Abstract The clinical importance of heartworm infection in cats has indeed increased in recent years. Dirofilaria immitis infection has been reported worldwide in cats and continues to be regularly diagnosed in endemic areas. The diagnosis can be overlooked easily, especially in Brazil, where there is not a specific feline immunodiagnostic test, forcing the veterinarians to use a test made for the canine host. In 2015, a 10-year-old female neutered cat was diagnosed with D. immitis using an antigen serological test, based on imunocromatography and designed for dogs. The modified Knott test was negative. As the disease progressed, the cat showed clinical signals of respiratory distress, such as dyspnoea and polypnea in addition to prostration and emaciation, and died a few weeks after the diagnosis. During necropsy, one adult nematode was found in the pulmonary artery. D. immitis infection was confirmed by molecular amplification, performed in the worm fragment. This is the first report of serological diagnosis of feline dirofilariasis in Brazil. A chemoprophylaxis routine in cats should be done, as is done in dogs from endemic areas.

The pathology induced in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) by two capillariid nematodes, Baruscapillaria obsignata and Eucoleus annulatus is described together with data on prevalences, mean infection and range of worm burdens. B. obsignata occurred with a prevalence of 72.5% in the 40 examined hosts in a range of 2-461 nematodes and a mean intensity of 68.6, whereas E. annulatus was present in 2.5% of the animals, with a total amount of five recovered parasites. Gross lesions were not observed in the parasitized birds. Lesions due to B. obsignata mainly consisted of the thickening of intestinal villi with a mild mixed inflammatory infiltrate with the presence of mononuclear cells and heterophils. The lesions induced by E. annulatus were represented by foci of inflammatory infiltrate with heterophils in the crop epithelium and esophagus of a single infected female. These are the first pathological findings related to the presence of capillariid worms in turkeys to be reported in Brazil so far. Capillaria anatis, although present, was not pathogenic to the investigated turkeys.

Relata-se o primeiro caso de infecção de perus, Meleagris gallopavo, por Cheilospirura hamulosa no Brasil, com base no achado de três espécimes fêmeas de C. hamulosa, inseridos na submucosa da moela de um peru, retirado de um lote de 15 aves, provenientes de criadouros domésticos no estado de Minas Gerais. A ocorrência foi de 6,7%. A ave parasitada não apresentava sinais clínicos. As lesões microscópicas da moela eram severas, caracterizando-se por intensos processos inflamatórios crônicos e difusos, com infiltrados mistos de granulócitos, estendendo-se à mucosa e às camadas musculares. Nessa área, foram observados fragmentos dos parasitos e perfuração da mucosa, com destruição das camadas musculares.

Ketoconazole an azole antifungic drug which is already in the market has also been demonstrated to be active against Trypanossoma cruzi experimental infections. In this paper we confirmed the drug effect and investigated its range of activity against different T. cruzi strains naturally resistant or susceptible to both standard drugs Nifurtimox and Benznidazole used clinically in Chagas disease. Moreover, we have shown that the association of Ketoconazole plus Lovastatin (an inhibitor of sterol synthesis), which has an antiproliferative effect against T. cruzi in vitro, failed to enhance the supressive effect of Ketoconazole displayed when administered alone to infected mice. Finally, administration in chronic chagasic patients of Ketoconazole at doses used in the treatment of deep mycosis also failed to induce cure as demonstrated by parasitological and serological tests. The strategy of identify and test drugs which are already in the market and fortuitously are active against T. cruzi has been discussed.