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The present study reports the first occurrence of Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Digenea: Gorgoderidae), in two Olive Ridley Sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Testudines: Chelonidae), from the states of São Paulo and Sergipe in Brazilian coast. Concerning the Neotropical region, P. cymbiformis has been previously reported in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Panama and Brazil, in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Brazil, in hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Puerto Rico, and in Olive Ridley Sea turtles only in Costa Rica. Lesions resulting from the presence of parasites in the hosts’ urinary bladders are also presented. This is the second report on endoparasites in Olive Ridley sea turtles from Brazil.

The present note describes the occurrence of Rhytidodoides intestinalis and Rhytidodoides similis (Digenea: Rhytidodidae) in the gallbladder of two juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas - Testu- dines, Cheloniidae) found on the coast of Brazil. Both were detected in gallbladder and intestine of green turtles: Rhytidodoides similis (United States, Panama, Costa Rica and Brazil) and R. intestinais (United States, Panama and Costa Rica). This note is the first report of R. intestinalis in Brazil and South-West Atlantic Ocean. Also the histological lesions caused by the parasites in one gallbladder are described.

The present note describes the occurrence of Monticellius indicum Mehra, 1939 (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) in an adult loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), found on the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pathological changes due to spirorchiid eggs (type 1 and 3) were found in gastrointestinal system, endocrine system, and heart. This parasite has previously been described in the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), from Pakistan, Brazil and Costa Rica as well as in the hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), in Brazil. This note reports the loggerhead turtle as a new host for M. indicum.

The causes of the beaching and death of sea turtles have not been fully clarified and continue to be studied. Mild, moderate and severe lesions caused by spirorchiidiosis have been seen for decades in different organs and were recently defined as the cause of death of a loggerhead turtle. In the present study, eyes and optic nerves were analysed in green sea turtles with spirorchiidiosis and no other debilitating factors. Injuries to the optic nerve and choroid layer were described in 235 animals (90%) infected with spirorchiids. Turtles with ocular spirorchiidiosis are approximately three times more likely to be cachectic than turtles with spirorchiidiosis without ocular involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Several diseases have been reported as affecting endangered wild sea turtle population worldwide, including spirorchiidiasis. This parasitic infection results in serious circulatory disorders in sea turtles, as well as tissue damage due to the presence of spirorchiids eggs. However, few reports of organs severely affected by tissue replacement caused by granulomatous inflammatory processes due to spirorchiidiasis in sea turtles are available. In this regard, this study describes massive lesions in 16 juvenile green turtles from southeastern Brazil presenting no other detectable diseases or injuries, associated to parasitic compression of air spaces, parasitic thyroid atrophy, parasitic encephalic compression and parasitic splenic lymphoid depletion. These rare injuries were categorized as extremely severe, affecting most spirorchiidiasis-infected organs. Spirorchiidiasis was, thus, noted herein as capable of causing a variety of lethal injuries to vital or extremely important organs in sea turtles. Spirorchiidiasis should, therefore, also be considered a potential cause of death in stranded green sea turtle monitoring efforts., Competing Interests: None., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Infection by Caryospora cheloniae has been reported to be responsible for green turtle strandings with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Although studies have already shown the pathogenesis of these infections, many aspects of this protozoan are still poorly understood, including their life cycle and infection dynamics in free-living sea turtle populations. Due to the lack of information about the infection by this protozoan in sea turtles in Northeastern Brazil, our study aims to describe Caryospora sp. infection and its pathological findings in free-living Chelonia mydas found on the north coast of the Bahia state. Between 2018 and 2019, 64 specimens of green turtles were necropsied in partnership with Fundação Projeto Tamar; among these, 10 (1.56%) had oocysts morphologically compatible with Caryospora cheloniae in the evaluation of fecal samples and histopathological examination of intestinal samples. The infected animals were juvenile green turtles that were found stranded on the beaches of the north coast of Bahia. The pathological findings were restricted to the lower gastrointestinal tract, with different presentations and intensities. About 70% of the animals with coccidial infection exhibited erosive and ulcerative fibrinous enteritis. This is the first report of coccidiosis in green turtles on the north coast of Bahia., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A female Cuvier's Beaked Whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ) specimen measuring 580 cm in length died after being stranded in Southeastern Brazil. Following a necropsy, organ samples were obtained, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and histopathologically analyzed. A severe and generalized hypodermis infection by Phyllobothrium delphini (Phyllobothriidae) was observed, resulting in granulomatous panniculitis. Severe renal and arterial lesions were also noted, including a severe bone metaplasia in the aorta artery, associated with a massive infection by Crassicauda sp, (Tetrameridae). A significant thoracic hemorrhage due to thoracic aorta artery rupture was noted, also likely due to this infection, resulting in a fatal injury. This study contributes towards knowledge on histopathologic changes in the scarcely studied Cuvier's Beaked Whale, is the first to associate a Crassicauda sp. infection in this whale species in the Brazilian region and also the first to indicate a resulting osseous metaplasia due to this parasitism and granulomatous dermatitis associated with Phyllobothrium delphini . Furthermore, this is also, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of Phyllobothrium delphini cysts in a Ziphius cavirostris specimen to date., Competing Interests: None., (© 2021 The Authors.)

We provide pathological, immunohistochemical and molecular evidence of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infection in a live-stranded adult female killer whale (Orcinus orca), which stranded alive in Espírito Santo State, Brazil, in 2014. Although attempts were made to release the animal, it stranded again and died. The main pathological findings were severe pulmonary oedema, pleural petechiation, multifocal, lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis and leptomeningomyelitis with perivascular cuffing and gliosis, chronic lymphocytic bronchointerstitial pneumonia and multicentric lymph node and splenic lymphoid depletion. Other pathological findings were associated with the 'live-stranding stress response'. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed multifocal morbilliviral antigen in neurons and astrocytes, and in pneumocytes, histiocytes and leukocytes in the lung. CeMV was detected by a novel reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method in the brain and kidney. Phylogenetic analysis of part of the morbillivirus phosphoprotein gene indicates that the virus is similar to the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) morbillivirus strain, known to affect cetaceans along the coast of Brazil. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of morbillivirus disease in killer whales., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fatal infection by Cyathostoma (Cyathostoma) phenisci (Nematoda: Syngamidae), was identified in 2 of 52 brown boobies (Sula leucogaster) collected on beaches in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and admitted to the veterinary clinic for rehabilitation. Both infected birds were in poor physical condition, with atrophied pectoral muscles, and died soon after starting treatment. The parasitological and pathological examination of the carcasses revealed the presence of C. (C.) phenisci in the trachea, resulting in tracheitis, as well as severe parasitic granulomatous bronchopneumonia caused by eggs deposited in the lungs. In our opinion, these serious pathological changes were the primary cause of chronic respiratory illness. This is the first description of fatal cyathostomiasis in a fish-eating avian host caused by infection by a member of the subgenus Cyathostoma (Cyathostoma). Therefore, it is reasonable to consider C. (C.) phenisci to be a real threat to a wide range of their definitive hosts, and cyathostomiasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for fish-eating marine birds, even in cases without respiratory signs. This is also the first record of the genus Cyathostoma in Brazil., (© American Society of Parasitologists 2020.)

The present study offers the first description of proventriculitis associated with the presence of gravid female nematodes of the genus Tetrameres (Nematoda: Tetrameridae) in 3 juvenile Magellanic penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus ) found dead on the coast of Brazil. This study broadens knowledge on parasites associated with these hosts and the real impact of this association.

The trematode Rameshwarotrema uterocrescens (Digenea: Pronocephalidae) parasitizes the glands of the caudal esophagus of Chelonia mydas . In the present study, 741 C. mydas were examined, 85 animals had adult specimens of R. uterocrescens associated with necrotizing ulcerous esophagitis, of these 85, 21 presented invasion of the esophageal mural vessels in the caudal esophagus of juvenile green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ). Necrotizing granulomatous splenitis, hepatitis, and nephritis were associated with the presence of parasites. The eggs from R. uterocrescens are birefringent under plane-polarized light, which distinguishes them from those of spirorchiid trematodes. This study contributes novel data on R. uterocrescens , methods for detecting this parasite, and demonstrates the fatal potential of parasitism in C. mydas.

Background: Metastatic tumor cells have acidic extracellular pH and differential electrochemical H + gradients generated across their cell membranes by V-type H + -ATPases. This study shows that inhibition of the V-ATPases by the plant-derived monoterpene Myrtenal results in tumor cell death and decreased metastatic dissemination in mice., Methods: The Myrtenal anticancer toxicity was evaluated in vitro using murine (B16F0 and B16F10) and human (SkMel-5) melanoma cell lines, and in in vivo mouse metastatic dissemination model. Proton flux and extracellular acidification were directly evaluated at the surface of living cells using a non-invasive selective ion electrode approach., Results: The inhibition of V-ATPases by 100 μM Myrtenal disrupted the electrochemical H + gradient across the cell membranes, strongly induced cell death (4-5 fold), and decreased tumor cells migration and invasion in vitro. Myrtenal (15 mg/kg) also significantly reduced metastasis induced by B16F10 in vivo, further reinforcing that V-ATPase is a molecular target to halt the progression of cancers., Conclusions: These data revealed the therapeutic potential of Myrtenal as inhibitor of melanoma progression proposing a mechanism of action by which once inhibited by this monoterpene the proton pumps fail to activate cancer-related differential electrochemical gradients and H + fluxes across the tumor cell membranes, disrupting pH signatures inherent in tumor progression, resulting in reprogrammed cell death and metastasis inhibition., General Significance: The work represents a new mechanistic strategy for contention of melanoma, the most aggressive and deadly form of cutaneous neoplasm, and highlights Myrtenal, other related monoterpenes and derivatives as promising proton pump inhibitors with high chemotherapeutic potential., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper reports the first occurrence of Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Digenea: Gorgoderidae) in a loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta [Testudines, Cheloniidae]) in Brazil and describes the histological findings of related injuries to the urinary bladder.

Here we report a case of ulcerative caseous gastroesophagitis associated with Rameshwarotrema uterocrescens, Rao, 1975 (Digenea: Pronocephalidae), in a juvenile green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) from southern Brazil. Similar pathologies have been reported only in adult green turtles from Costa Rica. This paper presents the second report of parasitic esophagitis due to R. uterocrescens and the first occurrence in juvenile green turtles along coastal Brazil.

The growth of human population and deficient pollution control measures pose significant challenge to the environment. Despite conservation efforts, all sea turtle species are at some risk of extinction. The present study investigated the effect of marine debris on the gastrointestinal tract of green turtles in southeastern Brazil. Of the 777 animals evaluated, 290 showed marine debris in one segment of the gastrointestinal tract. The presence of these materials in the gastrointestinal tract may be harmful, independent of the segment involved, and increases the risk of impaction. Marine debris has become a significant hazard to Chelonia mydas in the region surveyed, causing perforation, rupture, or fecal impaction that, when not treated, is potentially fatal, exposing the intestine to bacterial infection., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We investigated the antineoplastic activities of a previously reported copper (II) coordination compound, [Cu(BMPA)Cl2]CH3OH (1), and a new compound, [Cu(HBPA)Cl2]H2O (2), where BMPA is bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine and HBPA is (2-hydroxybenzyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, using various cellular models of human leukemia (THP-1, U937, HL60, Molt-4, JURKAT) and human colon cancer (COLO 205), as well as a murine highly metastatic melanoma (B16-F10) cell line. Compound (2) was characterized using several physical and chemical techniques, including X-ray diffraction studies. The IC50 values of the copper coordination complexes in the human leukemia cell lines ranged from 87.63 ± 1.02 to ≥400 μM at high cell concentrations and from 19.17 ± 1.06 to 97.67 ± 1.23 μM at low cell concentrations. Both compounds induced cell death, which was determined by cell cycle analyses and phosphatidylserine exposure studies. THP-1 cells released cytochrome c to the cytoplasm 12 h after treatment with 400 μM of compound (2). To evaluate the apoptosis pathway induced by compound (2), we measured the activities of initiator caspases 8 and 9 and executioner caspases 3 and 6. The results were suggestive of the activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways. To investigate the activities of the compounds in vivo, we selected two sensitive cell lines from leukemia (THP-1) and solid tumor (B16-F10) lineages. BALB/c nude bearing THP-1 tumors treated with 12 mg·kg(-1) of compound (2) showed a 92.4% inhibition of tumor growth compared with the control group., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)