ABSTRACT
We investigated the occurrence of Leishmania infantum chagasi in Didelphis albiventris opossums at a wild animal rehabilitation center in the city of Campo Grande, Brazil. A total of 54 opossums were tested for L. i. chagasi infection in peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. The samples were analyzed by direct examination, culturing in a specific medium, and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Leishmania i. chagasi DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 11 (20.37%) animals. A total of 81.81% of positive opossums were captured in areas of known visceral leishmaniasis transmission. These results suggest a role for D. albiventris in the urban transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.
Subject(s)
DNA, Protozoan/isolation & purification , Didelphis/parasitology , Leishmania infantum/pathogenicity , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/epidemiology , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , DNA, Protozoan/genetics , Female , Leishmania infantum/genetics , Male , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
Turgida turgida tem sido amplamente relatada parasitando espécies de Didelphis na América do Norte e América do Sul com base em microscopia óptica. No entanto, as características que diferenciam T. turgida de outras espécies de Physalopteridae, devem ser observadas utilizando microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Uma fêmea, de gambá-de-orelha-branca, Didelphis albiventris, chegou morta no Centro de Reabilitação de Animais Silvestres (CRAS) no município de Campo Grande, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Durante a necropsia, os nematóides adultos foram coletados do estômago e do intestino, identificados macroscopicamente e submetidos à MEV para a determinação específica. Este é o primeiro relato de T. turgida confirmado por MEV na região Neotropical, e o primeiro relato em uma área urbana no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul.
Turgida turgida have been largely reported parasitizing Didelphis species in North and South America based on light microscopy observation. However, the features that differentiate T. turgida from other physalopterid species should be observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A female white-bellied opossum, Didelphis albiventris, arrived dead at the Centro de Reabilitação de Animais Silvestres (CRAS) in the municipality of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. During the necropsy, adult nematodes were collected from stomach and intestine. The nematodes were determined to be adult specimens and submitted to SEM for the species determination. This is the first report of T. turgida confirmed by SEM in the Neotropical region and the first report in an urban area in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
