Eduardo De Freitas Costa

• PhD
• Researcher at Wageningen University & Research

The objective of meat inspection is to promote animal and public health by preventing, detecting, and controlling hazards originating from animals. With the improvements of sanitary level in pig herds, the hazards profile has shifted and the inspection procedures no longer target major foodborne pathogens (i.e., not risk based). Additionally, carca...

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock and the environment likely contribute to the prevalence of AMR in humans with potential detrimental effects on human health. As such, annual mandatory monitoring of AMR in livestock occurs within the European Union (EU), according to harmonised methods. Extended-spectrum cephalosporins-resistan...

West Nile virus (WNV) is a vector-borne flavivirus that causes an increasing number of human and equine West Nile fever cases in Europe. While the virus has been present in the Mediterranean basin and the Balkans since the 1960s, recent years have witnessed its northward expansion, with the first human cases reported in Germany in 2018 and the Neth...

West Nile virus (WNV) is a vector-borne flavivirus that causes an increasing number of human and equine West Nile fever cases in Europe. While the virus has been present in the Mediterranean basin and the Balkans since the 1960s, recent years have witnessed its northward expansion, with the first human cases reported in Germany in 2018 and the Neth...

Cattle farming is a major livestock activity with economic relevance in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. However, this activity is still considered of intermediate to low technological level, and in this region, there are few epidemiologic reports of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv), the causative agent of bovine genital campylobacteriosi...

Background Family oral fluids (FOF) sampling has been described as a sampling technique where a rope is exposed to sows and respective suckling litters and thereafter wrung to obtain fluids. PCR-based testing of FOF reveals presence of PRRS virus RNA only at the litter level, as opposed to conventional individual-animal-based sampling methods that...

Introduction: Pneumococcal pneumonia is a leading cause of severe disease, leading to approximately 2.2 million hospital admissions in 2019 in Brazil. Since 2010, the 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine was introduced in Brazil as part of the National Immunization Program (NIP) with free-for-all ac...

Large epidemics provide the opportunity to understand the epidemiology of diseases under the specific conditions of the affected population. Whilst foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epidemics have been extensively studied in developed countries, epidemics in developing countries have been sparsely studied. Here we address this limitation by systematical...

Simple Summary Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis primarily transmitted via the consumption of infected/contaminated meat/vegetables/fruits, resulting in several years of disability-adjusted life. In Brazil, a high prevalence of toxoplasmosis has been recorded, and it affects hundreds of people. Several studies have been performed in Brazil to determine t...

Piglet coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Cystoisospora suis, which is regarded as the most prevalent gastrointestinal parasite in intensive pig farms. Despite the availability of highly effective chemo-metaphylaxis (toltrazuril), coccidiosis is still prevalent in European and other countries. We conducted a cross-sectional...

Populations of free-ranging dogs are still a matter of concern in developing countries. The presence of stray dogs is associated with environmental and public health consequences such as the spread of zoonotic diseases. Therefore, public health managers base the promotion of public health on sanitary measures, including the control of the free-rang...

Knowledge about antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella is relevant due to its importance in foodborne diseases. We gathered data obtained over 16 years in the southern Brazilian swine production chain to evaluate the temporal evolution of halo for carbapenem, and the MIC for third-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolone, and polymyxin in 278 Sal...

A longitudinal study was performed to investigate the prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin-Resistant (ESC-R) Escherichia coli colonization in Dutch veal farms. Rectal swabs from 683 calves born in 13 Dutch dairy farms were collected one day prior to transportation to the veal farm at 14 or 28 days of age, and at 5 different time points at...

Family oral fluids (FOFs) are an aggregate sample type shown to be a cost-efficient and convenient option for determining the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) status of weaning age pigs. This study investigated the effect of pooling PRRSV-positive FOF samples with PRRSV-negative FOF samples at different levels (1/3, 1/5,...

Extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) is a major public health concern. A better understanding of the dynamics of ESBL-EC transmission is required for effective prevention and control. We present here a multidirectional dynamic risk model for ESBL-EC transmission between broiler flocks, broiler farmers, and the open com...

Evidence supports that cats’ behavior influences the level of emotional closeness between the animals and the owners. In some circumstances, a bad relationship can result in neglecting, mistreating, or abandoning the animal. We aimed to assess the level of emotional closeness between the owners and their cats in Brazil, evaluate some specific human...

Bovine cysticercosis and hydatidosis are frequently identified by inspectors in slaughterhouses from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Slaughterhouse records can provide valuable information for animal-related diseases and public health surveillance. Analyzing these data can aid set priorities to regions or properties that need more attention. Slaugh...

Salmonellosis involving chicken meat is one of the most frequent foodborne diseases registered worldwide. Many studies report the prevalence of Salmonella spp. on chicken meat; however, data are limited or variable. To perform stochastic Quantitative Microbial Risk Analysis, it is essential to input reliable data to estimate the risks, and the Baye...

Cross-contamination is an important event for bacterial transfer throughout the pork production chain. In Brazil, Salmonella sp. is the most relevant hazard in the pork industry, and further knowledge concerning its contamination is essential for in-depth risk assessments. Thus, we aimed to assess the transfer probability of Salmonella sp. between...

In 2014, EFSA received a mandate from the European Commission (EC) to assess the risk and consequences of introduction of new vector-borne diseases (VBDs), and to determine if further measures were needed. To support the work, a comprehensive and systematic extraction of data from the literature was conducted, covering 36 VBDs in 18 host mammalian...

The Salmonella monitoring program, as outlined in the EU Commission regulation 200/2010, asks for repeated sampling in order to ascertain progress in achievement of the EU target. According to Article 2.2.2.2.c of this regulation, the competent authority may decide to do a resample and retest when it has reasons to question the results of initial t...

This paper describes a predictive model for Salmonella sp. behavior in salami. It accounts for the interaction of environmental conditions of small-scale Brazilian manufacturers

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of atmospheric dust and emissions from the coal combustion in a thermal power plant (TPP) in beef cattle as biomonitor, using the dental changes as indicator of environmental pollution. To this end, five production units (EAs) in the southern region of the country (four located in area...

The dynamics of the wild boar population has become a pressing issue not only for ecological purposes, but also for agricultural and livestock production. The data related to the wild boar dispersal distance can have a complex structure, including excess of zeros and right-censored observations, thus being challenging for modeling. In this sense, w...

The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and animal pathogens is a global concern, and antimicrobial use (AMU) is considered the most important driver for its increase. The aim of this study was to assess AMR in Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. in faecal samples of pigs subjected to four different AMU protocols from birth to finishing: G1,...

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a transboundary disease affecting a large number of equines worldwide. In this study, we assessed the transmission risk of EIAV in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Serum samples from 1010 animals from 341 farms were initially analyzed using agar gel immunodiffusion to detect viral antibodies, and no antibody-posit...

Staphylococcus aureus is a notable cause of mastitis and over-dependence on antimicrobials of the dairy industry. Antimicrobials are readily used in veterinary medicine, increasing resistance of common pathogens to livestock and public health, as can be seen in resistance to β-lactam antimicrobials. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the preva...

The intensification of pig production and advances in the sanitary control of herds profoundly changed the profile of risk attributed to pork consumption. In the actual scenario, most microorganisms related to macroscopic lesions observed in the post mortem inspection are not transmitted by food, while foodborne bacteria of importance to consumer h...

Pork salami is an embedded, cured and ripened product commonly consumed in Brazil, and the presence of Salmonella enterica has already been reported in this product. During its preparation, the microbiological safety depends on the meat quality, addition of ingredients with antimicrobial activity, hygiene during processing, pH and water activity (A...

Rabies and herpetic encephalitis are the main viral infections in bovines with neurological symptoms. Bovine rabies has a high prevalence in Central and South America, while bovine encephalitis associated with herpesvirus is especially important in South America. Viral isolation is the classical way to confirm herpesvirus infection, but molecular e...

To achieve control of Salmonella contamination in pig carcasses, on-farm measures need to be better understood. Complementary strategies require research not only on their effectiveness but also on their financial impact. In this study, we evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of two treatments for reducing Salmonella seroprevalence in...

Colonial cheese is a traditional dairy product in southern Brazil and is commonly purchased by the citizens of Porto Alegre. However, there is still a lack of technical regulation of colonial cheese, and there is little information about the microbiological quality of this product at the retail level. Thus, the objectives of this study were to (i)...

Background: Despite a strong association between Salmonella isolation and slaughter hygiene, as measured by the Entero-bacteriaceae levels on pre-chill carcass surfaces, a high variation in this association was observed between sampling days within the same slaughterhouse. It was hypothesised that in a scenario of high exposure on the farm, batches...

Mensagem da Comissão Organizadora: É um prazer recebê-los em Porto Alegre para a 3ª edição do Encontro Nacional de Epi­demiologia Veterinária. Em 2012 tivemos nosso primeiro encontro em São Paulo, ideia que surgiu depois de sucessivas reuniões de integrantes de grupos de epidemiologia veterinária da USP, UFRGS e UnB. Em 2015 aconteceu a segunda edi...

RESUMO: Avaliaram-se os resultados de testes para diagnóstico da brucelose e tuberculose bovinas objetivando analisar a distribuição de positividade e características de performance do programa de controle. A análise utilizou como dados secundários todos os resultados de testes para diagnóstico realizados em bovinos no ano de 2008 no estado do Rio...

Dry fermented sausage (salami) is a very popular ready-to-eat product in Southern Brazil, of which the raw materials can be contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella. This product can put consumers at risk if a failure occurs during the manufacturing process. To investigate this risk, a quantitative microbiological risk assessment was performe...

Salmonella control programs require the classification of positive herds according with the prevalence of infected pigs. This must be based on diagnostic methods that are reliable, accurate and cost effective. Since serological methods fulfill most of these prerequisites, many countries have adopted indirect ELISA tests to discriminate herds, based...

Sources of contamination of carcasses during slaughter include infected pigs as well as environmentally related sources. There are many microbial indicators that can be used in the processing of food to assess food hygiene and the safety of food processing. The presence of some microbial indicators can be viewed as a result of direct or indirect co...

Background: The use of conventional antibiotics to prevent this infection is a usual in the poultry industry, specially to reduce the mortality associated with colibacillosis. Essential oils have demonstrated broad spectrums in terms of antimicrobial activities against various pathogens, Escherichia coli among them. The aim of this study was to eva...

Background: The economy of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) relies majorly on agriculture; among the livestock production chains, cattle production has the largest economic, historical, and cultural importance in RS. The cattle industry is the main zootechnical activity in RS. Due to this, there is an actual need for updated characterization of the animal po...

Ureaplasma diversum has been associated with various reproductive problems in cattle that include granular vulvovaginitis, weak calves, and abortion. This study was conducted in a beef herd situated in the Middle-West region of Brazil, and the objectives were to verify the presence of U. diversum and to elucidate its possible relationships with ind...

A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify risk factors for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection in 300 randomly selected dairy herds which were tested for antibodies in bulk tank milk (BTM) using a commercial indirect ELISA kit (SVANOVA). Results from the analysis were interpreted according to the Swedish BVDV control scheme. The...

a b s t r a c t A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify risk factors for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection in 300 randomly selected dairy herds which were tested for antibodies in bulk tank milk (BTM) using a commercial indirect ELISA kit (SVANOVA). Results from the analysis were interpreted according to the Swedish BVDV cont...

Background: Canine diabetes mellitus (CDM) is a common group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. In this aspect, many environmental factors have been implicated in CDM development such as sedentariness, obesity, and diet. The goals of this work were to evaluate t...

The protozoa Nesporora caninum is a parasite that causes great economic and reproductive losses in cattle worldwide. The objective of this study was to verify the association between abortion and the presence of antibodies against N. caninum and the vertical transmission as a means of maintaining the infection in cattle herds in Rio Grande do Sul b...

... [Bovine neosporosis: evaluation of vertical transmission and population etiological fraction of abortion in a bovine population in the State of Rio Grande do Sul , Brazil]. Neosporose bovina : avaliação da transmissão vertical e fração atri- buível de aborto em uma população ...

Hyperadrenocorticism or canine Cushing´s syndrome is a hormonal disturbance due to excessive endogenous glucocorticoid production or glucocorticoid excessive administration, resulting in high cortisol plasma levels. In Brazil, criterious mitotane administration is the most available efficient treatment. ACTH stimulation tests must be performed peri...