ABSTRACT
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PRA) which relies on the amplification of a 439-bp portion of the hsp65 gene present in all mycobacteria, followed by two distinct digestions (with BstEII and HaeIII) of the PCR product, offers a rapid and easy alternative that allows identification of the species without the need for specialized equipment. Wild leprosy in the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is characterized by the presence of multiple bacilli in internal organs such as lymph nodes, spleen and liver, as well as in nerves and skin. We could observe this in 9 out of 132 animals captured in Corrientes, Argentina, an area endemic for leprosy in humans. Mycobacterium leprae were recognized in those naturally infected animals through different techniques. Three samples of extracted DNA of the mycobacteria present in the spleen, liver and popliteal lymph node of a naturally infected animal during the Experimental Program in Armadillo (PEA) and three samples of human lepromas were processed by PRA. The patterns of the six samples analyzed were identical and were characteristic of M. leprae. These studies, made for the first time in Argentina, corroborate the initial discoveries in South America made by our investigative group on the detection of armadillos naturally infected with the Hansen bacillus.
Subject(s)
Armadillos/microbiology , Leprosy/microbiology , Mycobacterium leprae/classification , Animals , Argentina , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Chaperonin 60 , Chaperonins/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/analysis , Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics , Humans , Leprosy/veterinary , Mycobacterium leprae/genetics , Mycobacterium leprae/isolation & purification , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
A case of caecum nematodiasis is described in a guinea fowl (Numida melagris) from the Municipal Zoo, Presidencia Roque Saenz Peña (Chaco) Argentina. Nematodes obtained from the caecum were observed in optic microscopy. According to their morphometric characteristics and location in the definitive host, were identified as belonging to the family Heterakidae, species Heterakis gallinarum, (Schrank, 1788) Maden, 1949.
Subject(s)
Nematoda/anatomy & histology , Nematoda/isolation & purification , Nematode Infections/veterinary , Poultry Diseases/parasitology , Animals , Argentina , Nematode Infections/diagnosis , Nematode Infections/parasitology , Poultry Diseases/diagnosisABSTRACT
A case of gastric nematodiasis is described in a gineafowl (Numida meleagris) from the Municipal Zoo, Presidencia Roque Saenz Peña (Chaco) Argentina. Nematodes obtained from the glandular stomach were observed in optic microscopy. According to their morphometric characteristics and location in the definitive host, were identified as belonging to the family Acuariidae, subfamily Acuariinae, species Dispharynx nasuta Rudolphi, 1819.
