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Bezerra TL, de Jesus RF, Soares RM, Borges-Silva W, Gondim LFP. Sarcocystis sp. shed by the common boa snake ( Boa constrictor) in Brazil. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 22:84-91. [PMID: 37731591 PMCID: PMC10507586 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.09.001] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The genus Sarcocystis contains around 200 species and 25 of these infect snakes. Two Sarcocystis spp. shed by snakes have called special attention of the scientific community. S. nesbitti, which is shed by scrub pythons (Simalia amethistina), causes myopathy in humans that consume water or food contaminated with the parasite. Sporocysts of S. singaporensis, excreted by reticulated pythons (Malayopython reticulatus), is letal for rats and was successfully tested in the biological control of these rodents. A high biodiversity of snakes is found in Brazil, however, scarce information is available about Sarcocystis spp. in Brazilian snakes. Herein, we investigated Sarcocystis sp. in feces of the common boa (Boa constrictor) from Salvador, as it is widely distributed in Brazil and it is also bred in other countries. Feces of 65 boas were examined, and Sarcocystis sp. was found in 1/65 (1.53%) snakes. All snakes were alive, and for this reason, intestinal scrapping, which is the most sensitive method to detect the parasite, was not performed. Morphometric evaluation of sporocysts showed significant differences in their sizes. PCR and multilocus sequencing of four genetic markers (cox1, 18S, ITS1, and 28S) revealed that sporocysts corresponded to a new Sarcocystis species. Sequences of cox1 and 18S had identities of 100% and higher than 98%, respectively, with sequences obtained from the rodent Lagostomus maximus in Argentina. ITS1 and 28S sequences did not match with any known Sarcocystis sp. No ITS1 and 28S sequences were available for the Sarcocystis sp. found in the Argentinian L.maximus. Bioassay using the boa sporocysts was conducted in three mouse lineages and in Rattus norvegicus, but no parasitic stages were detected in these rodents. We concluded that the common boa is probably the definitive host of a new species of Sarcocystis sp. that has L. maximus or related rodents as intermediate hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taynar Lima Bezerra
- Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Clinics, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Avenida Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, 40170-110, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Rogério Fernando de Jesus
- Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Clinics, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Avenida Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, 40170-110, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Martins Soares
- Departament of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr.Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, 05508 270, Brazil
| | - Waléria Borges-Silva
- Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Clinics, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Avenida Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, 40170-110, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Luís Fernando Pita Gondim
- Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Clinics, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Avenida Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, 40170-110, Bahia, Brazil
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Gondim LFP, Soares RM, Moré G, Jesus RFD, Llano HAB. Sarcocystis neurona and related Sarcocystis spp. shed by opossums (Didelphis spp.) in South America. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 30:e006521. [PMID: 34259741 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612021059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Protozoan parasites of the genus Sarcocystis are obligatory heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidia that infect a wide variety of animals and encompass approximately 200 described species. At least four Sarcocystis spp. (S. falcatula, S. neurona, S. lindsayi and S. speeri) use opossums (Didelphis spp.) as definitive hosts, and two of them, S. neurona and S. falcatula, are known to cause disease in horses and birds, respectively. Opossums are restricted to the Americas, but their distribution in the Americas is heterogeneous. Five Didelphis spp. are distributed in South America (D. aurita, D. albiventris, D. marsupialis, D. imperfecta and D. pernigra) whereas just one opossum species (D. virginiana) is found in North America. Studies conducted in the last decades show that Sarcocystis spp., derived from South American Didelphis spp., have biological and genetic differences in relation to Sarcocystis spp. shed by the North American opossum D. virginiana. The aim of this review was to address the peculiar scenario of Sarcocystis species shed by South American opossums, with a special focus on diagnosis, epidemiology, and animal infections, as well as the genetic characteristics of these parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Fernando Pita Gondim
- Departamento de Anatomia, Patologia e Clínicas, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia - UFBA, Salvador, BA, Brasil
| | - Rodrigo Martins Soares
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - Gastón Moré
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rogério Fernando de Jesus
- Departamento de Anatomia, Patologia e Clínicas, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia - UFBA, Salvador, BA, Brasil
| | - Horwald Alexander Bedoya Llano
- Grupo de Investigación - GINVER, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Corporación Universitaria Remington, Medellín, Colombia
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Bittencourt MV, Meneses IDS, Ribeiro-Andrade M, de Jesus RF, de Araújo FR, Gondim LFP. Sarcocystis spp. in sheep and goats: frequency of infection and species identification by morphological, ultrastructural, and molecular tests in Bahia, Brazil. Parasitol Res 2016; 115:1683-9. [PMID: 26786832 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-4909-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Sarcocystis spp. are cyst-forming coccidia that infect numerous animals species, including several livestock species. Despite the importance of sheep and goat production in Brazil, little it is known about the Sarcocystis species that infect small ruminants in the country and their potential impact on meat condemnation due to the presence of macroscopic cysts of the parasite. The aims of the present study were to determine the frequency of infection by Sarcocystis spp. in goats and sheep intended for human consumption in Bahia State, Brazil, as well as to identify the parasite species in selected samples. The entire tongue, esophagus, and heart were collected from 120 goats and 120 sheep. Tissues were examined for Sarcocystis spp. by macroscopic evaluation, light microscopy, electron microscopy, and molecular tests. Microscopic cysts of Sarcocystis spp. were detected in 95.8 % of sheep and 91.6 % of goats. Using either transmission electron microscopy or partial sequencing of the 18S region of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) for species identification, Sarcocystis tenella and Sarcocystis arieticanis were observed in sheep and Sarcocystis capracanis in goats. Macroscopic cysts were not detected in the analyzed samples. We concluded that goats and sheep destined for human consumption in Bahia possess high frequencies of Sarcocystis infection. Carcass condemnation due to Sarcocystis macrocysts seems to be rare in the studied region. S. arieticanis and S. capracanis were confirmed for the first time by electron microscopy or by molecular tests in small ruminants from Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Vasconcelos Bittencourt
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Iris Daniela S Meneses
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Müller Ribeiro-Andrade
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Rogério Fernando de Jesus
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | | | - Luís F Pita Gondim
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
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