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Fonseca MS, Santos AJ, Mendonça MA, Rodamilans GM, Marques FS, Biondi I, Lira-da-Silva RM, Aburjaile FF, Sokolonski AR, Soares RP, Meyer R, Portela RW. Trypanosoma sp. infection in Boa constrictor snakes: morphological, hematological, clinical biochemistry, molecular, and phylogenetic characteristics. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:21. [PMID: 38072845 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08023-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
There are few reports of Trypanosoma in snakes, as well as little information about its pathogenicity in these animals. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize Trypanosoma found in Boa constrictor snakes, to verify the influence of the parasitism on hematological and clinical biochemistry parameters, and to perform a phylogenetic study of the isolates. Blood samples from sixty-one boas were analyzed for the presence of trypanosomatids and by hematological and clinical biochemistry assays. The flagellates that were found in this analysis were used for cell culture, morphometry, and molecular analysis. Later, molecular typing phylogenetic studies were performed. Nine positive animals (14.75%) were identified by microscopy analysis. The hematological results showed that parasitized animals presented significantly lower levels of packed cell volume, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. In the leukogram, eosinophils and heterophils counts were higher in parasitized animals. Considering the molecular analyses, the isolates presented a higher identity of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene fragments with Trypanosoma serpentis. The phylogenetic tree, using the GAPDH, clustered all isolates with T. serpentis and Trypanosoma cascavelli. This is the first description of T. serpentis parasitizing boas and of the clinical changes caused by trypanosomatid infection in snakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maisa S Fonseca
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Anderson J Santos
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Marcos A Mendonça
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Gustavo M Rodamilans
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Franciane S Marques
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Ilka Biondi
- Laboratório de Animais Peçonhentos e Herpetologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia State, Feira de Santana, 44036-960, Brazil
| | - Rejane M Lira-da-Silva
- Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia e Animais Peçonhentos da Bahia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia State, 40170-290, Brazil
| | - Flavia F Aburjaile
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Ana R Sokolonski
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo P Soares
- Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, 30190-002, Brazil
| | - Roberto Meyer
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Ricardo W Portela
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil.
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