Resumo O parabasalídeo Pentatrichomonas hominis é geralmente considerado um componente simbiótico da microbiota gastrointestinal em uma ampla variedade de hospedeiros vertebrados, incluindo os humanos. No entanto, um número limitado de estudos levantou a possibilidade de que possa atuar como patógeno de humanos, cães e suínos, e que algumas infecções humanas possam ter origem zoonótica. Dados da América do Norte revelaram uma associação entre P. hominis e o trato urogenital bovino, principalmente, em touros e raramente em vacas. A importância dessa observação está ligada a uma possível interferência no diagnóstico preciso do patógeno venéreo de importância econômica Tritrichomonas foetus. O presente estudo empregou métodos baseados em cultura em combinação com técnicas moleculares, para examinar as cavidades prepuciais de quatro touros, criados em pastagem aberta no sudeste do Brasil, quanto à presença de tricomonas. Protozoários móveis foram isolados de três dos touros e foram definitivamente identificados como P. hominis com base no sequenciamento de nucleotídeos de amplicons geradas pela reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR), empregando a região RNA ribossômico (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) do parasita como alvo. Os potenciais implicações desses achados para a saúde bovina e humana são discutidas.

Abstract The parabasalid Pentatrichomonas hominis is generally considered to represent a symbiotic component of the gastrointestinal microbiota in a wide variety of vertebrate hosts including humans. Nevertheless, a limited number of studies have raised the possibility that it may act as a pathogen of humans, dogs, and pigs and that some human infections may have a zoonotic origin. Data from North America revealed an association between P. hominis and the bovine urogenital tract, principally in bulls and rarely in cows. The importance of this observation is linked to possible interference in the accurate diagnosis of the economically important venereal pathogen Tritrichomonas foetus. The current study employed culture-based and molecular methods to examine the preputial cavities of four breeding bulls, raised in open pasture in southeastern Brazil, for the presence of trichomonads. Motile protozoa were isolated from three of the bulls and were definitively identified as P. hominis based on nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons derived from the ribosomal RNA operon (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) of the parasite. The potential implications of these findings for bovine and human health are discussed.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of timed artificial insemination (TAI) on pregnancy rates, reproductive efficiency, and mean weaning weight of calves at the end of breeding season in Nellore females. In this work, 744 Nellore females were divided into two groups: in group I (n = 396), the females were subjected to natural service during the breeding season, which lasts for 180 days. In group II (n = 348), a hormonal protocol was performed for synchronization of ovulation, and the females were subjected to TAI. Afterwards, these latter females were then serviced by a cleanup bull until the end of the breeding season. The group II obtained a higher pregnancy rate as well as higher reproductive efficiency compared with group I. The weaning weight of group II calves was greater than that of group I. The use of TAI combined with cleanup bulls enables higher pregnancy rates and a better reproductive efficiency in relation to the use of only natural service. In addition, weaning calves born from TAI are heavier than calves born from natural service.

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to correlate the age and weight of Girolando heifers with uterine and ovarian development. Sixty heifers between 12 and 36 months old were weighed and subjected to ultrasound assessment to measure the diameters of each uterine horn and ovaries, monthly. These measures continued until their first ovulation. The animals were divided, for data analysis, according to their age into five groups: GI (12 to 14 months), GII (15 to 18 months), GIII (19 to 24 months), GIV (25 to 30 months), and GV (31 to 36 months). The dispersion diagram was used to assess the correlation between data collected monthly from uterus/ovaries and weight/age. An average daily growth of 0.0032 mm was recorded for the right ovary (RO) and 0.0051 mm for the left ovary (LO). The average size of the RO in GI was 17.58 mm and the LO was 15.28 mm; in GII, the RO was 16.72 mm and the LO was 15.89 mm; in GIII, the RO was 18.37 mm and the LO was 16.55 mm; in GIV, the RO was 19.09 mm and the LO was 17.49 mm; and in GV, the RO was 19.89 mm and the LO was 18.96 mm. The uterine horns showed an average daily growth of 0.0064 mm and 0.0071 mm for the right (RU) and left (LU) uterine horn, respectively. The average sizes of the uterine horns per group were: RU, 11.46 mm and LU, 11.48 mm; RU, 12.41 mm and LU, 12.63 mm; RU, 13.16 mm and LU, 13.19 mm; RU 14.30 mm and LU, 14.58 mm; and RU, 16.12 mm and LU, 16.68 mm for the groups GI, GII, GIII, GIV, and GV, respectively. The heifers showed an average daily weight gain of 0.224 kg and the groups GI, GII, GIII, GIV, and GV had an average weight of 220.5, 239.3, 287.6, 332.9, and 380.1 kg, respectively. Therefore, weight growth correlates with the growth of the ovaries and uterine horns; furthermore, these data correlate positively as the animals age.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da doadora, estação do ano, do touro e do tipo de sêmen, na produção in vitro de embriões da raça Sindi (Bos indicus). Para isso, avaliaram-se 434 sessões de aspiração folicular in vivo (OPU), realizadas em 152 doadoras, com a utilização de sêmen sexado e não sexado de 22 touros. Analisaram-se as seguintes variáveis: doadora; idade da doadora; estação do ano; touro; tipo de sêmen; oócitos recuperados; viáveis e degenerados; e as taxas de clivagem e de blastocistos. Observaram-se efeitos da doadora e do touro sobre os oócitos recuperados, viáveis e degenerados e sobre a taxa de blastocisto. O ano foi dividido em estações chuvosa, de outubro a março, e seca, de abril a setembro. Na estação chuvosa, a proporção de oócitos viáveis aumentou, enquanto a de degenerados diminuiu. As doadoras com menos de seis anos tiveram maior proporção de oócitos viáveis e menor, de degenerados. O sêmen não sexado obteve as melhores taxas de clivagem e de blastocistos. Doadoras de até seis anos apresentam a maior proporção de oócitos viáveis, e o maior número de oócitos viáveis é produzido na estação chuvosa. O sêmen não sexado resulta em melhores taxas de clivagem e de blastocistos.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of donor, season of the year, sire, and type of semen on in vitro embryo production of the Sindhi breed (Bos indicus). To this end, 434 in vivo ovum pick up (OPU) sessions, performed in 152 oocyte donors, were evaluated using sex-sorted or unsorted semen from 22 sires. The following variables were analyzed: donor; age of the donor; season of the year; sire; type of semen; recovered, viable, and degenerated oocytes; and cleavage and blastocyst rates. The effects of the donor and sire were observed on recovered, viable, and degenerated oocytes, and on blastocyst rates. The year was split into rainy season, from October to March, and dry season, from April to September. In the rainy season, the proportion of viable oocytes increased, while the proportion of the degenerated ones reduced. Donors with less than six years of age had a higher proportion of viable oocytes and a lower proportion of degenerated ones. Unsorted semen obtained the best cleavage and blastocyst rates. Donors with up to six years of age show the greatest proportion of viable oocytes, and the greatest number of viable oocytes is produced during the rainy season. Unsorted semen shows the best rates for cleavage and blastocysts.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the follicular wave synchronization method on the superovulatory response of Girolando embryo donors. Seven cows and five heifers were divided into three treatments according to the method of the follicular wave synchronization prior to superovulation. The donors were superovulated with eight FSH decreasing doses, adding 133 mg per animal. The superovulatory response was evaluated using an ultrasound device to quantify the number of corpora lutea. The number and quality of recovered structures were also evaluated. Animal category (cow or heifer) and genetic group influenced the superovulatory response, in which heifers showed a greater response (100% in all treatments) compared with cows, which showed 85.7%, 57.1% and 57.1% superovulatory response for standing estrus, GnRH and P4 + BE groups, respectively. The genetic group also showed influence on superovulatory response, in which the 3/8 animals had an average of 10.3 corpora lutea per donor compared with the 3/4 animals, which showed 4.9. The follicular wave synchronization treatments did not show differences in superovulatory response, recovered structures and viable structures. The treatment of follicular wave synchronization with GnRH or with P4 + BE can be used in Girolando donors with the same efficiency as the standing estrus group, and 3/8 Girolando heifers respond better to the superovulatory treatment.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproductive parameters of Sindhi cows aiming to improve the efficiency of fixed-time artificial insemination protocols in this breed. For this purpose, sixteen Sindhi cows were divided into two groups: in group I (EB, n = 8) animals received an intravaginal P4 implant and an application of 2 mg of estradiol benzoate on day 0. On day 8 the implant was removed and 10 mg of Dinoprost were applied; on day 9, 1 mg of estradiol benzoate was applied, and animals were fixed-time artificially inseminated 36 hours later; in group II (EB + eCG, n = 8) animals were subjected to same treatment, and on day eight 400 IU of eCG were applied. From day 0 animals were examined daily by a trans-rectal ultrasound device, where in each assessment the largest follicles of each day were measured. The reproductive parameters observed for groups I and II were: emergence of follicular wave, 4.5±1.4 and 3.8±0.3 days; interval between wave emergence and ovulation, 5.8±1.4 and 7.1±0.3 days; interval between wave emergence and implant removal, 3.5±1.4 and 4.1±0.3 days; interval between implant removal and ovulation, 74.0±11.8 and 82.5±4.2 hours; diameter of the dominant follicle (DF) at the time of implant removal, 7.5±2.5 and 6.6±1.5 mm; maximum diameter of DF, 10.47±8.85 and 3.7±1.2 mm; growth rate of DF, 0.90±0.83 and 0.7±0.6 mm/day; ovulation rate, 75% and 100%; and pregnancy rate, 0% and 50%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups. We observed that eCG was not efficient in improving the reproductive parameters analyzed in this breed.