Featured Application The findings of the present review study can be of great importance for European chestnut producers. The causal agent of brown rot causes significant economic losses and increases the amount of waste, not meeting sustainability principles. The European chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) has great economic importance, mostly due to the recognized nutritional value of its fruit. Thus, the development and improvement of the techniques of the production, preservation, and control of the diseases/pests of chestnut trees is a topic of great interest to producers, companies, researchers, and consumers to ensure the quality of this exceptional fruit. Recently, an emerging rot in chestnuts caused by the fungus Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi (syn. Gnomoniopsis castaneae Tamietti) (Gnomoniaceae, Diaporthales) was reported both in Australia and Europe. Since then, the number of records of this pathogen in several countries of the world (Europe and Asia) where Castanea spp. is cultivated has been increasing. This disease, called "brown rot", has been causing significant production losses, raising serious concerns for producers and the chestnut industry. This review describes the world distribution and life cycle of the causal agent of brown rot. The life cycle of G. smithogilvyi can involve primary infection, caused by ascospores, and secondary infection, related to the asexual phase of the fungus (conidia). Then, the analytical methods used to detect G. smithogilvyi are described. Furthermore, the incidences of the disease caused by G. smithogilvyi are presented, ranging from 5 to 94%, with high infection rates causing significant economic losses. The damages caused by G. smithogilvyi are discussed. In fact, it can act as an endophyte or as a pathogenic fungus, causing fruit rot, canker in several plant tissues, and necrosis in leaves, as well as in galls caused by the gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu. Possible pre- and post-harvest methods to mitigate the damage caused by moulds, and in particular G. smithogilvyi, are presented, including biocontrol agents and chemicals. Finally, some challenges and future prospects for a number of uncertainties related to the epidemiology, geographic distribution, spread, detection, and management of this disease are discussed.

Os antibióticos antibacterianos têm um tropismo para as células procariotas, exercendo a sua ação bactericida ou bacteriostática sobre estas. No entanto, apesar da sua especificidade, os antibióticos podem ter efeitos tóxicos nas células humanas, dando origem às reações adversas. A colite pseudomembranosa foi descrita pela primeira vez em 1893 por Finney, sendo uma doença infeciosa que surge geralmente na sequência de antibioterapia prévia, tendo como principal agente etiológico o Clostridium difficile. Esta trata-se de uma entidade com taxa de mortalidade elevada, rondando os 20 a 30% e onde as recorrências são comuns. A infeção por C.difficile é das mais incidentes adquiridas em indivíduos hospitalizados. Os antibióticos provocam a alteração da flora intestinal normal permitindo a colonização pelo C.difficile, que em condições apropriadas leva à ocorrência de sintomatologia. Os antibióticos mais implicados são os de largo espetro, tendo-se como exemplo as penicilinas associadas a beta lactamases e a clindamicina, possuindo estes um largo impacto na microbiota intestinal. Existem vários métodos de diagnóstico laboratorial para testar amostras fecais à procura dos bacilos e/ou suas toxinas para confirmação deste tipo de infeção, bem como métodos de visualização direta e estudos de imagem abdominal (diagnóstico clínico). No que respeita ao tratamento, a vancomicina e o metronidazol são os fármacos mais utilizados na infeção por C.difficile, havendo variações conforme a gravidade da doença. Embora a maioria das infeções respondam à terapêutica disponível, a infeção pode aumentar a morbilidade, prolongar a hospitalização, e mesmo colocar a vida do doente em risco, pelo que o uso racional dos antibacterianos é de extrema importância, bem como as restantes medidas de prevenção. Antibacterial antibiotics have a tropism for prokaryotic cells, exerting its bactericidal or bacteriostatic on these. However, despite of their specificity, antibiotics can have toxic effects on human cells, giving rise to adverse reactions. Pseudomembranous colitis was described in 1893 by Finney, being an infectious disease that usually appears as a result of antibiotic treatment, the main etiological agent Clostridium difficile. This is an illness with a high mortality rate, around 20-30% and where recurrences are common. Infection with C. difficile is the most incident acquired in hospitalized individuals. Antibiotics cause alteration of the normal intestinal flora allowing colonization by C. difficile, which under appropriate conditions leads to the occurrence of symptoms. The antibiotics most commonly involved are broad spectrum, for example penicillins associated with beta lactamases and clindamycin, possessing such a large impact on the intestinal microbiota. There are several methods of laboratory diagnosis to test fecal samples in search of bacilli and / or their toxins to confirm this type of infection, as well as methods of direct visualization and abdominal imaging studies (clinical diagnosis). With regard to treatment, vancomycin and metronidazole are the most commonly drugs used for the C. difficile infection, with variations depending on the severity of the disease. Although the majority of infections respond to therapy available, the infection can increase morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and even life-threatening patient, whereby the rational use of antibacterial agents is extremely important as well as preventive measures remaining.

A cárie dentária e a erosão dentária são os principais problemas em odontologia. O diagnóstico correto, especialmente em lesões precoces, é vital para o plano de tratamento adequado. O exame visual-tátil e a radiografia dentária são os métodos mais utilizados para esse fim. A tomografia de coerência óptica (OCT) é outro método imagiológico capaz de melhorar o exame visual-tátil no diagnóstico de lesões em esmalte. A sensibilidade do instrumento é muito alta, geralmente mais de 90% e a especificidade normalmente acima de 95%. Utiliza o princípio da interferometria óptica com uma fonte de luz a emitir no infravermelho próximo (comprimento de onda na região de 1300 nm). Um software de processamento de imagens adequado pode melhorar a produção de imagens, incluir zonas colorimétricas e produzir uma imagem-3D, reduzindo a subjetividade na interpretação. Por não utilizar radiação ionizante e obter uma imagem nítida em tempo real, pode ser um bom substituto para a radiografia dentária em caso de avaliação diagnóstica de esmalte e dentina dentários.

BACKGROUND: The need for wildlife health surveillance as part of disease control in wildlife, domestic animals and humans on the global level is widely recognized. However, the objectives, methods and intensity of existing wildlife health surveillance programs vary greatly among European countries, resulting in a patchwork of data that are difficult to merge and compare. This survey aimed at evaluating the need and potential for data harmonization in wildlife health in Europe. The specific objective was to collect information on methods currently used to estimate host abundance and pathogen prevalence. Questionnaires were designed to gather detailed information for three host-pathogen combinations: (1) wild boar and Aujeszky's disease virus, (2) red fox and Echinococcus multilocularis, and (3) common vole and Francisella tularensis. RESULTS: We received a total of 70 responses from 19 European countries. Regarding host abundance, hunting bags are currently the most widely accessible data source for widely distributed mid-sized and larger mammals such as red fox and wild boar, but we observed large differences in hunting strategies among countries as well as among different regions within countries. For small rodents, trapping is the method of choice, but practical applications vary among study sites. Laboratory procedures are already largely harmonized but information on the sampled animals is not systematically collected. CONCLUSIONS: The answers revealed that a large amount of information is available for the selected host-pathogen pairs and that in theory methods are already largely harmonized. However, the comparability of the data remains strongly compromised by local differences in the way, the methods are applied in practice. While these issues may easily be overcome for prevalence estimation, there is an urgent need to develop tools for the routine collection of host abundance data in a harmonized way. Wildlife health experts are encouraged to apply the harmonized APHAEA protocols in epidemiological studies in wildlife and to increase cooperation.

Na medicina veterinária, os métodos de diagnóstico têm apresentado avanços substanciais, utilizando técnicas cada vez mais elaboradas e seguras que permitem uma abordagem mais completa e eficiente. Entre os métodos mais inovadores, inclui-se a termografia, que permite a mensuração da temperatura superfície de um corpo. Este estudo apresentou como objetivo, avaliar a eficácia da utilização deste método para o diagnóstico precoce de ANE, uma neoplasia altamente contagiosa com um β-retrovírus denominado “Enzootic nasal tumor vírus”, associado à sua etiologia e que, devido a morbilidade e mortalidade que causa nos efetivos, gera elevados prejuízos económicos aos produtores. Através das análises estatísticas, concluiu-se que este método, económico, fácil de aplicar e sem muita logística associada, apresenta, uma boa sensibilidade e especificidade, porém são necessários mais estudos para padronizar a sua interpretação. Por este motivo, atualmente, aconselha-se a utilização combinada de métodos para o diagnóstico precoce desta neoplasia; - Abstract: Comparative study of methods for early diagnosis of Enzootic Nasal Adenocarcinoma in goats In veterinary medicine, diagnostic methods have shown substantial advances, using increasingly more elaborate and safer techniques that allow for a more complete and efficient diagnostic. Among the most innovative methods is thermography, which allows the measurement of the temperature surface of a body. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using this method for the early diagnosis of ANE, a highly contagious neoplasm with a β-retrovirus called Enzootic nasal tumor virus, associated with its etiology and which, due to the morbidity and mortality that cause on livestock, generates high economic losses for producers. Through statistical analyses, it is concluded that this method, which is economical, easy to apply and without much associated logistics, has good sensitivity and specificity, but further studies are needed to standardize its interpretation. For this reason, the combined use of methods for the early diagnosis of this neoplasm is currently recommended