Molecular detection of Hepatozoon spp. in domestic dogs and wild mammals in southern Pantanal, Brazil with implications in the transmission route

• Published in: Veterinary parasitology 2017-04, Vol.237, p.37-46
• Main Authors: de Sousa, Keyla Carstens Marques, Fernandes, Marina Pugnaghi, Herrera, Heitor Miraglia, Benevenute, Jyan Lucas, Santos, Filipe Martins, Rocha, Fabiana Lopes, Barreto, Wanessa Teixeira Gomes, Macedo, Gabriel Carvalho, Campos, João Bosco, Martins, Thiago Fernandes, de Andrade Pinto, Pedro Cordeiro Estrela, Battesti, Darci Barros, Piranda, Eliane Mattos, Cançado, Paulo Henrique Duarte, Machado, Rosangela Zacarias, André, Marcos Rogério
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amphibians; Animals; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Coccidiosis - epidemiology; Coccidiosis - parasitology; Coccidiosis - transmission; Coccidiosis - veterinary; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dog Diseases - transmission; Dogs; Eucoccidiida - classification; Eucoccidiida - genetics; Eucoccidiida - isolation & purification; Female; Geography; Hepatozoon spp; Male; Mammals; Phylogenetic analysis; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Reptiles; Rodentia; Sequence Analysis, DNA - veterinary; Siphonaptera - parasitology; Ticks; Ticks - parasitology; Wild mammals
• ISSN: 0304-4017; 1873-2550
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.02.023

•Occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. was investigated in wild animals, domestic dogs and their respective ectoparasites in southern Pantanal, Brazil.•A high prevalence of Hepatozoon among carnivores (C. thous, dogs, N. nasua and L. pardalis) was found.•Wild carnivores, rodents and domestic dogs sampled in southern Pantanal seemed not to share the same Hepatozoon species.•The real role of arthropods Hepatozoon transmission cycles in southern Pantanal remains unknown;•Hepatozoon haplotypes found circulating in wild rodents seems to present a higher degree of polymorphisms when compared to those found in other groups of animals.•Rodents in Pantanal region may play a role in the routes of transmission to reptiles and amphibians by ectoparasites or by predation. Hepatozoon parasites comprise intracellular apicomplexan parasites transmitted to vertebrate animals by ingestion of arthropods definitive hosts. The present work aimed to investigate the occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. in wild animals, domestic dogs and their respective ectoparasites, in southern Pantanal region, central-western Brazil, by molecular techniques. Between August 2013 and March 2015, 31 coatis (Nasua nasua), 78 crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), seven ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), 42 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), 110 wild rodents (77 Thichomys fosteri, 25 Oecomys mamorae, and 8 Clyomys laticeps), 30 marsupials (14 Thylamys macrurus, 11 Gracilinanus agilis, 4 Monodelphis domestica and 1 Didelphis albiventris), and 1582 ticks and 80 fleas collected from the sampled animals were investigated. DNA samples were submitted to PCR assays for Hepatozoon spp. targeting 18S rRNA gene. Purified amplicons were directly sequenced and submitted to phylogenetic analysis. A high prevalence of Hepatozoon among carnivores (C. thous [91.02%], dogs [45.23%], N. nasua [41.9%] and L. pardalis [71.4%]) was found. However, ticks and fleas were negative to Hepatozoon PCR assays. By phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA sequences, Hepatozoon sequences amplified from crab-eating foxes, dogs, coatis and ocelots clustered with sequences of H. canis, H. americanum and H. felis. The closely related positioning of Hepatozoon sequences amplified from wild rodents and T. macrurus marsupial to Hepatozoon from reptiles and amphibians suggest a possible transmission of those Hepatozoon species between hosts by ectoparasites or by predation. Hepatozoon haplotypes found circulating in wild rodents seem to present a higher degree of