RESUMO Objetivou-se com o presente estudo avaliar o consumo e a digestibilidade de nutrientes, o comportamento ingestivo e o desempenho de caprinos alimentados com genótipos de palma forrageira resistentes à cochonilha-carmim (miúda ou orelha-de-elefante-mexicana (OEM). Trinta cabritos machos, castrados, sem raça definida, com idades entre 12 e 14 meses e peso corporal médio de 19,0±2,8kg, foram distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, em três tratamentos (controle - feno de tifton; miúda e OEM) e 10 repetições; o peso inicial foi considerado a covariável. O consumo de matéria orgânica (MO) e de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) foi maior no tratamento controle; enquanto a ingestão de CNF foi maior na dieta OEM. Tratamentos contendo palma forrageira apresentaram as maiores digestibilidades de MS, MO e CNF. Os animais alimentados com a dieta controle gastaram mais tempo em ruminação e em mastigação total, mas o tempo gasto com alimentação ou a eficiência alimentar e o desempenho não diferiram. A utilização de genótipos de palma forrageira resistentes à cochonilha-carmim (miúda e orelha-de-elefante-mexicana) na dieta de caprinos, na quantidade de 450g/kg de MS, não interfere no desempenho dos animais e melhora a digestibilidade de MO e CNF.

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients, ingestive behavior, and performance of goats fed with spineless cactus genotypes resistant to carmine cochineal (Miúda or Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM). Thirty castrated male goats, without defined breed, aged 12 to 14 months, with an average body weight of 19.0±2.8kg, were distributed in a completely randomized design among three treatments (Control - Tifton hay, Miúda, and OEM) and ten replicates; the initial weight was considered as the covariate. The intake of organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was highest in the control treatment, while the intake of NFC was higher in the OEM diet. Treatments containing forage cactus showed the highest digestibility of DM, OM, and NFC. The animals fed the control diet spent more time on rumination and total chewing, but the time spent feeding or feeding efficiency, and performance did not differ. The use of spineless cactus genotypes resistant to carmine cochineal (Miúda and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana) in a diet for goats, in the amount of 450g/kg of DM does not interfere with the performance of the animals and improves the digestibility of OM and NFC.

The objective was to evaluate the effect of increasing the dietary inclusion of spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck) on the carcass characteristics and meat quality of confined lambs. Thirty-two male Santa Inês lambs with an average age of 140 days and an initial body weight of 20.4 ± 2.60 kg were used in this study. The lambs were housed in individual stalls for 70 days and individually fed a ration with spineless cactus included at 0, 241, 519, or 753 g/kg of dry matter (DM). The lambs were slaughtered, and characteristics of the carcass and meat were recorded and analysed. Inclusion of spineless cactus had a quadratic effect on the bodyweight at slaughter and on the empty bodyweight of the lambs. The inclusion of 500 g/kg of spineless cactus provided the highest predicted cold carcass weight (16.03 kg). There was a quadratic effect of the inclusion of spineless cactus on the weight of meat cuts and leg composition of lambs. The inclusion of spineless cactus did not influence pH, tenderness, and water-retention capacity of the meat. However, the intramuscular fat content increased 1 mg for every 10 g/kg inclusion of spineless cactus in the diet. Quadratic effects were observed of the inclusion of spineless cactus on the weights of the liver, heart, rumen, blood, skin and internal fat of the lambs. Up to 500 g/kg of spineless cactus could be included in the diet of confined lambs.

Os insetos são importantes transmissores de doenças que cada vez mais ocorrem em áreas periurbanas ou urbanas, devido à introdução ou reaparecimento de seus respectivos vetores. As estratégias de controle das doenças transmissíveis por vetores biológicos são de difícil execução, principalmente quando associadas à existência de reservatórios domésticos e silvestres e aos aspectos ambientais. O uso de inseticidas direcionado ao combate de formas adultas de dípteros vetores tem sido freqüente. Entretanto, o amplo uso dos inseticidas sintéticos desde a descoberta do DDT para o controle de pragas domésticas e da agricultura, como também de vetores que transmitem doenças ao homem, levou a uma maior preocupação em relação à toxicidade e impacto ambiental destes agentes. Além disso, a resistência a inseticidas tornou-se uma preocupação crescente na agricultura, economia e na saúde pública. Um grande número de diferentes espécies de plantas representando diferentes áreas geográficas ao redor do mundo tem se mostrado capaz de causar efeitos letais e subletais sobre insetos. Esta revisão aborda a utilização de extratos de plantas com potencial no controle de dípteros vetores de zoonoses.

Insects are important transmitters of diseases increasingly occurring in peri-urban or urban areas due to the introduction or the reemergence of their respective vectors. Strategies to control diseases transmitted by biological vectors are difficult to implement, especially when associated with the existence of domestic and wild reservoirs and environmental aspects. The use of insecticides against adult forms of dipteran vectors has been frequent. However, the widespread use of synthetic insecticides since the discovery of DDT to control domestic and agricultural pests, as well as vectors that transmit diseases to humans, has led to greater concern for the toxicity and environmental impact of these agents. Moreover, resistance to insecticides has become an increasing concern in agriculture, economy and public health. A large number of different plant species representing different geographical areas around the world have been capable of causing lethal and sublethal effects on insects. This review addresses the use of potential plant extracts to control dipteran vectors of zoonosis.