Roberta da Rocha Braga

Degree of Veterinary Medicine(2008). Master in Pathology(2016). Ph.D. in Comparative and Experimental Pathology (2022). Experience in pathology diagnostics in wildlife, especially herpetofauna.

EDUCATION

Veterinary Medicine Degree.
Universidade Estadual do Ceará (State University of Ceará, Brazil)
2008.

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Veterinary, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Parasitology

Scopus Publications

Limb malformations in Leptodactylus rhodomystax (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in the Brazilian Amazon
Antônio Rafael Lima Ramos, Mariny Oliveira Arruda, Roberta da Rocha Braga, Ana Lúcia da Costa Prudente, Robson Waldemar Ávila
Phyllomedusa, 2025
Pathological and incidental findings in anurans from Ceará, northeastern Brazil
Roberta da Rocha Braga, Deborah Praciano de Castro, Daniel Cassiano Lima, Cícero Ricardo de Oliveira, Robson Waldemar Ávila
Ciencia Animal Brasileira, 2024
Amphibians are among the most threatened animal groups on Earth, with anurans representing the most prevalent order within this group. Globally, emerging infectious diseases are linked to the decline of amphibian populations, a phenomenon also observed in northeastern Brazil. In particular, the state of Ceará boasts a rich and abundant anurofauna, with nearly 5% of its species considered critically endangered. Despite numerous pathologies observed in local anurans through research projects, published cases remain scarce. This study aimed to compile pathological and incidental findings in native anurans from Ceará State, Northeastern Brazil. Data were derived from necropsies and clinical examinations conducted on 38 specimens across 13 species from 13 sites, spanning from 2010 to 2022. Most lesions (71 %, n = 38) indicated inflammatory pathophysiology, with observations of parasitic infections and agents within lesions, granulomatous or necrotic lesions with intracytoplasmic inclusions consistent with Mycobacteria ana Ranavirus infections, respectively. Fibrolipomas and hepatocellular carcinoma presented as single solid nodules, the latter associated with cystic helminth infections. Diffuse hepatic calcinosis suggested a toxic/metabolic etiology. Bilateral cataract was the most common ocular alteration (60%, n=5), though its etiology remained undetermined. The presence of infectious diseases was confirmed, and further etiological diagnostics are necessary. The lack of specific etiological techniques constrained some definitive diagnoses. These findings place Ceará on the distribution map for significant diseases affecting anurofauna, underscoring the need for ongoing monitoring.
Histopathology of Endocrine Organs of Miranda's White-Lipped Frogs (Leptodactylus macrosternum) from Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Regions in Semi-Arid Northeastern Brazil
Roberta da Rocha Braga, Patrícia de Menezes Gondim, Eliana Reiko Matushima
Journal of Comparative Pathology, 2022
Leptodactylus macrosternum (Anura: Leptodactylidae) as a bioindicator of potentially toxic chemical elements in irrigated perimeters in northeastern Brazil
Roberta da Rocha Braga, Patrícia de Menezes Gondim, Rodrigo Mendes Pereira, Bruno Lemos Batista, Eliana Reiko Matushima
Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, 2022
CXCL10 treatment promotes reduction of IL-10+ regulatory T (Foxp3+ and Tr1) cells in the spleen of BALB/c mice infected by Leishmania infantum
Webertty Mayk Eufrásio de Figueiredo, Fabiola Fernandes Heredia, Aline Sombra Santos, Roberta da Rocha Braga, Francisco Rafael Marciano Fonseca, et al.
Experimental Parasitology, 2019
DNA sequences confirm low specificity to definitive host and wide distribution of the cat pathogen Platynosomum illiciens (= P. fastosum) (Trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae)
Hudson A. Pinto, Eduardo A. Pulido-Murillo, Roberta R. Braga, Vitor L. T. Mati, Alan L. Melo, et al.
Parasitology Research, 2018
A new species of Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 (Apicomplexa: Adelerina) from the snake Philodryas nattereri Steindachner (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in northeastern Brazil
Diva M. Borges-Nojosa, M. Juliana Borges-Leite, João P. Maia, Djan Zanchi-Silva, Roberta da Rocha Braga, et al.
Systematic Parasitology, 2017
Prevalence of Platynosomum fastosum infection in free roaming cats in northeastern Brazil: Fluke burden and grading of lesions
R.R. Braga, A.C. Teixeira, J.A.A. Oliveira, L.P.G. Cavalcanti
Veterinary Parasitology, 2016
What makes the heart of boa constrictor (Squamata: Boidae) beat faster?
João Fabrício Mota Rodrigues, Roberta da Rocha Braga, Thaís Helena Alencar Ferreira, Estéfanni de Castro Pinheiro, Géssica dos Santos Araújo, et al.
Zoologia, 2015
Body size is highly correlated with metabolism, which in turn influences physiological rates such as heart rate. In general, heart rate is negatively influenced by the size of animal's body, but there is insufficient data corroborating this pattern in snakes. This study evaluated how body size affects heart rate in captive Boa constrictor Linnaeus, 1758. We measured the heart rate of 30 snakes using digital palpation and evaluated how this rate is influenced by body mass and sex using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The heart rate of the snakes was 58.8 ± 6.7 bpm (beats per minute). Body size, estimated as log-transformed body mass, negatively influenced heart rate (F1,28 = 10.27, p = 0.003, slope = -0.00004, R2 = 0.27), but sex had no effect (F1,27 = 0.07, p = 0.80). In conclusion, this result corroborates the negative relationship between body size and heart rate for snakes and reinforces the influence of related metabolic characteristics, such as body size, on the physiological parameters of snakes.
Surgical wound management and healing time in Iguana iguana
Herpetological Bulletin, 2013
Trauma healing and post-trauma rehydration in a Boa constrictor: Case report
Herpetological Bulletin, 2013
Clinical and laboratory alterations in dogs naturally infected by Leishmania chagasi
José Cláudio Carneiro de Freitas, Diana Célia Sousa Nunes-Pinheiro, Belarmino Eugênio Lopes Neto, Glauco Jonas Lemos Santos, Cyntia Rafaelle Amaral de Abreu, et al.
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical, 2012
Ethnoveterinary knowledge of the inhabitants of Marajó Island, Eastern Amazonia, Brazil
Maria Vivina Barros Monteiro, Claudia Maria Leal Bevilaqua, Maria das Dores Correia Palha, Roberta Rocha Braga, Katiane Schwanke, et al.
Acta Amazonica, 2011
Anthelmintic activity of Cocos nucifera L. on intestinal nematodes of mice
C.T.C. Costa, C.M.L. Bevilaqua, S.M. Morais, A.L.F. Camurça-Vasconcelos, M.V. Maciel, et al.
Research in Veterinary Science, 2010
Anthelmintic activity of Lippia sidoides essential oil on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes
A.L.F. Camurça-Vasconcelos, C.M.L. Bevilaqua, S.M. Morais, M.V. Maciel, C.T.C. Costa, et al.
Veterinary Parasitology, 2008
In vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activity of Azadirachta indica extracts on Haemonchus contortus
C.T.C. Costa, C.M.L. Bevilaqua, A.L.F. Camurça-Vasconcelos, M.V. Maciel, S.M. Morais, et al.
Small Ruminant Research, 2008
Anthelmintic activity of Croton zehntneri and Lippia sidoides essential oils
A.L.F. Camurça-Vasconcelos, C.M.L. Bevilaqua, S.M. Morais, M.V. Maciel, C.T.C. Costa, et al.
Veterinary Parasitology, 2007