were generally converted into embryos and embryos into newborns.

No abstract

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a zoonotic infection caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis, a nematode with an intra-vascular location in the mesentery. Our objective was to address several aspects of the natural history of this parasitosis, in a longitudinal clinical and seroepidemiological study. A total of 179 individuals living in a rural area with active transmission in southern Brazil were followed for five years (1995-1999) resulting in yearly prevalence of 28.2%, 4.2%, 10%, 20.2% and 2.8% and incidences of 0%, 5.9%, 8% and 1.5%, respectively. Both men and woman were affected with higher frequencies at age 30-49 years. In 32 individuals serum samples were collected at all time points and IgG antibody reactivity detected by ELISA was variable and usually persisting not longer than one year. Some individual antibody patterns were suggestive of re-infection. There was no association with occurrence of abdominal pain or of other enteroparasites and there was no individual with a confirmed (histopathologic) diagnosis. Mollusks were found with infective third-stage larvae in some houses with an overall prevalence of 16% and a low parasitic burden. In conclusion, abdominal angiostrongyliasis in southern Brazil may be a frequent infection with low morbidity and a gradually decreasing serological reactivity.

Difficulties for adaptation of wild rodents' colonies in the laboratory may hamper experimental studies. We describe the use of a hollow brick inside cages, to provide shelter and reduce stress of the animals. It facilitates the cleaning of cages, since the animals stay inside the brick while they are transferred to a new cage. This method was applied in a trial for adaptation of Oryzomys nigripes in captivity. Despite transportation for more than 1500 km, mortality was zero in the group of 62 rodents and the colony expanded immediately. A hollow brick is a cheap and widespread available material for improving adaptation of wild rodents to captivity.