ABSTRACT
The objective of this survey was to investigate the prevalence of Hepatozoon infection in dogs in the rural and urban areas of Uberlândia, Brazil by PCR and molecular characterization. DNA was obtained from blood samples collected from 346 local dogs from both genders and various ages. Seventeen PCR products from positive blood samples of urban dogs and 13 from the rural dogs were sequenced. Partial sequences of the 18S rRNA gene indicated that all 30 dogs were infected with Hepatozoon canis similar in sequence to H. canis from southern Europe. Four local dog sequences were submitted to GenBank (accessions JN835188; KF692038; KF692039; KF692040). This study indicates that H. canis is the cause of canine hepatozoonosis in Uberlândia and that infection is similarly widespread in rural and urban dogs.
Subject(s)
Apicomplexa/genetics , DNA, Protozoan/genetics , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Protozoan Infections, Animal/epidemiology , Rural Health , Urban Health , Age Factors , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , DNA, Protozoan/blood , Databases, Nucleic Acid , Dog Diseases/blood , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dogs , Female , Male , Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Prevalence , Protozoan Infections, Animal/blood , Protozoan Infections, Animal/diagnosis , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
The present study aimed to evaluate under controlled conditions the acquisition of Hepatozoon canis by Amblyomma ovale after feeding on infected dogs, and the subsequent induction of infection in uninfected dogs that ingested the experimentally infected ticks. Two H. canis naturally infected dogs were infested with A. ovale adult ticks derived from an uninfected laboratory tick colony. After feeding, two A. ovale females presented H. canis oocysts in the hemolymph at the first and fourth days after removal of ticks from dogs. The oocysts had an average size of 244.34 microm x 255.46 microm. Three uninfected dogs were fed with ticks previously fed on the infected dogs. Only one dog became infected 32 days after oral inoculation, presenting circulating gametocytes, parasitemia less than 1%, and positive PCR confirmed to be H. canis by DNA sequencing. The results obtained indicated A. ovale ticks as potential vector of H. canis in rural areas of Brazil.
Subject(s)
Apicomplexa/physiology , Dog Diseases/transmission , Ixodidae/parasitology , Protozoan Infections, Animal/transmission , Animals , Dog Diseases/parasitology , Dogs , Female , Male , Protozoan Infections, Animal/parasitologyABSTRACT
A Giardia duodenalis (sinonímia G. lamblia e G. intestinalis) é um protozoário flagelado que pode parasitar o intestino delgado de mamíferos, incluindo o homem, as aves e os répteis. A transmissão dá-se pela ingestão de cistos presentes na água, alimentos contaminados pela água, cistos veiculados por moscas e baratas ou ainda por cistos aderidos à pelagem dos animais. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar se as pessoas que transitam diariamente em uma área de grande movimentação de animais, como, por exemplo, um Hospital Veterinário, podem ser um fator de risco para seus animais domésticos na presença de cistos de Giardia sp. Foram coletadas 61 amostras de fezes de cães, sendo 32 oriundas de animais pertencentes a proprietários que transitavam diariamente pelo Hospital Veterinário e 29 de animais cujos proprietários não transitavam diariamente em uma área de grande movimentação de animais. Os resultados dos exames coproparasitológicos realizados pelo método descrito por Faust e colaboradores (1939) revelaram uma diferença significativa (p < 0,0005) entre os dois grupos, mostrando que os cães de proprietários que transitam diariamente no Hospital Veterinário foram os mais contaminados pelos cistos de Giardia sp.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Giardia. Giardiose. Cães.