Epidemiology of \u3ci\u3eToxoplasma gondii\u3c/i\u3e and a survey of other parasites in the West Indian manatee (\u3ci\u3eTrichechus manatus\u3c/i\u3e)

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite of felids reported to cause morbidity and mortality in the two subspecies of the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus): the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Puerto Rico and the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Sera or plasma (n=343) were collected from live-capture T. m. latirostris through the US Geological Survey (USGS) manatee health assessment program and serosanguinous fluid (n=10) were collected from necropsies conducted by the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory (MMPL). Additionally, serum or serosanguinous fluid samples (n=5) were collected from rehabilitated or necropsied T. m. manatus at the Manatee Conservation Center (MCC) of Puerto Rico. Free-roaming cat (Felis catus) serum samples (n=25) from Puerto Rico were collected for T. gondii testing. All serum, plasma, and serosanguinous fluid samples (n=383) were screened using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) to determine T. gondii seroprevalence in manatee and cat. All manatee samples tested on the MAT were seronegative for T. gondii except for one Antillean manatee which was inconclusive. Nested PCR on the blood clot of this animal was negative. Seroprevalence of T. gondii in cat sera was 16%. Fecal samples (n=79) from free-roaming cats in Florida were collected to determine the shedding prevalence of T. gondii oocysts. No oocysts consistent with T. gondii morphology were detected in any felid samples. This is the first attempt to connect T. gondii genotypes in manatees to the hypothesized contamination source, feral cat populations. To determine manatee habitat contamination, 33 seagrass samples (Thalassia testudinum, Syringodium filiforme, and Halodule wrightii) from 19 sites on the main island of Puerto Rico were collected for concentration and PCR detection of T. gondii oocysts. No T. gondii oocysts were detected in any of the seagrass samples. Freshly defecated fecal samples (n=24) were also collected from T. m. latirostris (n=21) and T. m. manatus (n=3) for parasite surveillance. Parasite ova found included: 2 Chiorchis spp., Pulmonicola cochleotrema, Moniligerum blairi, Nudacotyle undicola, 2 Eimeria spp., Heterocheilus tunicatus, and several unidentified eggs, cysts, and larvae. To the author’s knowledge, this is also the first report of Eimeria spp. in T. m. manatus from Puerto Rico

Internal parasites of the two subspecies of the West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus

The West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus is divided into 2 subspecies: the Antillean (T. m. manatus) and Florida (T. m. latirostris) manatees. This study reports sample prevalence of manatee parasites from populations of these 2 subspecies in different geographical locations. Although necropsy is a valuable diagnostic tool for parasite infections, the need for antemortem diagnostic techniques is important. Fecal samples collected during necropsies of Antillean manatees (n = 3) in Puerto Rico and Florida manatees (n = 10) in Crystal River, Florida, as well as from live-captured Florida manatees (n = 11) were evaluated using centrifugal flotation with sucrose and ethyl acetate sedimentation to compare parasites from each of the populations. Although both fecal examination methods provided similar results, the centrifugal flotation method required less time for diagnosis. The most common parasite eggs found in both populations included the trematodes Pulmonicola cochleotrema and Nudacotyle undicola, oocysts of the coccidian Eimeria spp., and eggs of the ascarid Heterocheilus tunicatus. Eggs of the trematode Chiorchis groschafti were found in both populations of manatees; however, eggs of a related species, Chiorchis fabaceus, were abundant in the Florida samples, but not found in Puerto Rico popu lations. Trematode eggs of Moniligerum blairi were found in both populations, but were more common in the Florida manatee (42%) than the Antillean manatee (33%). To our knowledge, this is the first report of both Eimeria manatus and Eimeria nodulosa oocysts in Antillean manatees from Puerto Rico

Rapid Discovery and Detection of Haemaphysalis longicornis through the Use of Passive Surveillance and Collaboration: Building a State Tick-Surveillance Network

Between March 2019 and February 2020, Asian long-horned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901) were discovered and collected for the first time in one middle and seven eastern Tennessee counties, facilitated by a newly developed passive and collaborative tick-surveillance network. Network collaborators included federal, state, county, university, and private resource personnel working with companion animals, livestock, and wildlife. Specimens were collected primarily from dogs and cattle, with initial detections of female adult stage ticks by stakeholders associated with parasitology positions (e.g., entomologists and veterinary parasitologists). Initial county tick detections were confirmed with morphological and molecular identifications, and then screened for the presence of animal-associated pathogens (Anaplasma marginale, Babesia species, Ehrlichia species, and Theileria orientalis), for which all tests were negative. Herein, we describe the identification and confirmation of these tick specimens as well as other results of the surveillance collaboration