Do camels (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camelus dromedarius</Emphasis>) play an epidemiological role in the spread of Shiga Toxin producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> (STEC) infection?

In the present work, faecal and serum samples from 400 camels were investigated for the presence of Shiga Toxin producing E.coli (STEC) and Anti-Shiga Toxin (Anti-Stx) antibodies, respectively. The used samples were obtained from adult male camels of five east African countries (Egypt, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya and Sudan) between the years 2002-2004. One E.coli isolate per camel was randomly selected to be cultured on Gassner, Chromocult and sorbit agar for the detection of O157:H7 strains. In the same time, a Stx-specific PCR screening was performed for the isolates using the shiga toxin specific primers Mk1-Mk2. Vero cells were also used for shiga toxin neutralization assay. None of the investigated isolates reacted positively with the Stx-specific primers. Also, none of the studied sera could neutralize the Stx on tissue culture. The obtained results indicate that camels do not play any significant epidemiological role in STEC infection and transmission. The possible reasons for the absence of STEC in the investigated samples are discussed in brief.     

Epidemiological investigation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Borrelia burgdorferi</Emphasis> in horses in the municipality of Sinop—MT,Brazil

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main etiological agent of Lyme disease (LD) in the USA. In Brazil, it is believed that a similar spirochete is the causal agent of the Baggio–Yoshinari syndrome (BYS), a zoonosis also transmitted by ticks, whose clinical manifestations are similar to those of LD. Despite the epidemiological importance, there are no studies reporting the presence and the prevalence of B. burgdorferi among horses in Mato Grosso State. The aim of this study was to detect and measure the frequency of IgG antibodies anti-B. burgdorferi American strain G39/40 in horses in the municipality of Sinop, MT—Brazil, using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serological diagnosis. Blood samples from 367 horses were collected in 81 farms. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied during the visits to obtain information related to the animals and the farms. From the 367 horses, 214 were positive for B. burgdorferi sensu stricto according to the results of the ELISA test, representing an apparent prevalence of 54.04% [CI?=?0.4548051–0.6237234]. Concomitantly, 89 blood samples were taken for molecular analysis by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). According to the PCR test results, none of the samples were reactive, although 53 of these samples were reactive according to ELISA. Seventy five farms (92.59%) had at least one reactive horse for B. burgdorferi. Our results support the hypothesis of the presence of anti-Borrelia spp. antibodies in horses in Mato Grosso, reaching a high animal prevalence. Besides that, leisure/sport purposes proved to be a risk factor, with an odds ratio of 3.16. These findings clearly indicate the need of borreliosis control in Sinop and make a significant contribution to the knowledge of the disease in Mato Grosso.     

A ten years (2007–2016) retrospective serological survey for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Seneca Valley virus</Emphasis> infection in major pig producing states of Brazil

Seneca Valley virus (SVV) is the etiological agent of vesicular disease in pigs, clinically indistinguishable of classical viral vesicular infections, including foot-and-mouth disease. The first outbreaks of SVV infection in Brazil were reported in 2014. However, it was not known whether the virus was circulating in Brazilian pig herds before this year. This study is a retrospective serological investigation of porcine health status to SVV in Brazil. Serum samples (n = 594) were grouped in before (2007–2013, n = 347) and after (2014–2016, n = 247) SVV outbreaks in Brazil. Twenty-three pig herds were analyzed, of which 19 and 4 were sampled before and after the beginning of SVV outbreaks, respectively. Two herds sampled after 2014 presented animals with SVV-associated clinical manifestations, while the other two housed asymptomatic pigs. Anti-SVV antibodies were evaluated by virus neutralization test. The results demonstrated that pig herds of different Brazilian geographical regions and distinct pig categories were negative to anti-SVV antibodies in sera obtained before 2014. Antibodies to SVV were detected only in serum samples obtained after 2014, particularly in herds with the presence of pigs with SVV-clinical signs. These results present robust serological evidence that the SVV was not present in the major Brazilian pig producing regions prior to 2014.