Leptospira spp. and Brucella spp. in Amazon river turtles of the Vale do Araguaia - GO, of wild life and captive population

• Grant number: 09/09686-7
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: September 01, 2009 - August 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal researcher: Raul José Silva Girio
• Grantee: Raul José Silva Girio
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The illegal hunting of the Amazon river turtles (Podocnemis expansa) and the egg consumption in the nest site may become this species vulnerable to extinction. With quality meat and high commercial value, these animals woke up attention of zootecnic exploration, arising the need of a sanitary management to prevent infects agents in the breeding and the possibility of crossed infections with domestic species and human beings. Within the group of socioeconomic diseases this work emphasizes the leptospirosis and the brucellosis because of the losses caused in other activities to create and the recognition of their relevance for public health as being zoonosis. Blood samples of 600 testudines will be collected , 480 from free life (40 spawning female, 40 individuals, sex and age independent and 400 neonates) and 120 captive individuals (40 from breeding tank and 20 from the others tanks). The blood serum will be used in the microscopic agglutination test (SAM) to detect anti-leptospira antibodies and in the buffered plate antigen (AAT) for anti-brucella antibodies detection that will be confirmed by 2-mercapthoetanol tests and polarization. Multiplex PCR (PCRm) will be optimized to detect Leptospira spp. and Brucella spp. in urine samples, stomachal content, kdneys, liver and gonads from most of the captive reptiles; urine and stomachal content samples of free life turtles; in neonates urine samples, stomachal content, kdneys, liver and gonads; eggshell, water, mud from "boiadouro" and tanks samples. This way, the aim of this study is to identify anti-leptospira and anti-brucella antibodies and detect their ADN from samples of those reptiles and the place they live to make possible to develop preventive methods and the studied diseases control of wild and captive population. (AU)