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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Hepatozoon spp. infections in wild rodents in an area of endemic canine hepatozoonosis in southeastern Brazil

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Author(s):
Demoner, Larissa de Castro ; Magro, Natalia Mizuhira ; Lucas da Silva, Maria Regina ; Azevedo de Paula Antunes, Joao Marcelo ; Perez Calabuig, Cecilia Irene ; O'Dwyer, Lucia Helena
Total Authors: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES; v. 7, n. 5, p. 859-864, 2016.
Web of Science Citations: 8
Abstract

Hepatozoon canis is a tick-borne parasite that occurs worldwide. In rural areas of Brazil, H. canis vectors remain unknown, which has led to speculation about alternative routes of transmission. Small rodents can play a role in the transmission (via predation) of Hepatozoon americanum, which led us to question whether predation might be an alternative mode of transmission for H. canis. Thus, this study investigated whether Hepatozoon spp. are present in wild small rodents in forest fragments that surround rural areas in Botucatu County, Sao Paulo, Brazil, where canine hepatozoonosis is endemic. The study included blood samples from 158 dogs, which were screened by microscopy and molecular analysis. Blood samples and tissues from 67 rodents were obtained for histopathology and molecular detection. The prevalence of H. canis was high (66.45%) in dogs from rural areas of Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The molecular analysis showed that wild rodent species in Brazil were infected with Hepatozoon spp. other than H. canis. Therefore, although the hypothesis that sylvatic rodents act as reservoirs for H. canis was not supported, the presence of monozoic cysts in the rodents suggests that, in addition to intermediate hosts, wild small rodents in Brazil might act as paratenic hosts of Hepatozoon spp. because they harbor infective stages for intermediate host predators. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/09715-0 - Study of Hepatozoon spp. cycle in rural areas in the municipality of Botucatu - São Paulo: evaluation of free ranging rodents as source of infection to canine domestic
Grantee:Larissa de Castro Demoner
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 12/25197-9 - Study on the cycle of Hepatozoon spp. in rural areas of Botucatu - São Paulo: evaluation of the potential of wild rodents as a source of infection to domestic dogs
Grantee:Lucia Helena O'Dwyer de Oliveira
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants