foetus was able to disrupt the host cell monolayer only after 6 h of interaction ( Midlej et al., 2009). Therefore, the MTT assay was carried out to determine the cell viability of Caco-2 cells during the initial hours (30 min to 3 h) of co-incubation with either T. foetus or T. mobilensis. Our results showed that no differences in the cytotoxicity level were found between both species. It is important to point out that the differences in the cytotoxicity level could be observed in strains of the same species and even among clones of the same strain or isolate ( Kennett and Hook, 2002 and da Rocha-Azevedo et al., 2005). This work provides additional data

based on morphological studies and adherence assays supporting the hypothesis that Selleck Vorinostat T. mobilensis is a distinct species of T. foetus unlike that of T. suis. Complementary studies are in course to search biochemical and molecular differences

GS-7340 in vitro and similarities between both tritrichomonads. This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Programa de Núcleos de Excelência (PRONEX) and Associação Universitária Santa Úrsula (AUSU). The authors thanks Dr. C.M. Campero (Patología Veterinaria, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina) for the donation of the strain T. foetus CC09-1. “
“Adults of Eurytrema coelomaticum (Giard et Billet, 1892) Looss, 1907 parasitizes the pancreatic ducts of ruminants in many countries in South America, Europe and Asia ( Bassani et al., 2006), causing economic losses because the infection leads to reduction in meat else and milk production. Thus, this infection has a high veterinary and economic importance ( Bossaert et al., 1989). In its complex life cycle the eggs of E. coelomaticum are ingested by the intermediate snail host Bradybaena similaris (Fèrussac, 1821) where the miracidium

hatches and migrates to the coelomic cavity, giving rise to the mother sporocyst. After an intense asexual reproduction process, the daughter sporocysts is formed, which internally will produce the cercariae. The mother sporocysts, containing cercariae, emerge from the snail host and remains in the environment until ingested by a grasshopper Tettigoniidae (Conocephalus sp.), the second intermediate host ( Brandolini and Amato, 2001). Some studies on the E. coelomaticum/B. similaris interrelationship showed alterations in carbohydrate, calcium and reproductive metabolism ( Paschoal and Amato, 1993, Paschoal and Amato, 1996, Pinheiro and Amato, 1994, Pinheiro and Amato, 1995, Brandolini and Amato, 2001 and Pinheiro et al., 2001).