Oral adenocarcinoma observed in Boa constrictor maintained in captivity

Information on neoplasms in animals has increased over time, and these studies have helped in the management of reptiles that present tumors. There are similar incidences of neoplasms between homeothermic and ectothermic animals. Furthermore, there are usually more than one type of tumor present. The treatment of wild animals afflicted with cancer usually happens late, contributing to their low life expectancy. Thus, the present work aimed to describe an infrequent case of oral tumor in Boa constrictor. The tumor was observed in an adult female animal, raised in an exhibition area of the Zoo and Botanical Park of the Emílio Goeldi Museum, located in Belém, State of Pará, Brazil. Macroscopically, the mass presented morphologically with an irregular, multilobulated surface, color that varied from white to grey, hemorrhagic areas and its extension was 3.9 x 2.3 cm. The neoplasm was surgically removed, and the histopathological evaluation revealed an adenocarcinoma, with a papillary-like development pattern and a moderate degree of differentiation. The animal died three months after diagnosis due to starvation. The necropsy showed that there was tumor recrudescence and no metastases. Given the impossibility of surgical removal with a greater margin of safety, and adjuvant therapies, this condition favoured the resurgence of the neoplasm. This compromised the animal’s ability to feed and consequently lead to death. Malignant neoplasms in reptiles may have an unfavourable clinical evolution for the maintenance of life, requiring specific therapeutic care such as chemotherapy. Scientific contributions on tumors in these animals are essential for the medical treatment of wild animals, and the conservation of wild species.

Short ‘1.2× Genome’ Infectious Clone Initiates Kolmiovirid Replication in Boa constrictor Cells

Human hepatitis D virus (HDV) depends on hepatitis B virus co-infection and its glycoproteins for infectious particle formation. HDV was the sole known deltavirus for decades and believed to be a human-only pathogen. However, since 2018, several groups reported finding HDV-like agents from various hosts but without co-infecting hepadnaviruses. In vitro systems enabling helper virus-independent replication are key for studying the newly discovered deltaviruses. Others and we have successfully used constructs containing multimers of the deltavirus genome for the replication of various deltaviruses via transfection in cell culture. Here, we report the establishment of deltavirus infectious clones with 1.2× genome inserts bearing two copies of the genomic and antigenomic ribozymes. We used Swiss snake colony virus 1 as the model to compare the ability of the previously reported “2× genome” and the “1.2× genome” infectious clones to initiate replication in cell culture. Using immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, immuno- and northern blotting, we found the 2× and 1.2× genome clones to similarly initiate deltavirus replication in vitro and both induced a persistent infection of snake cells. The 1.2× genome constructs enable easier introduction of modifications required for studying deltavirus replication and cellular interactions.

Ileocolic intussusception associated with a multicentric round cell tumor in a red-tailed boa constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor)

A 5-year-old, female red-tailed boa constrictor ( Boa constrictor constrictor ) was presented with hyporexia, regurgitation and progressive focal distention of the caudal coelom since two months. During physical examination a firm, well-demarcated and movable intracoelomic mass was detected halfway down the caudal coelom but no other abnormalities were noticed. Ultrasonographic examination showed the mass to consist of an intestinal intussusception. A complete blood cell count and serum biochemistry blood test results revealed mild anemia and leukocytosis as well as hyperuricemia and hyperphosphatemia with inversion of the calcium/phospohorus ratio. Explorative coeliotomy was performed and revealed anterograde invagination of the ileum into the colon through the ileocolic junction. Although the intussusception was surgically repositioned, the snake died three weeks post-operatively despite showing a good general condition and defecation following assisted feeding. During necropsy, a thickened wall of the caudal segment of the ileum that was previously involved in the intussusception was observed as well as the presence of multifocal, white nodules throughout the parenchyma of the liver, spleen and kidneys. Histopathological examination demonstrated a malignant round cell tumor of the ileum with infiltration of neoplastic round cells in the liver, spleen and kidneys. Immunohistochemical staining (CD3, CD20, MAC387, S100 and NSE) could not confirm the cell origin of the round cell tumor. The present case highlights the need to include round cell tumors as a differential diagnosis in the development of ileocolic intussusception in red-tailed boa constrictors.

Huni kuin: Yube Baitana - An anthropological game adventure

The article presents the development process of the video game Huni Kuin: Yube Baitana (The ways of the boa constrictor) created by a group of Brazilian anthropologists with a Huni Kuin indigenous community from Acre, Brazil. Understood from a perspective in which video games must be taken seriously, a reflection is made on how the game Huni Kuin: Yube Baitana is inserted in the discussions and productions arising from multimodal anthropology.

Monitoring of the Reproductive Cycle in Captive-Bred Female Boa constrictor: Preliminary Ultrasound Observations

The Boa constrictor is one of the most common reptiles bred in captivity. To achieve a successful breeding season, thorough knowledge of the females’ reproductive activity is necessary. In this regard, information on the Boa constrictor is still rather scarce. The aim of the present study was to monitor the ovarian activity and the embryonic development of boas by ultrasound. We performed brief scans on thirty non-anaesthetized snakes using a portable ultrasound system and a 7.5–10 MHz linear array transducer (Esaote MyLab™ Classic). Ultrasound features, dimensions, and echogenicity of the preovulatory and postovulatory follicles were determined. As gestation progresses, the postovulatory follicle size increases, and the embryonic silhouette becomes increasingly recognizable. During the second month after ovulation, by using color Doppler, early embryos’ heart activity could be evaluated. It is possible to highlight vascular connections between the mother and the membrane covering the embryonic structures. Ultrasound also allows one to identify follicular regression or slugs (nonfertilized eggs) early. The present study suggests that ultrasound could be an excellent noninvasive technique to evaluate the reproductive activity of Boa constrictor, allowing us to precisely identify the correct time for mating, monitor embryo development and viability, and allow the early diagnosis of follicular regression.

ANÁLISE MORFOMÉTRICA DAS CÉLULAS SANGUÍNEAS DE Boa constrictor RESGATADAS EM CAMPOS DOS GOYTACAZES, RJ

Boa constrictor é uma espécie frequentemente encontrada em criadouros e zoológicos, além de ser utilizada como animal de companhia. Esses animais são nativos do novo mundo, sendo encontrados do México ao norte da Argentina. O trabalho realizado possui como objetivo gerar valores morfométricos das células que compõem o tecido sanguíneo de indivíduos da espécie Boa constrictor, identificando seus tamanhos médios, que são importantes na determinação do estado destas células, sendo úteis principalmente para classificar anemias. Foram realizadas distensões sanguíneas com as amostras coletadas de quatro exemplares atendidos no Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Animais Selvagens (NEPAS), sendo dois machos e duas fêmeas. As lâminas foram coradas utilizando a técnica de coloração panóptico rápido e observadas ao microscópio óptico (100X, imersão). Para morfometria foi realizada a captura de imagens com o auxílio de uma câmera digital Canon, modelo Powershot A640® acoplada ao microscópio, e foi utilizado o software Zeiss® AxioVision Sample Images. Foram mensuradas 2007 células sanguíneas, sendo 590 eritrócitos, 365 heterófilos, 140 linfócitos, 454 azurófilos, 17 monócitos e 441 trombócitos. Verificou-se que os eritrócitos e trombócitos apresentaram maiores diferenças entre seus diâmetros maiores e menores, conferindo o formato elíptico a estas células. As demais células avaliadas apresentaram proporções entre os diâmetros de forma similar, caracterizando-as como de formatos esféricos.

Feeding effects on liver mitochondrial bioenergetics of Boa constrictor (Serpentes: Boidae)

Snakes are interesting examples of overcoming energy metabolism challenges as many species can endure long periods without feeding, and their eventual meals are of reasonably large sizes, thus exhibiting dual extreme adaptations. Consequently, metabolic rate increases considerably to attend to the energetic demand of digestion, absorption, and protein synthesis. These animals should be adapted to transition from these two opposite states of energy fairly quickly, and therefore we investigated mitochondrial function plasticity in these states. Herein we compared liver mitochondrial bioenergetics of the boid snake Boa constrictor during fasting and after meal intake. We fasted the snakes for 60 days, and then we fed a subgroup with 30% of their body size and evaluated their maximum postprandial response. We measured liver respiration rates from permeabilized tissue and isolated mitochondria. From isolated mitochondria, we also measured Ca2+ retention capacity and redox status. Mitochondrial respiration rates were maximized after feeding, reaching approximately a 60% increase from fasting levels when energized with complex I-linked substrates. Interestingly, fasting and fed snakes exhibited similar respiratory control ratios and citrate synthase activity. Furthermore, we found no differences in Ca2+ retention capacity, indicating no increase in susceptibility to mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), and no changes in mitochondrial redox state, although fed animals exhibited increases in the release of H2O2. Thus, we conclude that liver mitochondria from B. constrictor snakes increase mitochondrial respiration rates during the postprandial period and quickly improve the mitochondrial bioenergetics capacity without compromising redox balance.

Maintained barostatic regulation of heart rate in digesting snakes (Boa constrictor)

When snakes digest large meals, heart rate is accelerated by withdrawal of vagal tone and an increased non-adrenergic-non-cholinergic tone that seems to stem from circulating blood-borne factors exerting positive chronotropic effects. To investigate whether this tonic elevation of heart rate impairs the ability for autonomic regulation of heart during digestion, we characterised heart rate responses to pharmacological manipulation of blood pressure in the snake Boa constrictor through serial injections of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine. Both fasting and digesting snakes responded with a robust tachycardia to hypotension induced by sodium nitroprusside, with digesting snakes attaining higher maximal heart rates than fasting snakes. Both fasting and digesting snakes exhibited small reductions of the cardiac chronotropic response to hypertension, induced by injection of phenylephrine. All heart rate changes were abolished by autonomic blockade with the combination of atropine and propranolol. The digesting snakes retained the capacity for compensatory heart rate responses to hypotension, despite their higher resting values, and the upward shift of the barostatic response curve enable snakes to maintain the cardiac limb for blood pressure regulation.