Since 1998 the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has been free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) with yearly mandatory vaccination, until the 2000 and 2001 reintroductions. This study gathers data from both outbreaks including official veterinary state service archives and field investigation reports to quantify epidemiological parameters such as epidemic duration, number of secondary infected farms and animals, and estimate the epidemic rate of growth. We apply a Bayesian latent variable approach to estimate the time-varying reproduction number and calculate new confirmed cases by infection date. Additionally, we utilized between-farm animal movements to reconstruct possible FMD transmission and characteristics of spread over the current at-risk population, by incorporating bovine movement data from 2018 to 2020 as standard to benchmark infected network parameters. The results were consistent with the reports generated by the official investigation of the outbreaks and the models and results presented in this study may be useful for assessing the transmission dynamics and support control measures in the future.

Classical swine fever (CSF) and foot-mouth disease (FMD) are both highly contagious disease and disruptive to commercial trades, but they are examples of foreign animal diseases that biosecurity-based compartmentalization could be used to support trade in free zones in response to an outbreak. This study aimed to evaluate biosecurity compliance to the Federal Normative Instruction #44 from December 4th, 2017 (BRAZIL, 2017) in commercial swine farms located in southern Brazil. A total of 604 swine farms from 10 commercial swine companies were sampled, from which 28.5% were breeding farms, 29.1% nursery, 32.8% finishing, 6.8% multipliers, and 2.8% farrow-to-finish. Cluster analyses revealed that farms with high compliance (n = 303, Cluster 1) performed 71% of the practices, moderate (n = 219, Cluster 2) 47%, and the low (n = 82, Cluster 3) 33%. A spatial logistic regression model estimated that biosecurity compliance was highest in only one of 10 commercial swine companies, and within a company, multipliers (when present) obtained the highest biosecurity compliance (p-value < 0.01). These results suggest that major improvements in biosecurity practices are needed in breeding herds, nursery, and grow-finish farms to be compliant to the Federal Instruction #44. Based on the combination of these analyses, only one commercial swine company was more suitable to establish compartments for CSF and FMD with minimal investments. Still, this study revealed that the majority of commercial swine companies needs to improve biosecurity practice protocols to then target compartmentalization.

Cross-contamination is an important event for bacterial transfer throughout the pork production chain. In Brazil, Salmonella sp. is the most relevant hazard in the pork industry, and further knowledge concerning its contamination is essential for in-depth risk assessments. Thus, we aimed to assess the transfer probability of Salmonella sp. between a knife and pork in a domestic kitchen scenario to provide parametrization for incorporating transfer of Salmonella sp. in risk assessment models. To estimate Salmonella Typhimuium transfer rates between contaminated pork and a knife blade during cutting, 23 independent experiments were performed. A Bayesian inference was utilized to determine the transfer probability, capturing the uncertainty generated in the transfer probability experiments. The mean transfer probability was 0.03 for knife to pork [0.029; 0.032] 95% credible interval (CrI) and 0.0042 for pork to knife [0.0041; 0.0043] 95% CrI. The probabilistic estimate of the transfer probability of Salmonella sp. during pork cutting gives insights on a relevant parameter for the consumer phase of the pork production industry in Brazil, allowing for enhanced risk assessment models.

Bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis cause important economic losses in livestock production. In Uruguay, the main aetiological agents of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis are Babesia bovis, B. bigemina and Anaplasma marginale. The aim of this work was to describe the outbreaks of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis in northern Uruguay between 2016 and 2018. Convenience sampling was carried out. We worked with blood and organ samples from bovines with clinical signs and autopsy findings compatible with babesiosis and anaplasmosis. A total of 140 presumptive outbreaks were studied. Epidemiological information such as place, date of occurrence, age, number of sick and dead animals, clinical signs, autopsy findings, the presence of ticks and health management that involved injectables were registered. The diagnoses were carried out by blood and organ smears stained with Giemsa and confirmed by multiplex PCR. There were 83 (59.2%) positive outbreaks, comprising 35 (42.2%) A. marginale, 19 (22.9%) B. bigemina, 18 (21.7%) B. bovis and 11 (13.2%) mixed infections (Babesia spp. + A. marginale). Cows were the most commonly affected category. The clinical signs and autopsy findings with a significant association (p ≤ 0.05) were anaemia, pale mucous membranes, fever, jaundice, ataxia and aggressiveness, splenomegaly, and orange discolouration of the liver. Babesiosis had a seasonal occurrence, mainly in autumn, while anaplasmosis cases were recorded throughout the year. The use of injectable agents was associated with A. marginale transmission. This work contributes updated information about epidemiological and clinical patterns of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis in northern Uruguay, which is important for implementing preventive measures and control.

ABSTRACT: Bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis are frequently identified by inspectors in slaughterhouses from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Slaughterhouse records can provide valuable information for animal-related diseases and public health surveillance. Analyzing these data can aid set priorities to regions or properties that need more attention. Slaughter condemnation data is collected daily and stored in the Agricultural Defense System (SDA) database of the State Veterinary Services. However, it needs to be turned into useful information in bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis surveillance programs. This study aimed to discuss how the analysis of condemnation data in the context of epidemiology can be useful for a surveillance system of bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis. For this purpose, slaughter data of 5,137,870 cattle from 480,000 animal movement permits (GTA) from 97,891 farms from 2014 to 2018 were obtained from the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (SEAPDR-RS). Differences in the occurrence rates of bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis among mesoregions over time were assessed through generalized linear models. Cysticercosis was identified in 65,379 (1.27%) carcasses and hydatidosis in 323,395 (6.29%). The occurrence rates of both diseases varied distinctly over time between the regions (p<0.01). Next, a process was developed to identify priority farms to target a surveillance program based on the prevalence. Period prevalence for cysticercosis and hydatidosis was obtained for each farm. The epidemiological indicator was calculated for each farm, dividing the number of affected carcasses by the number of bovines sent to slaughter during the period. The mean prevalence was obtained, and the exact binomial test was applied to identify farms presenting prevalence above the mean. It was observed that 2.48% and 6.17% of the farms had prevalence above the population mean prevalence of cysticercosis and hydatidosis, respectively. The Western mesoregion had the highest percentage of farms with prevalence above the average for cysticercosis (6.9%), followed by the Southwest mesoregion (6.0%). For hydatidosis, the percentage frequency of farms with prevalence above the average was markedly higher in the mesoregions Southeast (32.8%) and Southwest (29.5%). The results showed that analysis of slaughterhouse condemnation data of SDA is useful to identify situations in which the occurrence of the diseases is significantly higher than the average to apply additional measures or epidemiological investigations. This information may be useful in plans of epidemiological surveillance programs for controlling bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis by the State’s Official Veterinary Services.

Cattle are broadly deemed a source of Coxiella burnetii; however, evidence reinforcing their role in human infection is scarce. Most published human Q fever outbreaks relate to exposure to small ruminants, notably goats. Anti-phase II C. burnetii IgG and IgM were measured by indirect fluorescent antibody tests in 27 farm and veterinary diagnostic laboratory workers to ascertain whether occupational exposure to cattle aborting due to C. burnetii was the probable source of exposure. Four serological profiles were identified on the basis of anti-phase II IgG and IgM titres. Profile 1, characterised by high IgM levels and concurrent, lower IgG titres (3/27; 11.1%); Profile 2, with both isotypes with IgG titres higher than IgM (2/27; 7.4%); Profile 3 with only IgG phase II (5/27; 18.5%); and Profile 4, in which neither IgM nor IgG were detected (17/27; 63.0%). Profiles 1 and 2 are suggestive of recent C. burnetii exposure, most likely 2.5–4.5 months before testing and, hence, during the window of exposure to the bovine abortions. Profile 3 suggested C. burnetii exposure that most likely predated the window of exposure to aborting cattle, while Profile 4 represented seronegative individuals and, hence, likely uninfected. This study formally linked human Q fever to exposure to C. burnetii infected cattle as a specific occupational hazard for farm and laboratory workers handling bovine aborted material.

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a transboundary disease affecting a large number of equines worldwide. In this study, we assessed the transmission risk of EIAV in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Serum samples from 1010 animals from 341 farms were initially analyzed using agar gel immunodiffusion to detect viral antibodies, and no antibody-positive animals were found. A risk assessment stochastic model was applied to generate the expected number of potential infections per month and to estimate the time to new infections. Our results estimated 6.5 months as the interval for new infections in the worst-case scenario. Among the variables evaluated, the number of transported animals and the test sensitivity influenced the model the most. These results were then used to revisit the impact of EIAV control regulations, which triggered a change in the diagnostic testing required for animal movement, in which the validity of a negative test for EIAV was extended from 60 to 180 days. Finally, revisiting the annual average of infected farms before and after the new regulation, the number of infected farms increased pre-implementation, and then, the number of culled animals increased, which should impact future EIAV incidence in this region. Our results demonstrated the importance of constant reviews of disease control programs and provided quantitative-based knowledge for decision-makers in official veterinary services.

Flaviviruses as West Nile virus (WNV), Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), Ilhéus virus (ILHV), and Rocio virus (ROCV) are previously reported in different Brazilian regions, but studies in Southern Brazil are still scarce. To improve the information regarding flaviviruses in Southern Brazil, horse serum samples were analyzed using RT-qPCR and a commercial ELISA-Ab against WNV followed by PRNT75. All 1000 samples analyzed by real-time RT-PCR resulted negative. The 465 subsampled samples were analyzed by a commercial ELISA-Ab against WNV, and the 18.5% (86/465) positive samples were further analyzed by PRNT75. In the PRNT75, 13/86 and 2/86 horses were positive for SLEV and WNV, respectively. It was observed that 5.8% (13/226) of the farms presented at least one positive animal for SLEV in PRNT75, whereas 0.9% (2/226) for WNV. Apart from the lower seroprevalences identified when compared to data previously reported in other Brazilian regions, our results suggest that public health professionals must be aware of the presence of these potential zoonotic pathogens.

Detection of bovine Babesia spp. and Anaplasma marginale is based on the reading of Giemsa-stained blood or organ smears, which can have low sensitivity. Our aim was to improve the detection of bovine Babesia spp. and A. marginale by validating a multiplex PCR (mPCR). We used 466 samples of blood and/or organs of animals with signs and presumptive autopsy findings of babesiosis or anaplasmosis. The primers in our mPCR amplified the rap-1a gene region of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, and the msp-5 region of A. marginale. We used a Bayesian model with a non-informative priori distribution for the prevalence estimate and informative priori distribution for estimation of sensitivity and specificity. The sensitivity and specificity for smear detection of Babesia spp. were 68.6% and 99.1%, and for A. marginale 85.6% and 98.8%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for mPCR detection for Babesia spp. were 94.2% and 97.1%, and for A. marginale 95.2% and 92.7%, respectively. Our mPCR had good accuracy in detecting Babesia spp. and A. marginale, and would be a reliable test for veterinarians to choose the correct treatment for each agent.

ABSTRACT: The intensification of pig production and advances in the sanitary control of herds profoundly changed the profile of risk attributed to pork consumption. In the actual scenario, most microorganisms related to macroscopic lesions observed in the post mortem inspection are not transmitted by food, while foodborne bacteria of importance to consumer health do not cause macroscopic lesions. In Brazil, the “Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento” requested a scientific opinion on the prioritizing of pathogens potentially transmitted by unprocessed pork. After conducting a qualitative risk assessment, only Salmonella enterica was classified as of high risk to consumers. The present study was part of the validation step of the risk assessment and aimed to investigate the frequency of S. enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes and hygienic-sanitary indicators in pig carcasses of pigs rose under intensive production and slaughtered under the Federal Inspection System in three slaughterhouses located in Southern Brazil. Additionally, the antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolated pathogens was also investigated. A total of 378 carcasses were sampled by superficial sponges before the chilling step in three slaughterhouses. Samples were investigated for the presence of the three aforementioned pathogens and subjected to enumeration of Colony Formation Units (log CFU.cm-1) of total aerobic mesophiles (TAM) and Enterobacteriaceae. Salmonella strains were tested by disc diffusion test for resistance to eleven antimicrobials. There were significantly statistical differences (p<0.0001) on the median counts of both indicators between the slaughterhouses. The median of TAM was very close for Slaughterhouses A and B: 1.573 log CFU.cm-1 and 1.6014 log CFU.cm-1, respectively. While in Slaughterhouse C, a higher TAM median was detected (2.216 log CFU.cm-1). A similar profile was observed regarding to Enterobacteriaceae, and medians were calculated as follow: -0.426 log CFU.cm-1 in Slaughterhouse A; 0.2163 log CFU.cm-1 in B; and 0.633 log CFU.cm-1 in C. Regarding the pathogens investigated, L. monocytogenes was not detected and only one carcass from Slaughterhouse C was positive for Y. enterocolitica. Thus, the results suggest a very low prevalence of L. monocytogenes and Y. enterocolitica in the sampled population. A total of 65 (17.2%) carcasses were positive for S. enterica, with a difference in frequencies between slaughterhouses and slaughter days. The prevalence of Salmonella positive carcasses was higher in the Slaughterhouse C (25.4%; CI 95% 19-32%) in comparison with A (9.5%; CI 95% 9-14%) and B (18.3%; CI 95% 12-24%). There was no significantly statistical association between Enterobacteriaceae counts and Salmonella isolation on carcass surface (p=0.69). The slaughtering day, nested within the slaughterhouse, explains 31.3% of Salmonella prevalence variability. S. Typhimurium (38.1%) was the most prevalent, followed by S. Infantis (30.1%). Among the 61 Salmonella strains tested for resistance to antimicrobials, 18 (31.6%) were full-susceptible. No strain displayed resistance to azithromycin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime and meropenem. The highest resistance frequency was displayed to tetracycline (54.1%), followed by ampicillin (50.82%), nalidixic acid (42.62%) and chloramphenicol (42.62). Multi-resistance was detected in 52.54% of the, strains. In conclusion, S. enterica is more prevalent in pre-chill pig carcasses than Y. enterocolitica and L. monocytogenes and thus should be prioritized in monitoring and control programs at slaughter. Salmonella serovars varied among slaughterhouses and present significant differences in their resistance to antimicrobials. Slaughterhouses that present higher medians of TAM or Enterobacteriaceae in a monitoring period may have higher S. enterica prevalences as well. However, there is a high variation of S. enterica prevalence among slaughter days, which cannot be always related to the hygienic indicators counts observed on a given day.

ABSTRACT: Foot-and-mouth disease represents an important barrier to the international commerce of animal products, potentially associated with significant economic losses. The systematic vaccination of bovines and buffaloes was fundamental for the eradication of this disease; however, the use of vaccines can lead to reactions at the application site. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of the vaccination protocol to the production of dairy cows and to observe the occurrence of vaccinal reactions in the animals. At one property located in the municipality of Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, 270 dairy cows were vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease in May 2019. The vaccine was administered via a subcutaneous application using disposable syringes and needles for each animal. Inspection of the animals was performed before and 20 days after the vaccination to verify the presence of reactions to the vaccine. The study’s sample was set by convenience, including 203 lactating animals with or without bovine somatotropin (BST) administration during the data collection period, which was limited to 20 days before and 20 days after the vaccination. Milk production data was obtained through SmartDairy® HerdMetrix™ software, tabulated in electronic spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel® and processed using the program SAS®, considering a 5% significance level for mixed model statistical analysis. A total of 160 animals (78.82%) presented local lesions at the application site, even when the recommended vaccination practices were followed, suggesting that the high reaction power was provoked by the vaccinal components. In regards to milk production, a statistically significant (p<0.05) decrease of 0.30kg of milk per animal/day was observed in the average daily production in the 20 days post-vaccination. These results demonstrate the local and systemic effects caused by the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, evidenced by reduced levels of milk production and the occurrence of vaccine reactions, implying significant economic losses.

The Pestivirus genus comprises species that affect animal health and productivity worldwide. Members of the Suidae family are hosts for classical swine fever virus (CSFV), an important pathogen tracked by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). However, swine are also susceptible to other pestivirus species that can result in disease or compromise CSFV detection. We searched for pestivirus infection in swine sera collected from 320 backyard pig herds in southern Brazil. We used reverse-transcription PCR primers for Bungowannah virus; atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV); and a panpestivirus pair that detects bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)-1, -2, and HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV), border disease virus (BDV), and CSFV. Two samples were positive using the panpestivirus primer pair and were classified as BVDV-1d and -2a, respectively. Serum samples were tested for virus neutralization against BVDV-1a, -1b, and -2 strains, resulting in 28 (4.4%) positive samples. Of those, 16 samples had the highest titers against BVDV-1a (2), BVDV-1b (5), and BVDV-2 (9). Our results indicate that Bungowannah virus, APPV, CSFV, BDV, and HoBiPeV have not been circulating in these specific backyard swine populations. However, ruminant pestiviruses were detected and must be considered in future pestivirus control programs conducted in Brazil.

To achieve control of Salmonella contamination in pig carcasses, on-farm measures need to be better understood. Complementary strategies require research not only on their effectiveness but also on their financial impact. In this study, we evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of two treatments for reducing Salmonella seroprevalence in commercial swine herds. Pigs treated with a prebiotic or a vaccine were studied and compared with pigs in an untreated control group. Each strategy was applied to three batches of pigs in a commercial integration system; the animals were followed from farrowing to the slaughterhouse, and their serologies upon arrival at finishing farms and before slaughter were evaluated. Additionally, carcass surface contamination was assessed for each strategy. The seroprevalence upon arrival at the finishing farm was lower than 3% in all groups. In the control and vaccine groups, the seroprevalence increased by more than 90 percentage points from the day of arrival at the finishing farm to four days before slaughter. Only the prebiotic treatment yielded a significant effect on preslaughter seroprevalence (a 49 percentage points reduction from that in the control). Carcass contamination was 0% in the prebiotic group, 18.33% in the control group and 29.16% in the vaccine group. Only prebiotics significantly reduced the seroprevalence of Salmonella in the studied herds, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio associated with prebiotic use was 1.92 USD to reduce seroprevalence by 10 percentage points per carcass ton.

•Brazilian intensive pork production has evolved to a high biosecurity level.•A risk assessment was conducted to rank and prioritize hazards in the actual scenario.•Salmonella is the main hazard and should be a priority in Brazilian intensive herds.•The results support changing to a risk-based inspection system in Brazil.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is highly contagious, and the introduction of FMD virus in countries free of the disease can result in large epidemics, similar to those observed in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Uruguay. Many countries or regions of South America are recognized as "FMD-free with vaccination" or "FMD-free without vaccination." Uruguay has been certified as FMD-free with vaccination, and the transition to the status of FMD-free without vaccination has been discussed among the stakeholders of the Ministry of Livestock Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP in Spanish). This study illustrates how the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) can identify and rank alternative actions to be used in the national FMD program in Uruguay. It uses multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to structure the problem comprehensively. This helps to identify critical issues and potential solutions when planning a national FMD program for a country with a disease-free without vaccination status. The analysis highlighted the following perspectives: i) the importance of communication strategies as the country changes to "FMD-free without vaccination" status, as well as potential challenges such as a lack of trust in government; ii) the importance of enhancing epidemiological capacity and data management to allocate resources better and provide feedback from the surveillance system; iii) the need to re-evaluate the animal health compensation strategy to stimulate biosecurity and disease reporting; and iv) the importance of assisting the backyard pig sector given the risks it carries and the complexity of dealing with because of its informality, the educational status of its owners, and the lack of formal assistance by veterinary services. The results suggests that the MCDA approach could be a useful tool for animal health agencies when planning a program to eliminate FMD (as well as other diseases) in a structured way because it helps to identify which alternatives would yield more effective results and it helps to address future challenges.

Background: The occurrence of vesicular disease associated with Senecavirus A in a pig-producing region of Santa Catarina increased in 2015, reflected by the number of syndromic notifications to the official animal health service. In view of the recurrence of this event in 2018, the objectives of this study were to analyze the official data related to cases of suspected vesicular disease in pigs and to evaluate whether the experience in conducting the investigations of 2015 was incorporated into the years subsequent to 2015. We addressed this goal by analysis of the performance parameters of the state animal health surveillance system.Materials, Methods & Results: Descriptive analyses of data from official investigations of suspected vesicular disease in swine in different regions were carried out, and statistical models were used to: i) test the effect of the year on the age of the investigated injuries; ii) assess whether there was an association between the year and the type of outcome of the official investigation (discarded case or a probable case of vesicular disease, which resulted in the collection of samples for laboratory diagnosis and interdiction of the affected properties); iii) evaluate whether there was an association between the year and the detection of Senecavirus A RNA among the molecular analyses carried out after a case was classified as probable vesicular disease. From 05/22/2015 to 03/28/2019, there were 2093 notifications of suspected vesicular disease in pigs to the official service of Santa Catarina, with 1538 (73.5%) occurring in 2015 and 555 (26.5%) in subsequent years. After 2015, when compared to the base year, the chances of detecting late vesicular lesions (>3 days) were similar (increased 1.11 times, but there was no statistically significant association), in view of a panorama in which 55.29% of cases had the lesions classified as late throughout the analyzed period. The variation in the odds was relatively homogeneous among the regional units (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] = 10.9%), but in the São Miguel do Oeste unit, it was significantly lower than the average. It was also lower than the average, in regional units with a high ratio of properties with pigs attended by the official veterinarian. The chances of cases being considered probable increased 32.3 times, but the descriptive analysis of the average interdiction period decreased. The estimated ICC was 34.9%, and in Campos Novos and Caçador, the chances of cases being probable were significantly higher than the average, while in the Canoinhas unit, the chances were significantly lower. The prevalence of cases with molecular detection of Senecavirus A was 78% lower after 2015. Discussion: Despite the increased sensitivity of the surveillance process for suspected vesicular events in the years after 2015, the specificity of the molecular diagnosis of Senecavirus A decreased. This is likely, because there was difficulty in sampling lesions with vesicular fluid and/or when the lesion epithelium had recently been disrupted, conditions most conducive to the identification of viral genetic material. In this context, the western region of the state, the main pig producer, continued to be the most accurate in confirming cases of Senecavirus A. Even with the improvements of laboratory diagnosis and the reduction of the interdiction period, it was important to standardize the differentiation of a late infectious lesion from a traumatic injury, as well as any association with other sample analyses, in order to minimize the disorders linked to the mischaracterization of a manifestation of Senecavirus A, without compromising the syndromic focus of its vesicular character.

ABSTRACT: Control of livestock and their movement has long been recognized as a crucial for the prevention and control of diseases. In Brazil, the control of livestock movement established in 1934. Since 1995 is regulated based on the Animal Movement Permit (GTA). Since then, the process has been improved and updated on its legal framework and strategies, including the use of emerging technological alternatives, which made possible the launching of the electronic Animal Movement Permit (e-GTA) in 2011. From a broader perspective, the e-GTA is inserted in a global context of the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which since the early 1980s enabled governments worldwide to drive policies for the development of electronic government systems (e-government). After that, at a global level, there was an expansion and improvement of e-government services; however, discrepancies among countries persisted. Nonetheless, the levels of adoption of e-government by citizens have been lower than those expected by government authorities, which has attracted the attention of researchers in the area. In this context, studies of this nature that used theoretical antecedents related to the adoption of ICT have exposed peculiarities of the process of adoption of e-government, demanding research efforts directed to the structuring of specific models for this area. In Brazil, studies of this nature are still at an early stage, although government actions aimed at e-government date back to the 1990s. The objective of this article was to investigate, in an exploratory way, influence factors on the adoption intention of e-government related to animal health, having the e-GTA as the object of research. The conceptual framework was defined based upon the e-Government Adoption Model (GAM) For this objective, an online questionnaire oriented to intention to adopt e-GTA was applied to equine owners of Rio Grande do Sul not users of this system. Results indicated that respondents positively evaluated the quality of their computers and cellphones, as well as their efficacy to operate them, while quality of the internet connection was considered regular. In this context, the availability of computer and cellphone resources and computer self-efficacy did not influence the intention to adopt e-GTA. Moreover, aspects related to compatibility of e-GTA with users lifestyle have a positive association with the intention to adopt e-GTA. Also the study indicated that public information campaigns could contribute to the improvement of adoption of the e-GTA. Additionally, the authors suggested that further investigations considering other livestock sectors and variables, as well as the continuity of use after the adoption, could contribute to the expansion of the knowledge on this field.

A retrospective study compiling cases of feline lymphoma diagnosed during 12 years (2004-2016) in Southern Brazil was performed. A total of 125 cases of lymphoma diagnosed in cats were reviewed, and information including age, breed, sex and tumour topography were collected. FeLV and FIV immunohistochemical tests were performed, as well as immunophenotyping of lymphomas. The alimentary form represented the most common presentation (42/125), followed by mediastinal lymphoma (35/125). Out of 125 cases, 79 presented positive retroviral immunostaining in tumour tissue (52 FeLV alone, 14 FIV alone and 13 presented FIV and FeLV co-infections), 66/125 of the cases were of T-cell origin and 59/125 of the cases were of B-cell origin. The median age of cats with T-cell lymphoma was 120 months (10-240 months), and 60 months (6-204 months) for cats with B-cell lymphoma. The most frequent alimentary tumour presentation was the enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (type 1), and the major type of mediastinal tumour observed was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Considering only mediastinal and alimentary lymphomas (n = 77), the prevalence of mediastinal lymphoma in FeLV-positive cats was 2.21 times higher than the prevalence of this type of tumour in FeLV-negative cats (P = .036). Mediastinal lymphoma was more frequently observed in younger cats, and the prevalence of mediastinal tumours in these animals was 3.06 times higher than the prevalence of this tumour form in old cats (P = .0125). The present study indicates that retroviral infections still play an important role in the development of feline lymphomas in southern Brazil.

Salmonella spp. remains the most significant foodborne pathogen in south Brazil, but its epidemiology tends to change over time. Using official and surrogate data, a microbial subtyping model attributed different Salmonella serovars to laying hens, pigs, broilers, and turkeys from 2005 to 2015 in Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Additional to the subtyping model, three sub-analyses of outbreak data attributed Salmonella spp. in humans to animal and non-animal food. Laying hens/eggs was the most important source of human salmonellosis in RS, with almost 40% (159 cases; 95% credibility interval, 43-247) attribution proportion, followed by pigs reared in Santa Catarina, a neighbor state (34.5%). The Salmonella serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium were the most common serovars involved. Source-related parameters had wide credibility intervals but showed a higher risk of illness from contaminated eggs than from the other three animal-food sources. Analysis of the outbreak data corroborated the findings and indicated signs of decreasing importance for eggs and increasing importance for pork consumption.

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular zoonotic bacterium that causes Q fever. Ruminants, including cattle, are broadly known to be reservoirs for this bacterium. Since 2006, many research groups have evaluated the herd-level prevalence of C. burnetii in cattle by molecular techniques on composite milk samples. This study explored the global C. burnetii herd-level prevalence from studies done on bovine bulk-tank milk (BTM) samples using PCR-based analysis. Also, moderators were investigated to identify sources of heterogeneity. Databases (CAB Abstracts, Medline via Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were searched for index articles on C. burnetii prevalence in BTM samples by PCR published between January-1973 and November-2018. Numerous studies (1054) were initially identified, from which seventeen original publications were included in the meta-analysis based on the pre-defined selection criteria. These studies comprised 4031 BTM samples from twelve countries. A random-effects model was used because of considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 98%) to estimate the herd-level prevalence of C. burnetii as 37.0%(CI95%25.2–49.5%). The average herd size appeared to account for a high level of the heterogeneity. No other moderators (geographic location, gross national income or notification criteria for Q fever) seemed to be determinant. This systematic evaluation demonstrated a high molecular prevalence of C. burnetii in BTM samples both in European and non-European countries, evidencing a widespread herd-level circulation of this agent in bovine dairy farms around the world. Meta-regression showed herd size as the most relevant moderator with the odds of a BTM sample testing positive doubling with every unit increase.