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

Autor(es)

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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES; v. 7, n. 5, p. 859-864, 2016.
• Citações Web of Science: 8

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 12/09715-0 - Estudo sobre o ciclo de Hepatozoon spp. em áreas rurais do município de Botucatu - São Paulo: avaliação do potencial de roedores silvestres como fonte de infecção a caninos domésticos
• Beneficiário: Larissa de Castro Demoner
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 12/25197-9 - Estudo sobre o ciclo de Hepatozoon spp. em áreas rurais do município de Botucatu - São Paulo: avaliação do potencial de roedores silvestres como fonte de infecção a caninos domésticos
• Beneficiário: Lucia Helena O'Dwyer de Oliveira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular