Rangelia vitalii and Hepatozoon canis coinfection in pampas fox Lycalopex gymnocercus from Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Abstract Rangelia vitalii is a haemoparasite that infects erythrocytes, white blood cells and the cytoplasm of endothelial cells of blood capillaries of canids in South America, and has been detected in both domestic dogs and sylvatic canids. Hepatozoon canis is a parasite that infects neutrophils and monocytes of many mammalian hosts. This study reports the infection of Lycalopex gymnocercus from Santa Catarina, Brazil, with R. vitalii and H. canis. The piroplasm was observed on both blood smears and molecular tests. Many large piroplasms were detected inside the erythrocytes, with round, oval, or teardrop-shaped organism, that occurred singly or in pairs. They had an abundant, pale blue cytoplasm and decentral dark red small nucleus. The animal was also infected with H. canis that was detected only by molecular tests. The majority of haematological and biochemistry parameters were within the reference values for domestic dog and wild canids

A new species,

The Dactylosomatidae Jakowska and Negrelli, 1955 are one of four families belonging to adeleorinid coccidia and comprise the genera Babesiosoma Jakowska and Nigrelli, 1956 and Dactylosoma Labbé, 1894. These blood protozoa occur in peripheral blood of lower vertebrates, and are commonly reported parasitising amphibians. The present study describes Dactylosoma piperis n. sp. from the pepper frog Leptodactylus labyrinthicus (Spix, 1824) (Anura: Leptodactylidae), collected in 2018 at the municipality of Araguaiana, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, based on morphology of intra-erythrocytic trophozoite, primary and secondary merogonic stages and a molecular analysis (partial 18S rDNA). Dactylosoma piperis n. sp. forms a well-supported clade with other Dactylosomatidae. This is the first molecular characterization of a species of Dactylosoma from a Brazilian anuran

Molecular detection of Leptospira spp. in small wild rodents from rural areas of São Paulo State, Brazil

ABSTRACT Background: Leptospirosis represents a One Health issue, affecting humans and animals. This study investigated pathogenic leptospires in small wild rodents in São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Kidney samples from 164 rodents underwent qPCR testing, targeting pathogenic Leptospira spp. Results: Thirty-five animals (21.34%) tested positive, including five rodent species: Akodon montensis (2/21; 9.5%), Necromys lasiurus (1/4; 25%), Oligoryzomys nigripes (24/92; 26.1%), Oligoryzomys flavescens (5/26; 19.2%), and Sooretamys angouya (3/14; 21.4%). Botucatu municipality exhibited the highest prevalence, with 42.5% (20/47) of the animals testing positive. Conclusions: The presence of Leptospira spp. in wild rodents suggests they may be chronic carriers, contaminating the environment

Molecular analysis reveals the diversity of Hepatozoon species naturally infecting domestic dogs in a northern region of Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) - (grant 311686/2015-0); Conselho de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) - (grant 311686/2015-0)Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Estadual Paulista - Campus de Botucatu. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Parasitologia. Botucatu, SP, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Centro de Inovações Tecnológicas. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular. Belém, PA, Brazil.This study aimed to optimize molecular methods for detecting DNA of Hepatozoon spp. as well as identify the phylogenetic relationships of Hepatozoon strains naturally infecting domestic dogs in Belém, Pará, northern Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 138 dogs, and screened for Hepatozoon spp. using a new nested PCR assay. Positive samples were subjected to genetic characterization based on amplification and sequencing of approximately 670 bp of the Hepatozoon spp. 18S rRNA. Of the positive dogs, four shared the haplotype Belém 01, one dog presented the haplotype Belém 02 and two dogs shared the haplotype Belém 03. A Bayesian inference indicates that haplotypes Belém 01 and Belém 02 are phylogenetically related to H. canis, while Belém 03 is related to H. americanum. Overall, based on the first molecular evidence of H. americanum in Brazilian domestic dogs, the proposed protocol may improve the epidemiological investigation of canine hepatozoonosis