Avaliação dos fatores de risco de propagação da raiva caprina associados ao ataque e distribuição geográfica de morcegos hematófagos no município de Alcântara-Ma.

Abstract

The rabies is a serious viral illness, responsible for numerous losses both in public health and in the cattle-breeding. The main responsible for the transmission of this illness to herbivores, causing, therefore, the "rural rabies", is the kind of hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus. Ecologic alterations in the ecosystems, especially in rural areas, due to real estate speculation, preparation of the soil for pasture and soil preparation for the planting of the most diverse cultures, have provided the action of this kind of bat, sucking animais, particularly herbivores. With the significant reduction of the available areas for the breeding of animais of production, the creators began to opt by small and médium port animais, and, among the médium port ones, excel the caprines and ovines. These herbivores of production are among the species most attacked by the D. Rotundus. The present work, unprecedented in the State of Maranhão, aims to assess how the risk factors of rabies, associated with the attack and geographical distribution of bats hematophagous, contributed to the possible spread of this illness in caprines, in the municipality of Alcântara-MA. Four rural caprine proprieties were selected, one on each cardinal point (north, south, east and west) of the city, where they were held eight catches of bats, two in each property. The results showed that the only kind of hematophagous bat captured was identified as the D. Rotundus, present in all four properties, as well as were verified suctions of hematophagous bats in the caprine herd on all the studied properties.