The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis and Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cows from dairy herds in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. In total, 383 samples of cervico-vaginal mucus were collected from cows on 21 herds in 19 districts. Genomic DNA was extracted from the samples and submitted for polymerase chain reaction analysis. An investigative questionnaire was used to analyze the risk factors, using questions related to reproductive and hygiene/sanitation management. A prevalence of 1.8% (0.8-3.9%; confidence interval (CI) 95%) and 33.4% (28.7-38.4%; CI 95%) was found for C. fetus subsp. venerealis and T. foetus, respectively. In terms of the number of foci, 28.6% of the herds contained at least one animal that was positive for C. fetus subsp. venerealis and 90.5% for T. foetus. The present study identified herds larger than 100 animals as a risk factor for bovine genital campylobacteriosis (OR = 7.2; CI 1.3-38.4%; p = 0.020) and the use of natural breeding as a risk factor for bovine trichomonosis (OR = 2.4; CI 1.1-5.9%; p = 0.041). In conclusion, C. fetus subsp. venerealis and T. foetus infections occurred in the region studied and high numbers of foci were found. Thus, prophylaxis and control measures, such as diagnosis, separation, and sexual rest for infected females, are suggested. An artificial insemination program with early rigorous sanitary care should be implemented on the properties in order to avoid the spread of agents in the herds.

The present study determined the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus virulence genes in 2,253 milk samples of cows (n=1000) and goats (n=1253) raised in three different geographical regions of the state Pernambuco, Brazil. The presence of genes of virulence factors associated to adhesion to host cells (fnbA, fnbB, clfA and clfB), toxinosis (sea, seb, sec, sed, seg, seh, sei, tsst, hla and hlb), and capsular polysaccharide (cap5 and cap8) was evaluated by PCR. A total of 123 and 27 S. aureus strains were isolated from cows' and goats' milk, respectively. The sec and tsst genes were detected exclusively in goats' isolates, while the seh gene was only identified in cows' isolates. The number of toxin genes per strain showed that goats' isolates are likely more toxic than bovines' isolates. The cap5 genotype predominated in both host species, especially in strains collected from cows raised in the Agreste region. The cap8 genotype is likely more virulent due to the number of virulence genes per strain. The results of the present study demonstrate that S. aureus may pose a potential threat to human health in Brazil, and, therefore, these results should support actions related to mastitis control programs.

The study described in this Research Communication investigated the genotypic and phenotypic profiles of resistance to beta-lactams and other antimicrobials in non-aureus Staphylococci (NAS) isolated from buffalo, goat and sheep mastitis in the Northeast region of Brazil. A total of 190 isolates were analyzed and 42.3, 43.9 and 23.6% of them were positive for blaZ gene in buffalo, goat and sheep, respectively. Regarding the animal groups, in goats, amoxicillin was the antimicrobial with highest resistance index (72.7%), followed by penicillin G in buffaloes (51.9%) and ampicillin in sheep (43.1%). With regard to multiple antimicrobial resistance, 30.8% of NAS isolates from buffalo milk samples, 25.8% from goats and 25.0% from sheep presented multidrug-resistance. In the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) technique, amoxicillin MIC50 and MIC90 were 64 and 128 μg/ml, respectively, among isolates of the three animal species. In conclusion, high rates of resistance to beta-lactams are presented among NAS isolated from mastitis cases in buffaloes, goats and sheep in Northeast region of Brazil. These results provide an alert to animal and human health researchers, suggesting that the frequency of NAS needs to be reduced because they carry resistance genes which might increase the existing levels of antimicrobial resistance.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus infection and to evaluate risk factors associated with this infection among cattle in the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil. Samples of cervicovaginal mucus from 290 females and smegma from 59 males [beef, 31; mixed aptitude (beef and dairy), 10; and dairy, 18] from 31 farms were collected. Modified Diamond's medium and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for the laboratory diagnosis of T. foetus infection. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were performed to test for potential risk factors in addition to prevalence mapping. No sample was positive for T. foetus in culture, and the prevalence of T. foetus infection using PCR was 3.7% (13/349) [confidence interval (CI) 95%, 2.1%-6.4%]. In total, 19.3% (6/31) of the farms had at least one animal positive for T. foetus. The contact of females with males from other farms [Odds ratio, 5.9; 95% CI, 1.5-22.4; p = 0.009] was identified as a risk factor for T. foetus infection. This study demonstrates that T. foetus infection is prevalent among dairy cows in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Sexual resting, removal of positive females, and avoiding contact of females with males from other farms are recommended to reduce the risk of infection.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies in female buffalo in the state of Pernambuco. A total of 123 female buffalo blood samples were collected from five properties distributed in the state of Pernambuco. The microscopic agglutination test was used to study anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies. The occurrence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies was 28.5% (35/123; CI 20.7–37.3%) and on different properties, the occurrence ranged from 28.6% to 80.0%, with 100% of the properties showing animals with positive results. The serovars of the serogroup Sejroe with a higher incidence were Hardjoprajtino (CTG strain, 49.1%) and Hardjo (Prajtino genotype, 43.2%), followed by serogroup Grippotyphosa with the Grippotyphosa serovar (3.9%), serogroup Pomona with the Pomona serovar (1.9%), and the Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Copenhageni (1.9%). This was the first record of the occurrence of anti-Lepstospira spp. antibodies in female buffalo in the state of Pernambuco. Control measures are necessary to prevent health and economic losses, given that the agent involved affects animal reproduction, triggering drops in conception rates or even clinical cases of abortion.