Elisabeth Criscuolo Urbinati

Sporotrichosis is a zoonosis of major importance due to the global expansion of its occurrence, the identification of new pathogenic species, and changes in the disease’s epidemiology. However, the lack of mandatory notification for diagnosed cases hinders an accurate understanding of the disease burden, thereby complicating the implementation of preventive and awareness measures for professionals and the population. The present review aims to update knowledge on the progression and distribution of sporotrichosis in the country to emphasize the need for actions related to prevention, control, and care. The data are essential to understand the dynamics of sporotrichosis and fundamental for promoting public health policies and guiding actions for professionals and the general public. This review highlights the impacts of zoonotic sporotrichosis, which is rapidly expanding in Brazil, emphasizing the importance of coordinated actions involving public authorities, public health agencies, and the population to prevent the spread of this zoonosis. In particular, it underscores the need to implement mandatory case reporting nationwide, as the available official data do not accurately reflect the true prevalence of sporotrichosis in Brazil.

This review article provides a comprehensive discussion of the factors contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and highlights potential strategies to mitigate this issue, with an emphasis on its importance to veterinary medicine and public health. The article addresses the use of antimicrobials across various sectors, such as human and veterinary clinical practice, animal production, and agriculture, underscoring the interaction between human, animal, and environmental factors, the controversies surrounding their use, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, the mechanisms that modulate bacterial resistance, the dissemination of resistance among bacterial populations, the key drivers contributing to its rise, as well as control and prevention strategies. Finally, the article reviews the current international and national legislation and regulatory framework governing the use of antimicrobials.

Recent studies have indicated that ora-pro-nóbis leaf meal (OLM) contains high levels of digestible amino acids compared with conventional ingredients such as corn and wheat bran. This study evaluated effects of OLM on productive performance and body chemical composition of juvenile Nile tilapia. Four hundred fish (14.16 ± 0.43 g) were distributed into 20 tanks (1 m3) in a completely randomized design with five treatments (0, 3.5, 7, 10.5, and 14 % inclusion) and four replicates over 58 days. Inclusion of OLM did not affect fish survival and improved productive performance, with higher final weight (86.18 g), weight gain (72.35 g), daily weight gain (1.24 g), and fillet weight (27.97 g) observed at the 14 % inclusion level, with no statistical differences compared with levels from 7 % onward. Feed intake averaged 1.83 g and did not differ among diets containing OLM, although values were higher than control treatment. In carcass composition, ether extract decreased at inclusion levels of 10.5 % and 14 %, with values of 7.08 % and 7.04 %, respectively, whereas crude protein increased from the 7 % inclusion level onward, reaching values of 16.76 %, 16.91 %, and 17.24 % at inclusion levels of 7 %, 10.5 %, and 14 %, respectively. Therefore, OLM demonstrates potential as an alternative ingredient for tilapia diets, contributing to economic sustainability and competitiveness of aquaculture, especially for small-scale producers, while also supporting regional circular economy systems.

Resumo Estudos recentes indicam que a farinha de folhas de ora-pro-nóbis (FFO) apresenta teores elevados de aminoácidos digestíveis em comparação a ingredientes convencionais, como milho e farelo de trigo. Nesse contexto, este estudo avaliou os efeitos da FFO sobre o desempenho produtivo e a composição química corporal de juvenis de tilápia-do-Nilo. Quatrocentos peixes (14,16 ± 0,43 g) foram distribuídos em 20 tanques (1 m3), em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com cinco tratamentos (0; 3,5; 7; 10,5 e 14 % de inclusão) e quatro repetições, durante 58 dias. A inclusão de FFO não afetou a sobrevivência dos peixes e promoveu melhorias no desempenho produtivo, com maiores valores de peso final (86,18 g), ganho de peso (72,35 g), ganho de peso diário (1,24 g) e peso de filé (27,97 g) no nível de 14 %, sem diferenças estatísticas em relação aos níveis a partir de 7 %. O consumo de ração foi de 1,83 g, não diferindo das dietas que continham FFO, embora os valores tenham sido maiores do que no tratamento controle. Na composição de carcaça, observou-se redução do extrato etéreo (7,08 % e 7,04 %) nos níveis de 10,5 % e 14 %, respectivamente, e aumento da proteína bruta a partir de 7 % de inclusão, com valores de 16,76 %, 16,91 % e 17,24 % para os níveis de 7 %, 10,5 % e 14 %, respectivamente. Dessa forma, a FFO demonstra potencial como ingrediente alternativo na alimentação de tilápias, contribuindo para a sustentabilidade econômica e a competitividade da aquicultura, especialmente para pequenos produtores, além de favorecer a economia circular regional.

The yellowtail lambari (Astyanax altiparanae) is a fish species with considerable commercial potential that commonly exhibits aggressive behaviour toward conspecifics. Although body size is a key factor in the establishment of a social hierarchy in other species, its influence on aggression in lambari remains unclear. Moreover, dietary supplementation with L‐tryptophan (L‐TRP) has shown potential in modulating aggression in fish, warranting investigation in aquaculture contexts. This study aimed to generate an ethogram of aggressive behaviours in yellowtail lambari and assess the effects of body size and L‐TRP supplementation on aggression. In the first experiment, direct confrontations between larger and smaller fish revealed that larger individuals exhibited higher frequencies of aggressive behaviour. In the second experiment, fish were fed either a control diet or diets supplemented with L‐TRP (0.69 or 1.38 g/100 g) for 10 days, after which they were subjected to direct confrontation with an intruder. L‐TRP supplementation resulted in a reduction in the frequency of some aggressive behaviours. These findings enhance our understanding of aggression in yellowtail lambari and provide insights into improving management and welfare in aquaculture.

This study examined the energy-dependent physiological responses, including stress, innate immune, and antioxidant systems, as well as indicators of energy mobilization, in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) exposed to intermittent cold, aiming to assess the correlations between these responses. The fish were acclimated to 28 °C, divided into two groups, a control group maintained at 28 °C, and another exposed to 16 °C for two 24 h periods with a 5-day interval between them. The fish were sampled at six time points: baseline (after acclimatization to 28 °C), 24 h after the 1st exposure to 16 °C, after 5 days of recovery at 28 °C, 24 h after the 2nd exposure to 16 °C, and after 24 and 48 h of recovery at 28 °C. The reduction in temperature activated the stress response, the innate immune system, and the antioxidative system as well as mobilized lipids from the visceral stores and preserved the circulating levels of triglycerides. Intermittent exposure of fish to cold increased plasma cortisol after both exposures, activated leukocyte respiratory activity after the 2nd exposure, and triggered the compensatory lysozyme response after temperature recovery in both cold exposures in addition to increasing the number of circulating monocytes and granulocytes. The activity of the enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased after the 1st and 2nd cold exposures, respectively. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity increased after the 2nd exposure compared to the control. The subtropical fish pacu was sensitive to intermittent cold exposure and was able to display protective physiological responses.

Corn and soybeans are commodities and ingredients of global interest, whose prices fluctuate based on global demands. In this sense, this study aimed to assess ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) leaf meal (OLM) as an alternative to be included in the diets of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The optimal inclusion level of OLM in tilapia diets is investigated herein, aiming to improve their growth performance and health. Five diet variations containing OLM (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were tested. Feed conversion and protein efficiency rates in the 5% and 10% OLM groups were statistically similar to the control group (p ≤ 0.05) and lower in the 15% and 20% OLM groups. Fish fed 5% and 10% OLM diets showed better feed efficiency, while higher OLM levels (15% and 20%) led to reduced carcass protein and ether extract levels. Increasing OLM levels enhanced intestinal villi height and area, associated with improved nutrient absorption and decreased liver fat degeneration, suggesting dietary adaptation and healthier liver conditions. Thus, OLM can be included up to 10% in tilapia diets, improving their growth performance, feed efficiency, and intestinal absorptive capacity without adversely affecting other parameters.

Exogenous factors such as low water temperature can be stressful and elicit negative immune system effects, especially for fish, which are ectothermic. Stress and immune responses require energy overload, which can affect the cellular redox balance, causing oxidative damage. These overall responses impair the animal’s health and negatively affect fish farming. To evaluate indicators of stress, immune and antioxidant systems, and oxidative stress responses in fish during thermal challenge, the present study reduced the water temperature from 29.5 °C to 16 °C and then inoculated pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli. Our results revealed that acute exposure to low water temperature itself increased blood glucose, impaired the serum lysozyme concentration and increased GSH-Px activity. There was an interaction effect between low temperature and LPS inoculation. After LPS inoculation, leukocytes were initially activated (3 h); glucose levels increased (3 h); GST activity initially decreased (3 h) but then increased (6 h); SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities decreased; and lysozyme activity remained depressed in fish subjected to cold shock. The results showed that thermal and immunological challenges impaired the maintenance of leucocyte activation and compromised the pacu oxidant response. The overall response of pacu to thermal challenge indicates that the species proved to be acutely sensitive to a drop in water temperature, reducing its ability to maintain homeostasis, especially when subjected to immunological challenge.

Water temperature has a direct influence on several physiological processes in fish. This study investigated the effects of the exposure of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) to 10 days of reduced temperature in stress and innate immune and antioxidant systems, all of which are involved in energy mobilization. Two groups of fish, fed a control diet or a diet with a higher lipid level, were exposed for 10 days to 16°C and then inoculated with Aeromonas hydrophila bacterin. Samples were taken before and after 5 and 10 days of exposure. The results showed that the low temperature (16°C) was a stressor, increasing cortisol levels. Higher levels of cortisol were seen in fish with more body fat, especially at 16°C, compared to those fed control diet. The immune system was enhanced by low temperature that activated the hemolytic activity of the complement system (HAC₅₀) and lysozyme after 10 days of exposure in fish with more body fat. Bacterin inoculation, regardless of temperature and body fat, impaired the respiratory activity of leukocytes, but the complement system activity remained at the levels seen before cold activation. Similarly, lysozyme remained at the levels seen before cold activation, showing later activation. Furthermore, soon after inoculation (at 3 and 6 h), bacterin induced oxidative stress that decreased at 24 h when the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) showed lower levels, suggesting that GSH was consumed to attenuate the oxidative stress. Pacu was resilient to the reduced temperature, displaying protective responses to the stressful condition using lipids to modulate these responses.

A leishmaniose é uma importante zoonose causada por mosquitos do gênero Lutzomyia spp. A doença apresenta dois tipos: leishmaniose visceral (LV) e leishmaniose tegumentar americana (LTA), sendo que a