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Yabsley MJ, Garrett KB, Thompson AT, Box EK, Giner MR, Haynes E, Barron H, Schneider RM, Coker SM, Beasley JC, Borchert EJ, Tumlison R, Surf A, Dukes CG, Olfenbuttel C, Brown JD, Swanepoel L, Cleveland CA. Otterly diverse - A high diversity of Dracunculus species (Spirurida: Dracunculoidea) in North American river otters ( Lontra canadensis). Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2024; 23:100922. [PMID: 38516639 PMCID: PMC10955650 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The genus Dracunculus contains numerous species of subcutaneous parasites of mammals and reptiles. In North America, there are at least three mammal-infecting species of Dracunculus. Reports of Dracunculus infections have been reported from river otters (Lontra canadensis) since the early 1900s; however, little is known about the species infecting otters or their ecology. Most reports of Dracunculus do not have a definitive species identified because females, the most common sex found due to their larger size and location in the extremities of the host, lack distinguishing morphological characteristics, and few studies have used molecular methods to confirm identifications. Thus, outside of Ontario, Canada, where both D. insignis and D. lutrae have been confirmed in otters, the species of Dracunculus in river otters is unknown. In the current study, molecular characterization of nematodes from river otters revealed a high diversity of Dracunculus species. In addition to confirming D. insignis infections, two new clades were detected. One clade was a novel species in any host and the other was a clade previously detected in Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) from the USA and a domestic dog from Spain. No infections with D. lutrae were detected and neither new lineage was genetically similar to D. jaguape, which was recently described from a neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) from Argentina. These data also indicate that Dracunculus spp. infections in otters are widespread throughout Eastern North America. Currently the life cycles for most of the Dracunculus spp. infecting otters are unknown. Studies on the diversity, life cycle, and natural history of Dracunculidae parasites in wildlife are important because the related parasite, D. medinensis (human Guinea worm) is the subject of an international eradication campaign and there are increasing reports of these parasites in new geographic locations and new hosts, including new species in humans and domestic dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Yabsley
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Kayla B. Garrett
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Alec T. Thompson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Erin K. Box
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Madeline R. Giner
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ellen Haynes
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Heather Barron
- Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Sanibel, FL, 33957, USA
| | | | - Sarah M. Coker
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - James C. Beasley
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - Ernest J. Borchert
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - Renn Tumlison
- Applied Science and Technology, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR, 71999, USA
| | - Allison Surf
- Applied Science and Technology, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR, 71999, USA
| | - Casey G. Dukes
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, NCSU Centennial Campus, 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Colleen Olfenbuttel
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, NCSU Centennial Campus, 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Justin D. Brown
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Liandrie Swanepoel
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Christopher A. Cleveland
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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Natalini MB, Notarnicola J, Monje LD, Vallejos AB, Gavier FS, Kowalewski MM. A new dracunculus species (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) in neotropical otters ( Lontra longicaudis) from Argentina: morphological and molecular characterization. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 22:234-242. [PMID: 38045874 PMCID: PMC10689777 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
A new species of Dracunculus is described in wild neotropical otters, Lontra longicaudis, occurring in Corrientes, Argentina, based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Worms were located in the subcutaneous tissue from two of five investigated otters. Dracunculus jaguape n. sp. is differentiated from the 14 species of Dracunculus described from mammals and reptiles by the prominent dorsal and ventral papillae on the head; deirids posterior to nerve ring; male with long needlelike spicules and presence of gubernaculum; and long first stage larva. Phylogenetic analysis using the 18S rRNA positioned Dracunculus jaguape n. sp. in an anterior position to the rest of Dracunculus sequences available and COI positioned it in a separated clade sister to Dracunculus lutrae sequences. This is the first report on the presence of this nematode in Lontra longicaudis in Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Belén Natalini
- Estación Biológica Corrientes (EBCo), CECOAL - CONICET - UNNE, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes 1200, San Cayetano, 3401, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Juliana Notarnicola
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS), CONICET - UNaM, Av. Tres Fronteras 183, Puerto Iguazú, 3370, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Lucas Daniel Monje
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias Del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), R.P. Kreder 2805, 3080, Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Adriana Belén Vallejos
- Estación Biológica Corrientes (EBCo), CECOAL - CONICET - UNNE, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes 1200, San Cayetano, 3401, Corrientes, Argentina
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS), CONICET - UNaM, Av. Tres Fronteras 183, Puerto Iguazú, 3370, Misiones, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias Del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), R.P. Kreder 2805, 3080, Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Dirección de Parques y Reservas, Ministerio de Turismo, 9 de Julio 929, Corrientes, 3400, Argentina
| | - Francisco Sanchez Gavier
- Estación Biológica Corrientes (EBCo), CECOAL - CONICET - UNNE, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes 1200, San Cayetano, 3401, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Martín Miguel Kowalewski
- Estación Biológica Corrientes (EBCo), CECOAL - CONICET - UNNE, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes 1200, San Cayetano, 3401, Corrientes, Argentina
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Fagundes-Moreira R, Bezerra-Santos MA, May-Junior JA, Baggio-Souza V, Rampim LE, Sartorello LR, Lia RP, Soares JF, Otranto D. The jaguar (Panthera onca) as a potential new host of Dracunculus sp. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:2951-2956. [PMID: 37823992 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07984-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Nematode species of the genus Dracunculus (Spirurida: Dracunculoidea) infect tissues and body cavities of reptiles, domestic and wild carnivores, and humans. The definitive hosts acquire the infection by ingesting intermediate (i.e., cyclopoid copepod) or paratenic (i.e., amphibians and fishes) hosts. Here we report the jaguar (Panthera onca) as a potential new host for Dracunculus sp. The nematode was collected from an ulcerated cutaneous nodule on the left anterior limb of a female jaguar in the municipality of Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Based on the morphology of first stage larvae collected from a small fragment of the uterus of the adult nematode, the species was identified as Dracunculus sp. Reichard, 1759. Additionally, the morphological identification was molecularly confirmed by sequencing the cox1 gene. This report advocates for further investigations into the transmission cycle of this parasite in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland, considering the role of wildlife hosts and the zoonotic potential of Dracunculus species in that area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Fagundes-Moreira
- Laboratório de Protozoologia E Rickettsioses Vetoriais, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9090, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil
| | | | - Joares Adenilson May-Junior
- Laboratório de Protozoologia E Rickettsioses Vetoriais, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9090, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil
- Onçafari Association, São Paulo, Brazil
- Panthera Corporation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vinicius Baggio-Souza
- Laboratório de Protozoologia E Rickettsioses Vetoriais, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9090, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - João Fabio Soares
- Laboratório de Protozoologia E Rickettsioses Vetoriais, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves 9090, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil.
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Italy
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