Lice infestation in goats in western Santa Catarina,Brazil

Parasitic diseases affecting goats are able to cause major economic losses, standing out, among them, the lice infestation. According to the literature, lice can act as vectors of other diseases, including the ones caused by blood protozoan. In this sense, this survey study aimed to assess the ectoparasites of goats in the west region of Santa Catarina (SC). Two hundred seventeen goats from 24 different rural properties located in 17 towns in SC were examined. From them, ectoparasites were collected and evaluated in laboratory, where the parasitological classification was performed. In 13 properties, it was possible to identify ectoparasites. Damalinia caprae lice were observed in 126 animals (58 %), while Linognathus stenopsis were found in 10 animals (4.6 %). It is noteworthy that, in these properties, all the animals were under lice parasitism, independent of sex or age. The goats had peeling skin, particularly in the back region (lumbar). All of the 24 properties evaluated were reported having problems with lice in different seasons of the year, even under regular treatment with cypermethrin (spraying). Based on our findings, it was possible to conclude that D. caprae is the major ectoparasite of goats in the investigated area.     

Incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission through breastfeeding during acute experimental Chagas disease

ObjectiveTo verify the incidence of T. cruzi transmission through breastfeeding during acute experimental Chagas’ disease.MethodsFifteen female Swiss mice were mated and, after pregnancy confirmation, placed in individual cages. A few hours after birth, the females were inoculated with 0.1 mL of blood containing approximately 3 × 10⁵ trypomastigote forms of Y strain of T. cruzi and continued breastfeeding for 25 days.ResultsIn 142 offspring examined no infection through breastfeeding was observed.ConclusionsThe low number of trypomastigote forms ingested by the newborn mice combined with biological and biochemical characteristics of blood trypomastigotes may explain the lack of transmission in this experiment.     

Retinal Laser Damage Thresholds as a Function of Image Diameter

The eyes of rhesus monkeys were exposed to argon (514.5 nm) and ruby (694.3 nm) laser irradiation using various retinal image diameters which were estimated by microphotometric techniques. The experimental design for both wavelengths produced image diameters of 40μ to 50μ for the “minimal” case and approximately 500μ to 1,000μ for the larger irradiance series employed. Extramacular retinal exposure sites were examined by ophthalmoscopic and histopathological techniques. Flat preparations of the pigmented epithelium and sensory layers of the retina were utilized in the confirmation of damage at low power levels. All data were statistically analyzed to establish trends, and results were compared for the wavelengths employed. Results indicate that retinal damage is primarily dependent on energy distribution as a function of image diameter and exposure duration.     

Longer Times of Receipt of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Correspond to Improved Functional Capacity and Lower Adiposity in Women Receiving Adjuvant Therapy

Purpose

To study the use of functional capacity (FC) level and duration of aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy with adiposity parameters in women with breast cancer.