This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in pigs. We evaluated 143 pigs, in 10 randomly-chosen farms located in Southern Piauí. The pig's blood serum was analyzed through ELISA in detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies. A seroprevalence of 25.5% was observed in the pigs that reacted against T. gondii antigens. The data from the records demonstrated an association with some factors such as: age, diet, type of management, breed and presence of cats in the farms with a prevalence of T. gondii. With the exception of sex, all others features represent risk factors for T. gondii infection. Furthermore, our data contributed to the understanding of the T. gondii seroprevalence in pig farms located in Southern Piauí.

Toxoplasma gondii is a widely distributed obligatory intracellular parasite that causes severe disease to the fetus when transmitted during pregnancy. Drugs used to avoid congenital transmission have shown side effects, and their efficacy is controversial. The most widely used treatment for acute toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine, which has several side effects. In this work, we tested the efficacy of azithromycin in reducing congenital transmission of T. gondii in the large vesper mouse, Calomys callosus, a rodent. Females of C callosus were inoculated perorally with 20 cysts of ME49 strain of T. gondii on the day of fertilization, and fetuses were collected from the 15th to the 19th day of gestation. Azithromycin (300 mg/kg), in association with pyrimethamine (100 or 50 mg/kg) plus sulfadiazine (100 or 75 mg/kg) and folinic acid (15 mg/kg) (SPAf), or vehicle, were administered orally on different days after infection. Brain and ocular tissues were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody against T. gondii, or were processed for parasite DNA quantification. Toxoplasma gondii was detected in the brains of all females and in fetuses' eyes of C. callosus treated with SPAf. On the other hand, in females treated with azithromycin, there was a reduction of T. gondii in the brains of mothers, and no parasites were detected in eyes of fetuses, indicating that azithromycin may represent an alternative treatment for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

RESUMO A cinomose é uma doença infecciosa viral causada por um RNA vírus pertencente a família Paramyxoviridae do gênero Morbillivirus que acomete cães domésticos e outros carnívoros. O conhecimento dos parâmetros laboratoriais da doença pode orientar no diagnóstico e prognóstico. Este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar as alterações hematológicas de cães com quadro clínico de cinomose atendidos na Universidade Federal do Piauí, no município de Bom Jesus. Participaram desse estudo 18 cães com diagnóstico clínico de cinomose, sendo sete machos e 11 fêmeas, com idade variando de três meses a cinco anos. Foram coletados de 3 a 5 mL de sangue venoso por venopunção jugular para as avaliações hematológicas. As alterações observadas com maior frequência foram anemia (72,2%), linfócitos reativos (72,2%), monocitose (55,5%), linfopenia (38,8%), trombocitopenia (38,8%), leucocitose (33,3%), neutrofilia (33,3%), neutrófilos hipersegmentados (33,3%) e monócitos ativados (27,7%). Em 22,2% dos animais, foram observadas inclusões de Lentz em leucócitos e eritrócitos, confirmando o diagnóstico clínico da cinomose. Conclui-se que a anemia e a ativação dos linfócitos são os achados mais relevantes na cinomose canina, podendo estar ou não associados à linfopenia. A avaliação da morfologia leucocitária e pesquisa dos corpúsculos de Lentz deve ser realizada em todos os animais com suspeita de cinomose canina. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: caninos, corpúsculo de Lentz, leucócitos. HEMATOLOGIC FINDINGS IN CINOMOSE CANINE IN BOM JESUS/PI ABSTRACT The canine cinomose is a viral infectious disease caused by RNA virus belonging to Paramyxoviridae family and Morbillivirus genus that attack domestic dogs and others carnivores. Knowledge of laboratory parameters of disease can guide the diagnosis and prognosis. This study aimed to characterize the hematological alterations of dogs with clinical cinomose treated at the Federal University of Piaui in Bom Jesus.

This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats from micro-regions of the state of Piauí (Brazil). From six randomly selected properties, 145 goats were examined. Serum samples of the animals were analyzed by ELISA for the presence or absence of antibodies against T. gondii. Of these, 22% were seroreactive for T. gondii. Individual records were also taken for each property. These analyses showed that factors such as sex, age, water source, and presence of cats were associated with animal seropositivity. In addition, there was also a positive correlation (p > 0.04) between animal sex and T. gondii contamination. The presence of cats in the facilities and animal pasture fields appeared to be a risk factor for the contamination of goats in the assessed properties (p > 0.03). The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is present in the goat herds of southern Piauí state, and females are more likely to be contaminated.

Ethical and commercial issues are associated with animal welfare in pig farming, in that sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate physiological and blood parameters in addition to weight gain in pigs raised with and without sunlight and environmental enrichment (EE), as well as to correlate physiological and environmental parameters as welfare indicators. Twenty-four pigs distributed in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement were used. Blocks were represented by shifts (morning and afternoon), and factors by the presence or absence of EE and sunlight. Blood and environmental parameters of thermal comfort, in addition to weight gain, were registered. Physiological parameters showed to be shift dependent (p < 0.05), with the afternoon shift being superior when compared to the morning shift, thus indicating climate influence. Weight gain showed significant interactions (p < 0.05) in the presence and absence of sunlight and EE in the stalls. Temperature correlated positively with the physiological parameters. Moisture showed negative correlations with physiological parameters. The packed cell volume was lower (p < 0.05) in the presence of EE. The EE provides physiological well-being and weight gain for pigs in the nursery stage, especially when sunlight was absent in the stalls.