Browsing by Author "Lopes, Ana Patrícia"
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- Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania spp. in domestic cats from Luanda, AngolaPublication . Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Granada, Sara; Rodrigues, Filipa T.; Papadopoulos, Elias; Schallig, Henk; Dubey, Jitender P.; Cardoso, Luís MiguelToxoplasma gondii and Leishmania spp. are zoonotic protozoa of importance to animal and public health. The present study aimed to assess for the first time the seroprevalence of these zoonotic parasites in a domestic feline population living in Luanda, Angola. One hundred and two cats were sampled at a veterinary medical centre, from May 2014 to February 2016. The age of the cats ranged from 2.5 to 143 months (median: 12 months; interquartile range: 7.5–24). Serum samples were tested for immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies to T. gondii at two-fold dilutions of 1:20 to 1:2560 with a modified agglutination test (MAT) commercial kit. The direct agglutination test (DAT) for titration of IgG antibodies specific to Leishmania spp. used a standard freeze-dried antigen at a concentration of 5 × 10 7 promastigotes per milliliter, following a predefined protocol. Two-fold dilution series ranging from 1:25 to 1:800 were tested, with a cut-off titre of 100 chosen for seropositivity. Four out of 102 cats (3.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–9.7) had antibodies to T. gondii: one had a titer of 20, one a titer of 160, and two had a titer ≥ 2560. No cat (0.0%; CI: 0.0–3.5) was found seropositive for Leishmania spp. A statistically significant difference was found between T. gondii seroprevalence and Leishmania spp. seroprevalence (p = 0.043). The odds of a cat being seropositive to T. gondii increased by an average factor of 1.58 for each 1-year increase in age (p = 0.003). The sampled cats were well-cared animals and may not represent the overall feline population of Angola at the national and city levels. The fact that only 12 out of the 102 sampled cats ate or had access to raw or undercooked meat and/or viscera may have reduced the likelihood of finding seropositive results. Under these circumstances, additional studies, including a larger number of cats, are necessary for a more comprehensive assessment of the zoonotic risk posed by these animals in Angola.
- Coccidiose em explorações pecuárias de pequenos ruminantes em Trás-os-MontesPublication . Afonso, Margarida; Silva, Daniela; Cardoso, Luís Miguel; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Quintas, HelderA coccidiose é uma doença intestinal provocada por protozoários do género Eimeria. O seu desenvolvimento no trato intestinal do hospedeiro leva a sinais clínicos como diarreia, inapetência ou perda de peso, afetando principalmente os animais jovens.
- Coccidiose em explorações pecuárias de pequenos ruminantes em Trás-os-MontesPublication . Afonso, Margarida; Silva, Daniela; Cardoso, Luís Miguel; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Quintas, HelderA coccidiose é uma doença intestinal provocada por protozoários do género Eimeria. A manifestação da doença ocorre maioritariamente em animais jovens, principalmente quando submetidos a fatores de stresse. Caracteriza-se pelo aparecimento de sinais clínicos como diarreia, debilidade, inapetência ou perda de peso e constitui uma das mais importantes doenças intestinais em ruminantes 2,3 Este estudo teve como objetivos determinar a prevalência das diferentes espécies de Eimeria que parasitam pequenos ruminantes e estabelecer potenciais associações entre o maneio das explorações com o aparecimento de infeções maciças (mais de 5.000 oocistos por grama de fezes) e o isolamento de espécies virulentas de Eimeria.
- Coccidiose em pequenos ruminantesPublication . Afonso, Margarida; Cardoso, Luís Miguel; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Quintas, HelderA coccidiose é uma afeção intestinal que atinge, entre outros animais, ovinos e caprinos sendo estes últimos particularmente suscetíveis (Bowman 2009). Eime- ria é um parasita com grande especificidade relativa- mente ao hospedeiro, isto é, as espécies que parasitam ovinos não parasitam caprinos e vice-versa (Foreyt 1990). As diferentes espécies são identifica- das principalmente através do hospedeiro, morfolo- gia e local do trato digestivo onde se encontram preferencialmente (Andrews 2013).
- Ehrlichia canis and Rickettsia conorii Infections in Shelter Dogs: Seropositivity and Implications for Public HealthPublication . Afonso, Paulo; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Quintas, Helder; Cardoso, Luís Miguel; Coelho, Ana CláudiaA cross-sectional study was conducted to gain insight into the epidemiology of canine ehrlichiosis and rickettsiosis in northern Portugal. Specific IgG antibodies to Ehrlichia canis were analysed using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and antibodies to Rickettsia conorii were analysed using a commercial indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). A total of 113 dogs from two different shelters were sampled, and seroprevalence values of 0.9% (95% confidence (CI): 0.2-4.8%) for E. canis and 9.7 (95% CI: 5.5-16.6%) for R. conorii were found. Multiple logistic regression investigated risk factors for seropositivity. The odds ratios (ORs) of R. conorii seropositivity were higher for female dogs (OR = 6.429; 95% CI: 1.201-34.407). Dogs seropositive for co-infection (E. canis + R. conorii) were more frequently observed among females (OR = 7.606; CI 95%: 1.478-39.132) and in Shelter 2 (OR = 18.229; 95% CI: 2.190-151.756). These findings show that shelter dogs in northern Portugal are exposed to E. canis and R. conorii, which can affect both canines and humans. It is imperative to adopt a One Health approach to educate the public about the hazards of canine zoonoses and develop legislation and procedures to control their spread and preserve public health.