Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Pathology
Associate Professor
Biography
Before joining UGA, Dr. Mendes was a full professor at the Instituto Federal Catarinense (IFC) in Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. He successfully secured multiple research grants at both federal and state levels, demonstrating his expertise and strong research background. His career in veterinary pathology spans more than two decades, beginning with his Master’s degree in the field from 2004 to 2006. Since 2005, he has been an active educator in both graduate and postgraduate programs.
At the IFC, Dr. Mendes’s work was central to the Veterinary Pathology Laboratory. From 2013 onward, he performed a total of 2,482 autopsies on farm animals (1,875 bovine, 388 swine, and 219 ovine) and handled 593 biopsies. He also broadened his experience by working with poultry, pets, and wild animals. Under his coordination, the laboratory also performed an average of 200 pet autopsies annually. The lab’s primary goal was to provide definitive diagnoses and implement control and prevention strategies for future cases.
Prior to his academic and research roles, Dr. Mendes spent three years (2001-2004) in veterinary practice. He provided care for numerous dairy farms, where he was responsible for implementing preventive medicine programs, performing surgeries, prescribing treatments, and conducting autopsies as needed. His extensive experience in both clinical practice and research has given him a unique and comprehensive understanding of veterinary pathology.
Research Interests
Dr. Mendes’s work is primarily focused on ruminant diseases, encompassing a wide range of disciplines including diagnostic pathology, immunopathology, parasitology, toxicology, and retrospective studies. While his main expertise lies in ruminants, he has also published several manuscripts on the diseases of rats, mice, swine, and poultry. In many of these projects, he served as the lead pathologist, evaluating experimental findings and providing key diagnostic insights.
Educational Background
- 2006 – 2010: Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Spain, Ph.D. (Veterinary Pathology).
- 2004 – 2006: Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Brazil, MS (Veterinary Pathology)
- 1996 – 2000: UDESC, Brazil, DVM.
- 2017 – 2019: Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC), Brazil, Dip.Ed.
- 2002 – 2004: Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Brazil, MBA in Agribusiness
Selected Publications
- Splenic rupture in dairy cattle: Report of 24 cases. VETERINARY PATHOLOGY, v.62, 2025.
- A divergent anatomic distribution of bovine lymphoma: time for an update. JOURNAL OF VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION, 2025.
- Cutaneous and subcutaneous fibrolipomas in 236 dogs, 2017-2024: a retrospective case series and comparative review. JOURNAL OF VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION, 2025.
- A review of how colors clue us into gross diagnosis in domestic animals. VETERINARY PATHOLOGY, v.62, 2025.
- Cutaneous Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides infection in a dog with insulinoma. VETERINARY RECORD CASE REPORTS, v.13, 2025.
- Acute drooling and anorexia in a Black Angus steer. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, v.262, 2024.
- Dermal melanoma with plasmacytoid differentiation in a dog. JOURNAL OF VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION, 2024.
- Caudal vena cava thrombosis in cattle in Southern Brazil: clinical and pathological aspects of 30 cases. CIÊNCIA RURAL, 2024.
- Acute necrotic hepatotoxicity caused by Melanthera latifolia (Asteraceae) in cattle. TOXICON, v.229, 2023.
- Congenital fibropapillomatosis in a pig. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PATHOLOGY, v.16, 2023.
- Eurytrema coelomaticum infection: correlation between parasite burden and impairment of pancreatic exocrine enzyme secretion. CIÊNCIA RURAL, v.52, 2022.
- Plant Poisoning Containing Hydrocyanic Acid in Cattle in Southern Brazil. ACTA SCIENTIAE VETERINARIAE, v.49, 2021.
- Experimental infection by Neospora caninum in gerbil reduces activity of enzymes involved in energy metabolism. EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY, v.208, 2020.
- Health profile of free-range wild boar subpopulations hunted in Santa Catarina state, Brazil. TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES, v.67, 2020.
- Outbreak of Rickets in Pigs in the West of Santa Catarina. ACTA SCIENTIAE VETERINARIAE , v.48, 2020.
- Immunization with the recombinant myosin regulatory light chain (FhrMRLC) in Adjuplex® adjuvant elicits a Th1-biased immune response and a reduction of parasite burden in Fasciola hepatica infected rats. PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, v.75, 2019.
- Disturbance of energetic homeostasis and oxidative damage provoked by trichlorfon as relevant toxicological mechanisms using silver catfish as experimental model. CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS, v.299, 2019.
- Mammary gland carcinoma in a male dog: case report. COMPARATIVE CLINICAL PATHOLOGY, v.28, 2018.
- Bilateral Gastrocnemius Muscle Rupture in a Bovine. ACTA SCIENTIAE VETERINARIAE , v.45, 2017.
- Dictyocaulosis in dairy cows in Brazil: an epidemiological, clinical-pathological and therapeutic approach. ACTA PARASITOLOGICA, v.62, 2017.
- Metastatic mammary carcinoma in a cow. CIENCIA RURAL, v.47, 2017.
- Oxidative stress in dairy cows naturally infected with the lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus. JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY, v.91, 2017.
- Risk factors for Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle and their possible cause-effect relation for disease. MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS, v.110, 2017.
- Activities of ectonucleotidases and adenosine deaminase in platelets of cattle experimentally infected by Fasciola hepatica. EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY, v.176, 2017.
- Ectonucleotidase and adenosine deaminase as inflammatory marker in dairy cows naturally infected by Dictyocaulus viviparus. COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v.51, 2017.
- Cattle naturally infected by Eurytrema coelomaticum: Relation between adenosine deaminase activity and zinc levels. RESEARCH IN VETERINARY SCIENCE, v.110, 2016.
- Immune protection conferred by recombinant MRLC (myosin regulatory light chain) antigen in TiterMax Gold® adjuvant against experimental fasciolosis in rats. VACCINE, v.35, 2016.
- Oxidative stress associated with pathological changes in the pancreas of cattle naturally infected by Eurytrema coelomaticum. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY, v.223, 2016.
- Relationship Between Pathological Findings and Cholinesterase Activity and Nitric Oxide Levels in Cattle Infected Naturally by Eurytrema coelomaticum. JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PATHOLOGY, v.154, 2016.
- Evaluation of hepatic changes and local and systemic immune responses in goats immunized with recombinant Peroxiredoxin (Prx) and challenged with Fasciola hepatica. VACCINE, v.28, 2010.
- Evaluation of local immune response to Fasciola hepatica experimental infection in the liver and hepatic lymph nodes of goats immunized with Sm14 vaccine antigen. MEMÓRIAS DO INSTITUTO OSWALDO CRUZ, v.105, 2010.
- Check related links for additional publications.
Service Affiliations
