Data Platform for Animal Mortality Information System (DATASIMA): Monitoring Companion Animal's Euthanasia Causes in City of João Pessoa, Brazil

• Published in: Veterinary sciences 2025-01, Vol.12 (1), p.28
• Main Authors: Sousa, Eduardo S S, Sousa, Maria E S, Pereira, Moisés D C A, Negreiros, Ricardo A M, Eloy, Lilian R C, Brasil, Arthur W L, Clementino, Inácio J, Azevedo, Sérgio S, Lucena, Ricardo B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal euthanasia; animal mortality; Canine distemper; epidemiological monitoring; health information systems; Leishmaniasis; Mortality; Parasitic diseases; Sporotrichosis; Zoonoses; zoonotic disease surveillance
• ISSN: 2306-7381; 2306-7381
• DOI: 10.3390/vetsci12010028

The literature regarding causes of animal mortality varies greatly in how it evaluates and describes reasons for euthanasia, showing a clear need for tools to identify, standardize, and map diseases. This study describes the application of the Animal Mortality Information System Database (DATASIMA) to monitoring and georeferencing animal mortality. An observational study was conducted on the dogs and cats euthanized at the Municipal Center for Environmental and Zoonotic Surveillance in João Pessoa, Paraíba. The deaths were reported through DATASIMA, an online platform created and developed in Brazil, which is aimed at observing animal mortality through the Animal Death Declaration between April and September 2022. A total of 403 euthanized animals were recorded, including 204 dogs and 199 cats. The most common diseases leading to euthanasia were as follows: (i) Sporotrichosis (171 cats); (ii) Leishmaniasis (75 dogs); (iii) Distemper (35 dogs); (iv) Trauma from vehicle collisions (ten dogs and nine cats). The DATASIMA platform proved to be an effective system for keeping records and reporting causes of animal mortality. Through georeferencing, it was possible to map areas with higher frequencies of zoonotic outbreaks in the municipality studied, thus providing useful data to implement health promotion strategies.