Confirmation of the invasive American mink (Neogale vison) as carrier of Mycobacterium bovis in southern Chile.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic infectious-contagious disease with worldwide distribution, caused by the zoonotic pathogen Mycobacterium bovis. It is believed that the existence of wild cycles may hamper the success of bTB control strategies worldwide, where wildlife species could be reservoirs of this bacterial agent across their native (e.g., European badgers, wild boars) or non-indigenous (e.g., brushtail possum in New Zealand) ranges. However, further studies are required to understand the potential risk posed by non-native wildlife in becoming carriers of M. bovis in other neglected latitudes, such as the Southern Cone of South America. In this study, we performed a specific M. bovis-RD4 real-time PCR (qPCR) assay to detect bacterial DNA in tissues from the invasive American mink (Neogale vison) in Los Ríos region, Chile. We detected M. bovis DNA in blood samples collected from 13 out of 186 (7 %) minks with known sex and age. We did not find any significant differences in bacterial DNA detection according to mink sex and age. We found that 92 % (12/13) of specimens were positive in lung, 39 % (5/13) in mediastinal lymph node, and 15 % (2/13) in mesenteric lymph node, which suggest that both respiratory and digestive pathways as possible routes of transmission between infected hosts and minks. Our study is the first report on M. bovis molecular detection in invasive minks in an area where the largest cattle population in the country is located. Furthermore, this area is characterized by a low within-herd prevalence of M. bovis infection in cattle, with a relatively low number of infected herds, and so far, no attempts at eradicating the disease have been successful.

Molecular surveillance of potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoir hosts in wildlife rehabilitation centers.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, has become the most devastating zoonotic event in recent times, with negative impacts on both human and animal welfare as well as on the global economy. Although SARS-CoV-2 is considered a human virus, it likely emerged from animals, and it can infect both domestic and wild animals. This constitutes a risk for human and animal health including wildlife with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 horizontal transmission back and forth between humans and wild animals. AIM: Molecular surveillance in different wildlife rehabilitation centers and wildlife associated institutions in Chile, which are critical points of animal-human interaction and wildlife conservation, especially since the aim of wildlife rehabilitation centers is to reintroduce animals to their original habitat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was conducted in six WRCs and three wildlife associated institutions. A total of 185 samples were obtained from 83 individuals belonging to 15 different species, including vulnerable and endangered species. Each specimen was sampled with two different swabs: one oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal according to the nostril diameter, and/or a second rectal sample. RNA was extracted from the samples and two different molecular assays were performed: first, a conventional RT-PCR with pan-coronavirus primers and a second SARS-CoV-2 qPCR targeting the N and S genes. RESULTS: All 185 samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study constitutes the first report on the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 from wildlife treated in rehabilitation centers in Chile, and supports the biosafety procedures adopted in those centers.

Identifying Priorities, Targets, and Actions for the Long-term Social and Ecological Management of Invasive Non-Native Species.

Formulating effective management plans for addressing the impacts of invasive non-native species (INNS) requires the definition of clear priorities and tangible targets, and the recognition of the plurality of societal values assigned to these species. These tasks require a multi-disciplinary approach and the involvement of stakeholders. Here, we describe procedures to integrate multiple sources of information to formulate management priorities, targets, and high-level actions for the management of INNS. We follow five good-practice criteria: justified, evidence-informed, actionable, quantifiable, and flexible. We used expert knowledge methods to compile 17 lists of ecological, social, and economic impacts of lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta) and American mink (Neovison vison) in Chile and Argentina, the privet (Ligustrum lucidum) in Argentina, the yellow-jacket wasp (Vespula germanica) in Chile, and grasses (Urochloa brizantha and Urochloa decumbens) in Brazil. INNS plants caused a greater number of impacts than INNS animals, although more socio-economic impacts were listed for INNS animals than for plants. These impacts were ranked according to their magnitude and level of confidence on the information used for the ranking to prioritise impacts and assign them one of four high-level actions-do nothing, monitor, research, and immediate active management. We showed that it is possible to formulate management priorities, targets, and high-level actions for a variety of INNS and with variable levels of available information. This is vital in a world where the problems caused by INNS continue to increase, and there is a parallel growth in the implementation of management plans to deal with them.

Molecular survey of Bartonella spp. and haemoplasmas in American minks (Neovison vison).

The aim of this study was to perform a molecular survey and characterize Bartonella spp. and haemotropic Mycoplasma (haemoplasmas) in invasive American minks (Neovison vison) from Southern Chile. Additionally, we addressed risk factors for positivity in both groups of agents. Blood and/or tissue samples from 246 minks were analysed by qPCR targeting the nuoG gene for Bartonella spp. and conventional (c)PCR for 16S rRNA for haemotropic Mycoplasma spp. nuoG qPCR-positive Bartonella spp. samples were submitted to cPCR assays (ITS, ribC, gltA, rpoB, pap-31 and ftsZ genes) to perform phylogenetic inferences. Haemotropic Mycoplasma spp. 16S-positive samples were further amplified by cPCR targeting RNaseP gene (160-210 bp) and by two overlapping 16S rRNA cPCR assays to amplify a larger portion of the gene (1,200bp) for phylogenetics. Bartonella DNA was detected in 8.9% of minks (22/246). Out of 22 nuoG qPCR-positive samples, one and two showed positive results in cPCR assays based on ITS and ribC, respectively. Consistent sequencing results were obtained for only one ITS sample (464 bp sequence), which shared 99.6% identity with B. clarridgeiae. Two per cent of minks (5/246) were positive for 16S rRNA haemotropic Mycoplasma-cPCR assay. Two concatenated sequences of 16S rRNA (1,176 and 1,230 bp) were obtained: one sample shared 97.87% identity with haemotropic Mycoplasma sp. from a wild rodent, and the other 96.49% identity with 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum' from a dog. All BLAST results were supported by phylogenetic analysis. One haemoplasma RNase P sequence shared 94.86% identity with Mycoplasma haemofelis from a cat. No risk factors for PCR positivity were identified. In a nutshell, Bartonella clarridgeiae and a potentially novel haemoplasma closely related to haemoplasmas previously reported in rodents, dogs, domestic and wild cats were described for the first time in American minks.

New insights on the infection of pathogenic Leptospira species in American mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of global distribution, caused by the infection of pathogenic Leptospira, a group of bacteria capable of infecting both domestic and wild animals. Mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile is recognized as a wild and synanthropic rodent predator (among various other prey), and Leptospira infection in them can be acquired through contact with the pathogen in the environment or by eating infected prey. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide more specifics regarding the source of the infection for the American mink under the conditions of Southern Chile. Minks were captured in the Los Ríos region, southern Chile, in an area with well-developed dairy farming. Two areas were selected for mink trapping, one with a high degree of dairy farming and a second with a low degree of dairy farming. Within them, 16 study sites were visited, and 45 American mink were trapped and euthanized to obtain kidney tissue and blood serum samples for bacteria isolation and determination of antibodies titers, respectively. Molecular characterization of the isolated strains was performed. Three minks from sites of high-dairy farming industry and only one from sites with low-degree dairy farming were detected as infected through molecular confirmation. This study shows evidence that confirms previous findings made in southern Chile, regarding mink as host of Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo-prajitno associated to cattle-farming areas. However, typing information ( Leptospira interrogans Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae ) suggests that the consumption of rodents may also be a potential source of infection.

Risk factors for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and Mycobacterium bovis coinfection at individual animal level in southern Chile cattle populations.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes a chronic intestinal infection mainly in domestic and wild ruminants and is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route. Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) produces a chronic infection principally of the respiratory system. It affects most domestic mammals, wild species, and humans and is spread via the respiratory or oral route. It is important to note that M. bovis is considered a major zoonotic agent. The term coinfection refers to the coexistence of two or more infectious agents in the same host. The goal of the present study was to assess management factors that may favor coinfection with MAP and M. bovis in cattle at an individual level. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 366 cattle from 11 herds. Diagnostic information for both pathogens and individual characteristics of the animals and management practices applied on them was collected from each herd. The results indicated a set of variables being more frequent in the coinfected group of animals and mainly related with biosecurity measures. This study provided regionally based data that may be used to design future control plans for both cattle infections in southern Chile.

New report of parasite-fauna of the free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis, Geoffroy, 1824) in Chile.

One hundred and ninety five specimens of free tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) obtained from two regions of Chile were analized to determine parasite infection. From those specimens the endoparasites identified were: Trematoda: Acanthatrium lunatum, Limatuoides limatulus and Paralecithodendrium carlsbadensis; Cestoda: Vampirolepis sp.; Nematoda: Nochtia pilosus and Anoplostrongylus paradoxus. The ectoparasites identified were Chiroptonyssus robustipes, Ewingnana inaequalis and Notoedres lasionycteris all of them are acari species. Even thought the bat specimens are from the same species on both survey sites, the results differ for each site when the parasite species identified are compared.

Fauna parasitaria gastrointestinal en el pingüino Adelia (Pygoscelis adeliae) de zona antártica especialmente protegida (ZAEPN°150) / Gastrointestinal parasite fauna in Adelia penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) in an antarctic territory protected zone

Usando diferentes técnicas parasicológicas, fueron analizadas 167 muestras de heces y 3 tractos digestivos completos obtenidos de pingüinos Adelia {Pygoscelis adeliae) de una zona Antartica protegida. Se reporta la presencia de: huevos y una estróbila de Tetrabothrius spp. (Cestoda: Pseudophyllida); una tenia con un rostellum inerme (Cestoda: Cyclophyllida) en estado inmaduro; ooquistes de Esporozoos y huevos de Nematodos sin identificación; una gran cantidad de Streptocara spp. (Nematoda: Acuariidae) en diferentes estados de evolución.

One hundred and sixty seven fecal samples and three complete digestive tracts obtained from these penguins were analyzed using different parasitological methodologies. The presence ofTetrabothrius spp. eggs (Cestoda: Pseudophyllida), and the observation of Sporozoa oocists and Nematoda eggs both of undetermined species in the fecal samples is reported. In the same way a large number of nematodes identified as Streptocara spp. (Nematoda: Acuariidae) in different evolutionary stages in stomach, and the recovery of a whole 81 cm. Tetrabothrius spp. specimen (without the scolex) and one inmature tapeworm (Cestoda: Cyclophyllida) with unarmed rostellum in guts of Adéliepenguins chiks found dead in a protected zone of the Antarctic territory is reported.

Fauna parasitaria gastrointestinal en polluelos de Pingüino Papua (Pygoscelis papua) encontrados muertos en zona antártica especialmente protegida (ZAEP N°150) / Gastrointestinal parasite fauna of nine gentoo Penguin Chicks (Pygoscelis papua) found dead in an antartic territory protected zone

En el presente trabajo, se comunica la presencia de Streptocara spp (Nematoda: Acuariidae) y de Contracaecum spp (Nematoda: Anisakidae) en estómago; de dos escolex de tenias (Cestoda: Cyclophyllida) y huevos de Tetrabothrium spp (Cestoda: Pseudophyllida) en el intestino de pollos de pingüino Papua encontrados muertos en una zona Antártica protegida.

Hallazgo de Raillietiella sp. en culebra chilena de cola larga (Philodryas chamissonis) de un Zoológico de la Región Metropolitana / Raillitiella sp. finding on chilean long tailed snake (Philodryas chamissonis) from a zoo of the Metropolitan Region

Se encontrado un pentastómido de reptil en los pulmones de culebra chilena de cola larga (Philodryas chamissonis) mantenida en cautiverio en un zoológico nacional. La identificación de dicho parásito correspondió a Raillietiella sp. Este constituye la primera comunicación sobre Raillietiella sp. en reptiles de nuestro país.

During 2005, several pentastomids were found on the lungs of a Chilean Long Tailed Snakes (Philodryas chamissonis) that were kept under captivity on a national zoo. The identification of this parasites determinates that they were Raillitiella sp. This is the first report of Raillietiella sp. on reptiles in the country.