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In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been expanding and urbanizing, mainly in non-endemic areas such as the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Considering that infected dogs are the main reservoirs of VL in urban areas, the present study aimed to evaluate the propagation of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) infection from an unaffected region in transition to a VL transmission area. For this, 1159 and 1087 samples of canine serum from 2015 and 2021, respectively, were analyzed, using the indirect immunofluorescence test. In addition, necropsy reports between 2007 and 2021 were evaluated. The results showed a prevalence of anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies of 7.5% in the samples from 2015, while in 2021 samples, it was 23.5%, with an incidence of 0.4 cases per 100 dogs. It is noteworthy that in 2007, there was no record of CVL as the cause of death in the pathological reports, and in 2021, 41 diagnoses were made with the protozoan being a determinant of the death of the animal. These values indicate an increasing trend in the prevalence and incidence coefficients of CVL. The results of this study allowed us to verify the spread of the disease from an unaffected region to a transmission area of the agent, as well as provide subsidies for health authorities to implement improvements in the CVL control program in the municipality, to mitigate the emergence of human cases of the disease.

Sand flies are hematophagous dipterans and are considered vectors of the parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania, which can infect mammals, including humans, and subsequently cause leishmaniasis. Rio Grande do Sul State (RS), southern Brazil, was considered free of this disease for the last few decades. However, several autochthonous cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been recorded in different municipalities in recent years. Since 2017, cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) have been reported in the municipality of Santa Maria, located in the central region of RS. In 2021, two cases of human VL were confirmed in the city, resulting in one death. To capture the possible vectors involved in the disease transmission cycle, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) modified light traps were installed in the peridomestic residential areas. These points were situated in two city districts where cases of CVL had been reported from January 2021 to January 2022. In the 41 sample collections of sand flies, 9 specimens of Lutzomyia longipalpis were identified, confirming the municipality as an area of VL transmission, according to Brazilian sanitary standards. The spread of Leishmania spp. has been occurring efficiently, resulting in a negative impact on the One Health. This study reports the first detection of L. longipalpis in the central region of RS.

Cattle are the main hosts of Rhipicephalus microplus; however, this ixodid can also parasitize other animal species. We collected a specimen of R. microplus larvae from one bat Molossus rufus (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Cachoeirinha municipality (29° 56' 52'' S and 51° 5' 43'' W), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The specimen was taxonomically identified using identification keys (Vargas 2006). This study reports the first occurrence of this species parasitizing insectivorous bats in Brazil.

Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe form of a human and animal disease complex entitled leishmaniasis, which is endemic to 70 countries. It is imperative to develop and offer technologies capable of increasing the resolution ability of control programs of this zoonosis. In the search for technological innovations in health, especially in environmental surveillance, the objective is to develop a mobile application (App) for smartphones in order to facilitate and systematize the notification of positive cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) by veterinarians working in clinics for assisting the municipal health surveillance in the management of this zoonosis. Thus, we developed an App, C7 LVC - Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis Notification System, with formatting based on the CR Campeiro 7® software. The technology created enables the filling of important gaps in information systems, facilitating the transmission of data and the use of this data by public management bodies to take CVL prevention and control actions. RESUMO: A leishmaniose visceral é a forma mais grave de um complexo de doenças humanas e animais, denominado leishmaniose, endêmica em 70 países. É imprescindível desenvolver e oferecer tecnologias capazes de aumentar a capacidade de resolução dos programas de controle desta zoonose. Na busca por inovações tecnológicas em saúde, principalmente na vigilância ambiental, o objetivo é desenvolver um aplicativo móvel (App) para smartphones a fim de facilitar e sistematizar a notificação de casos positivos de leishmaniose visceral canina (LVC) por médicos veterinários que atuam em clínicas auxiliando a vigilância sanitária municipal, na gestão desta zoonose. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um App, C7 LVC - Sistema de Notificação da Leishmaniose Visceral Canina, com formatação baseada no software CR Campeiro 7®. A tecnologia criada possibilita o preenchimento de lacunas importantes nos sistemas de informação, facilitando a transmissão de dados e a utilização desses dados pelos órgãos da gestão pública para a tomada de ações de prevenção e controle da LVC.

Rabies is a zoonosis caused by Lyssavirus, with progressive development and a high lethality rate. In Brazil, rabies and accidents caused by animals potentially transmitting the disease are mandatory notification injuries. Exposure to rabies infection places a high financial burden on public health systems, especially for the care of people who are exposed and have a high risk of death. We aimed to define the epidemiological profile of human rabies post-exposure assistance in the municipality of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2010 to 2015. Data from Brazil's Notifiable Diseases Information System were obtained and analyzed; these data were acquired by the completion of individual inquiry forms querying human anti-rabies assistance. A total of 55% (1,898/3,453) of anti-rabies assistance cases involved women and 45% (1,555/3,453) men. The highest occurrence (54.5%–1,882/3,453) was in the age group of 20–59 years. Most registered cases (87.5%–3,024/3.453) were caused by dogs, followed by cats (10.9%–378/3,453). The lower limb (22.1%–617/2,790) was the area of the body with the highest number of canine bites. We observed incorrect indications for the treatment. We suggest further training for health professionals involved in rabies post-exposure prophylaxis care, and dissemination of information aimed at educating users about the importance of animal-related injuries. A raiva é uma zoonose causada por Lyssavirus, com desenvolvimento progressivo e alta taxa de letalidade. No Brasil, a raiva e os acidentes causados por animais potencialmente transmissores da doença, são agravos de notificação obrigatória. A exposição à infecção por raiva coloca um alto ônus financeiro para o sistema público de saúde, especialmente para o atendimento de pessoas expostas e com alto risco de morte. O objetivo deste estudo foi definir o perfil epidemiológico da assistência pós-exposição à raiva humana no município de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, de 2010 a 2015. Foram obtidos e analisados os dados do Sistema de Informações sobre Doenças Notificáveis do Brasil (SINAM); adquiridos por meio do preenchimento de formulários de consulta individuais, verificando a assistência antirrábica humana. Um total de 55% (1.898/3.453) e 45% (1.555/3.453) dos casos de assistência anti-rábica envolveu mulheres e homens respectivamente, com maior ocorrência na faixa etária de 20 a 59 anos (54,5% - 1.882/3.453). A maioria dos casos registrados (87,5% - 3.024/3.453) foi causada por cães e 10,9% (378/3.453) por gatos. O membro inferior (22,1% - 617/2.790) foi a área do corpo com o maior número de agressões por cães. Desta forma, sugere-se o treinamento para profissionais de saúde envolvidos no tratamento profilático da raiva após a exposição e disseminação de informações destinadas a educar os usuários sobre a importância das lesões relacionadas a animais.

In the present study, we described the most prevalent clinical symptoms, the most affected organs, and the macro and microscopic lesions associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis. Two independent researchers performed an extensive systematic review of the literature in four stages (identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion) to identify studies published between January 2002 and November 2018 from the following electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, SciELO, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Meta-analysis was conducted in “Metaprop” package of R 3.4.2 software. The electronic search yielded 3896 results, out of which 155 were further analyzed based on the full-text. Data extracted from 16 articles were included in the meta-analysis, representing a total of 430 leishmaniasis cases. Only 43% of all animals were identified to exhibit the clinical and cutaneous changes characteristic of leishmaniasis based on the observation that skin lesions were the most prevalent clinical sign and were present in 86% of all cases. Other less prevalent symptoms included weight loss, cachexia, apathy and lymph node enlargement. Histopathological analysis showed that the skin was the most affected organ, affecting 64% of cases, followed by lymph nodes (12%), spleen (8%) and liver (7%). Therefore, our current findings suggest that cutaneous leishmaniasis could lead to visceral disease. Notably, our findings indicated no clinical manifestation patterns in cutaneous leishmaniasis, since the same host species may present different clinical conditions.

Os principais fatores relacionados à ocorrência de surtos e doenças de origem alimentar, estão relacionados às falhas múltiplas no controle de qualidade na produção de alimentos. Com o objetivo de avaliar os impactos dos cursos de capacitação em Boas Práticas de Manipulação (BPM) para os serviços de alimentação em Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, realizado por profissionais de estabelecimentos alimentares, em instituições de ensino habilitadas e credenciadas. Foram visitados 41 estabelecimentos que comercializam alimentos, com alvarás renovados no ano de 2014. Nestas empresas, foi aplicado um questionário aos profissionais que realizaram o curso de BPM, abordando o impacto e as mudanças geradas pela participação das pessoas envolvidas com o processo de fabricação e distribuição de alimentos. Na maioria dos estabelecimentos (75,6%), apenas um colaborador realizou o curso. Entre os participantes 58,6% foram os manipuladores de alimentos que realizaram esta capacitação. O manual de BPM, que serve para garantir a qualidade e a identidade dos alimentos e dos serviços, estava instituído em 51,2% dos estabelecimentos visitados. Para 87,8% dos participantes, o curso de BPM realizado atendeu suas expectativas relacionadas ao conteúdo programático e sua metodologia de ensino. A carga horária foi considerada suficiente por 85,3% dos participantes, entretanto 65,8% dos entrevistados consideraram necessários outros cursos para melhorar sua capacitação. O curso de BPM promoveu melhorias na qualidade higiênico-sanitárias dos estabelecimentos de serviço de alimentação vistoriados em Santa Maria. Cursos especializados devem ser incentivados e periodicamente ofertados com a finalidade de minimizar os agravos por doenças transmitidas por alimentos à saúde pública.

RESUMO O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar a presença de anticorpos para Leishmania infantum, Neospora caninum e Toxoplasma gondii, por meio da reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI), em cães (n=78) provenientes da região central do Rio Grande do Sul, necropsiados no Hospital Veterinário da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), bem como avaliar os dados epidemiológicos, sazonais e anátomo-histopatológicos. Do total de animais avaliados, 67,9% (53/78) apresentaram soropositividade para ao menos um agente. A ocorrência de anticorpos para L. infantum, N. caninum e T. gondii foi de 33,3 (26/78), 37,1 (29/78) e 43,5% (34/78), respectivamente. Detectaram-se monoinfecções em 9,4% (5/53) para L. infantum, 18,8% (10/53) para N. caninum e 20,7% (11/53) para T. gondii. As coinfecções foram observadas em 27/53 (50,9%) dos animais. As infecções ocorreram independentemente de idade, sexo, procedência ou raça (P>0,05). Não se verificaram lesões anatomo-histopatológicas relacionadas aos agentes pesquisados, caracterizando-os como animais assintomáticos. Os resultados confirmaram a exposição de cães a esses protozoários na região central do RS e, em especial, demonstraram a circulação do agente causador da leishmaniose em uma área considerada indene para a enfermidade. ABSTRACT The present paper is aimed to determine the presence of antibodies for Leishmania infantum, Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) in dogs (n=78) from the central region in the state of Rio Grande do Sul necropsied in the Veterinary Hospital from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). The data was evaluated regarding epidemiological, anatomic, and histopathologic findings. Of the total animals evaluated, 67.9% (53/78) showed seropositivity for at least one agent. The occurrence of antibodies to L. infantum, N. caninum and T. gondii was 33.3% (26/78) 37.1% (29/78) and 43.5% (34/78), respectively. The mono infections were detected in 9.4% (5/53) of L. infantum, 18.8% (10/53) for N. caninum and 20.7% (11/53) T. gondii. The coinfections occurred in 50.9% (27/53) of animals. There were not anatomical and histopathological lesions regarding these surveyed agents, characterizing them as subclinical animals. The results confirmed the exposition of dogs to these protozoa in the central region of the RS, highlighting the circulation of the causer agent of leishmaniasis in an area considered harmless for the disease.