O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar, em vacas e em búfalas submetidas à mastite induzida por inoculação de Staphylococcus aureus, a concentração da citocina pró-inflamatória interleucina-1β (IL-1β), a contagem de células somáticas (CCS) e a correlação destas com alguns parâmetros da resposta local e sistêmica à inflamação. Os animais tiveram uma glândula mamária inoculada e o processo inflamatório foi monitorado pela cultura bacteriológica do leite, CCS, quantificação da IL-1β na secreção láctea, avaliação da aparência/consistência da glândula, aparência da secreção láctea (resposta localizada à inflamação) e aferição da temperatura retal (resposta sistêmica à inflamação). Houve elevação nos níveis de IL-1β, na CCS e resposta localizada e sistêmica à inflamação, tanto na espécie bovina como na bubalina. A cinética da produção da citocina foi diferente nas duas espécies (P<0,05), sendo que as búfalas apresentaram elevação mais rápida, porém com níveis menos elevados, quando comparadas às vacas. As duas espécies alcançaram contagens máximas semelhantes (P>0,05) de CS/mL de leite, com concentrações diferentes (P<0,05) de IL-1β/mL de leite. Os parâmetros utilizados para verificar a resposta localizada à inflamação demonstraram escores médios mais elevados na espécie bovina. Correlação positiva entre a concentração da IL-1β no leite, CCS e parâmetros utilizados para avaliar a severidade da mastite foi verificada somente na espécie bovina. Os resultados evidenciaram que a cinética de produção da IL-1β foi diferente nas espécies bovina e bubalina e demonstraram que as búfalas desenvolveram um processo inflamatório mais brando, com restabelecimento mais rápido dos parâmetros utilizados para avaliar a severidade da mastite

This study aimed to analyze in cows and buffaloes, submitted to mastitis induced by inoculation of S. aureus, the concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), the somatic cell count (SCC), and their correlation with some parameters of local and systemic response to inflammation. The animals had one mammary gland inoculated and the inflammatory process was monitored by milk culture, SCC, IL-1β measurement in the milk, evaluation of the gland appearance/consistency, milk secretion appearance (localized response to inflammation) and rectal temperature measurement (systemic response to inflammation). There was increase in the levels of IL-1β, SCC, and both local and systemic inflammatory response, in bovine and bubaline species. The production kinetics of the cytokine was different between the two species (P<0.05). Buffaloes showed a faster increase but achieved lower levels of interleukin-1beta, when compared to cows. Both species reached similar maximum counts (P>0.05) of SC/milk mL, with different concentrations (P<0.05) of IL-1β/mL. The parameters used to verify the local response to inflammation showed higher mean scores in bovine specie. Positive correlation between IL-1β concentration in the milk, SCC and parameters used to analyze the severity of mastitis was verified only in the bovine specie. The results evidenced that the kinetics of IL-1β production was different in the bovine and bubaline species, and demonstrated that the buffaloes developed a milder inflammatory process with faster recovery of the parameters used for mastitis severity evaluation

O sequenciamento da região espaçadora transcrita interna 2 do DNA ribossomal (ITS2-DNAr) das espécies brasileiras gênero Biomphalaria (B. glabrata, B. tenagophila and B. straminea) hospedeiras intermediárias do Schistosoma mansoni no Brasil, permitiu a análise dos sítios de restrição presentes nestas seqüências. A análise do mapa de restrição obtido dessas seqüências nos permitiu selecionar enzimas mais promissoras que gerassem perfis de restrição capazes de identificar essas espécies. Foram testadas 4 enzimas e a enzima HpaII foi selecionada por produzir perfis espécie específicos de fácil visualização em gel de poliacrilamida. A utilização da região ITS2 tem como vantagens a obtenção de um fragmento pequeno de 460bp, o qual pode ser facilmente amplificado por PCR. Neste trabalho, nos demonstramos que a amplificação da região ITS2-DNAr e a restrição deste com a enzima HpaII é uma ferramenta molecular auxiliar a identificação morfológica desses moluscos, bem como para estudos taxonômicos e filogenéticos de planorbídeos neotropicais.

We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer 2 of the ribosomal DNA (ITS2-DNAr) from the three Schistosoma mansoni intermediate hosts in Brazil: Biomphalaria glabrata, Biomphalaria tenagophila and Biomphalaria straminea. Analysis of a restriction map from those sequences allowed us to select putative restriction enzymes able to identify the snail species under study. Four restriction enzymes were used and HpaII provided simple species-specific profiles easily visualized in polyacrylamide gels. The use of ITS2 is advantageous as it provides a small fragment of 460 bp which may be easily amplified by PCR. In the current work, we showed that the amplification of ITS2-DNAr together with HpaII enzyme restriction is an auxiliary molecular tool for the morphological identification of such snails as well as for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of neotropical planorbids.

From complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Fasciola hepatica available in Genbank, specific primers were designed for a conserved and repetitive region of this trematode. A pair of primers was used for diagnosis of infected Lymnaea columella by F. hepatica during the pre-patent period simultaneously with another pair of primers which amplified the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA from L. columella in a single Multiplex-PCR. The amplification generated a ladder band profile specific for F. hepatica. This profile was observed in positive molluscs at different times of infection, including adult worms from the trematode. The Multiplex-PCR technique showed to be a fast and safe tool for fascioliasis diagnosis, enabling the detection of F. hepatica miracidia in L. columella during the pre-patent period and identification of transmission areas.

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease of domestic ruminants that occurs worldwide. The lymnaeid intermediate hosts of Fasciola hepatica include Lymnaea columella, which is widely distributed in Brazil. A colony of L. columella from Belo Horizonte, MG, was reared in our laboratory to be used in studies of the F. hepatica life cycle, the intermediate host-parasite relationship and development of an anti-helminthic vaccine. In the first experiment 1,180 snails were exposed to miracidia of F. hepatica eggs removed from the biliary tracts of cattle from the State of Rio Grande do Sul. In the second and third experiments the snails were exposed to miracidia that had emerged from F. hepatica eggs from Uruguay, maintained in rabbits. The rates of infection in the first, second and third experiments were 0, 42.1 and 0% respectively. Over 15,806 metacercariae were obtained and stored at 4ºC. Four rabbits weighing 1.5 kg each were infected with 32-44 metacercariae and two with 200. Three rabbits begin to eliminate eggs of the parasite in the feces from 84 days after infection onwards. The biological cycle of F. hepatica in L. columella and the rabbit was completed within 124 days.

The intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, Lymnaea columella, collected in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, was reared in our laboratory. The aim of the current study was to standardize a rearing and maintenance technique. Two kinds of diet were tested: fresh lettuce (A) and rodent ration + 10% CaCO3 plus fresh lettuce (B). The age for the beginning of oviposition ranged from 27 to 57 days. Ten days after oviposition at 24.7°C, 100% eclosion occurred. The complete life cycle varied from 37 to 67 days. The average numbers of eggs per egg mass were 26.3 and 31.1 with diets (A) and (B), respectively. The lettuce and ration fed snails presented a increased growth although the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The mortality rate varied from 40 to 64% after 90 days. The maximum longevity was 183 days, 21.5 mm length and 11 mm wide. The methodology to mass breed and maintain these snails was found to be suitable in the laboratory