Telmo Nunes

University of Lisbon | UL · Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária

The susceptibility of various animal species to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been studied extensively. Cats have garnered significant concern due to their high susceptibility and proximity to humans. This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility and antibody response in house cats exposed to SARS-CoV-...

The teaching hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Lisbon hosts a Biological Isolation and Containment Unit (BICU) for the hospitalization of both confirmed and suspected animals of an infectious disease. This study targets the BICU dog population to identify and characterize the most frequent infectious diseases recor...

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) are associated with the onset of gastroenteritis with different severities, and STEC has been associated with other sequelae, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome and end stage renal disease. The main goal of this study was to estimate the annual f...

Periodontal disease (PD) is a common oral disease in dogs. Recent in vitro research revealed that nisin–biogel is a promising compound for canine PD control. In this work, a clinical trial was developed to assess the in vivo efficacy of nisin–biogel in dogs by determining the dental plaque index (DPI), gingivitis index (GI), and periodontal pocket...

Background: The COVID-19 situation in Brazil is complex due to large differences in the shape and size of regional epidemics. Understanding these patterns is crucial to understand future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 or other respiratory pathogens in the country. Methods: We tested 97,950 blood donation samples for IgG antibodies from March 2020 to Marc...

This research paper aimed to evaluate the association between feeding waste milk to calves and the occurrence of antimicrobial multi-resistance by extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes through determining their production by E. coli isolates from 32 dairy farms. Among β-lactamase enzymes, ESBL provide resistance to a wide variety of β-lactam...

Neospora caninum has a worldwide economic impact as an important cause of abortion in cattle, while Toxoplasma gondii, another abortifacient pathogen, is globally a major foodborne zoonotic threat. The study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors for the two parasites in cattle in Portugal. A total of 612 sera from 35 farms were test...

Veterinary medical students are known to have significant levels of mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning have brought increased psychological stress. We used a web-based survey to ask 415 veterinary medical students from Portugal about the impact of the pandemic and online learning on their anxiety levels. Results...

Background SARS-CoV-2 serologic surveys estimate the proportion of the population with antibodies against historical variants which nears 100% in many settings. New analytic approaches are required to exploit the full information in serosurvey data. Method Using a SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike (S) protein chemiluminescent microparticle assay, we attained...

Background: Pyometra is a diestrual chronic disease frequently associated with Escherichia coli. Initial pyometra treatment involves empiric antimicrobial therapy whose suitability should be confirmed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Antimicrobial resistance is a major health issue for veterinary medicine, rendering surveillance studies es...

This study aimed to assess the effect of Besnoitia besnoiti infection on the reproductive and productive performance of a dairy cattle herd. A serological screening was performed by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) on every animal aged over one year (n = 262). Subsequently, 211 animals were clinically examined, with 96 of those being scree...

This study aimed to assess baseline levels of coughing on a farm free of respiratory disease, and to identify relationships between environmental conditions and coughing frequency in finisher pigs. Six replicates were conducted (690 pigs in total). A cross-correlation analysis was performed and lags of the predictor variables were carried forward f...

The use of syndromic surveillance (SyS) has grown in animal health since the 2010s, but the use of production data has been underexplored due to methodological and practical challenges. This paper aimed to tackle some of those challenges by developing a SyS system using production data routinely collected in pig breeding farms. Health-related indic...

Background Wildlife has been recently recognized as an environmental reservoir for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, less information on this topic is available in animals released back into the wild after rehabilitation in wildlife facilities, compared with studies performed exclusively in captive or free-ranging wildlife. This study aimed...

INTRODUÇÃO E OBJECTIVOS As raças Merina Branca (MB) e Merina Preta (MP) são raças autóctones originárias do Alentejo, caracterizadas pela sua elevada rusticidade, adaptação às condições geoclimáticas e resistência natural às doenças. As parasitoses broncopulmonares (BP) são causadas por diversas espécies de nemátodos, em particular Dictyocaulus fil...

While mRNA vaccines are administrated worldwide in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the heterogeneity of the humoral immune response they induce at the population scale remains unclear. Here, in a prospective, longitudinal, cohort-study, including 1245 hospital care workers and 146 nursing home residents scheduled for BNT162b2 vaccinatio...

Background: Patients on hemodialysis (HD) are at higher risk for COVID-19, overall are poor responders to vaccines, and were prioritized in the Portuguese vaccination campaign. Objective: This work aimed at evaluating in HD patients the immunogenicity of BTN162b2 after the two doses induction phase, the persistence of specific antibodies along time...

Background Hemodialyzed patients are at higher risk for COVID-19 and were prioritized in the Portuguese vaccination campaign Methods We performed a prospective, longitudinal, cohort analysis of 143 patients on hemodialysis and 143 age-matched controls along BTN162b2 vaccination. ELISA quantified anti-full-length Spike IgG, IgM and IgA levels prior...

Measurement of serum basal cortisol is commonly used to rule out hypoadrenocorticism. When basal cortisol concentrations are above 2 microg/dL, hypoadrenocorticism is ruled out without the need of an ACTH stimulation test. When it is below this value, an ACTH stimulation test is essential to assess adrenal function. In clinical practice, it is not...

Background Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are caused by a wide range of pathogens transmitted by arthropods. They have been an issue of growing importance in recent years; however, there is limited information about the vector-borne pathogens circulating in Portugal. The aim of the present study was to detect canine vector-borne bacteria and...

Listeria Monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen with the capacity to grow at low temperatures and the ability to form biofilms. These features are particularly significant to food business operators producing readyto-eat foods with a long refrigerated shelf-life not undergoing any listericidal treatment before consumption. Objectives: Thi...

Targeted selective treatment (TST) using the FAMACHA©-method was proposed as an alternative method for the management of GIN in small ruminants to slow down anthelmintic resistance. This study evaluated the accuracy of the FAMACHA©-method for TST in Black and White varieties of Merino sheep in the Alentejo region under field conditions. Paired feca...

Equids harbour several highly prevalent and pathogenic gastrointesti-nal (GI) helminths. Since the 1990s research on the major GI equid parasites, in particular strongyles, took place at PPDL-CIISA Laboratory. The first studies in abattoirs, showed that Strongylus spp. were prevalent, but research performed in horse stud farms revealed Cyathostomin...

Background Activity of 1,2‐O‐dilauryl‐rac‐glycero glutaric acid‐(6′‐methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase in serum shows good agreement with pancreatic lipase (cPL) in dogs. Although prednisolone therapy does not seem to affect serum cPL concentration, its influence on DGGR lipase is unclear. Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the effe...

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of global importance caused by Leptospira species. Rodents are the main reservoirs, known to shed the bacteria in urine, thus contaminating water and soil and infecting other animals and people. Leptospirosis has been re-emerging in both developing and developed countries including Europe. It has been hypothesized that c...

Currently, there is a growing preference for convenience food products, such as ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods, associated with long refrigerated shelf‐lives, not requiring a heat treatment prior to consumption. Because Listeria monocytogenes is able to grow at refrigeration temperatures, inconsistent temperatures during production, distribution, and at...

Background: Sepsis is a severe condition associated with high prevalence and mortality rates. Parvovirus enteritis is a predisposing factor for sepsis, as it promotes intestinal bacterial translocation and severe immunosuppression. This makes dogs infected by parvovirus a suitable study population as far as sepsis is concerned. The main objective...

Animal tuberculosis (TB) is a multi-host zoonotic disease whose prevalence in cattle herds in Europe has been increasing, despite a huge investment in eradication. The composition of the host community is a fundamental driver of pathogen transmission, and yet this has not been formally quantified for animal TB in Europe. We quantified multi-host co...

Objective: To critically appraise the literature exploring the surgical treatment of degenerative lumbosacral stenosis in dogs. Background: Several surgical procedures to treat degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (DLSS) in the dog have been reported, however, definitive criteria for surgical technique preference are currently lacking (1). Evidentia...

Equine neosporosis is regarded to be caused either by Neospora hughesi or Neospora caninum and equine besnoitiosis is caused by Besnoitia bennetti, both of which are apicomplexan parasites. N. caninum is the only known Neospora species in Europe, where equine N. caninum infections have been reported as being associated to abortion and reproductive...

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are increasingly popular throughout the world, with a growing trend. Despite all their potential benefits, there are certain risks to both humans and animals involved in AAI programs that should not be disregarded, such as the burnout of the animals. This study investigated the welfare of dogs during AAIs in Por...

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is among the most common neoplasias in dogs and humans. Owing to remarkable similarities with its human counterpart, the canine lymphoma (cNHL) model has been proposed as a powerful framework for rapid and clinically relevant translation of novel immunotherapies. However, the establishment of cNHL as a predictive preclini...

A Dirofilariose Cardiopulmonar Canina (DCC) é uma doença de elevada importância clínica que afeta cães de todas as idades, raças e sexos. O concelho de Benavente, em Portugal, localiza-se numa zona hiperendémica desta parasitose. O presente estudo teve como principal objetivo a identificação das alterações clínicas mais significativas nos cães com...

Stray cats may harbour a large variety of parasite species, representing a health hazard to animal and humans. In Portugal, information on the prevalence and parasitic fauna of cats is extremely scarce and dispersed. The present survey aimed to update the current situation, joining studies with coprological methods. In Northwestern Portugal, 63.9%...

Periodontal disease (PD) is one of the most frequent and widespread inflammatory diseases in dogs. The onset of PD pathogenesis is prompted by the dental microbial biofilm combined with the animal immune-inflammatory response. Along with local effects, systemic consequences can occur secondary to dental plaque-associated bacteraemia, affecting dist...

Oak toxicity in cattle results from ingestion of acorns, buds, leaves, sprouts, and saplings from several species of trees in the genus Quercus, all of which contain high concentrations of tannins. Consumption of acorns by ruminants, principally between late summer and early winter, is common in the south of Portugal, where there is a high prevalen...

In modern livestock farming, there is an increasing understanding that antimicrobial (AM) consumption must be kept low - preferably without compromising animal welfare or productivity. This requires an understanding of the relationship between AM use, productivity, biosecurity, vaccination and herd demographics. To obtain this, we undertook an Addi...

The eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) is one of the most frequently admitted species throughout U.S.A wildlife rehabilitation centres (WRCs) (Lloyd, Hernandez & McRuer, 2017) and its management in captivity is considered a challenging process (Bewig & Mitchell, 2009; Cowen, 2016; Schott, 2017). About one quarter of the annual admiss...

Dermanyssus gallinae, also known as the poultry red mite (PRM), is a blood-feeding ectoparasite of poultry and sylvatic birds. This mite is endemic in many parts of the globe and poses a threat to the egg industry, while compromising the health and welfare of hens, both directly and as a vector of diseases. In addition, people attacked by D. gallin...

Introdução e Objetivos – O parasitismo gastrointestinal é um desafio importante na manutenção de um elevado grau de sanidade equina. O presente trabalho visa contribuir para uma melhor caracterização da prevalência parasitária gastrointestinal no efetivo equino de trabalho e desporto proveniente do distrito de Santarém, para além de permitir compar...

Background In veterinary medicine, an increasing incidence of neoplastic diseases has been followed by a growth in the use of chemotherapeutic drugs, often associated with opportunistic infections. Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy in the Lisbon Metropol...

Background Periodontal disease (PD) is caused by the development of a microbial biofilm (dental plaque) in the periodontium, affecting approximately 80% of dogs. Several bacterial species present in the canine oral cavity can be implicated in the development of this disease, including Enterococcus spp. To decrease antibiotic administration, a possi...

Introduction: The eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) is one of the most frequently admitted species throughout United States wildlife rehabilitation centers (WRCs). Material and Methods: Data comprising eastern cottontails’ admitted into the WRC of Minnesota from 2011 to 2017 was examined to determine which the most relevant admissi...

We investigated the spatial epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in wildlife in a multihost system. We surveyed bovine TB in Portugal by serologic analysis of elutes of dried blood spots obtained from hunted wild boar. We modeled spatial disease risk by using areal generalized linear mixed models with conditional autoregressive priors. Antibodi...

The incidence of azotemia was 61% and a statistically significant difference was found between the initial and final values of creatinine and urea (table 1) with a median cumulative dose of 100 mg/m². Survival analysis showed a median time of 155 days until the development of azotemia (TA) (figure 1) and a significant difference (p=0,000682) in TA...

Anemia is a common laboratory finding in dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma, either a hemolytic anemia due to erythrocyte lysis as a result of an abnormal tumor vascular architecture, and/or a hemorrhagic anemia secondary to the tumor endothelial nature, the presence of blood filled cavities and its characteristic friability, justifying the ease wit...

Purpose: The present study aimed to assess functional and structural benefits of erythropoietin (EPO) when administered subconjunctivally in the retina of glaucomatous rats using electroretinography (ERG) and retinal thickness (RT) measurements. Methods: Glaucoma was experimentally induced in 26 Wistar Hannover albino rats. Animals were divided...

References Em medicina veterinária, a crescente incidência de doenças neoplásicas 1 tem sido acompanhada por um aumento da utilização de agentes quimioterápicos, frequentemente associados a infeções oportunistas. Tendo por base estudos de medicina humana que indicam um risco acrescido de parasitoses gastrointestinais oportunistas em pacientes sob r...

Introdução e Objetivos A Parasitologia tem acumulado conhecimento na área dos animais selvagens, no entanto é imprescindível que se continue a investir em estudos que promovam o conhecimento local e regional para a preservação de populações animais e respetivos ambientes. Este estudo teve como principais objetivos: pesquisar e identificar formas pa...

Background: In veterinary medicine, an increasing incidence of neoplastic diseases has been followed by a growth in the use of chemotherapeutic drugs, often associated with opportunistic infections. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy in the Lisbon Metropo...

Purpose: To determine the permeability of the ocular membranes conjunctiva, sclera andcornea in a pig eye ex-vivo model, to human recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO), usingtopical administration. Methods: 60 fresh pig eyes were collected from a slaughterhouse,kept moist and refrigerated and 1 h later conjunctivas (n = 10), corneas (n = 10) and scle...

Cinco anos a fazer STOP aos equídeos em Portugal: Caracterização da amostra populacional e das respetivas parasitoses gastrointestinais A. S. LOPES1, B. MELO-FRANCO1, T. NUNES1, P. FABRICA2, B. SÃO BRAZ1, L.M. MADEIRA DE CARVALHO1 1 Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa (C...

Dogs have an important role in our society however they may be carriers of many parasitic diseases, some of them with importance in Animal Health and with zoonotic potential. This study aimed to fulfil the lack of epidemiological data concerning dog parasites in the southern region of Portugal, namely on the prevalence and seasonal variation of car...

Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics, subdivision 3. (TIF)

Meteorological data obtained from the closest meteorological stations to the farms. (PDF)

Distribution of captured Obsoletus group specimens per season (2005–2013). (PDF)

Distribution of captured C. punctatus specimens per season (2005–2013). (PDF)

Absolute and relative frequencies of estimated and analysed Culicoides collected during the NESP for BTD (2005–2013) in mainland Portugal. (PDF)

Distribution of captured C. imicola specimens per season (2005–2013). (PDF)

Distribution of captured C. pulicaris specimens per season (2005–2013). (PDF)

Distribution of captured C. newsteadi specimens per season (2005–2013). (PDF)

Vector-borne diseases are not only accounted responsible for their burden on human health-care systems, but also known to cause economic constraints to livestock and animal production. Animals are affected directly by the transmitted pathogens and indirectly when animal movement is restricted. Distribution of such diseases depends on climatic and s...

A serological survey was performed to evaluate the presence of specific antibodies against Neospora caninum in dogs and native animals in a wildlife conservation area in southern Portugal. The study involved 463 animals, including dogs ( n = 286), European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ; n = 32), Egyptian mongoose ( Herpestes ichneumon ; n = 34),...

The aim of this study is to test the permeation of human recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) across conjunctiva, cornea, and sclera in an ex vivo model. Thirty fresh pig eyes were collected from a slaughterhouse. Conjunctivas (n = 10), corneas (n = 10), and scleras (n = 10) were surgically dissected from surrounding tissues. Ocular membranes were p...

Salmonella 1,4,[5],12:i:- is presently considered one of the major serovars responsible for human salmonellosis worldwide. Due to its recent emergence, studies assessing the demographic characterization and spatial epidemiology of salmonellosis 1,4,[5],12:i:- at local- or country-level are lacking. In this study, a analysis was conducted over a 10...

This Technical Research communication describes results of a study aimed at detecting the presence of Map in milk fed to calves, and identifying possible risk factors for that presence. A questionnaire was performed on 37 dairy farms and waste milk samples were collected on 3 occasions separated by a minimum of 1 week. For farms not feeding waste m...