Levantamento molecular de micoplasma hemotrópico em mão-pelada (Procyon cancrivorus) do sul do Brasil

Hemoplasmas are non-cultivable bacterial parasites of erythrocytes that infect domestic and wild animals, as well as humans. Their means of transmission and pathogenesis remain contentious issues and difficult to evaluate in wild animals. Procyon cancrivorus is a South American carnivore and occurs in all Brazilian biomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate occurrences of hemoplasmas infecting P. cancrivorus and to identify their 16S rRNA gene, in southern Brazil. DNA was extracted from spleen and blood samples of P. cancrivorus (n = 9) from different locations. Hemoplasma DNA was detected in six samples, based on 16S rRNA gene amplification and phylogenetic analysis. Four of the six sequences belonged to the “Mycoplasma haemofelis group”, which is closely related to genotypes detected in Procyon lotor from the USA; one was within the “Mycoplasma suis group”, closely related to “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum”; and one was within the intermediate group between these clusters. Thus, these sequences showed that the molecular identity of hemoplasmas in the population studied was very variable. In five positive animals, Amblyomma aureolatum ticks and a flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) were collected. The present study describes the first molecular detection of mycoplasmas in P. cancrivorus.Os micoplasmas hemotrópicos (hemoplasmas) são parasitas bacterianos não-cultiváveis de eritrócitos que infectam tanto animais domésticos e selvagens, como seres humanos. A transmissão e a patogênese são discutíveis e difíceis de avaliar em animais selvagens. O mão pelada (Procyon cancrivorus) é um carnívoro Sul-americano, que ocorre em todos os biomas brasileiros. O objetivo do presente estudo é o de investigar a ocorrência de hemoplasmas infectando P. cancrivorus e identificar seu gene 16S rRNA no Sul do Brasil. O DNA foi extraído do baço e amostras de sangue de P. cancrivorus (n= 9). O DNA de hemoplasma foi detectado em seis amostras, com base na amplificação do gene 16S rRNA e na análise filogenética. Quatro das seis sequências pertencem ao “Grupo Mycoplasma haemofelis”, que estão intimamente relacionadas aos genótipos detectados no Procyon lotor dos EUA; uma dentro do “Grupo Mycoplasma suis”, que está intimamente relacionado ao “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum”, e uma dentro do grupo intermediário entre esses clusters, mostrando assim que há uma diversidade genética de hemoplasmas na população estudada. Em cinco animais positivos, foram coletados carrapatos Amblyomma aureolatum e uma pulga Ctenocephalides felis. O presente estudo traz a primeira detecção molecular de micoplasmas em P. cancrivorus

Rickettsial infection in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild animals in midwestern Brazil

Ticks collected in the last two decades from free-living and captive wild animals from 28 municipalities of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso were identified and tested using molecular methods for the presence of rickettsial agents. A total of 4467 ticks (229 larvae, 1676 nymphs, 1565 males, 997 females) representing 27 ixodid species were collected from 235 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals from three different ecoregions (Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia). The species Amblyomma parkeri, Amblyomma romitii, Amblyomma varium and Ixodes luciae are reported for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso. Amongst 538 ticks tested by molecular methods for rickettsial infection, we detected ‘Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii’ infecting Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto and Amblyomma coelebs, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest infecting Amblyomma ovale, Rickettsia sp. strain NOD infecting Amblyomma nodosum, and ‘Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae’ infecting Amblyomma sculptum. Our results represent an impressive expansion of knowledge on tick fauna and rickettsiae and are essential for understanding the ecology of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Neotropical region, particularly in midwestern Brazil

Rickettsial infection in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild animals in midwestern Brazil

Ticks collected in the last two decades from free-living and captive wild animals from 28 municipalities of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso were identified and tested using molecular methods for the presence of rickettsial agents. A total of 4467 ticks (229 larvae, 1676 nymphs, 1565 males, 997 females) representing 27 ixodid species were collected from 235 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals from three different ecoregions (Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia). The species Amblyomma parkeri, Amblyomma romitii, Amblyomma varium and Ixodes luciae are reported for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso. Amongst 538 ticks tested by molecular methods for rickettsial infection, we detected ‘Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii’ infecting Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto and Amblyomma coelebs, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest infecting Amblyomma ovale, Rickettsia sp. strain NOD infecting Amblyomma nodosum, and ‘Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae’ infecting Amblyomma sculptum. Our results represent an impressive expansion of knowledge on tick fauna and rickettsiae and are essential for understanding the ecology of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Neotropical region, particularly in midwestern Brazil

Mercury content in the fur of jaguars (Panthera onca) from two areas under different levels of gold mining impact in the Brazilian Pantanal

<div><p>ABSTRACT The Pantanal is the largest inland wetland in the world and is under increasing anthropogenic threats, including long-term regionally intensive gold mining practices. Gold mining activities are known to cause the release of harmful pollutants such as mercury (Hg) to the surrounding environment. Jaguars (Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758)) are apex predators, and therefore show great potential to accumulate Hg by biomagnification. We hypothesize that total Hg content in the fur of jaguars from two sites within the Brazilian Pantanal would be significantly different as a function of distance from active gold mining operations. The Hg content was determined by fluorescence spectrometry. The mean ± SD Hg content in jaguars from the study site influenced by gold mining (SB) was compared to jaguars sampled in the area free of gold mining activities (CA) using a one-way ANOVA. The mean Hg content in jaguars from SB (673.0 ± 916.8 µg g-1) is significantly different from jaguars sampled in CA (29.7 ± 23.3 µg g-1), p = 0.03. The maximum recorded content of Hg was 2,010.4 ± 150.5 µg g-1, highest level ever recorded in a wild animal. The data indicate that Hg is an important threat to jaguars within at-risk regions of the Pantanal.</p></div

Data from: Jaguar Movement Database: a GPS-based movement dataset of an apex predator in the Neotropics

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade, with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on making animal movement data publicly available, there has also been a conspicuous dearth in the availability of such data on large carnivores. Globally, large predators are of conservation concern. However, due to their secretive behavior and low densities, obtaining movement data on apex predators is expensive and logistically challenging. Consequently, the relatively small sample sizes typical of large carnivore movement studies may limit insights into the ecology and behavior of these elusive predators. The aim of this initiative is to make available to the conservation-scientific community a dataset of 134,690 locations of jaguars (Panthera onca) collected from 117 individuals (54 males and 63 females) tracked by GPS technology. Individual jaguars were monitored in five different range countries representing a large portion of the species’ distribution. This dataset may be used to answer a variety of ecological questions including but not limited to: improved models of connectivity from local to continental scales; the use of natural or human-modified landscapes by jaguars; movement behavior of jaguars in regions not represented in this dataset; intraspecific interactions; and predator-prey interactions. In making our dataset publicly available, we hope to motivate other research groups to do the same in the near future. Specifically, we aim to help inform a better understanding of jaguar movement ecology with applications towards effective decision making and maximizing long-term conservation efforts for this ecologically important species

I. Conservación de grandes vertebrados en áreas no protegidas de Colombia, Venezuela y Brasil

Con esta publicación inicia de manera oficial la Serie Editorial “Fauna Silvestre Neotropical”, la cual abordará diferentes enfoques sobre los vertebrados del Neotrópico, sintetizando aspectos básicos de su conocimiento como la taxonomía y sistemática hasta la gestión y la toma de decisiones, pasando por la biogeografía, ecología, biología, genética, evolución, conservación in y ex situ, y uso y manejo de la fauna silvestre, entre otros.Bogotá, D. C., ColombiaInstituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humbold

Boxplot and Posterior Density Estimates for male and female home range (log km²) [A and B], home range crossing time (log days) [C and D], velocity autocorrelation timescale (h) [E and F], and average distance traveled (Km/day) [G and H].

<p>Black line represents the difference between the posterior distribution of males and females, red represents the posterior distribution of females and blue represents the posterior distribution of males.</p

Space Use and Movement of a Neotropical Top Predator: The Endangered Jaguar - Fig 2

<p>(A) Variogram of a resident jaguar. Notice that the animal’s semi-variance reaches an asymptote within a few days, roughly representing the time to cross its home range. The red line represents the fitted model and the red shading represents the 95% CI. (B) A non-resident jaguar. Note the lack of a clear asymptote despite the fact that the animal was monitored for a long period (591 days). This lack of asymptote indicates that this animal is not range resident and thus a home range analysis for this individual is not appropriate. For both A and B, the fraction of the variogram displayed is 65% of the duration of each dataset.</p

Extent and conservation status of remaining habitat in Brazil’s major biomes and a portion of Atlantic Forest in Argentina.

<p>Jaguars are considered vulnerable in the Amazon and Pantanal, endangered in the Cerrado and critically endangered in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0168176#pone.0168176.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0168176#pone.0168176.ref015" target="_blank">15</a>].</p