Protozoários de importância em saúde pública e sanidade animal de mamíferos silvestres do extremo sul do Brasil

Abstract

The coexistence between domestic and wild animals can cause risks of infections caused by protozoa. The identification of wild reservoirs contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of protozoan populations found in different hosts, as well as the identification of parasitic agents with zoonotic potential. Therefore, the objective of this study was to detect protozoa with zoonotic potential (Babesia, Theileria sp. and Neospora caninum ) in mammals from Rio Grande do Sul. Spleen tissues were collected from 72 animals (50 Didelphis albiventris, 10 Cavia aperea, 4 Galictis cuja and 8 Procyon cancrivorus ) run over on highways in Rio Grande do Sul, from the municipalities of São Lourenço do Sul, Pelotas, Capão do Leão and Arroio Grande, in the periods between January 2015 and April 2019, according to a license granted by ICMBio/SISBIO, some specimens were donated by the Nucleus for Rehabilitation of Wild Fauna of the Federal University of Pelotas (NURFS). For DNA extraction, the spleen of mammals was used. The extraction process was performed using the GenElute™ Mammalian Genomic DNA Miniprep Kit (Sigma-Aldrich), following the manufacturer's instructions. The DNA was quantified and its purity was known by spectrophotometry. For the Polymerase Chain Reactions, primers from the 18S subunit of the ribosomal DNA were used. N. caninum and Babesia microti were found in Cavia aperea and Babesia spp. in Procyon cancrivorus. These are the first records in Brazil of these protozoa to their hosts through molecular studies. Babesia sp. and T. equi were found in D. albiventris, this being the first report of T. equi in this host in Brazil.