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The identification of parasite fauna can contribute to the assessment of the health status of sea turtles, and thus make it possible to develop effective management and treatment strategies aimed at conserving these animals. The present study aimed to investigate the parasite fauna in sea turtles rescued in six sections of the coast of Santa Catarina and Paraná (Brazil) from January 2020 to December 2022 through the recording of exam reports available in the Information System of Aquatic Biota Monitoring. In total, records of 334 sea turtles were analyzed during this period, of which 219 (65.6 %) were infected with at least one parasite. Chelonia mydas was the most frequent species with 86.5 % of rescues and presented the highest species richness. At least 43 species belonging to 36 different genera have been recorded parasitizing sea turtles. The most common helminths were Cricocephalus albus, Metacetabulum invaginatum, Pronocephalus obliquus, with 12.3 %, 8.7 % and 8.4 %, respectively, while protozoa of the genus Entamoeba were the most prevalent in the turtles analyzed (8.1 %). An interesting finding was the unprecedented finding of Hymenolepis sp. eggs in faeces of some turtle species. The results showed that the parasite fauna was quite diverse, with several species known to be capable of harming the physical health and well-being of sea turtles. In view of this, it is necessary to adopt strategies for monitoring the health of the different rescued species with a view to conserving sea turtles in Brazilian territory., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a growing zoonosis with an increasing number of new cases and a rapid geographical spreading of the disease. In the present study, a canine survey was carried out in the city of Montes Claros (320,000 inhabitants), an endemic area of American visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total number of 4795 dogs were examined by serology, which showed a rate of seropositivity of 5%. Isoenzymatic analysis confirmed Leishmania infantum chagasi as the local aetiological agent of CVL. Canine tissues were assayed for the presence of Leishmania parasite DNA using different techniques. The infectivity of asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic seropositive dogs was tested by xenodiagnosis using laboratory reared Lutzomyia longipalpis. Rates of infection of 5.4%, 5.1% and 28.4% were found for the phlebotomine sand flies that fed in asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic dogs, respectively. Our results indicate that, under experimental conditions, symptomatic dogs are about four times more infective to VL vectors than oligosymptomatic or asymptomatic animals. The lower infectivity rates of dogs displaying any of the last two clinical forms of leishmaniasis, however, must be taken into account in the epidemiology of CVL.

A study of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva, 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae), the primary vector of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL), and the canine form of the disease, was carried out in Porteirinha. The city is situated in the northern part of the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais and is an endemic area of AVL. Systematic phlebotomine captures were performed in seven districts with previously reported cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis, during 2 years (January 2000--December 2001). A total of 2328 specimens of L. longipalpis were captured. The association between the local climate variables and the population density of L. longipalpis was evaluated and rainfall was determined to be a major factor, with increased populations during the rainy season (October--March). At the same time period, blood samples from every dog domiciled in the same seven districts, in total 14,077 animals, were analyzed for infection by viscerotropic Leishmania using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Accumulated incidence rates of canine VL per district varied from 3.40 to 14.34 for the 2-year period. A positive correlation between the population density of L. longipalpis and the canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis in Porteirinha was observed.